Just hang on… Just hang on… Just hang on…

The distant sound of beeps echoed in his mind as the words faded away. Then followed the sound of an oxygen mask, pumping in air and pumping out CO2. It was a soothing sound, after spending what seemed like hours in the dark, yet it sounded irritatingly mechanical at the same time; like a machine was pumping it.

Reluctantly, Danny dared to open his eyes. A big, white blur filled his vision at first, and slowly, different objects began to take shape. He saw fleeting blurs of figures moving back and forth, and only guessed it to be people once the blurs had subsided a little.

He blinked slowly and then turned his head to one side dizzily before replacing it in position.

"Captain?... captain…"

The word echoed in his head a few times until finally, the echoes disappeared and the sounds became more familiar. Danny attempted to raise a hand to his face yet found that it was too weak to do so. All he did instead was move his fingers, discovering that there was a pulse reader pinched over his thumb.

A man with black hair leaned over him. "Up, Sir?" he said quietly.

Danny recognized the man as Jacob Robinson, but was unable to speak clearly. All that came out was a weak moan.

"Yep, he's up," Jacob added. He reached over and gently began removing the oxygen mask. "Happy to see he's finally coming to. It's been almost two days, now."

Two days? Danny thought. But I was just fighting Technus. Where am I?

Once Jacob had removed the mask completely, he looked at someone nearby.

"Thanks, Jake," came a man's voice. "Could I have a moment with him?"

"Sure thing. I'll go see how Art's doin' with the command deck."

Danny waited until the footsteps had faded away and the sound of the door sliding open and close had ceased before daring to move his head again.

"Just relax," the same man said gently. "Your body's still trying to heal itself."

"Wh… Where am I?" Danny croaked weakly.

"On the shuttle. We're on our way home now. We passed the moon a few hours ago."

Danny finally turned his head to the right and set it down there.

"You're in the infirmary. Jacob's been keeping a good eye on you, Sir. We've all been really worried for you."

When Danny finally opened his eyes, the person he saw was the very last person he had expected to see:

Nicholas was sitting on a stool next to the patient's bed in the infirmary on the shuttle. He stared with gentle brown eyes at his captain and only grinned very weakly. "Are you feeling better, Captain?" he asked.

Danny blinked slowly before moving his head again. "How did I get here?" he asked.

"I brought you here. You suffered a few physical injuries from being exposed to space like that, but nothing that your ghost powers can't heal."

"How did… how…"

Nicholas shifted positions. "I took the speeder bike and came out to get you, Sir," he replied.

"Where's Technus?"

Nicholas grinned weakly again and held up the Thermos. "I wouldn't worry too much about him," he said softly.

Danny stared at the Thermos and for a moment, wondered how he had been able to capture the ghost without remembering; but then he realized that he had not been the one to capture Technus. He frowned weakly in confusion before looking up at Nicholas again.

Nicholas set the Thermos down on the bed next to Danny's hand. "He's all yours once you can walk again," he added.

Danny blinked. "The ship… I transformed…" Fear settled in his eyes for a split second.

"Don't worry, Sir," Nicholas replied. "I made sure it was turned around. They didn't see anything. As far as the crew's concerned, Danny Phantom went back through the portal."

Danny sighed of great relief and closed his eyes before opening them once more and looking at Nicholas again.

"You're safe now," Nicholas added gently.

Danny remained silent for a moment longer before opening his mouth again. "… I told you to stay on the ship," he said weakly.

Nicholas shrugged weakly and placed his hands beneath his chin. He grinned timidly. "You know I'm bad at following orders," he replied.

Danny stared at him in silence, blinking every now and then. Nicholas could see his eyes slightly surprised to hear those words. But after another moment, he finally saw something that he had not expected to ever see:

Danny inhaled deeply and smiled gratefully. The surprise in his eyes gave way to relief and even a bit of pride.

Nicholas waited silently to hear what he had to say.

Danny nodded weakly. "… Thank you," he whispered. "… Nicholas…"

It was the first time Nicholas had heard his captain address him by his first name, and in such gentleness too. The astronaut smiled in return, finally assured that he had mended their relationship. "You're welcome, Danny," he replied.