Sam sat on her shins, Danny leaned back onto her shoulder. Tucker placed a gentle hand on the halfa's leg, rubbing it lightly.
People began to surround them, forming a small half-circle around the trio. "Fenton?" Dash asked warily, "What was that?"
Danny's eyes were wide and shifting from left to right. Sam combed back his bangs, and Tucker got up quickly, "Danny? Clap if you can hear me?" Danny's fingers began to twitch and Sam and Tuck shared a glance.
"What's he doing?" Paulina asked, a hint of worry touching her tone.
"He's having a panic-attack," Tucker barked," And if you could all give 'im some room that's be great!"
Instantly everyone backed up. Sam gently pulled his shirt over his arms, and set it to the side. Gruesome scars covered his back, and his chest was burned and blistered. "Second degree," Sam assessed," Tucker; gauze, tape, cotton, thread, needle, rubbing alcohol, washcloth, and a cup."
"What can I do?" Dani asked
Tucker immediately retrieved the items from the bag, and Sam worked feverishly on his back while he was preoccupied as with his current hanger. She turned him around so he was facing her, and began to clean and stitch his burn. She worked quickly, but Danny couldn't have noticed. He was too focused on not being focused. (figure that one out)
"Go get the water from the stream, Tuck," Sam commanded, and Tucker oblidged quickly.
"What d'you wanme to do withit?" Tucker queried, and Sam looked up from her work, smiling.
"Give it to Danielle, she looks like she could use a sip." Tucker chuckled, and gave Dani the cup of water which she sipped gingerly before giving it to her father.
"Simple to ghosts," Danny muttered through his work, "poison to humans, heaven to halfas."
Sam cleaned a smudge of dirt off of his face with her thumb, "That's right." He didn't look up from the hanger, and his foot began to twitch.
"Dude, he looks pale..." Dash stuttered.
"He is," Tucker returned, sitting behind him so Danny could relax against his chest, "I haven't seen him have one this bad before. He doesn't even recognize Sam."
"These have happened before?" Lancer asked.
"Pretty constant, actually. But molding these hangers calms him down really quickly," Tucker responded, watching Danielle retrieve an extra cup to fill from the river.
"My poor baby. Why didn't he tell me?" Maddie asked, guilt racking her mind.
"Because there was no need. We figured out how to handle them, so adults didn't need to be involved," Sam muttered. "Tuck, I don't think it's working. He's still so out of it."
"Well, now what?" Tucker asked.
...
"Wait! remember last time with Trechor?" Sam asked, "Before the hangers?"
"Right! So uh... I guess you can start," Tucker muttered, rubbing behind his neck.
"Okay...
They laugh at me these fellows just because I am small," Sam sung, holding Danny's hand and giving it a squeeze.
"They laugh at me because I'm not a hundred feet tall,
I tell there's a lot to learn down here on the ground
the world is big but little people turn it around."
Dani smiled, she knew this song. Tucker smirked at her and they joined in: "A worm can roll a stone
a bee can sting a bear
a fly can fly around versailles
'cuz flies don't care
a sparrow and a hat, can make a happy home!
A flea can bite the bottom of the pope in Rome."
"Goliath was a bruiser who was tall as the sky,
but David threw a right and gave 'im one in the eye!
Dani smiled, giving a solo, "I never read the Bible
but I know that it's true!
It only goes to show what little people can do!"
Tucker and Sam chuckled, and thought they saw Danny's eye glisten.
"So listen here professor with your head in the clouds;
It's often kinda useful to get lost in a crowd.
So keep your universities-
I don't give a damn!
for better or for worse,
it is the way that I am!"
"Be careful as you go," Danny's voice rang. Everyone's eyes instantly turned to him.
"'cuz little people grow...
And little people know
that little people fight.
We may look easy pickin's but we got
Some bite!
So never kick a dog
because he's just a pup.
You better run for cover when that
Pup grows Up!
And we'll fight like twenty armies
and we won't
Give Up!"
He mumbled the chorus while Sam and Tucker sang along quietly. When they finished, Danny skooched back to examine his work.
