Chapter 2: Yellow Briefcase

He was cold despite the blistering temperature. He felt so numb inside. It was as if the world had died around him, falling away into ash and sand. The boy twitched in his skin at the thought. What was happening? What was that buzzing in his ear? Were those sirens?

The teenager's fuzzy mind wasn't allowed to dwell on this when his heart skipped a beat as he felt the strength of two strong arms wrap themselves around his shoulders, slowly pulling him from his world of ash and soot. The boy couldn't help it, he let out a small gasp as the arms grazed his burnt limb. With the wave of pain, Danny suddenly realized that he was hurt, that his entire body was aching, yet … he didn't care. He just wanted to fade back into the darkness and listen to its lustrous whispers.

The young fireman nearly jumped out of his jacket as the corpse he had just dug from under the rubble whimpered, a soot-covered hand grasping onto his jacket slightly. The man's breath caught as he stared at the teen in his arms … at least he had thought the boy was a corpse. Quickly, the fireman pulled his heavy, yellow glove off with his teeth and put his revealed fingers to the body's blackened neck. He nearly dropped the teenager when he felt a small thump from the child's heart.

The hero choked on his words for a moment before he was finally able to yell, "Hey, this one's alive!"

"Someone's alive!" came a collection of voices.

Danny gave no reaction as several pairs of heavy boots surround him, a gloved hand quickly lifting his head and carefully placing an air mask over his face. With the wave of fresh air, the half-ghost no longer wanted to fade into the darkness. He wanted to scream out, wanted to claw and kick and dig back into the soot. He wanted to do something, but all he could do was silently listen to the fire rage on as he was slowly carried away to some new destiny.

…

Maybe it had been a few hours or a few minutes. His mind was far too foggy to care, but the darkness was dripping away, melting like ice sickles near the end of winter. He could taste every breath, feel the soft blankets beneath him and smell the antiseptic, but there was not a sound. The icy silence was overwhelming inside the hospital ward. There wasn't even an echo in the pristine place to distract him from the truth that whispered like so many insects in his head. Danny wanted to run, run away from this drowning nightmare. Whatever this nightmare was…

With a raspy inhale, Danny readied himself to move, fingers twitching, but the sudden stinging and burning in his arm told him otherwise as he drew in a sharp breath. As far as his body was concerned, he wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm …glad… he's okay," said a deep, rich voice that came from outside Danny's room.

At the noise, the teenager managed to open one of his eyes and glare at the light that was coming from outside of his room. His eyelids felt so horribly heavy, yet he could just make out two men through his murky gaze. One was clearly the doctor with his white coat, yet it wasn't him that was speaking. Another person was talking … someone in black. He seemed rather nervous and stiff for some reason, his fingers constantly moving into and out of a fist.

"Well, okay, might be an understatement. He has…"

The doctor was interrupted by the other figure, the man seeming almost desperate as he spoke, "Where's Maddie? Maddie Fenton. The boy's mother?"

The healer was still for a moment, his clipboard falling to his side as he seemed to search for the right words. A silence was allowed to creep into the ward before the healer's voice came softly in a comforting manner and yet was sickeningly professional, "I'm sorry to be the one to inform you but… the boy was the only one. I'm sorry for your loss."

The tall figure's proud shoulders slumped forward at the news and Danny vaguely watched as the doctor reached outward with a steel grip and grabbed the man in black who looked like he was about to collapse. Then, whispering something about sitting down, the doctor-led the distressed man to a nearby chair, sitting down next to him as he continued to talk to the distraught figure.

Perhaps it was due to some drug, exhaustion, or maybe he just felt he shouldn't pry into another's misery, but Danny slowly closed his eyes wanting to see no more of this tragedy. The sound still carried though and the last thing Danny heard was the man's soft sobbing as the healer tried to comfort him. It was such a sad sound from one who seemed so proud.

…

Vlad's shoulders slumped forward as the doctor's grave news set in. He let the misery of a thousand lost lovers wash over him like a flood from winter snows, cold and gripping. After the silence was allowed to pass, Vlad pulled his head out of his hands, his eyes sunken and cheeks wet even though no more tears dared reveal themselves in the presence of another being.

Rubbing his hands together, refusing to look at the aging healer, he whispered, "Dr. Webking. Tell me … what happened? I've had nothing but rushed explanations since I've gotten here."

Webking frowned. Mr. Masters had nearly collapsed a moment ago; perhaps telling him something so disturbing wasn't the best thing to do but there was this electricity in the air, a power that was meant to be feared. It was as if the man before him was something more than human… stronger than a normal man. He could take the pain.

Swallowing, the doctor closed his eyes, nodding as he relented.

