Hello again my fabulous readers! I know there has been a bit of a longer wait for this chapter I must apologise, life got in the way! I hope you understand!
Anyways, on with the story! (Warning: In this chapter and here on out there will be strong references to post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.)
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Danny gave Vlad a sceptical look when he realised it was him who had just entered his room and not another nurse. He was unsure how he felt about Vlad's presence, but he summed it up to be a mixture of anger and anxiety. After all, Vlad had done nothing but create chaos for the younger hybrid since the day he met him, and now he had the nerve to actually take over Danny's life. Danny had always held a strong dislike for Vlad, there was no doubt about this. However, the past two days Vlad's attempts to control his every waking moment had sickened him, and Danny could now feel the hatred bubbling inside of him, especially as he was not at this time physically able to fight against Vlad. Danny didn't believe he had ever felt more powerless in his life than what he did at this moment.
"What?" Danny mumbled groggily. He prayed that Vlad wouldn't stay long, his eyes were begging him for sleep. Also he could start to feel the effects of the Diazepam kicking in, a medication given to him by the nurses which he was told would help him to calm down.
Vlad blinked at this blunt question at first. He was surprised that Danny was willing to speak to him at all, let alone initiate the conversation.
"I just wanted to see if you were feeling better, my boy." Vlad replied casually, whilst slowly approaching the bed. Danny watched him, his eyes turning colder.
"I'm fine." He retorted bitterly, "You can go now."
"Really? You don't seem fine to me, you know." Vlad told his young charge.
"I'll be much better when you leave, I promise." Danny snapped, followed by a yawn.
"Did those nurses give you something?" Vlad asked, looking down at the boy as though he were studying him.
"None of your business." Danny growled before rolling on to his other side, away from Vlad. It meant causing a lot of discomfort in his wounded arm, but Danny didn't care as long as it meant he didn't have to look at Vlad anymore.
"We've been through this, Daniel." Vlad told him sternly, "I understand my presence may make you uncomfortable right now, but I suggest you get used to it. I made a promise to your mother that I'd take care of you should tragedy strike, and I am a man of my word."
Danny scoffed when he heard the end of that sentence. "Since when are you a man of your word, Plasmius? You use people to suit yourself, you are the most selfish, ego-centric man on the planet."
Vlad frowned at the boy's comment and walked around the bed to face him. "That may be your opinion Daniel, but like it or not this is happening. Now you can continue to make things difficult for both of us, or you can grow up a little and accept this reality."
Danny looked up at Vlad again, his eyes even wearier, "In what universe do you think this could possibly work? Did you forget that we are enemies?"
"No. You made me an enemy, Daniel." Vlad retorted, but then sighed remorsefully when he looked properly at the boy and noticed his tired eyes. It came back to him what a difficult night Danny had had, or realistically couple of days. "Anyway, you need to rest. We'll talk more in the morning, at least, a more sensible hour of the morning. Sleep well." Vlad then turned to walk out.
"You're not my dad, Vlad." Danny called out after him, "You can play this twisted little game as long as you want, but you will never be my dad."
Vlad's eyes flashed red after hearing this, whatever patience Vlad had for Danny had vanished within these few seconds. He turned and stamped back towards the bed and fiercely grabbed Danny by the shirt, yanking him upwards. The force of this assault made Danny cry out in surprise.
"You listen here you little rat," Vlad snarled at the boy, glaring into his fearful blue eyes, "You should be so lucky! You apparently have no idea how misfortunate you were to have an idiot such as Jack Fenton for a father. Now think Daniel, what kind of father is stupid enough to endanger his own children by experimenting with ecto substances on a daily basis? You are lucky that you were not killed on the day you received your ghost powers. I understand that you had formed some sort of attachment to him growing up, but you need to stop defending him Daniel. The man was a screw up and its time you accepted it!"
Vlad released his grasp on Danny's shirt suddenly, allowing him to drop back on to the bed. Danny glared at him angrily, "At least he cared Vlad! The only person you care about is yourself!" Danny yelled at the man, still fighting a battle against his body's will to sleep, "My dad might not have been perfect, but at least he cared about me."
Vlad chuckled evilly at the boy's response, "You think I don't care Daniel? If I didn't care I would let you rot away in a foster home!"
"I would probably be happier there than with you! And the only reason you agreed to take me is because you want me to become your creepy little apprentice ghost son!" Danny argued, "The only reason you are remotely interested in me is because I'm half ghost. Admit it! You couldn't care less about Danny Fenton!"
