章節 16: Chapter 16
Summary:
Danny finally wakes up for a short time. Maddie checks in on everyone, and the doctor pulls rank on Maddie. What is he playing at, anyway?
Notes:
Hey guys, sorry for the delay! The Holy days are finally settled--Shana Tova! I wish everyone a sweet new year, and I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The first thing that he was aware of was pain. White-hot fire ran from his left hand, up his arm, and across his chest to around his back. Danny didn't have the strength to open his eyes; he was only able to let out a groan.
"Danny?! Sweetie! Mommy's here, baby. Mommy's here."
The sound of the familiar voice allowed a few thoughts to get through the agony. That's Mom…I think… He groaned a bit louder.
"Danny, honey, are you awake? Can you squeeze my hand?"
A warm hand gripped Danny's uninjured right-side hand. Somehow, the teen found the strength to wrap his fingers around his mother's digits. At that tiny bit of movement, his head felt like it exploded. Thinking was hard. Speaking through the haze seemed nearly impossible, but Danny tried. "M…Mooom?" He immediately started coughing.
The warm hand left his; soon what felt like a straw was between his lips. "Don't try to talk, Sweetie. Just drink this."
Danny fought back the spasms in his throat and tried to drink. The wash of cool water felt like heaven. His ravaged throat seemed to soak up the liquid, and it fought back the fire in his body. After several long sips, Danny released the straw and tried to open his eyes. He found that he didn't quite have the strength to open them all the way. Tiny slits peered in the direction that the voice came from.
The slight window of his partially open eyes revealed a darkened room and a very mom-shaped figure standing beside his bed. Danny realized that he wasn't home. He closed his eyes the rest of the way. He swallowed and tried his voice again. "Mom…?" He whispered.
"I'm here, baby. I'm here."
Danny felt a warm hand gently rub across his forehead, and he forced his aching mouth to open. "Wha' happn'd?" He croaked out.
"Don't try to talk, honey. You probably overtaxed your voice during the accident."
Danny felt, more than heard the large teardrops hitting the sheet that covered him. Each drop felt like a hammer smash. He couldn't stop the moan. The hand left his forehead, and Danny heard a "beep." The fire in his body started to dim. The room began to spin, and the last thing he heard before the darkness took him was the sound of his mom crying.
Maddie watched as Danny fell asleep again. She hated that she had to use his pain pump before getting to reassure him that he was going to be ok, but she wasn't about to watch her son suffer when there was something she could do to help him. She sat down hard in the chair next to his bed; her guilty thoughts nearly overwhelming her.
A rattle at the door heralded the arrival of the nurse. "Mrs. Fenton? Is your son awake?"
Maddie gave the man a small smile. "He woke up for just a bit, but he was in so much pain…"
"Ah, so you were the one who hit the pain pump. We were wondering how that happened." He looked over at the sleeping teen. "How coherent was he? The doctor is going to want to know."
Maddie's smile dropped. "He was only able to ask what had happened before he started coughing. I got him to take a few sips of water, but I think it was too much too soon. He was hurting too bad to continue speaking. I…I couldn't make him stay awake to answer questions with him in that state. That's why I triggered the pump."
"Well, you should have contacted us first, but I understand why you didn't. I'll give him a bolus dose through his I.V. and that should keep him asleep for a bit longer. He'll probably be more aware after some solid rest."
"How long do you think he's going to be out?" Maddie couldn't help but wonder.
"I don't really know, but at least for several hours, hopefully, until the morning, if he's lucky."
Maddie wiped her reddened eyes with the back of her hand. "I want to stay with him, but I need to go tell his father and friends that he woke up for a bit. Do you think he'll notice if I'm gone?"
The nurse looked at Maddie, and his heart went out to the distraught woman. "Ma'am, I don't think he's going to notice much of anything for quite a while. Go to your family. We'll be here when you get back."
Maddie nodded. With one last look back at Danny, she swiftly made her way to the ICU waiting room. She stepped inside and walked over to a nervous Tucker and a glaring Sam. "Hey kids," She started. "I just wanted to let you know that Danny woke up for a little bit. He was able to speak, but he was in a lot of pain. They gave him some medicine to help him sleep longer."
"Why aren't you still with him?" Sam's voice was venomous.
Maddie frowned. "Because the nurse said he probably won't wake again until the morning, and he told me it was ok to update everyone." She ignored the pang of guilt that had flared with the teen's words.
