Trusting the Siblings
Dani's POV
After Mr. Davenport's big blow, I looked at Chase as he stood in his capsule and the door shut immediately. Chase started pounding on the door but it wouldn't open. I put my hands on the glass and he put his where mine were. I looked at him sadly.
"We can find a way out of this," he said and I nodded, agreeing.
"But how? If Eddy's watching over us 24/7 and you're stuck in your capsule at the moment, we can't right now!" I exclaimed.
"Right now, but that doesn't mean later. Look, I can't tell you here because Eddy's watching and listening but I'll tell you soon, okay?" he tried explaining.
I nodded and sighed. "I don't want it to be like this..." I said and looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes.
"I know, I don't want it to be like this either." he said and sighed, looking at the ground.
"Okay, well, I guess I'm gonna go upstairs now then." He nodded and I left, going upstairs and looking back at Chase as he looked like a lost puppy standing in his locked capsule and that's all I saw before the elevator doors closed. I walked to my room in a sad manner and landed on my bed, not bothering to change my clothes, and crawled into bed, throwing the covers over myself and hiding. I hugged the pillow that smelled like Chase, his cologne, his shampoo, him. I drifted off to sleep, into a dream about something happy despite what happened in the lab.
I woke up cranky and annoyed and overall, not happy. I walked into the kitchen, made myself a bowl of cereal and then sat at the counter, eating it. The elevator doors opened and I saw Chase. I had to stop myself from running to hug him so I just gave him a 'sup' nod and kept eating.
"Enjoying your Cheerios?" he asked, reaching for his own bowl and the cereal box as I nodded.
"Yeah, they're good." I said bluntly.
He looked over at me sadly. "Dani..."
I shook my head but winked at him to let him know that I was acting. "We can't do anything about it," I said roughly, finished my breakfast and put the bowl in the sink before going back to my room to watch movies and TV all day.
When Adam, Bree, Chase and Leo got home, they brought me my homework for the day. I finished it quickly and then went to make dinner as I used my super hearing to hear the conversation they were having.
"What's up with Dani?" Bree asked quietly to the boys and I knew Chase was looking at me. I glanced over there out of the corners of my eyes and saw Adam and Leo shrug and then the three of them look at Chase.
"Mr. Davenport happened, that's what." Chase said, grabbing his books and storming down to the lab.
I sighed and put the spatula down, lowering my head, taking a few minutes to let it out. I then recollected myself and returned to making tacos for dinner. I finished quickly and set the table before yelling, "Dinner!"
Everybody rushed to the table. "Dani, how nice of you to cook dinner tonight!" Tasha exclaimed.
"No problem, my pleasure," I said, smiling and sitting down before adding all of my ingredients to the empty shell and ate it. Chase was sitting at one end of the table and I was at the other. I looked up and our eyes met, just for a moment, before he looked away. I threw my taco down onto my plate and stomped away without any words.
-at the table-
"What was that about?" Tasha asked and Adam, Bree and Leo looked expectantly at Mr. Davenport. Chase kept eating silently.
"I have no idea," Mr. Davenport said and took another bite of his taco.
Bree looked like she was about to object but Chase gave her a look and she quieted down. Chase was the second to leave the table but the first to actually finish his dinner. He grabbed Dani's plate for her, put her dinner in a sandwich bag and put it on the elevator, sending it down to the lab before putting their plates in the dishwasher and going downstairs himself.
-downstairs-
Dani's POV
The elevator opened and inside was my taco. I smiled at the note on it and shoved it in my pocket, quickly devouring the rest of my taco. I sat down in the lawn chair and opened up my book, returning to my reading. The elevator opened again and Chase walked out but I didn't look at him and he didn't look at me as he headed for the mission stimulator and put on the goggles, getting in a ready stance. I rolled my eyes and returned to my book. This would be how things would go until we both graduated high school and moved out, most likely moving on with our lives. We could be in the same room together, ignoring each other, never talking, only looking at each other's eyes and body language. I kept reading but couldn't focus on the words on the page so I set the book down and watched Chase as he fought off some of the stimulations. He went through about 5 different ones before I yelled for him to stop.
