Chapter 17:
Third Person:
Danny sat on a cleared table down in the lab with his shirt off for the 'check-up.' Gear had her back on him as she looked over various tools and documents. She even was on the computer looking up several old documents about Danny's past results and notes she had about ghosts and their physical properties (as well as health). She mumbled to herself- sometimes in English, sometimes in Latin.
Danielle was down there as well, sitting beside Danny on the large table, insisting that if he was going to get a physical, she was going to get one too (of course, she kept her shirt on). She swung her legs slightly as they dangled over the edge, laughing to herself. She hoped that it was all a mistake- that Danny was not a ghost. He was still a half ghost like her. He was still alive. The thought made her smile brightly.
"How come she gets to keep her shirt on," Danny complained.
Gear tsk'ed as she turned around, a needle in her hand,
"'Cause she's a little girl with modesty as to where you are just really fun to mess with."
She smirked and Danny groaned,
"Are you saying I could've kept my shirt on?"
"You're the one who took it off before I even asked."
Dani laughed as Danny's face turned red. He crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. Gear rolled her eyes amused as she took out the necessary things she needed. Various doctoral tools, needles, and various other things laid out on a small tray. One thing, however, stood out the best to Danny- a syringe filled with some sort of green liquid. It took him a moment to notice that it was actually ectoplasm mixed with something else.
With Danielle there, she could compare the results between a healthy human (her), use past data that she got from Danny, fresh results from a half-ghost (Dani), and Danny's current results. It was helpful, she would admit, since not only does she get to make sure Danielle is in proper health, but she can make see the differences between Danny's past results (when he was half-ghost) and hers. It was all for science and for her personal gain of knowledge.
She took Danielle's heart rate, her blood pressure, tested reflexes, and after Danielle's begging, she even took Dani's height and weight.
"Special doctor," Gear muttered, "Feeling more like a family doctor."
She took a small blood sample from Danielle by pricking the young halfa's finger as to avoid needles. She put the blood on a slide and under a microscope. Dani's blood, she realized, was much different than a human's. Like Danny's past results, the blood seemed to be a mixture of ectoplasm and normal red blood cells. The ectoplasm didn't really mix with the blood, but instead floated almost on it, similar to how oil and water reacted. However, her blood showed a bit more ectoplasm than red blood cells, if by a small barely noticeable margin. She took the syringe off the tray, squirted it, and slowly added it to the blood. She studied the reaction, wrote a few notes down, and mumbled to herself.
"Is there a problem," Dani asked nervously.
"Your ectoplasmic count is higher than your red blood cell count. However, it's not really a concern- it's barely even noticeable."
"But why is it higher?"
"Yours is higher than Danny's past results from when he was your age. As to why, I'm not sure, Little D. It could be because you're a female. It could be because you were originally made as a clone, therefore more ectoplasm was made in your creation… Double D, you ready for your turn?"
Danny nodded, a bit nervous. He gulped as Gear checked his reflexes and then his blood pressure. She looked at the results with a frown, however she raised an eyebrow as she noticed how nervous he was,
"What Double D? Want me to take your height and weight too?"
"Could you even reach the top of my head?"
Gear glared at him as Dani laughed.
"Careful," Gear said, "I'm the one with the pointy tools. Now lemme check your heart rate."
She listened to his heart carefully- listening for the faintest thump. After a full minute, she stopped listening and took his blood. She pricked his finger like she did to Dani then put the blood on a slide under a microscope. Unlike Dani's blood, Danny's was all ectoplasm- not a single blood red cell. She added the stuff from the syringe to his blood as well, noting the different reaction. Danielle's blood rejected the ectoplasm, and almost even separated the ectoplasm already in her blood from her red cells. Danny's blood, however, accepted it and it seemed to make it stronger. In theory, Gear noted, if I were to add pure ectoplasm to him, he would become stronger, but the question is- how much stronger?
"Tell it to me straight, Doc," Danny said dramatically as he acted like he was going to faint, "How long do I got?"
"For a guy who was nervous a few minutes ago, you sure loosened up… There's nothing unusual."
Danny furrowed his brows,
"But what do you mean? Like nothing unusual for a half-ghost? A full ghost?… Am I still alive?"
Gear sighed as she took a seat on a wheelie chair,
"Look Danny dude, I hate to tell you this, but you are a ghost- a full ghost. Your blood pressure is lower than a human's and even a halfa's, my guess is that it's not really your heart pumping the blood because you have no heart rate, but rather just the ectoplasm flowing. Your blood is even all ectoplasm."
"But he said he felt his heart beat," Dani said stubbornly, "He has to be alive!"
"Look, I don't like it either," Gear snapped, "But Danny dude is gone."
"But she has a point," Danny pointed out, "…How was my heart beating?"
Gear ran a hand through her hair,
"Honestly? I don't think it was… You ever hear of a phantom limb? They can still feel it, even though it's gone. I think something similar is happening here. You're so used to feeling your heart beat accelerate when you're nervous or scared, so when you feel those emotions, you think you feel it beating when it's not… It might go away after a while, but it may take some time. It's just your head, dude. Oh and I'll need some more of your blood."
"Why," Danny asked cautiously.
"I have some…tests…I'd like to run."
Danny visibly paled, hating her words with a passion.