XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 9

Danny caught a cab that evening. He couldn't tell, but it felt like it was about 10:00 pm. The sky had turned dark right before it began to snow again. He sat in the back of the cab and rubbed his gloved hands together.

"First time in New York?" The cab driver asked.

"Nah." Danny spoke. "I grew up around here."

"Oh. So did I." The driver smiled. "Where are you from?"

Danny smiled, not wanting to tell him that. "Do you have the time?"

The cab driver weaved in between cars and pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time.

Danny saw this and thought to himself. "Is he even looking at the road? Why didn't I just take my own phone out to check it? I'm going to die from being so lazy."

"6:43, sir." He told him and quickly drove through a light that had just turned red.

Danny closed his eyes and accepted his fate. Lying his head back on the seat, he tried to count how many drinks he had with Russ and his friend, John. After dinner, they had left together, leaving Danny on his own. He was happy because he was ready to go back to the apartment and get high. His drunken thoughts seemed to splash around in his head violently with each jerk of the car.

The heat was on high in the small cab, making the smell bake in Danny's nostrils.

The car jerked him to the left.

The smell of the cab was beginning to get to him. Just as Danny began to think he may get sick, the car seemed to slide to a stop.

"And we're here!" The driver said delightfully.

If he only knew how close he came to having to clean out that back seat, Danny doubted he would have been so cheerful. He thanked him as he handed him some cash through the window. He then turned and reopened the door for a lady who was walking towards the car. She had two small children she was shepherding along with her.

"And let me get the door," Danny said automatically.

The lady never looked up at who he was. She smiled and picked up the smallest child as the taller one climbed across the seat. She thanked him and he closed the door. Looking back through the window, he handed the driver another bit of cash. "Let me pick up hers', too."

The driver took the money and smiled. "I'll let her know. Thanks."

Danny turned to walk into the building. When he saw the elevator door standing open, he ran to it. "Oh hell yeah, hell yeah, hell yeah." He said with each step.

He pressed the button for his floor and the doors closed.

"Yes!" He growled in satisfaction and then laughed at his foolishness.

He rubbed his face and said aloud, "I need to stop drinking. Damn."

The elevator began its journey. Its sudden movement reminded Danny of his motion sickness. He grabbed his stomach and bleched. "Fucking." Bleched again, "Booze."

Then he decided to attempt the largest blech he could. He swallowed a mouthful of air and bleched loudly. "Oh shit, man. You can do better than that."

He gathered a mouthful of air again and bleched loudly. It seemed to echo throughout the entire elevator shaft.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about." He laughed. He looked up to see he had made it past the second floor. "Cold Bertha?"

He laughed and folded his collar down on his long coat. He took off his gloves and put them in his coat pocket. He ran his hands through his wet hair and bleched again. He felt another blech brewing so he decided to run with it. He swallowed a mouthful of air and belched loudly as he said, "Danny Morgan."

It echoed in the elevator shaft again, causing him to laugh. "I'm the shit."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Danny didn't look to see who it was and said, "Going up?"

"Well, look who it is." A familiar voice said.

Danny looked up to see Lewis standing next to a young man who was tall and skinny. He rather looked like Elvis Costello with a beard that was neatly trimmed. His dark hair was wild as it stuck up in the front. While Lewis was dressed in his usual suit and tie, the man who joined them was wearing a simple pair of trousers with a t-shirt under a jacket.

Lewis pointed at him, "Sammy. This is my friend Danny."

The elevator doors closed as they shook hands.

Sammy smiled, "It's nice to put a face with the name, Danny."

"We stopped by your place earlier." Lewis told him, "I wanted to ask you to dinner to thank you for helping us out last night."

Danny felt like someone had punched him. He had managed not to think about what had happened last night with Rose since Russ had shown up on his doorstep. He sighed, "Yeah. It was fun."

Sammy and Lewis exchanged a look. His expression didn't sound like it had been fun.

"Yeah, Lewis told me about the black-out."

"How long was it out?" Danny asked.

"It was on when I arrived," Sammy said. "That was about 6 a.m.?"

Lewis closed his eyes and yawned. "Yeah."

"Six?" Danny asked. "You've had a long day, Lewis."

Sammy pat Lewis on the shoulder and laughed, "Yeah, the old man needs a kip."

"I probably do." Lewis laughed and rubbed his face. "I can't even get damn locksmiths up here to change these doors. Just a simple lock and key. Why do they feel the need to overcomplicate every damn thing?"

Sammy smiled apologetically and spoke to Danny, "He's still wound up about it." He then mouthed, "And he's had a few drinks."

Danny chuckled, "It was alright. She was safe."

Lewis continued to complain. "That damn Legate blew the damn lights with that-."

Sammy cleared his throat, "I'll talk to him about it. It won't happen again."

Danny looked over to the other two men. "Legate?"

Sammy grinned. "Yeah. Legate."

"Odd name." Danny nodded. "So, Rose say anything…"

Lewis shook his head. "I haven't seen her."

"She came back-"

"Oh, no. She came back this morning. She's safe. She's just been out all day. I left before she got up this morning."

Danny nodded. The elevator dinged and they had arrived on their floor.