"Chase, you're going to wear yourself out! Please stop!" I yelled. He didn't stop and I didn't know how to end the stimulations so I got up and removed the glasses from his head.
He looked down at me. "Dani, this isn't 6 inches," he said and I smiled.
"I know, but I couldn't let you wear yourself out. You would have crashed if you completed one more," I said and he smiled at me.
"Well then, thank you." he said and I nodded before handing him back the goggles and going to sit down on the lawn chair again.
The rest of the week passed by slowly and it was next Monday. I woke up for school, showered, got changed, and then headed for breakfast. I ate some eggs that Tasha made and then collected my homework from Friday since the others handed in my homework on the days it was due. We all rode in the car in silence, waiting for Davenport to drop us off. I was the first one out of the car, I slammed my door shut and stomped into school. Once at my locker, I took a deep breath, let it out, and plastered a smile to my face before grabbing my books for English and heading to the classroom.
It was lunch sooner than I expected and I found Bree and sat down next to her. "So this food is crap..." I said and she nodded. "Starbucks?" I asked and she nodded again as we walked out of the building and sped to the nearest Starbucks, getting our orders before speeding back to school with our drinks in our hands. We sat giggling about things, talking about our day on a park bench just outside the main building.
"Dani! I've been looking-" Chase said as he came up to us but cut himself off. "Oh, sorry. I'll go..." Chase said, turning to go but Bree stopped him.
"No, I'll go. You guys obviously need a minute." I thanked her and Chase sat down on the bench beside me, his arm over my shoulders. I leaned into him, sighing before sipping my drink.
"What'd you get?" He asked.
I said, "Mocha Frap."
He took a sip. "Mm, tasty," and licked his lips.
I laughed and rested my head on his chest. "Do we really have to keep going with the act?" I asked.
He nodded. "Otherwise Mr. Davenport may never let us be within 6 inches of each other again." I sighed.
"Can we change it though? Instead of acting like we're mad at each other, maybe we can act like lost puppies." I suggested.
He shrugged. "That'd work. But I know you only want to do it because you want to pretend to be a puppy."
I smiled and kissed his cheek. "You know me well." I said and he laughed and blew in my ear. I pushed his face away, smiling and he just wrapped his other arm around me, hugging me. We both smiled and I relaxed into him. It felt nice to know that nothing changed during the past week even with the circumstances.
-Adam, Bree and Leo watching behind a bush-
They watched as Dani and Chase laughed and talked like they had never been separated. "Okay, this is weird. At home they aren't talking to each other. But here they're laughing and giggling and talking like they never stopped," Bree said.
Leo nodded. "Chase said that Big D did something or said something that made Dani extremely upset on Wednesday when she was home from school. But Chase was upset too. Maybe he said it to the both of them and now they can't talk at home anymore because Big D is there!" Bree nodded, thinking.
"Or maybe it's because since Eddy is around, Mr. Davenport doesn't have to watch over them and Eddy can so Eddy is taking this thing full blast and making sure whatever Mr. Davenport said is happening," Adam said and Bree and Leo shared a look.
"Adam, you're a genius!" Bree exclaimed and then shook her head, "Never thought I'd say that one..." She said.
"Well, you guys are right," Dani said and Bree and Leo jumped, startled. "Just to let you know, absolutely none of you have inside voices. Or can talk in whispers." Dani smirked.
"What were you three doing spying on us?" Chase asked insistently.
"Well, we thought over what you said and things just didn't seem to add up with how you guys acted at home and how you're acting here," Bree said and the other two boys nodded.
Dani hit Chase's arm. "See! I told you they'd notice! I told you they knew something was off! I was right!" Dani did a small happy dance and Chase shook his head, smiling before putting his arm around her.
"That's not entirely a good thing," Chase said and Dani's smile faltered.
"But it could be!" Leo cut in, "Maybe if you guys told us what's going on we could help you out." Dani and Chase exchanged a look.