Danny had molded and connected the wires to resemble the constellation monoceros, or unicorn. His breathing had evened out remarkably, and he was obviously much calmer.
"You good?" Sam asked, massaging his shoulders lightly.
"...yeah..." his voice was soft but understandable. "thanks..." he muttered as his eyes dropped and his voice grew softer and less clear, "...luv-ya, guys..." He leaned back again, resting against Sam's shoulder.
Sam kissed his ear lightly, "shhh... sleep..." Danny turned his head just enough to kiss her cheek, then let his eyes close.
"He deserves a good night's rest," Tuck smiled, and then placed his hand on Sam's free shoulder, "I think you do, too. I know it drains you to patch him up so quick."
"Yeah..." Sam muttered her own eyelids falling
"Wait! You've done that before?! That quickly?!" Paulina exclaimed, Mr. and Mrs. Manson also in shock.
"Yeah..." Sam sighed and gave a tiny glare to Tucker.
Tucker gave a tiny laugh and looked quickly away. He glanced at his PDA and grabbed Dani with faux roughness. "Alrighty, kiddos. It's time for lunch and I think a nap-time is in order."
"Uncle Tuuuck!" Dani whinned playfully, "I don't wanna nap-time!"
"Well, too bad, squirt. What'd ya think your daddy'd do to me if I gave you back to him all crabby and tired? He'd have my hide!" This evoked some snickers from Danielle, who nodded reluctantly.
Tucker let her down and went to retrieve their food. After looking back to spy Sam already fast asleep against Danny, he couldn't help but get a bit choked up. And he had the pleasure of watching them fall in love. Young love like this was too rare. Heroism like Danny's from anyone, especially a teen like Danny was too rare. And support like Sam's was too rare.
They were too rare.
After setting out the food for everyone Tuck sat down beside Danielle and began to eat. Pork-rinds, mmm. As close to meat as he would get with Sam on his case, anyway.
He munched happily on his snack until he felt a PLOP beside him. He glanced to his right, and then turned away nervously. Dash had taken up residence on his right side, and no matter how strong he knew he was, Dash always scared him.
"Hey, Foley?" Dash said, but without his usual taunting tone.
"...yes, Dash?" Tuck swallowed hard.
"...It didn't really hurt Danny to get shocked like that, did it? I mean, he was just scared, right? He's not really hurt?"
Tucker raised a brow at him, and swallowed his new mouthful of pork rinds. "Dash, you don't seem to understand. Trechor is, was the most ruthless, heartless, and cruel ghost in existence, at least until today. Danny had a very near-death experience with electricity that did leave him very scared of it, decreased his pain tolerance for electricity... but since it was Trechor using it against him, Danny would have not only been frightened but in a butt-load of pain."
"...oh..."
"You shocked him in the shower at school."
"...I know."
Tucker's face contorted into one of anger, "No. You don't know. Danny went into a panic attack after that! Not nearly as bad as this one was, but bad enough! No one can understand how extreme Trechor is, or Danny's Electrophobia is! Especially for Danny. ...The only one who possibly could is Danielle..." Tucker muttered the last part, and wrapped an arm around his niece. "And he made sure that would never happen."
Dani wrapped her arms around Tuck in a hug, and Dash watched gingerly. How could Fenton or Foley or even Manson love a kid like this who wasn't even his, or related to him? How could Fenton risk his life like that for any kid? For any of them?
"What happened to him? With electricity, I mean."
"I may have been a witness to it, but that's Danny's story to tell, Dash. And he hasn't told it to anyone, ever. I doubt his high-school bully will be the first to hear it." Tuck said, not condemningly but seriously. As if he needed to understand that Dash would be nothing but a sour memory unless he changed his tune.
Dash nodded, and left with the rest of his food to go sit by Kwan.
Tucker looked watched warily, as if Dash might tell Kwan some valuable secret of Danny's that he some how slipped, but nothing occurred.
Good. Tuck thought, his arm still looped around Dani, Danny has enough on his plate.
A day had passed in full, and Danny wasn't up yet.