Vlad sighed at Danny's accusation, he could feel himself growing more and more angry. He became fearful that if the conversation didn't end he would do something to harm Danny, to get him to stop with his hurtful comments and accusations.
"I am ending this conversation Daniel. You need to sleep and I need to leave." Vlad said firmly.
"You're only leaving because you know what I said is true and you have…have no…comeback." Danny slurred.
"Sleep well, Daniel." Vlad whispered as he watched the boy's head fall on to the pillow, his eyes closing automatically. Vlad scrunched his own eyes together forcefully, mentally cursing himself. Once again he had lost his temper with the child, he knew he should have went straight home. Then he remembered why he came, Danny was unwell. The doctor even wanted a psychologist to assess him. Vlad felt worry stirring up inside him, replacing the feelings of anger. He watched Danny sleep for a few seconds, then sat on the lounge chair next to the bed.
Vlad knew where Danny's thoughts of him not caring had developed from. Vlad decided that if he wanted to make this work, he was going to start by changing that negative view. So out of both worry and spite for Danny Fenton, Vlad stayed next to his bed to watch over him for the rest of the night.
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Several hours later, into the more reasonable hours of morning time, another doctor who was completing the rounds entered Danny's room. He raised his eyebrows when he saw the usually elegant Vlad Master's slouched on the lounge chair beside the bed, dozing. As the doctor walked over Vlad opened his eyes upon hearing the footsteps. He looked up at the doctor.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you Mr Masters." The doctor said clearly, as if he were trying to wake Danny up also.
"It's quite alright." Vlad replied, blinking multiple times before standing. "Any news?"
"I've received the information about last night's incidents, which have been added to Mr Fenton's case notes." The doctor began, "I have been in contact with one of the psychologists we have on site here, Dr Kelly, and she confirmed that she would come by in the afternoon to speak with Daniel."
"I see." Vlad responded with a low tone, "Just what exactly is the purpose for involving a psychologist, can I ask?"
"Well, I presume that due to the losses which Mr Fenton has experienced recently, Dr Kelly would probably be assessing whether or not he is healthily processing his bereavement." The doctor answered, "I'm sure you have been made aware that what happened last night does not bode well with Daniel's mental health."
"Hm. I was given a brief explanation." Vlad replied dimly, not liking what he was hearing.
"Right, well I was going to check Daniel over whilst I was here…" The doctor began, looking over to the bed. Vlad turned around as well, glancing at the sleeping boy and remembering the mood which he had been in prior to sleeping.
"Perhaps that can wait until later?" Vlad strongly suggested to the doctor.
"Very well." The doctor answered, scribbling something down on his page before leaving the room. Vlad let out an irritated sigh before dropping down on the chair again.
"I'm not crazy." A muffled voice stated.
"What?" Vlad snapped in an annoyed tone, turning towards the bed as he knew it was Danny who made the comment.
"I'm not crazy." Danny repeated, sitting up on the bed, "Psychologists see crazy people like you, not normal people like me!"
Vlad raised an eyebrow and smirked at the teen. "Daniel, in what world do you consider yourself a normal person?"
"I'm normal enough not to need a psychologist!" Danny argued, "All ghost stuff aside."
"Look, they just want to make sure you're okay after what happened last night that's all. Please don't make a big deal of it and just go with it, for the sake of both our sanities." Vlad told Danny as rationally as he could manage. "Why are you arguing with me about this, why not the doctor when he was in? How long have you been awake anyway?"
"It was hard to stay asleep with that doctor barging in here and practically shouting at you. And I wasn't going to let on I was awake to have him start poking at me. You know what they're like! What are you still doing here anyway?" Danny asked, his tone growing more cynical.
Vlad turned his gaze away from the teen, "I wanted to be sure you were okay after last night. You were in a bad way, Daniel. More than I think you realise."
Danny rubbed the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed by the memory. "I'm fine" He snapped, "I definitely don't need you on standby ready to hit me again anyway."
"If you say so." Vlad sighed standing again, "I'm going for some breakfast. Would you like me to bring you anything? I'm sure your appetite is pathetic enough without being put off by processed hospital rubbish."
Danny shook his head sadly, thinking of how his mother made the most delicious waffles and French toast anyone could wish for. His stomach growled simultaneously with the memory.
Vlad rolled his eyes at Danny's stubbornness. "I'll be back soon, with your breakfast!" Vlad told the teen before walking out the door. Danny watched him leave, relieved that he had some time to himself. He quickly wiped away the tears which were quickly forming in his eyes. He wasn't sure what the bigger shock to his system was, knowing that he would never enjoy one of his mother's breakfasts again, or the fact that Vlad had at that moment genuinely tried to be nice to him.
