*Okay- I did it for as long as I possibly could. That was a challenge, but now this is going to third-person. So Hazel is not telling the story in… at least this chapter. This is now third-person.*
Jazz made sure Danny was comfortable in his room after patching up the puncture wounds from Acid's attacks. He'd fallen asleep beforehand, so after she made sure he was comfortable, she left his room and met with Sam and Tucker, who'd grown concerned. Danny knew that Acid was dangerous and wasn't to be challenged. She sighed, "Sorry I snapped earlier…" she said finally. "I just got scared…" she looked down. Her parents were out on a date night and weren't going to be home until much later. "How am I going to explain this to Mom and Dad?" she asked, "It's not like we can hide this…"
Sam and Tucker looked down in thought, but didn't know how they could lie about this either. "Well- Acid's knocked him out before." Tucker said, "And they know that Danny does some ghost-hunting on his own with us. Maybe just a hunting trip gone wrong?"
Jazz considered it for a while. Then she finally sighed, "It'll have to do…" she pulled out her phone and got ready to dial her mom. As she pulled up her number in her contacts, she was interrupted by an incoming call. She rolled her eyes, "Hello?" she answered. The voice on the other end made her quickly realize that she should start saving that particular number. "What!?" she gasped.
"What's wrong?" Sam asked, seeing the horror on Jazz's face, "Y-Yeah, I'll be right over…" Jazz hung up, her hands were shaking now.
"What is it?" Tucker asked.
"That was Hazel's dad… Hazel got attacked too. He needs help." She said, "Tucker, you come with me. Sam, you stay here and watch over Danny, okay?"
Sam nodded, "Got it."
Jazz led Tucker down to her car and quickly drove to Hazel's apartment. After walking into the front door, Jazz called out, "Mr. Richards?" she called out.
"U-up here! We're upstairs!" he called back.
Jazz and Tucker both ran upstairs and found one of the bedroom doors opened with the doorknob lying on the floor in several pieces, as though the door was locked and someone took apart the lock just to get in. They stepped into the room and gasped upon seeing Kurt holding his son closely with a large bone blade protruding from his stomach. Jazz's stomach twisted. Hazel was paler- much paler than he already was. Blood dripped from his mouth and from the injury in his stomach. Jazz took a deep breath, "A-Acid did this?"
Kurt nodded. He knew that he was the only on aware of Hazel's ghost powers, and respected the fact that Hazel would prefer to keep it that way.
"U-um…" she took a deep breath. "Calling an ambulance would pretty much turn him over to the police, wouldn't it?"
He nodded, "I don't have anything here to help him…" his eyes watered and he hugged Hazel again carefully. He was also aware that Hazel did this to himself. Why he did it, however, he didn't know.
"Do you have bedsheets?" Tucker asked and knelt by them.
"Uh- one. I have one." Kurt nodded.
"Where?" Jazz asked.
"Living room." Kurt answered quickly.
Jazz jumped and ran downstairs.
"Does the bone go all the way through?" Tucker asked.
"No- just into his stomach." Kurt shook his head, carefully brushing back Hazel's hair.
Jazz quickly returned with the bedsheet Kurt had mention, "Lay him down." She said. "Tucker, let's get the bone out and we'll wrap him up with this." She instructed and began tearing the bedsheet into strips.
Kurt carefully took hold of the bone with Tucker and counted to three before pulling it out quickly.
"Kurt, sit him up." Jazz commanded.
Kurt carefully sat up Hazel and let Jazz pull up his shirt, she flinched upon seeing several other scars decorating the teen's abdomen. She shook her head and started wrapping up the wound with strips of the bedsheet. "D-does this happen often?" she asked.
"Not really…" Kurt shook his head, he was being honest, but he didn't really want to tell the truth as to where the rest came from.
"Danny just got attack by Acid too." Jazz said, "Acid was going to kill him. But… apparently he stopped himself and ran away before anything else happened."
"Really?" Kurt looked up at her. Then looked back at Hazel. Knowing his son, he'd black out with rage and try to kill whoever upset him, Danny must've fallen victim to Hazel's rage and Hazel realized he was about to kill Danny. Now his suicide attempt made sense. He did this out of guilt.
"Acid seems to be a lot more aggressive lately…" Tucker pointed out.
Jazz nodded and tied off the temporary bandages, "We'll take him back to my place." She said, "My parents should be able to help him out a little better there." She said.
"Let me help you get him to the car." Kurt stood up and carefully picked up Hazel.
