The Keep pt 2
The house was quiet as Danny slipped through the portal and slammed the 'Close' button. Shuffling through the dark laboratory toward the stairs. No sign of his parents or Jazz. Upstairs was equally quiet, and when he flipped on the kitchen light he found the space shockingly clean. No ectoplasm. No stains or mess. Cleaned and stacked dishes. An unopened box of cereal which he seized.
When was the last time he'd had human food? When was the last time he'd eaten? He was two bowl of cereal down when he realized just how dark it was outside.
Dark. Nighttime. He raised his head. the oven blinked 4:22.
Where was everyone? What had happened? He could remember a...a fight? Lots of purple and screaming and...with a third bowl of cereal; Danny hobbled up the stairs. Jazz's room was uncharacteristically messy and for some reason she'd taken one of Danny's blankets. He favorite too. Offended, he kicked the side of her bed. "Hey!" He hissed as she jerked awake. "Did you steal my blanket?"
Jazz blinked sleep from her eyes shifting rapidly from sleepy confusion to astounded shock. "Danny? Danny? Is that you?"
"Yeah." He ate another spoonful of cereal. "Why did you ...what are you doing?" She'd grabbed his wrist, eyes watering longer she felt his pulse. "Jazz? Hey, I'm sorry to wake you up but. Oh God! You're crying!" And she was. Sobbing as she clawed him closer until he was settled in her lap. He held out his bowl, trying not to spill.
"Danny! Danny! Danny! Oh my God, Danny! You're alive! You're back!"
He squashed the terror rising in his chest. "Yeah. Jazz...what's wrong? I?" Through the hazy, sleepy moonlight; he could tell he'd scared her even more.
"Danny....you've been missing for a month!"
A month? A month? How could a whole person go missing for a month? Then...the doctor. Waking up in blinding pain again and again. The strange Korean ghost and butler and...."A month?"
Jazz refused to let go. "A month, Danny! Where were you? What happened? Why didn't...why didn't you text anyone?"
"I...I think I was in the Ghost Zone.' He admitted, twisting around to get a good look at her. "Jazz. I don't remember most of it. I only really woke up about a day ago and got back as soon as I could. I was in a castle and then I...came home."
"You're injured."
"Yeah...I am. I." Where had those injuries come from? He squinted into the darkness. "Uh...yeah? I'm back though. Holy shit! I missed my midterms! Oh, Mr. Lancer is going to kill me!"
"Danny! you've been missing for a month. He isn't going to give a shit. come on, We need to wake up Mom and Dad."
"Yeah. Good idea."
It took another hour before the crying stopped. His parents holding him tightly and checking his pulse. Checking him over until the outside flashed red and blue. A rumpled detective and two uniformed officers appeared. Danny had never met any of them before, and was surprised to see someone from out of town.
"Detective Wilt," she introduced herself, squinting at Danny. "From Kenosha. I'm pretty happy to see you safe and sound, Mr. Fenton." To her right, Jack blew his nose into another kleenex.
"Yeah. I...Kenosha?"
"Yeah." She really didn't look like Columbo, but there was a haggard existence about her. "Say, do you think you're up to explain how you got back here?"
"I just....walked back. Kinda? I don't remember." He admitted. "I don't remember much of anything." Keeping the Ghost Zone out of the conversation, he relayed what he did remember. A medical room, something that looked like a bedroom, and pain. Through the conversation, her expression grew grave. Her pen scribbling down on the notepad. Maddie trembled beside him, eventually refusing to make eye contact.
"Mr. Fenton...Danny. I'd like to go to the hospital."
"Oh...uh. Is it important?" Over Detective Wilt's shoulder he saw Jazz nod frantically.
"Mom? Dad?"
"We'll all go, Danny." His mother confirmed gently. "Of course we'll all go. I...a month."
They exist the hospital around ten in the morning. Danny itching with discomfort as the doctors poked and questioned. Some had felt personal. He shrugged into the hoodie he'd grabbed from Jazz's room and leaned against his dad. Jack continued to stare down at him in complete wonderment. Awe. Touching his head and shoulders to remind him that he really existed. In the dim light of a gray Illinois day, Danny felt his throat clog up. "Danno?"
"I'm hungry." He admitted. No ghosts so far. In fact, Amity looked as if a months worth of repairs hadn't been destroyed.
"Nasty Burger?" Jazz offered. "I'll go pick some up."
Danny shuffled inside the hoodie, unsure what to do. An entire month was missing and he...he didn't know where it had gone. "I want to talk to Sam and Tucker." He said finally.
"Oh. good idea!" Maddie exclaimed. "I'll call them...they were very helpful with the search. They were....well. They're still probably looking."
For him. Danny realized. He'd eaten cereal. He hadn't checked in or tried to figure out he'd been hungry and then... "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Danny. It isn't...it's...it's not your fault."
They said it. Sam and Tucker said it once they'd stopped exclaiming and screaming.
It wasn't his fault.
Nothing had been his fault.
When he went to sleep that night, jammed in between his family and friends, Danny jerked awake to the memory of Vlad Masters hysterical laughter.
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