"That seemed faster." Danny insisted as they all stepped out.

Sammy put his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, Timon was looking at it with the locks."

Lewis nodded. "Good. Umm. Danny. I owe you. But, I think I'll go try to ring Arla while I have a minute."

"See you, Lewis." Danny smiled.

Sammy turned to him and asked, "Got a few minutes?"

"Certainly." Danny nodded and they both walked down the hallway together towards his apartment.

"So, got in after the storm, huh?"

Sammy walked with his hands in his pockets beside Danny, "Yeah."

"Staying with Lewis?"

"Oh, no." He laughed. "Just in for the day. I have to leave tonight."

"Yeah, Lewis said you were traveling a lot." Danny unlocked the door of his apartment and they both walked inside.

The lights came on and Danny tossed his coat on the back of the sofa.

Sammy walked in and looked around the room.

Danny invited Sammy to come in and sit down. "May I offer you something to drink?"

Sammy shook his head and sat down on one of the sofas. He leaned up and turned the sketchpad so he could see the image. "Wow. Did you do this?"

Danny sat down and propped his hand up on the back of the sofa. He stretched out his legs. "I did."

The image was of a beautiful, old fence that framed a balcony that was covered in snow. The ironwork was something of beauty without the lovely French backdrop he had sketched in. The shadow of the Effiel Tower was lightly drawn in.

"Paris?"

"Yeah. A hotel I was staying in while I was working. I love the lines." He ran his hands through his damp hair.

"You drew this from memory?"

"I'll let you in on an artist's secret."

"What's that?"

Danny reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Take a photo for reference."

They both laughed and he tossed his phone on the low table in front of the sofas.

"This is amazing work." Sammy smiled and flipped the page. "Mind if I look?"

"Nah. I don't mind. Probably will help after our talk yesterday."

Sammy sat back and pulled the sketchpad onto his lap. He looked up at Danny and said, "So, let me put your mind at ease. I didn't come to see Lewis because of our talk, but I did want to at least introduce myself to you since I was here anyway."

"Oh, alright."

He held up the sketchbook again. He pointed at the large room with the potted palm tree that was drawn on the page. "This is next door?"

"Yeah. The chandelier is incredible."

Sammy turned the page and saw the room from another angle. "I love how you have drawn this. Wow."

"What is the deal with the palm tree?"

"Oh, that's Lewis's thing. He probably has the only potted palm tree in New York."

"I heard there was one in the Stark building."

"Nah. It's not a palm. It's a Japanese….something."

"Lewis is proud of you." Danny smiled. "I told him I called and talked to you."

Sammy smiled, "That's Lewis. He never mentioned it to me. He's someone who would understand a little about what you're going through. But, he'll never talk about it."

"Really? Lewis? The one who is all about me talking to someone?" Danny had to laugh at the irony.

"He's the same way with me."

"That's interesting. I've never thought about it. Who do the doctors talk to?"

Sammy grinned, "Lewis."

Danny smiled and looked at his hands. He rubbed them together, taking the time to look at each, individual one. Doctor Sammy noticed.

"How did you sleep last night? Did you try the medicine?"

"I took some yesterday after we talked, but didn't take it again. But, I was able to sleep."

"No dreams?"

"None. But…"

"But, what?"

Danny started to tell him why. His brain seemed to be unable to form the words. Then he stopped and looked at him.

"What? Did something happen?"

Danny bit his lip. "Ummm."

"A panic attack, maybe-"

"I had one this morning. Yes."

"That doesn't explain why you slept so well last night. Drinking?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "I had a few drinks with Rose."

"Oh." Sammy realized. "That's right. Rose was here last night. What did you two do?"

He cleared his throat. "Had a few drinks. Talked. I find it very humbling to be around her."

"What? Why?"

"She has no idea who I am. Is she really that…." He made circles with his hand as he tried to think of the word he wanted to use.

"That what?" He smiled.

"Self-absorbed? Is that a word?"

Sam smiled. "Self-absorbed?"

Danny shrugged his shoulders. "Ah. It was refreshing."

"Refreshing?" Sammy asked.

"Yeah." Danny began to look at his hands again. "It was nice to be a normal person for a change."

"Interesting. What did you tell her?"

"I didn't offer any information. She asked a few questions. Like, if I was married."

"What did you tell her?"

"That I was divorced. She asked me if I was a therapist."

"And how did that make you feel?" Sammy teased as he ask the classic therapist line.

They both laughed.

Sammy said, "Lewis hopes you two can find a friendship. You have a lot in common."

He opened the sketchbook and smiled at a drawing of a baby's face. "Is this your daughter?"

Danny took a deep breath. "Yeah. That's her."

Sammy glanced up at him. "Beautiful. You have the same eyes."

Danny grinned, "Do you have children?"

Sammy turned the page and continued to look through the sketchpad. "Yes. A daughter. Halley."

"Just the one?"

"Yeah." Sammy answered while he continued to look at the sketches. "My wife and I were talking about another one, but."

"Decided against it?"

Sammy shook his head and smiled, "I can honestly say that we haven't had the discussion yet. But, the next time I see her, it's one I'm ready to have."

