It was when Jazz passed the door to Danny's room that realization finally pricked at her. She hadn't seen him all morning, and school was going to start soon. He did seem troubled yesterday… A concerned frown crossed her face. Maybe she should check on him, just in case.
Jazz turned the handle to Danny's room slowly to avoid making too much noise. Immediately the expression on her face turned to one of horror. There was her brother, sprawled out on the bed. The sheets where drenched in stale blood, and his body looked like it had been carved on with a knife. Some of the most noticeable of wounds was a perfect row of deep gashes leading down to his back where she couldn't see.
Jazz felt something inside her spiral downward. She placed shaking thumb on his bloodstained wrist where a hardy pulse answered. His sister looked him over once again. This time she noticed two thick red trails leading from both corners of Danny's mouth down his colorless cheeks, one had a deep purple bruise on it. This was too much. With a quick "Hang on Danny." she ran downstairs to get their parents.
Danny's world had no color. Soft, fluid-like black stretched to every unreachable corner. Thought was overrated here. Distant voices could be heard, a mix of sounds that he couldn't register. One voice stood out above the rest, his sister's. She was talking to him, using a gentle voice that was like a song to Danny, bringing peace and reassurance to his lonely prison.
It became harder to hear over the noisy and painful throbbing that was rising over his senses. Suddenly a comforting hand placed itself on his uninjured shoulder and he drifted out of consciousness again.
The next time Danny awoke, there were new sounds. After a great effort he opened his eyes. There were the blurred figures of his family, along with a tall female medic carrying a professional-looking case of medical supplies. She was telling them something, but still, it was unrecognizable. The medic noticed Danny was awake and rushed to his bedside followed by everyone else. She began to talk to him. The inquiring look on her face told him she was asking a question, but to Danny her voice was just another distant sound, and the noise made his head hurt even more. The halfa's eyes begin to well up with painful tears. "What's wrong with me?" he asked himself silently.
The medic was now pulling a needle from her briefcase and filling it with a clear liquid. Danny closed his eyes tightly, he knew what was coming. He didn't care. All the teenager wanted was the agonizing pain to go away, and he knew she could help. Surprisingly, the shot was a lot less painful than anticipated, probably because his injuries hurt a lot more. Soon sleep began to embrace him again and he started to slip out of consciousness at an alarming rate. Danny heard Jazz's promising voice, and his miserable world went dark.
Sam was frantically describing the ambulance truck standing outside Fenton Works to Tucker, who was listening on the other line of his cell phone. She stopped abruptly as her worst fears were answered. There was Danny, pale and unmoving in bloodstained sheets, being loaded into the back of the vehicle. Tucker's wild reply was heard on the other end but Sam didn't seem to hear, pocketing the phone, she raced over to the rest of the Fenton family who were standing nearby. "Hey, you." one of the medics where pointing her out. "We don't need a crowd, get lost!" "She's a friend." Jazz said, standing protectively in front of Sam. He backed off as she shot him a glare. "Sorry about that." She apologized, turning to Sam. "Jazz, what-" "please, I don't know any more than you do, he just woke up this morning with all this…." Sam nodded in understanding. It must be just as hard for Jazz as it was for her and emotions where starting to get the better of both of them.
They were allowed to sit in the back with Danny as long as they didn't touch anything. Jazz and Sam stayed close, avoiding speech and eye contact if possible. The ride to the hospital was long and depressing; Danny's shallow breathing filled the car, a painful reminder of his condition.
Later at the hospital, Danny began to stir. The teenager opened his eyes in full awareness for the first time in hours. He looked around; the halfa had been placed on a cheap medical bed. The walls were white and close together, giving him the empty feeling of isolation. He tried to sit up and instantly wished he hadn't. Sharp pain shot through his shoulder, Danny fell back, letting out a light groan; the room began to spin. He was in worse shape than he thought.
A tall female nurse came into the room. "Oh good, your awake, the doctor will be here shortly." "What happened?" he asked groggily. She gave him a sympathetic smile, "We were hoping you could tell us that."Danny saw the specks blood puddling on his fairly new sheets for the first time and gave the nurse a bewildered look. What DID happen to him?
"Okay, I'll explain as much as I can, you came here this morning." she said, pointing to the clock Danny just noticed on the wall. It read 1:23. "After your sister found you all beat up in your bed, you've been sleeping like a doll ever since. Oh, and you bit your tongue pretty hard too."Danny felt his chin where the trail of blood had dried. "Your friends and family are in the waiting room." She added. The boy's eyes lit up at this. "Can I see them?" "After your check up" She told him, with a smug grin. Danny scowled and wished she would stop treating him like a child.
The doctor came in soon after. "Daniel, this is Dr. Orona, he'll be looking you over," Dr. Orona was followed by another nurse, this time a boy. He looked to be about eighteen. Danny noticed a resemblance between the two; the only difference was that Dr. Orona had dark hair, and his apprentice's was brown. It didn't surprise him when he saw William Orona flash on the nurse's nametag.
Danny's 'check up' consisted of various tests. Near the beginning he was asked to stand and remove his shirt. Standing was an obstacle that took a while to achieve. When that was finally done, the halfa peeled of his battered and bloodstained shirt. He winced as the doctor put a cold stethoscope to his bare chest. The nurse was scribbling something down on his clipboard. Danny didn't like this, he felt uncomfortable, exposed, his shoulder was starting to burn intensely, and a he was getting a headache.
Finally he was told he could sit down. For the first time ever, Danny looked at his wounds. The gaping tear in his shoulder scared him; it looked like part of it had been entirely ripped out so badly that the injury seemed unreal. He felt the color drain from his face. Dr. Orona noticed and ordered him to lie back down. His patient gratefully obeyed.
As the first nurse had promised, Danny was allowed visitors afterward. His parents came first, after many hugs, kisses, and 'I love you's they left. Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and last of all, Vlad came in next. All except his enemy came over with kind and questioning words. It was a happy reunion, even though his sister was crying.
Everyone drew away as Vlad glided over to the bedside. He had been waiting in the corner of the room for several minutes. "So what exactly did happen to you Daniel?" "What do you care?" he spat back. His arch enemy didn't look impressed. "You really think you're strong enough to take me on?" What do you want?" Danny demanded. "I've never told you of my plans before, why should I start now?"
They were interrupted by the female nurse reentering the room "Ten minutes is up, it's time for Daniel to rest." Vlad stood up straight and tousled Danny's hair in a fatherly way. The boy shot him an icy glare.
He felt a muscle in his ear twitch, Sam was whispering to Jazz across the room, "If looks could kill." This made him smile, though nobody else seemed to hear the girls' hushed conversation.
Danny's visitors filed out of the room. After they were gone the nurse held up a hospital gown. His eyes widened, "Please tell me I don't have to wear that." He begged.