Fears: Chapter Seventeen

Danny's POV:

Even I was surprised when the tear fell from my eye. I didn't cry; I hadn't cried in years. I was a superhero and I was not supposed to cry. And yet, here I was, eighteen and basically bawling my eyes out.

"Alright, we need to talk," Sam said. "Lie her down on the sofa and let's go to the kitchen."

I laid Danielle down and followed them to the kitchen. "I'm fine," I said, running the back of my hand across my face.

"No, you aren't." Sam said. She started the coffee maker and I sat down at the table.

I wanted to protest, to suck it up and tell them I was fine, but I knew I wasn't. They wouldn't have believed me if I told them I was anyway, they knew me too well.

"Look, Danny," Sam said, "Frostbite told you that Danielle would be fine, right?"

"Well, yeah..."

"He's never steered you wrong before, Danny," Johnny said.

"No, he hasn't," I admitted.

"Danny, right now, you have to be brave for her."

I let my head drop into my arms on the table and moaned. "I don't know if I can."

"You're a superhero, and Danielle needs you. She's scared," Tucker said.

"I need to call Frostbite," I said. I stood up and grabbed my phone, then walked down the hall to my bedroom, shutting my door.

"Hello?" he answered

"Frostbite, she's going to be okay, right?" I asked.

"Certainly. One half will lose, but she will be fine. Once that half is gone, she will be fine."

"Is there anyway to know which half will survive?"

Frostbite paused, "Well, I suppose you could bring her in for some testing. I could look at a genetic scan and try to determine which half is stronger."

"Can I bring her in now?" I asked.

"Absolutely," Frostbite replied.

"I'll see you in about thirty minutes." I slammed my phone shut and opened the door to find everyone standing outside of it.

"I'm taking her to Frostbite so he can run a genetic scan," I said, pushing past them. In the living room, I grabbed my coat off the back of the sofa and shoved my keys into the pocket.

"Danny, slow down," Sam said, walking in. "We're coming, too."

"Fine," I said. "Kitty and Johnny can ride there on Johnny's bike, Tucker can drive your speeder. Sam, you can ride with me and hold her."

Everyone started pulling on jackets and grabbing keys. I lifted Danielle into my arms, jostling her awake as I did. "Daddy?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"I'm taking you to Frostbite so that he can run some tests," I explained. I pulled the blanket off the sofa and wrapped it around her. "Let's go," I said, handing her to Sam.