Danny is not mine. . .
Chapter 9
Rehab and Plans
Soon, after much rehabilitation and lying, Danny and Taylor were released from the hospital. The only memory Taylor ever wanted to have of that experience was staying with Danny, spending nights laughing, throwing the soggy and drippy hospital applesauce at each other.
"We're finally out of here. . ." breathed Taylor as she stepped into the cold morning air. She was bundled up in a long trench coat- style jacket, black leather mittens on. Danny thought she looked a lot older and smirked a bit as he thought of something funny to say.
"Miss Hecter? Have you seen Taylor?"
Taylor looked over at Danny and grinned. She made her voice sound suddenly airy.
"Why yes Daniel. The last time I checked, she was in the cafeteria getting stoned off the applesauce. She'll be with you shortly!"
Their bright laughter filled the air. Both of their voices sounded a lot stronger and happier since their first night at the hospital.
"Man. . . I can't believe it was a whole week." Danny said with disbelief as he and Taylor made their way around the courtyards of the hospital. Their parents were picking them up in an hour, and both teens decided that they would spend their last few moments getting fresh air.
"Yeah. One whole week of them puncturing my back to death with needles. . ." Taylor summarized as she gingerly rubbed her back. None of the doctors understood what the green goo in her back was. She could have easily told them it was ectoplasmic goo embedded in her skin, but she'd also reveal Danny's identity. Instead the bewildered doctors went about cleaning her back, ridding it of the tar from the building and dead skins. Danny frowned.
"Are you feeling better Taylor?"
Taylor stopped and grinned at Danny, though it did not reach her eyes.
"It's funny you should say that. . ."
Danny rubbed the back of his head and raised his eyebrows.
"Well?". . . he asked.
"I've been having weird dreams lately. . ." she said slowly, starting to walk again.
"About. . .?" Danny inquired with a slightly concerned glance to her. He stuffed his hands in his blue coat pockets and turned his attention towards her, watching as small snowflakes dotted her hair.
"About Plasmius. . ."
Danny bit his bottom lip and swallowed hard.
"The green, evil, red eyed, incredible hulk reject Vlad?"
"Yes, him." Taylor answered as she rolled her eyes.
"He's planning something. I just know it." she said, staring at Danny intensely with her light brown eyes.
Danny let out a long sigh and stopped walking, looking down at Taylor with concern.
"If he is planning something, well, it probably has to do with trying to get to me, or trying to get my mom's cell phone number."
Taylor laughed silently, shaking her long mane of brown hair in disbelief.
"I can't believe he likes your mom! I would die if he was after mine." she expressed as she dusted his raven black hair free from the dusty snow. Danny shivered at her touch, for what reason he was not sure. He was suddenly feeling a LOT warmer.
"This isn't really funny Taylor. . . "
Taylor laughed a bit louder, amusement in her eyes as she watched Danny's cool, pale face, turn red.
"Seriously! Vlad is not someone to mess around with!" he said, voice rising at Taylor's ignorance. With a sly smirk, Taylor turned towards Danny and licked her lips.
"Maybe he needs someone to mess around with him. Then he'd be a whole lot calmer." she said with a sadistic and twisted smile, watching as Danny's eyes grew large.
"Taylor!" he said as he began to laugh.
"Nasty!"
"I know," she responded slyly to Danny, who was still shaking with slight laughter.
It was no use to argue. Sometimes it was better just to let each other have the other's way. Still, Danny was uneasy. Taylor did seem to take Vlad as a joke, and that was a deadly mistake. Before he could talk about that however, two loud horns beeped from across the street.
"They're here." Danny said as he pulled on Taylor's hand.
"Let's get out of here."
"Let's!" Taylor responded jubilantly, allowing herself to be lead to the waiting cars by Danny.
"So it was that bad?" asked Sam with pity, taking a thick crunchy French fry and popping it in her mouth.
They were at the nasty burger and as usual it was packed with teens. Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Taylor took their usual table in the back, far away from the bathrooms. It was said that Dash did a lot of beating up in the men's restroom.
"Bad. . . no. Horrible? Yes." Taylor answered as she poured Italian dressing on her salad.
"It felt weird being treated like some fragile little, stupid teenager. If only they knew we were fighting ghost's at the time when the accident happened." Danny expressed as he took a bit out of his hamburger.
"So basically, it was that bad." Tucker said looking up from his PDA.
"Yeah."echoed Taylor and Danny at the same time.
There was an awkward silence that Taylor didn't care for too much, so she decided to speak.
"So. . . what have you and Sam been up to?" she asked politely, stabbing her fork into the bland salad.
"Oh nothing, just trying to find new ghost portals. . ." said Tucker flatly, as he was too interested in his PDA to respond very well.
"Find any new ones?" asked Danny.
"Yeah, one." Sam responded with a nod.
"Where?" Danny asked, eyes widening with interest.
" . . . You might not like this. . . at all . . ." said Sam with a guilty smile.
Taylor looked from Danny to Sam with confusion. Then suddenly something seemed to have dawn on Danny.
"The box ghost made one in a box didn't he?"
"Yes. . ." answered Sam, biting her bottom lip
"And that box happens to be in Lancer's house?" Danny said flatly.
"Yeah. . ." breathed Sam nervously.
Danny began to beat his head on the table. The chances of getting into Lancer's house without getting caught was like, zero. His head began to hurt, and he felt the familiar pangs of his injury hit him hard again. Tensely, he rubbed his temples.
"You guys, we have to get that portal closed tomorrow."
The team nodded, Tucker finally awake from his PDA stupor.
" . . . But first, we need to get Taylor ready."
They all looked to her, bright cocky smiles on their faces.
"Oh shit. . ."