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Sometime later Vlad was walking back to the hospital from his hotel. He decided to simply eat there as it was close by and was good quality. He had chosen pancakes with chocolate syrup for Danny. He wasn't sure what the younger hybrid liked, but he was sure he would be pleased with the high sugar content which the breakfast offered. Not to mention Vlad couldn't very well transport a five star fry from the hotel to the hospital, which he himself had recently enjoyed.
As he was walking, a flash of green light caught the corner of his eye. He stopped and looked into the alleyway from which the light had come from. Out of the shadows came a large dark form, looking straight at Vlad, with a malicious grin. Vlad sighed irritably and then swiftly approached the form.
"What are you doing here Skulker, I thought I told you to stay in Wisconsin?" The hybrid snapped.
"I thought you would like to know that Fright Knight came looking for you. He was quite insistent Plasmius, it took a lot of, shall we say, 'persuasion' to get him to leave. I take it he is the one you want to protect your possessions from? What does he want with your belongings can I ask?" Skulker mused to his employer.
Vlad sighed, he knew the Fright Knight would come looking for him. Ever since their so called truce when battling against Pariah Dark, the Fright Knight had been insisting that Plasmius owed him a favour. A favour which Plasmius currently did not have time to repay. This was causing their truce to wear thin, and the Fright Knight was beginning to grow violently impatient with Plasmius. Now Vlad was trying to find ways to buy some time.
"He's not after my belongings." Vlad finally answered, "Just try to keep him at bay until I can get back."
"Consider it done." Skulker replied, his smirk growing bigger. "So, how's the whelp?"
Vlad glared at the ghost, "None of your business!"
"That bad huh? Honestly Plasmius, he's a lost cause!" Skulker laughed.
"I don't pay you for your opinions Skulker, I pay you for your services. So get your mechanical butt back to Wisconsin before someone else breaks into my lab!" Vlad shouted.
"Okay, okay, I'm going. Good luck with the whelp, you'll need it!" Skulker mocked before flying off. Vlad rolled his eyes at the antics of the ghost hunter, although he was secretly concerned about how the Fright Knight was still hounding him. Vlad continued on to the hospital, trying not to dwell on this issue. He figured that the concerns around Danny were enough for any one man to focus on.
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Lunch time came and went, and Vlad had remained at the hospital with Danny. He was currently angry at Danny, as he had refused to eat his lunch, but Danny had insisted that he wasn't hungry having ate his breakfast. Both hybrids had been sitting in an uncomfortable silence for nearly twenty minutes when a knock came to the door and a lady who was dressed in a smart-casual attire entered the room. She smiled at both Vlad and Danny.
"Good afternoon, I'm Doctor Sarah Kelly." She said as she walked over and shook Vlad's hand and he introduced himself. She then turned to Danny, "You must be Daniel." She beamed as she grasped his hand.
"Call me Danny." He responded with a small smile, he couldn't resist the charm which the female doctor had bestowed upon him. Vlad smirked when he saw this. He was about to speak with Dr Kelly about her intentions, when she whipped around and directed her speech to him first.
"Would you mind giving us a few minutes Mr Masters? I would like to ask Danny a few questions if that's alright with you?"
Vlad blinked at her, surprised by her sudden keenness to speak with Danny and isolate him from the situation. Of course, he realised that he didn't have much of an option. The sooner she spoke with Danny the sooner she would get the information she wanted and leave, learning that Danny was perfectly fine.
"Not at all." He answered with an almost cutting tone. He then turned on his heel and left the room without looking at Danny. Danny gazed at the psychologist, unexpectedly feeling anxious at being left alone with her. It was as though he suddenly remembered who she was and what she wanted, and the thought of this made him uncomfortable.
Dr Kelly continued to smile at him as she sat on the chair beside the bed. "So Danny, how are you?" She began.
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Vlad had been for a coffee, contacted his companies for updates, and had now been pacing the corridor like a crazed man for the past ten minutes as Dr Kelly was still talking with Danny. He couldn't understand what had been taking her so long, it had been nearly an hour! Vlad began to wonder what Danny was telling her, was he stable enough to be left alone with a probing psychologist? His sister Jazz had been very in tune with psychology and she had manged to get information out of Danny, how was this woman any different?
Vlad tormented himself with these questions for another five minutes, until Dr Kelly came out of Danny's room and greeted Vlad with her smile again, which Vlad was beginning to find quite sickening. He tried to fake his confidence, and smiled back at her.
