Little Red

FIFTY SEVEN

Pain.

That was the first thing Dani felt as her body slowly woke itself up, and a loud groan left her mouth as her eyes fluttered open, only to be closed again as they were immediately met with a bright light.

"Okay, ow," she mumbled.

"Dani?!"

"Ellie?!"

The sound of four voices so close together caused the girl to wince as she kept her eyes closed.

"No," she groaned. "The light...I don't want to be blinded like the mice."

Mikey snorted before tingles shot up Dani's arm as he squeezed her hand while saying, "Dans, open your eyes, you goof."

The girl huffed before slowly doing as told, and the world around her was blurry for a moment before it focused on the worried yet amused face of her boyfriend. A small smile curved on her lips as she raised her hand to give him a finger wave.

"Hi," she said in a slightly raspy voice before coughing as she suddenly realized her throat had felt like it was on fire.

"Oh! Here you go, sweetie," Michelle said as she placed a cup of water in front of her daughter and held a straw up to her mouth.

Dani's eyes widened as she immediately coughed the water back up after taking a sip, which caused everyone to scramble to help her, apart from Frankie, who was being carried in their father's arms.

"Oh God...that is so embarrassing," she grumbled as Mikey wiped her mouth. "And of course you'd be the one to wipe my mouth for me."

"Never thought I'd be so happy to hear your whining," he said and met her gaze with a small smirk. "Hi there, sleepyhead. We missed you."

Dani's cheeks heated up as Mikey kissed the corner of her mouth and sat back down in his chair.

"Are you okay, Ellie?" Frankie asked as David had sat them down in a chair.

Dani turned her head to her brother with a small smile as she said, "Yeah...I'm good, bud."

"Good," Frankie said with a smile before it dropped into a pout. "Now, why are you in the big doctor's place again?"

Amusement flashed over Dani's features at the words her brother had used to describe the hospital.

David nodded in agreement. "Good question, bub," he said before giving his daughter a pointed look. "Why are you in the hospital again, Dani?"

All amusement left Dani's face to be replaced by guilt as her hands had suddenly become a topic of interest for her eyes.

"I'm uh...I'm going to go tell my mom and John you're alright," Mikey said as he got up from his seat and kissed Dani's cheek before leaving the room.

"Um," Dani mumbled as she began to fiddle with her fingers.

"Um is not an answer, Daniella Janine," Michelle said, and she grimaced at the woman's usage of her full name.

Her eyes went up to the ceiling before she sighed and looked back down. "If I show you guys this...Will you promise me you won't get mad at me?" she asked while turning her head to her parents.

David immediately raised an eyebrow as Michelle narrowed her eyes.

"Be mad at what, Daniella?" she asked, causing the girl to sigh again. "Little girl, if you sigh one more time.."

"Mitch," David said while placing a hand over hers, which caused her to breathe out as she sat back in her chair.

"What's wrong, Ellie?" Frankie asked with worried eyes.