"S…so did they tell you anything else?" Tucker was clearly uncomfortable; Maddie remembered that he hated hospitals.
The woman nodded. "I spoke with the doctor, and he seemed confident that Danny would make it. Although, we don't know how much damage has been done. We won't—until he's stable enough for the burn unit to do their assessment."
Tucker's shoulders slumped in relief. Sam's glare lessoned a bit, and Maddie noticed the nearly-dried tear tracks across her cheeks.
"You two should go home and get some rest. It's going to be a long night, and there's nothing you can do for Danny right now, except keep yourselves healthy."
"Mrs. Foley said she would pick us up in the morning. We were planning on sleeping here." Sam's tone was guarded.
"Kids, I believe in Danny. It's going to be ok. He's going to pull through this and be stronger for it." She had no idea how prophetic her words would become.
Tucker sniffled, and a lone tear dripped down his cheek. Sam put her arms around her friend. "We'll be alright too." She said. "Don't worry about us. Focus on Danny."
Maddie nodded at the pair and headed for her husband's room. That cot sounded really inviting now that the weight had been lifted off her, if only slightly. She arrived to the sound of Jack's snoring. It brought a small smile to her face. At least some things never change… She decided against waking Jack, and set the alarm on her phone for three hours. She'd deal with everything else then.
The obnoxious blaring of a phone alarm woke Maddie before she was ready. She blearily sat up and the reality of the situation hit her hard. This wasn't a normal day. She wasn't in her own bed. She was in the hospital with Jack and Danny…Danny!
Maddie jerked up and threw the blanket off of herself. The commotion woke Jack. "What's going on?" He blinked owlishly at his wife.
"Oh, honey, you're awake! I need to get back to Danny, but I came to tell you that Danny woke briefly last night. It looks like he's going be ok." Maddie remembered the interrogation by the doctor, and her tears started falling.
"That's great news! That's what I needed to wake up to! Why are you crying, sweetheart?"
"It's just…the doctor had a lot of questions, and I had to tell him about our work. He said that Danny has ectoplasm in his blood…"
"Oh God…" Jack was aghast.
"No honey, you don't understand. He said that the ectoplasm was healing Danny…that it's probably the only reason he survived."
"What?!" Jack looked confused. "That doesn't make sense…ectoplasm should be corrosive and dangerous. How is it healing our boy?"
"I don't know. That's why I need to get back over there before he wakes up. I need to see it for myself…"
"It's going to be ok, Mads. I'll be fine on my own for now. Don't you worry about anything, ok?"
Maddie stepped in and gave Jack a tight hug. She nodded wordlessly to him before leaving for the ICU. On the way, she stopped by the waiting area and saw Tucker and Sam asleep across one of the couches. She was truly grateful that Danny had such faithful friends. She had a feeling he would need them in the upcoming days.
She continued on until she was in front of the entrance to the sterile rooms. She looked for the nurse that she had talked to the night before, but the shift had apparently changed. A quick tap on her shoulder made her turn and jump into a ready stance. It was only the doctor…but how had he managed to get behind her without her noticing?
"Morning, Mrs. Fenton. I was just about to go in to check on your son."
Maddie calmed her breathing and looked at the man. Finally, she spoke. "I was headed in there myself. Can I go in with you?"
Dr. Severn nodded. "Of course. I heard he woke up briefly last night. That's a good sign."
"He was able to squeeze my hand a bit when I talked to him." Maddie thought she should let the doctor know.
"That's an even better sign. I'm going to see if we're able to move him over to the burn unit this afternoon after I run some tests."
"He's doing that good?" Maddie dared hope.
"I just reviewed his EKG's from last night, and they all look remarkably good. His blood pressure has been stable. If nothing pops up in the next several hours, he'll be alright to transfer. His burns are becoming the top priority now. Let's go check on your son, shall we?"
The two made it through the clean room, into the ICU isolation area. Suited up properly, they quietly entered Danny's room. The young teen seemed to be sleeping soundly. His bandaged left arm lay on top of the blanket covering him. Maddie grimaced at the sight of the bandages that trailed up his neck.
Dr. Severn checked the hospital notepad at the foot of the bed. He let out a little "hm" sound that jolted Maddie out of her gazing.
"What is it?" She asked.
"It's just remarkable. His vitals are really good, with the exception of the bradycardia."