"They could help you know. We could definitely get out of this mess with their help and you know it. This is your team, Chase. If I know that, then you definitely do too," Dani said.
"Fine." Chase said and Dani smiled at him.
"Okay, start from where Mr. Davenport came in!" Adam exclaimed and Dani smiled, she and Chase now sitting on the ground as well before they started the story.
Dani and Chase finished and the other three had their mouths wide open. "And that's the story. Can you guys help?" Dani asked.
Bree smiled, "Anything for a friend. And my brother, of course." The two girls hugged and Leo cleared his throat after they pulled apart.
"I think you guys need to act like you miss each other. Instead of being mad with each other, be mad at Big D but be like lost puppies whenever you can. Also, there's only 3 rooms in the house that don't have Eddy in them. And those are the bathrooms. Maybe you guys could meet up in there every once in a while. Especially since you're not allowed to talk to each other either. There aren't any cameras or screens around the first floor bathroom so that should be your meet-up place." Leo suggested and Dani and Chase shared a look.
"Perfect, Leo, that's a fool-proof plan!" Dani exclaimed and tightened her grip on Chase's hand by a little bit.
"Also, get to breakfast early and we can try to distract Eddy for a minute or two so you guys can talk." Adam said and Chase nodded.
"You guys are the best," Dani said, thanking her friends.
"No problem. Also, the only other room in the house that has no cameras is your room, Dani. So there's a vent right behind the TV set up so Chase could sneak in through the vent to visit and talk as well."
Dani smirked at Chase. "Sounds awesome! Thank you so much guys!" The bell rang and Dani and Chase got up. "We'll see you guys later,"
"-we've got to go to history,"
"Bye!" Dani and Chase said before running off to get to class.
-in history class-
Dani's POV
Chase and I sat together at the back desk in history, holding hands underneath the table. "So do you really think it'll work?" I asked him quietly and he nodded.
"Yeah, it's fool proof. And Leo came up with it so we know he won't mess it up," Chase said and I smiled.
"Don't be too hard on him, he's just clumsy!"
Chase rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure he is. Anyways-" Chase was immediately cut off by principal Perry.
"Edwards, Davenport! Come here!" Perry yelled and I dropped his hand, walking out of the room, my arms folded across my chest.
"What is it Principal Perry?" I asked rudely and Chase elbowed me.
"As much as I hate to admit it, you two are the smartest people in this school and I need you two dorks to teach the math class down the hall. If you do that, you'll get free hall passes for the rest of the year!"
I looked over at Chase. "Think we can handle a math class?" I asked.
He smirked at me, "You know it."
We entered the classroom, prepared to teach Freshmen but instead we ended up teaching an entire class of Seniors. I stepped back in the doorway. "I am not teaching an entire class full of Seniors," I said, looking at Chase.
He pulled me into the classroom, "It'll be fine." I frowned and placed the book on the teacher's desk and sat in the chair. So far, everybody was rowdy and throwing things across the room, causing havoc. "Hey guys, pay attention up here please," Chase said too nicely and nobody paid attention.
He tried three more times and then I stepped in. "Hey guys! Pay attention!" I yelled at the top of my lungs and everybody sat back in their seat, a bit afraid.
"Thank you," Chase said and I nodded. "You guys can call me Mr. Davenport, I'm teaching your class today," Chase said and I coughed. "-We are teaching your class today. This is Ms. Edwards and she is also your teacher."
I rolled my eyes, "Chase, you're boring them." I said and he glared at me. "So what were you guys working on last?" I asked and some of the upperclassman shrugged while one of them raised his hand.
I picked on him and he yelled out the answer," We were working on Algebra, how to solve for X through factoring."
I nodded and looked at Chase. "This'll be pretty easy, it's an easy topic."
He shrugged and wrote multiple formulas down on the board. "Solve these on a sheet of looseleaf and then hand them into me. After that, you can wait until everybody else is finished. If you need help, Ms. Edwards will be walking around. Does anybody have any questions? No? Get to work then." Chase walked over to the desk and motioned for me to get up. I did so and he sat down. I frowned and he motioned for me to start walking around. I did so and sent him glares every now and then.
