The past weekend ended up being more unpleasant than Danny expected it to be. On Saturday he woke up with a headache that he couldn't get rid of and by Sunday he was bedridden with awful flu symptoms. He basically slept into Monday but didn't feel any better than the previous day when he awoke. Medicine wouldn't help since the symptoms weren't being caused by a real virus, so all he could do was drink water and take ibuprofen. He decided to stay in bed all morning since the only thing he had planned was for Tucker to come over later after class. When the afternoon rolled by painfully slow, Danny knew that Sam would be downstairs working and was getting restless, so he decided to go see her. He hauled himself out of bed and ignored the roaring headache that made him groan to himself. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he could see Sam in the living room, cleaning the windows to perfection.
"Hey, Sam," he greeted from behind her, and she turned around to ask why he was down here with her while his parents were home, but she stopped when she noticed he didn't look very good. His skin was pale and he had harsh, gray bags under his eyes. It looked like his face was in a permanent grimace and his right hand was placed over his stomach as if he were clutching it in pain.
"Are you okay?" She asked, setting the used paper towels and spray bottle of glass cleaner aside.
"I'm just sick. Don't worry, it's not contagious," he added quickly, but weakly.
"Then why are you down here?"
"How else was I supposed to see you," he replied as he walked over to the sofa to sit down before he put his head in his hands as if the movement made him dizzy. Although Sam thought it was sweet, he didn't have to do all that if he felt this horrible just from moving. She quickly moved to occupy the empty seat next to him on the couch.
"You could have just waited to call my name when you heard me upstairs," she said, causing him to wave a hand in dismissal.
"I'm an impatient person," he responded groggily, and Sam found herself rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort him. "This would be a lot easier if I could just text you," he told her, causing her to stop her circular hand movements on his back briefly.
"Is that your lame way of asking me for my number?" She joked, making him turn to face her.
"I'm not lame, you just offend me. You text Tucker but not me?"
"You're the one who gave me his number in the first place!" She exclaimed with a slight smile, finding his response amusing. "You could have given me yours too, but no. You had to be all mysterious," she went on, causing Danny to choke on a laugh.
"Hey, I-" he stopped and turned his body away to avoid coughing near her, clutching his head again after he was done. "Ow," he complained softly, and Sam stood up and held out her hands.
"Come on. You're going back upstairs to rest," she commanded as she gently helped him off the couch.
"Are you going to text me?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes as she guided him up the stairs.
"Yes, I will text you," she agreed as they entered his room. Danny lied down on his bed and immediately grabbed his phone from his pocket and handed it to Sam. Swiftly, she added her contact in before handing it back to him.
"You're getting added to a group text with me and Tucker," he stated, and she let out a defeated sigh.
"I was afraid of that," she groaned as she turned away. "Get some rest," she demanded as she closed his door on the way out. She quickly jogged back down the stairs to proceed cleaning the living room. After finishing up the windows, she retrieved a broom to sweep the floor in the kitchen. She found a dustpan and used it to pile on all the dirt and other waste as she went along. There was a knock on the door soon after, causing Sam to cast the broom aside to answer it. Tucker was standing there patiently, and Sam was surprised he even came considering what shape Danny was in.
"Hey," she greeted, stepping aside so he could walk in.
"Hey, Sam. What's up?" He asked her as she closed the door behind him.
"Nothing new regarding me, but Danny's upstairs as sick as a dog. I'm glad someone is here to entertain him," she told him, making him look up at her.
"Danny's not sick. He's having bad side effects to a new treatment he's on," he told her truthfully before walking into the kitchen. Sam paused for a moment before following his trail to the refrigerator where he took out the usual two water bottles.
"Do they at least help him?" She asked, but Tucker's somber look answered her question. "So he's basically suffering in vain?"
"Danny hasn't exactly said no to any of this. If he didn't want to go through this, he would say something. Until then, he's got to deal with his choices," Tucker responded before heading towards the stairs.
"What do YOU think is the right choice for him?" Sam asked him before he could take the first step.
"It doesn't matter what I want. My job is to help Danny figure out what HE wants, and he's constantly going back and forth. Considering you're just as headstrong and stubborn as him, maybe you should be the one talking to him,"
"How am I supposed to do that if no one will tell me what's wrong in the first place?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest with an eyebrow raised. Tucker only turned to make his way up the stairs.
"In due time, Manson. In due time," was the only response she got from him. He disappeared at the top of the stairs and Sam only rolled her eyes; nothing was ever easy. She only went back to cleaning, picking up the dustpan and bringing it over to the garbage to empty it. Only an hour went by before Danny started messaging her, asking if she was able to come up to his room. Maddie nor Jack had come up from the basement once yet, so she decided to make it a quick visit. She hurriedly made her way up the stairs and entered Danny's room without knocking where he was in his bed, but playing video games with Tucker who was occupying a seat on the edge.