On the drive back to Fenton Works, Jazz and Tucker remained silent.
"Did you see-?"
"I did…" Jazz nodded.
"They… don't just stop at his arms…" Tucker looked down.
She shook her head and wiped her eyes, "They don't…" her voice cracked.
He leaned over and looked at her, "Are you crying?"
She took a deep breath, "I'm okay." She shook her head, "I need to talk to my parents about Acid. He's dangerous… he's gonna hurt more people." She said.
"What do you think Danny's been trying to do?" Tucker shrugged, "But every time he picks a fight, he gets his butt kicked."
Jazz sighed and pulled into the driveway, "We'll just let Mom and Dad handle it…" she parked the car, "But for right now, let's just get Hazel inside. Get him taken care of… maybe he'll explain more when he wakes up." She said.
Tucker opened the door to Hazel's side of the car, "From the looks of his stomach- it's more like 'if' he wakes up."
"It's 'when'." Jazz argued.
"Okay…" Tucker flinched and carefully pulled Hazel out of the car, he noticed he was really light and fairly cold. He was barely able to feel his heartbeat. He took a deep breath and carried him inside. His body ran cold when he saw Jack and Maddie's van sitting in the driveway. He and Jazz exchanged nervous glances before stepping inside and setting Hazel on the couch.
"Jasmine!" Maddie's panicked voice called from upstairs, followed by rapid footsteps, "What happened to your-" she froze upon seeing Hazel on the couch, "Brothers?" she gasped, "He looks worse than Danny!" she rushed downstairs, "What happened to them?"
"It was Acid." Jazz said, "That green, fiery ghost?"
Maddie growled, "Sam calls us and told us that Danny and Hazel got hurt."
"And it was by Acid." Jazz said. "There were bone spikes- I saw them!"
"Jasmine." Jack came down the stairs, "You're going to help me track down this ghost, so we can get rid of him once and for all. I can't have Danny come home looking like that anymore."
Jazz nodded, "I'm sure we can use the ectoplasmic signature off of one of the bones that he shot. Let me show you." She quickly led Jack out of the house.
Maddie watched them leave. She sighed and lifted Hazel's shirt to see the bandages. She grew horrified after seeing that this certainly wasn't Hazel's first life-threatening injury.
"I wonder what Acid has against Danny and Hazel…" Tucker looked down.
"Were these all from Acid?" she asked.
"We think so." Tucker sunk, "His dad said that this doesn't happen very often."
Maddie growled, "And this was an attack from Acid and not his father?" she verified.
Tucker nodded, "His dad can't create bones like that."
Maddie thought for a long time. "Tucker?" she asked, "Do you ever see Acid and Hazel's father in the same place?"
"I rarely see either of them." He answered honestly, then it hit him as to where she was going with her question. He gasped, "Kurt is Acid…"
"That does it." Maddie stood straight up and went down to the lab, leaving Tucker alone in the living room with Hazel. She popped her head back out, "I'm sorry, sweetie, you can come with if you want."
"I'm good, Mrs. Fenton." He said and stayed where he was. After she vanished into the lab, he quickly got up and ran upstairs to check on Danny and Sam.
Danny's bedroom door was cracked open just a little. He carefully pushed the door open, "How's he doing?" Tucker asked.
"I'm up." Danny's voice answered, "Just come in."
Tucker walked into the room. Sam sat on the bed next to Danny, "How are you feeling?"
"Acid attacked Hazel too?" Danny asked, a tone of aggravation was clear in his voice.
"Your mom thinks it might be Hazel's dad." Tucker said, "Maybe Kurt's a halfa."
Danny thought about this for a while, "It all makes sense." He shook his head, "No- that's not right. Hazel's had to take care of his dad after an attack from Acid. He used the same procedure that he did on me."
"The same procedure used on his dad? Or the same used on him?" Sam asked, "Hazel's not exactly the most honest person we know. He's lied to protect his dad."
"And it's not like he's gonna tell that his dad's a ghost to the son of a family of ghost-hunters." Tucker said.
Danny nodded, "True." He shook his head, "It all makes sense. He's attacked Hazel before, several times. He's attacked me- I don't think Hazel's dad likes me."
Sam held up Danny's injured hand, "You think?"
Danny took his hand back and looked at his palm, "I really hope this heals…" he said.
"It'll take a while- maybe." Tucker shrugged.
"It hurts just to move my finger…"
"Well- your dad just left with Jazz so they can track down Acid." Sam said.