Soon the entire class was finished and I smiled. "Yay! Okay, since we aren't allowed to let you guys leave class, we can play hangman for a little while until the bell rings..." And after that, the class flew by and the bell rang.
Perry walked in after the Seniors left. "I need you two to teach for the rest for the day, if you don't mind," she said and then left.
I looked over at Chase. "I'll go get us Starbucks, be right back," I said and opened the window, jumping out and speeding to Starbucks, ordering a Mocha Frap and then speeding back to school. I jumped through the window again and landed in Chase's lap and I smiled and handed him the drink just as students started arriving. I got off his lap immediately and he smirked at me, taking a sip of the Venti Mocha Frap. I rolled my eyes and took the drink from him, taking a sip of it myself.
I turned to the class of Freshmen and smiled, previously putting the drink down. "Hi guys, I'm Ms. Edwards and welcome to class. Mr. Davenport and I will be teaching your class today because your teacher is out. Can anybody tell me what you guys have been working on?" I asked and a young girl raised her hand. "Yes?" I asked.
She my question, "We were working on solving x with inequalities."
I nodded and set up a problem. "Here you have 4x is less than or equal to 2x - 6. Your inequality is the less than or equal to sign and you have to divide 4x by 2x to get you 2x and then you must divide -6 by 2 to get an x of less than or equal to -3." I said and I turned to face the class.
"I'll be back soon," Chase said and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Alright, I don't really care what you guys do, just make sure that somebody warns me when someone is coming," I said and a boy in the back nodded. I took the teacher's seat and sipped my Frappuchino.
"So Ms. Edwards, is there anything going on between you and Mr. Davenport?" A girl asked and I smiled, putting my drink down.
"Well, possibly." I said and started with an extremely edited version of Chase's and I's story, starting with our first meeting which wasn't very pleasant. The girls in the large group sighed dreamily and I smiled.
The door opened and Chase walked in with a box. "Here, I brought you an actual lunch," he said and I thanked him, getting up from the seat and then sitting in his lap before opening the box.
"You brought me chicken fingers?! Aww, Chase! Thank you," I said turning to him.
He nodded, putting his head on my shoulder. "Anything for you."
I kissed his temple and then ate one, giving him small pieces. I felt like we were being watched but I knew that it was only by the large group of teenage girls. I felt something hot press itself into my neck and Chase groaned quietly. I frowned and put my chicken down, spinning around in his lap to face him. I put my hand to his forehead and sighed.
"Chase, you're getting another fever. Now that you've been sick, you're gonna be more vulnerable to get sick again. I've gotta get you to the nurse, I don't trust you to go on your own." Chase groaned again and hugged me. I laughed and hugged him back before I got up and was about to leave with Chase when I remembered the students were in the room. My cheeks turned a bright pink as I blushed at the realization. "Um, guys," my voice was weak and unsteady and a tad on the pitchy side, "I'm taking Mr. Davenport to the Nurse's office. I'll be back as soon as I can. Please don't do anything too disruptive or else Perry will have my head. Got it?" I said and the class nodded and I walked out with Chase mumbling nonsense and groaning as he walked which was more of a shuffle.
We made it to the nurse's office and she sat him down on the bed before taking his temperature. "He's got a fever of 103 and needs rest. Come back by the end of the day, his fever will be slightly better. When he goes home, have him eat something, fill up a water bottle and take it with him to bed."
I nodded and said, "Thank you Nurse Nancy," before she walked out of the room for a second.
Chase looked up at me from where he was sitting on the bed. "Is it bad?"
I shrugged, "It's better than it could have been, so no, not too bad, but no too good either. C'mon, you need to rest," I said and he laid down and I covered him with the blankets.
I cupped his face and smiled at him just a little bit before kissing his forehead. "You'll be alright, I'll see you at the end of the day." Chase nodded weakly and I left him in the nurse's office, going back to the math classroom.
"How is he?" one of the girls said and everybody seemed to want to know.