"You want more." Danny smiled.

"As many as I can have. They are great."

Danny nodded, "You should."

"This is upstairs. Here. In that room," he pointed to the room that he could see through the two large windows on the second floor.

"You've been here before?"

"Yeah." Sammy nodded and continued to look through the sketchpad. "Pete Tyler lived here while next door was being remodeled."

"Oh, you know Pete?"

Sammy smiled and closed the sketch pad. "I do." He sat the sketch pad back on the table. "There are some things that you said yesterday, that I would like to discuss with you a bit more."

Danny smiled and closed his eyes tightly. "I know which things."

"I wouldn't be doing my job as a doctor if I didn't ask."

Danny nodded, "Oh, I get it."

"You can just tell me when was the last time you thought about it?"

"Last time?"

"Yes."

Danny smiled sadly. "About ten minutes ago."

"Alright. Well, I have something I want to try." He took a box out of his jacket pocket and sat it on the table. When he opened it, Danny only saw some digital readers and strange, colorful tubes. Sammy picked a few up and clicked them into a silver device.

Danny sat up and tried to make light of the situation. "That looks like something off Star Trek."

"I love that show. Alright, take off your jacket and roll up your sleeve. Lay back and get comfortable."

He did as he was asked and lay back on the sofa. "Get comfortable? Usually something that hurts follows that statement."

"Nah. It's just going to make you sleepy. I want to make sure you don't fall off the sofa." Sammy moved to inject something into Danny's arm. "But first, this will make you feel like you're going to throw up-"

Danny immediately held his breath and turned a ghostly shade of white. It didn't seem to alarm Sammy at all. "But then the second part kicks in-"

Danny took a deep breath and completely relaxed across the sofa. He had fallen into a deep sleep.

Sammy pulled a small device out of his jacket pocket and lay it on Danny's forehead. Pressing two buttons, the lights began to blink to show it was working.

"And you are out. Alright."

He then moved to the arm of the sofa where Danny's unconscious head lay on a pillow. Sammy hovered his hand over Danny's forehead. He closed his eyes and a golden light began to dance within the space. It consumed Danny's head.

Sammy moved his fingers as if he was moving around Danny's thoughts. This lasted for nearly an hour, and finally, the light stopped and Sammy opened his eyes.

Lewis sat on the other sofa with his legs crossed. He had let himself into the apartment and had been watching Sammy work.

Sammy stood up and stretched his back. "I didn't hear you."

Lewis continued to look at Danny. "You wasn't meant to."

"I thought Poltious was The Ghost."

"What do you think?"

He stretched his back, "You were right, Papa. But, maybe we've managed to change that now, too."

"I sometimes wonder if we're on the right side of this."

"Of course we are. Saving someone's life is always a good thing, isn't it?"

Lewis shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose so. It's just….well…"

"Well, what?"

He sighed, "I really don't know how we're going to explain all of this to your father when he gets here."

"Phhh. That's the least of my concerns."

Lewis continued to sit on the sofa and watch Danny sleep.

Sammy stood up and twisted his hips to stretch out his back some more. "Dad is never happy with anything I decide. Fixed points are just that. Fixed. If Danny's death really has to happen, it will. Tomorrow morning. Just like it already has."

Lewis shook his head sadly. "He just gets up and throws himself off the balcony?"

He stopped stretching and put his hands on his hips. "He sat on the wall with his feet dangling a few days ago. Even he said he was surprised he didn't just do it then-"

"It's a terrible place to be."

Sammy crossed his arms.

Lewis continued without taking his eyes off of Danny. "It's….a very dark place."

"How did you find your way out, Papa?"

Lewis stood up, "Well, first….I agreed to become King at the beginning of a war. I decided if I could live through that, the universe actually did still need me."

Sammy smiled, "And how did that work out for you?"

"The castle was destroyed from space in the first battle, but I was already gone. My son and his friend had a self-powered-"

"Ah! Soli-powered Vortex Manipulator."

Lewis smiled proudly, "Yeah, those two idiots showed up and saved my life. I'm grateful."

Sammy grinned, "Even if we did get our math wrong and crash-landed you back before Dad gets here?"

"You both know that ended up being the best part for me." Lewis buttoned his jacket back together. "Arla wanted me to come home tonight. This entire thing with Danny has her worked up."

Sammy smiled. He doubted it was Arla that was upset. "Go ahead. I'll stay here with him a bit longer. Sometimes putting those memories away will open up new ones that he's forgotten."

"Well, I doubt anything could be worse than he's already been through." Lewis managed. "He does talk about his grandfather fondly."

Sammy nodded, "I'll put something in there for him then. It may help him make a different decision in the morning."

Lewis pat Sammy on the shoulder. "Thank you, son. No matter what he decides to do, it is his decision. There's nothing you or I can do to stop it."

"We may have just postponed it, too."

"Nope." Lewis tapped something on a light-up panel that displayed on his arm from his metal bracelet. "Fixed points mean that moment in time. That's what is going to help me until noon tomorrow."

Lewis winked at him and pressed his bracelet. With a pop, he disappeared.

Sammy sighed, "I hope you're right."

XXXXXXXXXXX