"What's bradycardia?"
"It means his heart is beating slower than it should be, but it doesn't seem to be affecting anything else. His blood pressure is good, and the labs we took this morning have all come back normal. The only other oddity is his temperature. It's running a bit low, but that could be due to the burns. Regardless, it's all good news. I didn't expect him to level out this fast. I'm really interested in what the burn unit is going to find."
Maddie blinked. She hadn't let herself think to hard on what came next. All of her energy was going towards getting through the NOW. Her heart felt just a tiny bit lighter because of the doctor's apparent optimism. He would certainly be more grim if things were as awful as they first appeared—wouldn't he?
Shaking her head, Maddie sighed deeply. She was so exhausted and very nearly overwhelmed. She hadn't realized that she was staring until the doctor spoke.
"Mrs. Fenton? You still with me? Mrs. Fenton?"
With a jerk, Maddie pulled out of her thoughts. "Oh." Her voice was quiet. "I'm ok. I just…this is all so much…"
Dr. Severn put his hand on her shoulder. "We have counselors available for situations like this. I highly recommend that you take advantage of that when you can. Your son has quite a journey ahead of him—and it's not going to be an easy one. You need to have yourself in order if you want to be able to help him through it."
Maddie rocked back on her heels. She hadn't had time to think about her own feelings and trauma. Her focus was on Jack and Danny. The doctor's words opened a window in her heart, and the wife and mother realized that if she wanted to be a rock for her family, she needed to take care of herself too.
She didn't notice when the hand left her shoulder—or when a nurse joined them in the room. When the thoughts in her mind started to clear, Maddie realized that she was missing a conversation.
"….and I want the labs and echocardiogram done before the transfer."
"Yes, sir." The nurse was all business.
"Oh, and have a plate brought up for Mrs. Fenton. She could probably use some nourishment about now. She's barely on her feet as it is."
Maddie turned her head to stare at the pair. She blinked a few times to clear her sight. "That…that sounds wonderful. Will I be able to stay in here with Danny while I eat?"
Dr. Severn frowned. "I'm afraid not. There's too much chance of cross-contamination. You'll need to leave while they're running the echo anyway, so I suggest that you take your plate to the lounge and let yourself unwind a bit." He glanced over at the boy sleeping on the bed. "The hard part is going to start this afternoon. You need to be on top of your game for it. Healing burns are not fun to deal with."
Those words cut like a dagger across Maddie's already-wounded emotions. This was their fault! Danny should never have been in that lab! Fat tears began to roll down her face as the guilt rose up and choked her. The hand returned to her shoulder.
"Mrs. Fenton, I'm going to call something in to the hospital pharmacy for you to take tonight. It's not much, but it may help you deal with your emotions and stress."
"I don't need medication." Maddie's voice was brittle. The focus should be on Danny!
"I'm the doctor, and that's my call to make. Now, you can eat and pick up your medication at the hospital pharmacy for tonight, or I will be forced to bar you from your son's room until you've had some rest. It's your call."
White-hot anger replaced the guilt. Maddie's eyes flashed for a brief second. "You can't do that." She grit out.
Severn had not missed the green energy that appeared with Maddie's anger. Something else to keep track of. He mused. "I can and I will." Anger is better than guilt any day.
Glowing storms raged in the mother's eyes, muddying her violet eyes. Bright green lightning accented the swirling colors of the emotional storm going on inside Maddie. "FINE." She eventually spit out. "But you are NOT going to keep me away from my son."
The doctor had the gall to smirk. "I wouldn't dream of it. Now, go eat and get your medication. You have quite the road ahead of you."
Maddie didn't answer. Instead, she walked over to her sleeping son and kissed his forehead. "Mommy is going to take care of something. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can." She smoothed the hair off of Danny's forehead. "I will be here, baby. Wait for me."
With a final glare at the doctor, she left the room.
That was easier than I thought it would be. Dr. Severn walked over to the clipboard at the foot of the bed. He needed to send an updated report on the boy and add the mother's irregularity in there as well. Dr. Severn had been with the League since before medical school. He recognized the signs of Lazarus exposure when he saw it. The Demon's Head would want to know that these people had somehow tapped into the power of the Pits.
Notes:
You've probably noticed that the narrative has been rooted in the past. After we get through the hospital, the speed is going to pick up and bring us back to the present where the story started at. We'll see where we go from there!
:-)
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
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