"Well, he's got a high fever of 103 which is strange because he was sick last Monday too with a higher fever of 104 and so I find it a bit coincidental that he had another one today. But I'm worried, like any normal person should be," I said, rambling about Chase's fever as I walked to the teacher's desk.
"Has he ever really been sick?" asked a boy in the class and I contemplated it before shaking my head no.
"No, I don't think so. Chase isn't really the type of person to catch colds or the flu or any really big sickness. It's all kind of nonexistent for him." The students nodded.
"Maybe he just needs to eat more protein and meats and things like that."
I nodded, thinking about it. "Maybe," I said and sat down in the chair and spun in it, thinking.
"Edwards!" Perry yelled and my eyes widened as I stopped spinning.
"Hi Principal Perry, what can I do for you?" I asked sweetly and she growled at me.
"I saw you and Davenport in the hallway and out of this classroom, what were you doing?!" She yelled and I smiled a little bit.
"Well you see Principal Perry, Chase has a fever but he got it during the middle of class and judging by his last fever, he wouldn't have made it to the nurse's office on his own if I hadn't gone with him so I took him to the nurse's office and came right back, promise." Perry gave me the stink eye and then backed out of the room slowly.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when she closed the door. I grabbed my uneaten piece of chicken and ate it quietly as the class talked amongst themselves. I looked at the clock. One more period to go and then school day would be over and Chase could go home. People started filing in and I recognized them as another group of Freshmen. "Okay guys, I'm Ms. Edwards, I'm your sub for the day. I don't really have a lesson plan so you guys can pretty much do whatever you want just on a couple conditions. You have to clean up after yourselves, no hitting anyone in the face with anything, and do it quietly so I don't get in trouble enough that Principal Perry has my head on a wooden stick."
The Freshmen nodded and I curled up in the seat, playing on my phone, trying to pass time. When the final bell rang, I threw out my box and grabbed my coffee cup and raced to the Nurse's office. I saw Adam, Bree and Leo waiting there too. "Hey guys, are you waiting for Chase? Is he all right?" I asked and they shrugged.
"Somebody called Mr. Davenport so he came to school about Chase and he wasn't very happy about it either."
I frowned. "Chase and I were teaching a math class and I had to take him down to the nurse's office. While we were teaching he left and then came back with a box of chicken fingers and I'm not sure where he got them but when he came back he was groaning and had a high fever and just wasn't feeling good overall."
"Well I'm glad you took care of him, Dani. I don't know why you guys weren't obeying the rules at school, but I'm glad you took care of him." Mr. Davenport said and I nodded.
"Is he okay?" Bree asked eagerly and Davenport nodded slowly.
"He'll be fine. His temperature keeps rising though so when he gets home he can't have any distractions and just absolutely has to rest. He's got to sleep in your room, Dani so there aren't any distractions."
I nodded sadly. "Will I be able to sleep in my room too or...?" I asked and Davenport nodded.
"I think so, just don't do anything stupid." I nodded. "But you guys still aren't allowed to be within 6 inches of each other." I sighed and walked to the car with heavy feet.
"Dani, he's gonna be alright. He's strong and he'll get through this." Bree assured me and I smiled.
"I know, I just wish I knew why he was getting so sick and such high fevers because it doesn't seem coincidental that last Monday he was sick as well." Bree nodded and we got in the car, sitting in the third row so Adam and Leo could sit in the second and Chase could sit in the passenger seat as Mr. Davenport drove us home.
When we got home, I walked Chase down to the lab so he could grab his pajamas, his tissues and maybe a couple blankets before we headed back upstairs to my room. I left the door open as I turned to Chase. "You'll be fine without me for an hour or so?" I asked and he nodded. I smiled and stood on my tiptoes, kissing his forehead. "I'll be back soon," I whispered and left, closing the door behind me. I sighed and headed to the table to do my homework, finished it quickly and then grabbed a snack for Chase.
I walked back to my room and saw him under a pile of blankets and sweating like crazy. I threw the blankets off of him and he groaned.
"C-c-c-c-cold." Chase stuttered and I frowned. I wiped his forehead and took his temperature again, it coming out higher than before. I ran to find Mr Davenport.