"Everything alright then?" He asked her as she approached him. Her smile faltered slightly and her eyes moved around as she appeared to gather her thoughts.
"Well, he's quite a guarded young man, isn't he?" She began, "It took me some time before I could persuade him to open up at all."
Vlad was sure this was a good thing rather than a bad thing, "What did he say, exactly?" He asked.
"It's very clear that the accident which took his family and friends is having a very harsh impact on him, naturally. However, I don't believe he is processing his grief well, I get the impression that he blames himself for what happened and this thought is scarring him emotionally. I think because he witnessed the accident and was involved himself has inflicted feelings of fear."
Vlad listened to what Dr Kelly was saying, and he didn't feel that she was leading up to a good outcome. When she realised that Vlad was not going to comment, she continued.
"It is clear to me that Danny appears to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. His night terror and panic attack last night were fast occurring symptoms. It is possible that he was also experiencing a flashback of the accident at the time, this would be another indicator of PTSD." She told Vlad gently.
Vlad nodded grimly, "Is there…is there a cure for this?"
Dr Kelly raised her eyebrows at the man, "Well, there's no magic medicine, I'm afraid-"
"So how do we fix it?" Vlad demanded, cutting her off.
"The condition can be helped through cognitive behavioural therapy, relaxation techniques, support groups,-"
"Daniel won't go for any of that." Vlad snapped, "Are you sure there's nothing I could give him? Slip a relaxant in his drink or something?"
Dr Kelly frowned at him. "No Mr Masters. The best way for you to help him is by being supportive and patient with him. Now I'm afraid I'm running late for a meeting, here's some more information about PTSD," She said, handing Vlad some leaflets, "Please do not hesitate to contact your G.P for further details. Good afternoon, Mr Masters."
Vlad watched as she walked away. He felt like he had just been hit by a bombshell. He understood that Danny was having a few troubles, but he had no idea that they could extend to the extremes of PTSD. He rubbed his head, this was a disaster! What was he going to do? He couldn't possibly help Danny with something like this, the boy hated him and he certainly didn't have a lot of patience with the teenager. It was true that the boy could bring out the worst in him. He wondered if Dr Kelly had told Danny about her diagnosis, or if she had left him to do the dirty work?
Vlad walked into Danny's room and saw him sitting up with his arms and head resting on his knees. The younger hybrid looked up at Vlad when he heard him come in.
"She's not coming back again is she?" he asked Vlad immediately.
Vlad eyed the boy, what had she done that meant he didn't want her back? "Why? What did she say to you, Daniel?"
"Uh…well, she she just asked a lot of questions. That's all." Danny stumbled.
"I see. Well I suppose you feel that it isn't any of my business anyway." Vlad retorted, "However, I feel this may be of your business." Vlad set the leaflets which discussed post-traumatic stress disorder in front of Danny.
"What's this?" He asked, picking it up.
"You can fool many people Daniel, but you couldn't fool the professionals." Vlad told him, "That psychologist believes you have this mental health disorder."
"What? I'm not crazy!" He snapped angrily.
"I didn't say you were. Will you listen?" Vlad snapped back, "It means that that accident has had an adverse effect on you. So if you want to feel better I suggest that you stop your lying and just talk to me."
"I don't want to talk to you, I don't want to be anywhere near you!" Danny wailed, "I just want my life back!" Danny buried his head back into his arms and began to cry into them. Vlad sighed quietly, angry with himself for how poorly he was already handling the situation. He sat down next to the bed and gently rubbed the teen's arm sympathetically, afraid that if he said anything else he would make it worse.
After a few seconds Danny lifted his head and looked at Vlad. "What are you doing?" He choked out through his tears.
Vlad pulled his hand away, "I'm only trying to help, Daniel. That's all."
"I don't need your help Plasmius, I'm fine." Danny sniffed.
"That's a load of rubbish Daniel!" Vlad said irritably, "If you were fine you wouldn't be crying. So knock it off with the hero complex for a bit and just admit for the first time, you are the one in need of saving."
Danny turned his head away from Vlad and sadly began to wipe away his tears.
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And that is the end of chapter four! I just want to let you know, readers, that my updates may become more spaced apart. I am not giving up on the story, but I have other stuff which is demanding my attention right now. I will try to be good and update as fast as possible, but please be patient with me!
Anyways, thanks for reading chapter four, I enjoyed writing it! Feel free to tell me what your thoughts are!
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