"Isn't that hurting your head?" She asked him, but Danny only shrugged.
"It's better than being bored," he told her.
"Do you need anything?"
"Yeah," Tucker spoke up before nodding towards the television, "we can't figure out this part of GTA. Have you played it?" He asked, causing her to raise an eyebrow.
"I could get fired for being found up here and you're risking that for a video game?" She questioned, but they only nodded as an answer. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she snatched the controller from Tucker who was closer to her and took over. They watched her in almost amazement as she was able to easily accomplish their challenge on the first try in a few minutes while the two of them wasted so much time fumbling around with no answers.
"You haven't beaten this game yet?" She queried, handing Tucker's controller back over to him.
"It's only been out for a few weeks," Tucker said, and Sam paused before she shrugged.
"Either way. It took me three days, tops," she turned around to head towards the door but stopped before she crossed the threshold. "It's too risky for me to keep coming up here. I have to stay downstairs," she told them sternly.
"When you get home you should play with me and Tucker online," Danny told her, but she gave him a disapproving look.
"You should be resting."
"I've had plenty of rest and will get more. Right now, I'm having the fun I was deprived of this past weekend." She only rolled her eyes at his response before leaving without another word. Danny's stare lingered on the door for a moment before looking back at the game, and Tucker was the one to speak up first.
"You seem to have taken a liking to her, huh?" He asked, causing Danny to make eye contact with him.
"Yeah. I mean, we've only talked a few times, but she seems really nice and genuine. I feel like she gets us because she's the same as us."
"Loners?" Tucker guessed, causing Danny to nod.
"Exactly."
"She's never had any permanent friends. Just people who come and go. I only remember her dating one guy, and if I'm remembering correctly, it didn't end well." Danny hummed as he picked up his water bottle from his nightstand.
"We've all been there," he said, taking a few sips before screwing the cap back on. "Anyway, the best way to figure out if she's trustworthy is to talk to her more."
"Well, I've been talking to her since you first gave me her number," Tucker stated matter of factly, getting Danny's attention. "In my opinion, Sam's great. She's brutally honest, open-minded, AND she's a pro at video games!"
"Do you... like her?" Danny asked out of curiosity, thinking it was Tucker that was the one who was taking a liking to her, but his face twisted into a grimace.
"I'm not into her if that's what you're asking. She's just cool. Like you said, I feel like she fits in with us. If anything, she's like a naggy sister."
"Sounds like her and Jazz would get along," Danny joked, but Tucker scoffed in rejection.
"I doubt it. At least not at first. They're both smart and independent, so I would expect a lot of head-butting between them," he answered.
"I guess," Danny responded before putting his controller down. The movement from the game was making him dizzy, so he turned his head in the opposite direction and closed his eyes, leaving Tucker to play on his own.
"You okay?" He asked, getting a chaste nod from Danny.
"Yeah. Just in pain." Tucker glanced over at him, noticing the grimace that stretched across his face.
"Maybe you should stop the treatment," he suggested, but Danny's answer didn't come right away. He only ended up responding with a shrug that Tucker could barely notice before speaking up.
"If I don't get better in a few days then I will. I can't see myself lasting any longer than that anyway. The flu is the worst." He turned so his back was to the TV, feeling nauseous from his previous gameplay.
"Do you need a bucket?" Tucker asked, hearing him groan in pain.
"I'll be okay." He answered in a weak voice, but he couldn't even convince himself. Tucker didn't want to look anymore and directed his attention back to his game. Even though Danny has had bad reactions to experimental treatments before it didn't make it any easier every time he got sick. He couldn't stand to see his best friend in pain, especially over something he hadn't quite made a decision about yet.
"Have you thought of stopping altogether?" He asked cautiously but was greeted with silence again before a response was given.
"I don't know," Danny sighed before pulling the blanket closer to him. "I'm gonna try to nap. You can keep playing if you want."
"Alright, dude," Tucker answered, trying his best to hide the hint of annoyance in his voice. He knew Danny has been conflicted on his thoughts about his situation for a long time and he has always offered his guidance, but Danny was always deflecting him when he tried to bring it up. The only person that was as stubborn and headstrong as Danny was Sam, and he hoped she would be able to team up with him to help push Danny in the right direction.
Wow. I'm sooo sorry for how long it's been since I've updated D: But as I said, this is an ongoing story, so I'm writing as I go. I just hope you guys like it :3
Guest: Thanks a lot. I'm glad you like how it's going so far :D
Invader Johnny: If that happens, Sam may be out of a job to say the least XD
MidnightWriter44678: Aww thanks a bunch :]
Purplerox: She is, isn't she :3
sammansonrepilica: LMAO Sam's grandma is a badass. We all love her
