Disclaimer: See Chapter One

A/N: This one is for emb22. Hope you get to feeling well! And I've actually got a lot of compliments on my summary, which makes me smile because I usually can't write them very well. Also, Lady Elora, I can't take credit for doing my homework, not really. I got my first taste of Fantastic Four last Friday when I went with a bunch of people to see Rise of the Silver Surfer, and it piqued my interest, which means I obsessively researched because I wanted more. As for the medical stuff, I watch a little too much House, and recently Scrubs. And I am surprised that nobody caught my goof-up in the first chapter when I said the driver's side was on the left side of a Ferrari. I am going to try to make my chapters longer from now on, but they may come more infrequently, so it's up to you.

Crash and Freeze

Chapter Three

Consciousness slowly creeped into Johnny's mind. He was lying on a bed, and could hear the beep beep of monitors nearby. For a moment, he panicked. He couldn't see! Then he felt like hitting himself, if he had the energy that is. He still had his eyes closed.

With effort, he cracked his eyes open. However, he quickly shut them again as he was immediately assaulted by blinding white lights. Gathering his resolve, he opened his eyes once more and blinked owlishly. However, as he became more aware of where he was and he became completely lucid, he began to choke reflexively.

People rushed into the room. Two women held him down, something that would have surely drawn an inappropriate comment from him had he not been choking.

"Relax, Mr. Storm," another said, coming forward quickly. "You are intubated. I'm need you to relax your throat so that taking it out will be easier."

He tried frantically to do as she said as she pulled the tube from his mouth. He instantly began to cough relentlessly and one of the nurses, as he figured they were, to hold a glass of water to his lips. He gulped it down gratefully and then took a deep breath before relaxing against his pillows.

"Now, that's better," the woman who removed the intubation said, nodding at the nurses and dismissing them. "I'm Dr. McKall. Your family is waiting to see you outside, but first I'd like to ask you some questions, if that's okay with you."

"Sure, not like I'm gonna get out of here any faster by refusing, right?" he replied good-naturedly.

She smiled thinly before looking down at her chart.

'Tough crowd,' he thought, laying his head back on his pillow.

"Can you tell me your name?" she began.

"John Storm."

"Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital?" he guessed.

"Hmmm... Do you know today is?"

"Well, it was January 13, but that was earlier tonight, could be pass midnight by now," he joked.

Dr. McKall leveled him with a stern look before consulting her chart again. "Okay, Mr. Storm, can you wiggle your toes for me?" she asked, pulling up his blanket to observe his feet. Feeling she wouldn't appreciate another joke, he acquiesced silently.

"Very good," she said, nodding. "Now hold up two fingers for me." He obeyed again, feeling a bit foolish. She then produced a small flashlight. "Follow the light with your eyes," she ordered, turning it on and moving it back and forth.

He moved his eyes back and forth with the light. "Okay, I'm getting a bit dizzy now," he commented, only half-joking.

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Okay, Mr. Storm, it seems as if you've retained all your cognitive and motor abilities. You are very lucky. Most people don't walk away from the kind of accident you were involved in. Now, I am sure your family is anxious to see you, so I will leave you to them," she said before walking out.

Not two minutes after she left, Susan, Reed, and Ben walked solemnly into the room. He grinned at their serious faces. "Come on, guys, I'm hurt, not dead."

Two tears escaped from Sue's eyes as she rushed over to his bed. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" she hissed before leaning over to kiss his forehead.

He smiled softly. "Sorry, sis, I honestly didn't mean to get this busted up. But don't worry, it doesn't hurt as bad as it looks."

Ben snorted. "That's because they got you all numbed up with morphine, kid. I'm sure you'll feel it when they lower the doses."

"That's optimistic. Thanks, Pebbles," Johnny said sarcastically.

"That one's free, hotshot, but only because you've seen to mess yourself up bad enough as it is," he warned.

"I didn't mess myself up," Johnny said bitterly. "Someone deliberately crashed into me!"

"What?" they all exclaimed, different expressions of anger and outrage distorting their faces.

"Any idea who it was?" Reed asked, immediately trying to analyze the situation.

"Most likely the same guy who spiked my drink last night, leaving me to wake up in a dark alley the next day," Johnny admitted.

Sue's expression of protective anger melted quickly into one of guilt. "Oh, Johnny, I am so sorry! If I had only listened to you earlier, this never would have happened!"

Johnny waved off her apology. "Don't blame yourself, Sue. If I hadn't gone out tonight, they would have just gotten me later."

"Well, I'll tell you this," Ben growled. "Whoever did this to you better hope I never get a hold of them."

"You better leave some for me," Reed said while Sue nodded in agreement.

OoooOoooOoooO

Johnny smiled and breathed in the fresh air (relatively fresh, at least, it was still New York). It had been a week since the accident, and he had been itching to get out of the hospital. He winced as a nurse helped him into the car. Ben had definitely been right when he said that the pain would set in once they took him off all that morphine.

Sue nervously fretted over him as the nurse closed his door. She made sure he was all settled and buckled in before buckling herself in and starting the car. She gently pulled off the curb and started driving towards the Baxter Building—very slowly.

He looked at her incredulously, but she didn't notice. He sighed silently, not saying anything to her about her driving. He knew she was just nervous and had her overprotective streak in overdrive. He was only grateful that the hospital wasn't far from home, because if it were, he might not have been able to hold his tongue when a bicycle passed them.

Tbc...