I found him in the lab and ran to him. "Mr. Davenport, Chase has a major major fever. It's at 105 and still burning up. He was sweating badly but when I took the blankets off of him, he said he was cold. I think he may be dehydrated and catching the flu again."
Mr. Davenport looked at me worriedly. "Alright, let's go see him." I nodded and took Mr Davenport up to my room where Chase was shivering and sweating on my bed. I knelt beside Chase and pushed his hair off of his forehead, leaving my hand on his cheek as I looked back at Mr Davenport. Chase reacted to my touch and relaxed a bit more.
"Dani, I think you have to stay with him. As weird as it is to say it, you seem to soothe him so he doesn't feel the symptoms as much. If he doesn't get any better, we're going to have to take him to the hospital." I nodded and looked back at a Chase. Mr Davenport left and so I smiled weakly at Chase as he opened his eyes to see me.
"Stay with me...please," he croaked and I nodded, climbing into the bed with him. I hugged him tightly and he relaxed a lot more. I cupped his face and he looked at me.
"You're going to be okay, Chase. We'll get you out of this," I said and he nodded and I kissed his forehead before he nuzzled into me and I started humming a bit.
It was dinner time and my stomach was grumbling really loudly. I looked worriedly at Chase and he shook his head. "You go, I'll be fine," he mumbled and
I smiled, kissing his forehead. "I'll bring you something." He nodded and I got out of the bed, going down to dinner. It was weird not to see Chase at the table and definitely weirder when everybody kept looking grim about Chase being sick. "What's everybody in the glum about?" I asked and Bree set her fork down.
"Dani, I've looked up Chase's symptoms and we think he's got the flu but he's also got dehydration."
I nodded solemnly. "So what are we going to do?" I asked and everybody kind of just looked surprised, like they were expecting more of a reaction from me.
"Guys, look. I'm going to confess something in front of you right now. I like Chase, like, a lot. But you guys keep expecting me to like start bawling my eyes out or something stupid like that. I'm not like that. I'm stronger than you guys obviously think, and I don't mean the word 'stronger' in a physical sense either. I know that when things have to get done, they have to get done and I know that people get sick but they get better. So drop it, okay? I'm not a weak pansy cake that can't take information." I finished my dinner in silence and then made Chase toast with jelly and took it to him.
-at the table-
"Well, that was quite the outburst," Leo said and took another bite of his waffle. Tasha and Donald shared a look.
"So what about Chase?" Adam asked.
Bree nodded, "How can we help?"
"Well, actually, I'm going to take Chase to the hospital or get someone to come here. Dani is going to come with me. You guys have to stay here and go to school and stuff. Okay? We need you guys here in case a mission comes up." Donald said and the three teens nodded.
"I'll go get them," Tasha said and went to Dani's room.
Dani put the plate down on a stand and tried to get Chase to sit up. "Chase, I know you don't want to eat, but you have to. I brought you toast with jelly on it and a glass of water." Chase groaned and sat up a little bit more. I smiled at him and he took the glass of water and drank some of it before reaching for the toast and taking little nibbles of that.
There was a knock on the door and Tasha came in. "Dani, we're taking Chase to the hospital now. Donald wants you to go with him, is that all right?"
Dani nodded and looked over at Chase and then back at Tasha. "I think it's for the best."
Tasha nodded and held the door for Dani so she could get Chase out of the room. They walked slowly down the hall and into the living room where Donald was waiting for them with a wheelchair that they could push Chase in. Chase sat down in it and Dani rolled him to the car.
"Where are we going?" Chase asked quietly and Dani kept pushing him until they got to the car.
"The hospital. They can help you there. Alright?" Chase nodded weakly and then got in the back seat. Dani got in the front and Donald took the driver's seat. It was silent all the way to the hospital.
"Think he'll be alright?" Dani asked suddenly and looked over at Donald who nodded, looking at the central mirror to check up on Chase.
"I'm sure he'll be fine."
Dani nodded and rested her head on the window.