Looking at his shoes for a moment, collecting his thoughts, the healer turned towards Masters and met the other's gaze, his voice professional. "We haven't been given many specifics, but there was an accident in the Fenton's Lab. The entire house caught aflame from there. There was a lot of equipment so the current speculation is that it was a laboratory accident … Also, in the basement, they found two males and three females who were … burned alive. Danny was the only survivor."

Vlad swallowed his sorrow, his Adam's Apple bobbing, his breath catching in his chest at the cold professional words. The doctor seemed generally concerned, but the words were so distilled like the atmosphere of the hospital ward around them. The millionaire swallowed again, his hands becoming fists with his nails digging into his palms. His first and only love was gone. Yet … his mind wavered on the boy for a moment. The child had repeatedly been a thorn in Vlad's side, dragging Maddie from his warm embrace to the point that she actually detested him. He wanted to laugh. It seemed that the other halfling would finally feel the misery of loss that he had felt since he lost his true love. The boy would feel the bite of loneliness, its desperation … its misery. He would know pain.

Frowning, the man realized what he had just thought. The boy was alone… just like he had been for so long. Vlad was no true hero. He was conniving and criminal at times, but he was not a heartless man. He would never wish his fate on another person. So, despite himself, he sighed and asked, "Have you told him?"

"Who?" Webking asked as he gave the billionaire a confused look.

"The boy, Danny?" said Vlad in a tight yet collected voice as he tried to still his hands by wrapping his fingers together. He was struggling to be collected, professional almost. He didn't want the doctor to see his rage and sorrow at the thought of the deceased maiden. His love for her was no one else's business, especially since he could just imagine the rumors.

"No, not yet. He hasn't regained consciousness since the firemen found him at the scene. Plus," the doctor said the next sentence with care; the man before him was sure to crack like a fragile glass tool despite his outward act, "we are afraid such information would worsen his condition."

"What do you mean by worsen?" murmured the billionaire as he glared in the direction the boy was resting in. He was sure Danny escaped mostly uninjured because of his ghost powers, but it seemed that he was very wrong. It was only a wonder of what was wrong with him now. Was the child's entire body charred and blackened, or was it just a head injury or something equally insignificant? Either way, he couldn't find it in him to ask, his voice threatening to crack and reveal the emotions that were trying to bubble past his collected mask. Maddie was gone. Maddie could never be his. All that was left of her… was the boy.

Mr. Webking looked down at Danny's charts which he had laid on the seat next to him when he had helped Masters to a chair. He knew Vlad Masters wanted to know what was exactly wrong, but he couldn't muster the strength to ask, so Webking answered the un-asked questions for him.

"Danny's right arm was severely burned. He had smoke inhalation, and he is recovering from shock. He needed a few stitches from when … the roof collapsed, but the largest problem was that arm. Lots of skin and some muscle was burned away, but with surgery, we were able to save the arm. He will need a few skin grafts but will probably be able to regain most of his reflexes … if it doesn't become infected that is." Vlad nodded at this and Webking continued, "Danny will need some rehabilitation once the graphs take and the wound heals over, but the biggest concern now is his mental state. After all, he did lose his family and friends all in one day. It will not be easy for him."

Masters nodded again, forcing himself to swallow a huge lump lodged in his throat so he could ask calmly, "What's going to happen to him now?"

"Rehabilitation, like I …"

"No, no," said the billionaire in a slightly irritated manner. "… I mean, where does he go after the hospital? I knew the family. Neither really had any close relatives."

Vlad's hands shook slightly at the thought as he looked back at the floor and away from the doctor. The situation was unnerving. Why was he even here? Shouldn't he be running back home to lick his wounds? Everything he had fought so hard for was gone, leaving him without an anchor to his world. What should he do now? What could he do? He never would like to admit it, but being half-ghost meant that you had to have something that kept you to this world, an obsession, a need. His had been Maddie… now what?

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" asked the healer with a raised brow, his graying hair rather evident as he shifted in the artificial light. Vlad merely looked at the doctor with a sorrowful expression. He had no idea what the healer meant; a miscommunication was defiantly taking place here.

The good doctor merely sighed at Vlad's confusion and started to rub his brow as if a headache was coming on. Vlad Masters was in for one hell of a surprise.

"Maybe you should talk to the Fenton's lawyer, Mr. Smith. I believe he was wandering around the waiting room, hitting on passing nurses, as he waited for you to arrive," said Webking with a bit of distaste before a sad smile came over his features and he offered a hand in the direction the lawyer was located. "He has a yellow briefcase, can't miss him."

Vlad didn't move, merely nodding the doctor off as took this time to think, his legs were so heavy just like his heart. Maddie was gone. He wished he could look for her in the Ghost Zone in some feeble hope that she had remained behind, but he knew better. She had no unfinished business. She left nothing but a boy behind.