"And your mom's in the lab getting ready to go after him." Tucker added.
Danny nodded, "So… what happened to Hazel?" he looked up at Tucker.
Tucker looked down, "He's in worse shape than you, buddy, I'll say that much."
"That bad?"
"You know that bone? The big one Acid was gonna kill you with?"
Danny nodded.
"We found another one about that size in Hazel's stomach." He said. He was unconscious when we found him and has been since."
There was a clatter downstairs followed by a pained yelp.
"Are you sure?" Danny asked.
Tucker jumped up and ran downstairs, finding that Hazel was no longer on the couch. He went to the kitchen where the clatter had come from. There stood Maddie, helping Hazel stand up straight.
"What are you doing up? Are you okay?" she asked.
Hazel stayed quiet, his eyes were squeezed shut, one hand pressed to his stomach, the other holding onto the counter. His eyebrows were pulled together as he took deep, heavy breaths. After a long moment of silence, he nodded "I'm alright…" he took a deep breath, "I accidentally bumped the counter." He admitted. He looked down at the floor, "Sorry…" he apologized and knelt to pick up pieces of the glass he dropped that had broken.
"No, no, no, no- you're going to lie back down." Maddie made him stand back up. "Tucker, get him back on the couch." She instructed and went to grab a broom.
Hazel waved Tucker's hand away, "I'll be fine." He said and started back to the living room. As he rounded the corner, he stumbled and fell to his knees, groaning in pain.
Tucker was standing behind him, "You sure?" he asked. Behind him, Maddie was sweeping up the broken glass.
Tucker knelt by Hazel, "Let me help you up." He grabbed his arm and helped him stand.
Once Hazel was on his feet, he stood for a moment and grabbed the wall for support.
"Ready to get to the couch?" Tucker asked.
Instead of an answer, Hazel shook his head and coughed hard into his hand, finding small spots of blood in his palm.
"You can trust me." He said, "I won't drop you or anything, if that's what you're worried about…"
Hazel froze, with his long, straight, black hair, it was difficult to see what kind of expression he wore. He clenched both hands into fists and shook slightly.
"You know you can." Tucker said as reassurance.
Hazel nodded, "I-I know…" he finally forced out.
Tucker pulled Hazel's arm over his shoulders, "Come on, you shouldn't even be up." He carefully walked Hazel to the couch and sat him down. Hazel kept his head down, letting his hair cover his face. Tucker sighed, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing…" Hazel said emotionlessly.
Tucker tilted his head, then he rolled his eyes and went upstairs. "Sam, Haze's hiding something, Jazz isn't here, so you should go talk to him." He said flatly.
Danny and Sam looked up at Tucker, than back to each other. Sam stood up and started downstairs. She saw Hazel sit on the couch, fiddling with his hands as though he was nervous about something. She sat on her knees in front of him, "Hazel?" she asked with concern.
He avoided eye contact with her.
Sam made him look up at her and brushed his hair out of his face, "What's wrong?"
Hazel shook his head and looked back down, not wanting to tell the truth of what was really going through his mind.
"Hazel." Sam forced him to look up at her, his hardened, tired, yet soft hazel eyes nervously looked up at her. "What's wrong?"
Hazel sighed, "Tucker… earlier said that I can trust him." He started.
"Well- you can." She said, seeming somewhat skeptical.
"No- know I can." He said, "But… h-how can you guys be so sure you can trust me?" he said.
She stared at him for a while "W-what makes you ask that?"
"Vlad Masters just threatened me to either bring in Danny or he'll turn in me and my dad." He explained, "What makes you so sure that I'm not going to protect myself and my dad?"
Sam sank and looked down, "We're not…" she said sadly. "We're scared that you'd hand over Danny." She then gave him a cold look, "Which will not happen without a fight, by the way."
Hazel flinched and nodded.
She sighed, "But we don't want you to get turned in to the police." She leaned forward and hesitantly hugged him, waiting to be rejected of a hug. But Hazel sat and let her do it. He didn't return the hug, but he didn't fight her. "We worry about you."
Hazel felt as though a brick settled itself in his chest. It was then that he prayed that they didn't find out who Acid really was.
You shouldn't trust me…
*So… one more third person POV until I go back to first person. Unless you guys think it's better off this way? I dunno. I like it in Hazel's view… we'll see. Leave a review with some feedback and any questions you may have. Thanks for reading and remember to stay awesome, folks!*