Chase was given a room immediately and the same doctor from before came in. "You guys came to the right place. He's definitely got the flu and is dehydrated. How long has this been going on?"
"Well he was sick last Monday but it was gone by the next day. Now he's sick again and it started up at around 12:45." Donald said and the doctor nodded.
"We'll get the fluids to him and so far he just needs his flu shot. If everything goes well he can go home by Wednesday at Noon." Donald nodded and Dani thanked the doctor and knelt beside Chase, brushing her hand over his forehead.
"Don't leave..." Chase mumbled out and Dani smiled weakly at him.
"I won't, cupcake." She took his hand and watched him sleep, as a bell went off.
"Visiting hours are over, only one of you can stay for the night." A nurse said and then left.
"I'll go home," Dani said, looking at Donald. "He needs you more than he needs me right now," she said and smiled before kissing Chase's forehead and letting go of his hand. "And I'll leave you the car," she said as an afterthought and went out to the parking lot before speeding home.
"How is he?" Tasha asked nervously.
"Well, they've got Tubes in him, giving him fluids and he's gotta get a flu shot and if everything goes well he'll be home by Wednesday afternoon."
Tasha let out a sigh of relief. "And Donald?"
"He's staying with Chase over night. I told him that Chase would need his dad more."
Tasha smiled and hugged me. "I'm glad you joined the family Dani."
"I'm glad I joined too. If I didn't I'd probably be on the streets right now, being a hooligan or something crazy like that."
Tasha laughed and pulled out of the hug. "Adam, Bree and Leo are downstairs in the lab if you want to talk with them." Dani thanked her and took the elevator downstairs and walked into the lab.
"Sup guys," Dani said and sat on top of the cyber desk.
"Is he...?" Bree started asking and I shook my head.
"He's fine."
"Aw, no fair! I betted that he would be stuck in the hospital for a week because Chase is so weak!" Adam exclaimed and handed Leo over a twenty.
"You know, maybe that's why he's so sick. You guys never pay really close attention to him. It's always, 'Come on guys, let's go pick on Chase! He won't care!' Well yeah, I think he does care. You guys always pick on him. You call him short and girly and pick on him for his hair and I think he takes it to the heart. I mean you guys are his siblings and he really cares about you guys. But he's always the runt of the joke and you guys never seem to actually care about him. It's only when it could be fatal that the jokes are mild. I saw him last week trying to find a new way to style his hair because you pick on him about it. I saw him working out for an hour after training was finished that same day."
"But he's always done that, he's always worked out for an extra hour after training." Bree interjected.
I shook my head. "No, you don't understand. He's doing it because he thinks that if he becomes stronger or has a different look you guys will stop picking on him. But it never ends!"
Adam and Bree looked at each other. "Is that really what you think happens?" Adam asked and I nodded.
"He's hurt guys. And I know that siblings bicker and make fun of each other and that's what siblings do, but sometimes family puts the most pressure on a person and that's what's happening with Chase."
"I feel really bad now," Bree said and Adam nodded.
"Just, don't make fun of him as often as you do. Maybe only a couple times a day verses the normal twenty." They both nodded.
Leo spun around in his mission's specialist chair. "Guys, put all of this stuff behind, we've got bigger problems." Dani slid off the cyber desk, going to stand behind Leo.
"What is it?" Bree asked and looked over at Leo.
"There's a stranded whale on the Manhattan shore. Think you guys can get to New York and save it? It's an Orca..." Leo said.
Dani smiled. "I love whales, they're my favorite animals of all time! And yes, between the three of us, I think we can." Bree and Adam nodded.
"I call flying the hellicopter!" Bree yelled and she raced for the door.
"Bree! Mission suit!" Dani yelled and she sped back, changing into the mission suit. Adam changed into his quickly and Bree handed Dani her old one.
"You can wear this one. It's not as good as the new ones but it'll do until we can get you your own." Dani thanked Bree and changed quickly and they rushed off to the chopper.
"Careful guys!" Leo said through the speaker on the chopper.
"Bree, have you ever even piloted a hellicopter before?" Dani asked as she buckled up in the passenger seat.