…

Forever seemed to pass for Vlad in that hospital chair. The air seemed stale like all the life had been sucked out of the place … or maybe all the life had merely been sucked out of him making all the air he breathed stale. Yet, he was not allowed his silent misery when a square-built man walked down the hall with a slight hum on his lips, only to stop before the mourning billionaire. The man's shadow only had to linger over Vlad's world for a moment before the halfa looked up. The stranger had a sly face like that of a fox with slicked-back black hair which was all pulled together with a black suit. He seemed unearthly … Of course, everything in the hospital seemed that way right now.

"Hello," said the stranger in a cheery, telemarketer way as he offered a handshake to the half-ghost. "I'm Rodger Smith. The Fenton's, well I was, the Fenton's lawyer."

Vlad pulled his head completely up, stray hairs falling to the side as he glared at the intruder. This man was far too calm and perky for this situation, but lawyers weren't human so he shouldn't be surprised. Despite his will to punch the man for daring to be happy in his presence, he shook his hand. It was not wise to punch lawyers.

"I'm so glad you got here so quickly. This is a most eager situation. Well …" Smith looked through the door staring at the resting boy. Vlad followed his gaze only to look away when he got a look at the teenager's pale face, "It is a most eager situation for him."

Mr. Smith continued to softly smile at the shaken man. When it finally became obvious that Vlad wasn't going to move, Smith sat next to him while opening his yellow briefcase. The lawyer slowly pulled out a folder that had a small picture of Danny clipped to the side.

"As you already know, Danny is now an orphan," said the man simply like this was just any other conversation, yet the words dug deep into Vlad's heart. A part of him he thought dead was waking up and he hated it.

"He has no relatives except for an aunt. She lives in the boonies somewhere, and I haven't been able to contact her. Plus, I doubt she has the resources to raise a child. So that leaves you."

The billionaire twitched in his skin, perking up before he asked, "What do I have to do with Danny?"

'Except the fact we are both part ghost' thought Vlad bitterly.

Smith didn't even skip a beat as he added, "Everything. Jack, the gods rest his soul, had a Will."

A slick piece of paper found its way out of the yellow briefcase and into Vlad's fingers like some type of Holy Grail. The bachelor noticed Jack's chicken-scratch signature at the bottom of the paper immediately.

"His Will had you, Vlad Masters, as Danny's Godfather."

Vlad nearly choked on his tongue as he dropped the paper, the sheets scattering like doves in a park. His eyebrow twitched as he looked directly at the smiling lawyer. He then grabbed the lawyer by his shirt collar and growled, "His Godfather! Cheese-crisps! You must be joking? I hated Jack. Why would he trust me enough to raise his only son?"

Smith's smile didn't even crack at the news or the fact that Vlad had him by the neck of his shirt.

"Well, either Jack was a very forgiving man or very stupid," said the lawyer as he quickly pried off Vlad's fingers and grabbed the Will off the floor before Vlad could reread it. He then threw it in his briefcase and slammed it shut. "Now, if you are worried about money. The Fenton's-"

"I'm not worried about money. I have more than enough," growled the half-ghost. Did he look poor? Certainly not! His shoes alone nearly cost two-thousand dollars and they weren't even his most expensive pair. So why was that lawyer thinking … Vlad's thoughts came upon a sudden realization and before he could help himself, he whispered, "But what if I don't want too?"

"To what, raise Danny?" said Smith, raising an eyebrow as if not wanting Danny was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.

"Well," added the lawyer coldly, "because he's a minor he'll end up in the system, likely an orphanage. And since boys his age have trouble finding homes, he'll probably spend the rest of his childhood there."

At those words, Vlad's back tightened as if he had just been slapped in the face. Mr. Smith let the truth sink into the bachelor's skull for a moment before he pulled out a smooth black pen with a pile of papers.

"What are those for?" asked Vlad in shock, when in truth he knew what they were for. He just couldn't believe it. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be, but it was. He had wanted Daniel as a student for ages because he had been sure he'd get Maddie with the deal, but after so many irritating interludes from the child, he wasn't sure he wanted the boy around anymore.

"I think we both know," said the man with his fox-like grin. "These are Danny's adoption papers."

Vlad couldn't stop himself as he took the papers, the material clinging to the rough skin of his fingers. A look of pure terror quickly filled his eyes yet he couldn't look away from the delicate printing on the pages as if it were whispering to him. Mr. Smith watched Vlad for a minute before he closed his case and stood up. He then looked Vlad straight in the eye and said, "You don't have to sign them right now. Get some rest and think it over. I know you'll make the right choice in the end."

Vlad, for the first time in his life, had nothing to say.

XXX

Paw07: Thanks for the reviews. I thought this story was going to be a flop. Somehow this story turned into a drama. I wrote this and I don't even know how it happened. Next chapter's kind of slow, but those of you waiting for Vlad's answer will get it.

Edit: You know, I noticed that Vlad seemed a little too caring for Danny outright so I revised some sentences to reveal that he put Maddie foremost.

(Revised August 2019)