Danny Phantom - The Next Chapter

Endings and Beginnings, Part 1

A jolt to his chest made Danny gasp and snap his eyes open. The heart monitor was screaming again, or maybe that was just the ringing in his ears, and he forced his blurry vision to focus on the people gathered around him. First there were his parents, his mom setting down what he realised was a defibrillator. His dad was pressing in close, his hand going to his face to brush his hair away from his eyes. Behind them, Jazz, Sam and Tucker were there, watching him closely as if he might slip away again.

'Danny?' Maddie asked, her voice low and gentle, 'Honey, can you hear me?'

Danny's mouth worked and he was pleasantly surprised to find the ventilator had been taken away. He worked his stiff jaw and rasped, 'Yeah.'

There was a collective sigh of relief from the group and Danny slowly raised his hand, recognising the familiar white glove. With barely a thought, he summoned his ghostly energy and green fire sprung to life in his palm.

He gave a breathless laugh and let his head fall back, closing his eyes again and calling on the transformation that was second nature to him. The blue rings of light appeared and when he opened his eyes again, he knew that he was back to himself once more. The current that had been tugging at him was gone.

'How do you feel?' Maddie pressed.

'Like I've been through a nuclear-powered microwave,' he replied, 'I need a nap...'

When he opened his eyes again, he was lying in his own bed which was a pleasant surprise. Even more pleasant was the sight of Sam clutching his hand on one side of him, while Tucker was leaning on the bed on the other. He gripped Sam's hand tighter, and she looked up, a tentative smile on her face.

'Hey,' he breathed, 'I didn't break my promise.'

Both of them lunged forwards, pulling him into a tight embrace. But he wasn't complaining. He was happier than he had ever been just being there with them again. Sure, he still felt like roadkill, but he was back in one piece with his friends. That was all that mattered.

'I wasn't gone for another month, was I?' he asked when they finally untangled themselves.

'Nah,' Tucker replied, surreptitiously wiping his eyes, 'Just a couple of hours.'

Danny flashed back to when he had fought the Lunch Lady for the first time and had awoken in his bed in very similar circumstances. Tucker had said the exact same thing then. When had so much time passed?

'Dani?' he asked.

'She's fine,' Sam explained, 'Valerie and Jazz are with her. Your parents are with Vlad. They say you're all going to be fine. You'll need a while to recover but everything is starting to go back to normal. Well... normal for us anyway.'

He nodded and sighed with relief.

'I suppose I need to head back into the Ghost Zone at some point,' he mumbled, 'Gotta get the crown and ring back.'

'How about you just rest?' Sam asked pointedly, 'We just got you back. We're not going to let you go off on your own again.'

'Yes, ma'am,' he replied, more than content to stay exactly where he was with two of the people he loved most in the world.

—————

That night, Danny woke again to his Ghost Sense going off. That in itself wasn't strange, but it had been so long since he had felt that familiar chill run down his spine that he was immediately on alert. He slowly sat up, acutely aware of the pain that still coursed through him, but it was far more manageable than it had been, and nothing compared to the blood transfusion. Sam and Tucker had set up cots near his bed and were fast asleep. Moving quietly, he swung his feet out of the bed and tentatively rose to stand. He swayed for a moment, but at least he hadn't immediately buckled.