"Nope! But I've trained in case of emergency." Dani nodded.
Adam stuck his head up front, "I know how to captain a boat!" he exclaimed and Dani smiled at him.
"Good, we may just need that." She started flipping switches and they were off in the air. An hour later they landed on the beach with the whale. "Aww, look at it, it looks so lost and lonely. Where's you pod, sweetpea? Did they leave you or did you swim ahead?" Dani asked, approaching the whale.
It spoke to her and she nodded, "You poor thing. Don't worry, we'll get you back to your family." Bree stood beside Dani. "You can speak to whales?" Bree asked and Dani nodded.
"All animals, actually. It's another one of my bionics. But that's beside the point. Adam, if I splash the whale off and then bring the waves closer, do you think you could push it into the water? And Bree, could you help him?" Dani asked and the two nodded.
"I'm sure we can do that," Adam said and got ready to push the whale as did Bree.
Dani used her control over water to splash the whale and then brought the waves up to where the whale was. "Hurry guys, push! I can't hold the waves for too long!" Adam and Bree pushed and Dani quickly put a tracker on the whale, letting go of the waves. Dani waved to the whale as it swam back out to the ocean, going back to find it's pod.
"Think it will find it's family?" Adam asked and Dani nodded.
"Yeah, I think it will. If I could find mine than it certainly can find it's." She smiled and slung one arm over Bree's shoulders and the other she wrapped around Adam's torso. "Alright guys, let's go home."
"Well done guys, very well done!" Leo applauded as the three bionic teenagers walked back in.
"Thanks Leo. But we couldn't have done it if it weren't for the information you gave us," Dani said and smiled at Leo.
Leo laughed. "Yeah well Chase is going to be sad he missed this one." Leo said and Dani's eyes widened.
"Oh my god, Chase! I completely forgot!" Dani grabed her phone and checked the amount of missed calls. Just as she did her phone went off again. She answered it quickly. "Hello?" she asked and recognized the other person's voice as Chase's immediately.
"Dani," Chase said.
Dani smiled. "Hey, how're you feeling?"
"Better, now that there's fluids in my system although I still have a bit of a fever."
Dani smiled. "Well that's good. Did they give you a flu shot yet?"
"No, I think they're waiting to see if I'm any better tomorrow to give it to me." He took a second's pause before speaking again. "Hey, how come you didn't stay?" He asked quietly and Dani bit her lip.
"Visiting hours were up and only one of us could stay. I thought it would be better if you had your dad by your side for the first night. But I'll be there the minute the hospital opens for visiting hours and stay all throughout the night, I promise." She could hear shuffling in the background.
"Everything okay, Chase?" There was a long pause before Chase answered.
"Yeah, I'm fine. They were just adjusting the tube. Plus a nurse brought me a cherry popsicle," he said and Dani smiled.
"Well, I should probably let you get your rest. I'll see you-"
"Wait, no, don't hang up! Please, stay on the phone with me? Just for a little while longer?" Chase asked.
Dani sighed. "All right fine. But if I fall asleep, it's your fault for keeping me up."
She heard Chase nod his head and then say, "Got it!" Dani turned back to the others and waved before taking the elevator up to her room.
She got comfortable and plugged her phone in, the call still open. "So we went on a mission," Dani said, striking up another conversation.
"Oh, you did?" Chase said.
She replied, "Yeah, I kind of filled in for you. That's why I didn't answer your previous calls. We saved a whale because it was beached."
"What type of whale?" he asked.
"Orca."
"How was it? Did it go well?" he asked and Dani pondered it.
"I think it did, we got the whale back into the water and it swam off to find it's pod again." she said and heard Chase yawn. "Chase, you should probably get some rest," Dani said.
Chase yawned again, "Fine, but I'm not hanging up and you better not either."
Dani smiled. "I won't, I promise." She heard Chase shifting and get under the covers. she put her phone on the nightstand and laid her head on the pillow. "Good night, Chase," she said.
Chase replied with a sleepy, "Goodnight, Dani," and fell asleep immediately.