"-It's normally like two hours, then whoop! 'I'm up. What'd I miss?' !" Sam explained to Tucker what he already knew.
"And the others are getting anxious," Tucker said, motioning to their peers and teachers.
"And he's cut us off completely, some how!" Sam growled. This was all getting on her nerves. She felt like without Danny, her walls had to be kept up. But with so much to do, all of these problems, they had to be kept down.
"I know. It's been so long since we've been shut out a whole day..."
"We have to get to the Far Frozen."
"Even if Danny was awake, he'd still be in no condition to travel all the way to the Far Frozen."
"...maybe, Cujo?"
Tucker shook his head. "Cujo's still such a puppy. It'd be such a bumpy ride, he'd probably be hurt worse."
They stayed silent a moment, thinking, waiting.
". . . We could send someone to bring Frostbite here," Sam suggested. "If you or I went it wouldn't take more than a day. Same with either one of us and Danielle."
"True!" Tucker exclaimed. "One of us could stay here to hold down the fort and take care of Danny, and the other could go with Danielle to the Far Frozen and get Frostbite or Snow Fort! This is a great idea, Sam!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah!" Tucker noticed her give a longing look to her secret boyfriend, then turn back with a determined smile on her face.
"When do we get going?" Sam asked, suddenly a mask of abrasiveness on her face.
"Hey, Sam," Tuck put a hand on her shoulder, "Danielle and I will go. You can take care of Danny."
"Really?" Sam asked. "Great, I'll ask Danielle."
It took an hour for Tuck pack their bag for the trip. Snacks and water and sweaters and they were ready to head off.
"Alright guys. You two have to be careful, alright? I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you two," Sam said, hugging Tucker and kissing Danielle's forehead.
"We will be, Mom," promised Danielle, "I'll watch out for uncle Tuck, and he'll watch out for me."
"I know, sweetheart. I just worry," Sam let her daughter go, and gave Tuck one more begging glance.
Begging to keep Dani safe.
Tuck nodded and gave her the same glance, but in regards to their comatose halfa. Sam nodded and they parted ways.
And Sam was alone.
"Samantha, dear! Why didn't you tell us you were thinking about becoming a nurse?" Pamela asked, smiling wider than most would deem possible.
"I wasn't." Sam replied in a monotone, and continued to re-wrap Danny's wounds.
"But you're so good at this, Sammy-kinz!" Jeremy tried to encourage.
"But I'm not happy doing this," Sam countered, again with little expression.
"But imagine the money you could make pursuing something like this," came her father's cheerful counter.
"I'd prefer not to be paid for doing something that makes me incredibly unhappy," came the retort, "What's the difference between that and prostitution?"
Her parents were silent for what seemed the first time in Sam's life.
"I do what I have to to make sure that no one gets even more hurt. But I hate it more than anything. I hate looking at how hurt people are, and assessing it like I'm staring at some diorama. The only thing that keeps me sane while doing this is knowing that I'm decreasing his chances to die tonight." Sam pushed the bangs out of Danny's face for a moment before standing. "Saving lives is good work, but reviving them is not mine."
"...I- Sammy, I-" Jeremy stuttered. Pamela was practically growling, however. She believed that her daughter had finally found a profession to pursue with an appropriate amount of femininity and pay and, and, and... UGH! Sam could be even more stubborn than Pamela could be!
Sam side glanced at her parents before deciding that sitting would be of little consequence. She ran her fingers through Danny's hair, "He needs to get his sleep, guys. And he always gets uneasy when others are around while he's asleep."
"is that your way of telling us to go?" Pamela asked accusingly.
"Well, you can't really go seeing we have to stay in a group, but over there is good enough."
Her parents groaned and left Sam alone with a comatose Danny.
Good enough for her.
The next few days past slowly. Danny remained asleep, with few nightmares plaguing him. From time to time, he would shift between Fenton to Phantom, glowing for a split second before falling back again to his dull, human form. Because of these split seconds of Phantom, Sam had to do everything she could to keep people away.
No matter how lonely she was.