Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Kindred Spirits Complete	By : RedelliaValentinos Category: +1 through F > Danny Phantom Views: 507 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, I don't own any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from writing this story, I write this purely for the enjoyment of writing. It's just me and a keyboard and my wild brain.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
"You're taking Danny out of the hospital?!"
Vlad winces at the rise of her voice, his hand jerking a little in signing the release papers.
"I'm having him moved to my home in Wisconsin. It's only a day trip away, and you're more than welcome to see him. But the doctors have done what they can. The kind of care your brother needs now is not in the hospital's purview to provide. I just need your signature on this," he holds a pen out.
Jasmine gawks. "Who's going to care for him?!"
"I am," Vlad answers flatly, "I know what he needs. If you come to your senses and settle down, I'll be more than happy to explain after he's been transported. Take the pen."
"What?! No! What about mom and dad?! Shouldn't they have a say in this?! Or at least be told?!"
Vlad stops. A vine of thorns wraps itself around his heart at the mere mention of...them. He turns to look at the redhead, eyes alight with fire and malice. They must flash red, at least briefly, he figures, because she takes a step back.
"Are your parents aware of what's going on?" He asks quietly.
"W-well..."
"Are they aware that your brother is comatose?"
"Not really, but when they get focused on their inventions, their passage of time i-"
"-Are they aware of the accident?"
"I-"
"-Are they even aware? At all? Of anything? Of the debt you had piling up? Of you dropping out of school? Of your job? Are they aware that it's been an entire month since they've last seen their son?"
Jasmine bites her tongue and looks away.
"I said I was stepping in. This is why. Old habits die hard, Miss Fenton. I had hoped that the present scenario might not exist, but I'm not surprised that it does. And that is what should have you worried. I'm not taking him away from you, I am simply relocating him to an environment wherein he'll be cared for properly."
"Well, why does he have to go with you? Why can't I just take him home?" There's tears running down her face now, but if they have any affect, he doesn't show it.
"Can you guarantee that he'll be looked after? Can you tell me, with the utmost certainty, that if I left him with you, you would continue your schooling, in its entirety, and your parents would care for him while you're in class? Would they share the load? Can you guarantee that they would take the moments necessary to check on him? Change bedding and bandages? Make sure the I.V. never runs dry?"
She doesn't respond, but the man can see he's slowly getting through to her. Even though he isn't divulging all of the information, or the unfortunate and very dark truth of the matter.
"Better still, I'll lessen the severity of the situation; would they even notice if he walked in the door of his own accord, tomorrow?"
He glares at her, eye-to-eye, having backed her mind and her semi-justified whining into a corner. To him, she's acting like a child. And he'll stare her down. Until she breaks, if necessary.
"That's not fair," she replies, but there's no fight in it. Instead, it sounds of surrender when he isn't done firing.
"I think it's perfectly fair. You're so quick to rush to their defense, and in the same breath, you can barely make excuses for their absence," Vlad shoves the form and pen into her chest, "Sign it."
Sometimes, the heartless exterior Vlad has built up over the years proves detrimental. At other times, beneficial. In this instance, he can see that it's doing both. He hasn't told her everything yet, which is deliberate. He was planning to, but he needs full control over the situation, first. Jasmine places the paper on the nurses' counter and signs it in silence while he watches. She's giving in because she needs the help. She's giving in because it means she can get back to her life and save her future. She's giving in because in the end, it's what's best for her brother. Vlad doesn't relax until the last of her name is scrawled onto the bottom of the paper.
"How long?"
Vlad takes the form and hands it off to a nurse, "How long do I intend to keep him?"
"Yes."
"I don't know. To have him conscious and home to you, the hope is a few months. The reality might be longer, but we'll see."
It's a vague prediction that successfully pacifies her. She watches at a distance while nurses proceed to move her brother from the bed to a stretcher. Just as they start to go by, she stops them long enough to take the star printed blanket that she'd draped across his lap. Letting them go, she bundles it up in her arms and tunes out the noise and the chatter of it all, watches the elevator close until she can't see her brother anymore.
"I suppose there is one small mercy," Vlad says as he hears the elevator descend, and glances at the plush blanket balled up in her arms.
Jasmine blinks and looks up at him while he puts on his coat.
"He's now breathing on his own with acceptable oxygen saturation. Otherwise, this would be a fixed-wing transport. This is much easier."
The redhead doesn't reply.
"Now," he pulls his gloves on, "do you wish to come with me? Or would you rather go home and inform your parents?"
"Go home," she says softly.
"Very well. If you'd like, I can drop you off."
The girl nods and waits until he's ready. It only takes him another minute, but it feels like an eternity. She keeps her head down. She sees his boots go by and follows. Into the elevator, and out, through the main doors and into the cold winter air. There's a limo waiting, which, if it shocks her, she doesn't say so. She gives a momentary expression of surprise, but nothing more. She might be inclined to roll her eyes as Vlad opens the door for her, but outdated chivalry is far from her mind by this point. She climbs in and practically plops onto a seat, he seats himself opposite of her and closes the door.
It isn't until they've pulled away from the curb that some more energy works its way to her jaw.
"You said, 'old habits die hard.' ...what did you mean?"
Vlad sighs. He should have known that she'd pick up on that.
"Even back when I was attending college with your parents, Jack and Maddie were still chasing the idea of a portal. I was working with them, since the idea of a ghost portal fascinated me, as well. We managed to construct something, little more than a show piece, really. They wanted to turn it on and see if it worked. But your father made some severe miscalculations and I was hospitalized," he glances at her, seeing an expression of sudden clarity on her face, "I was in hospital for several years, and they never came to visit. I never heard an apology, never got a phone call, I never even recieved a poorly conceived note. I matured with the company of nurses and doctors. My friends were antiseptics, antibiotics, alcohol and gauze. No one came to see me. Not ever. And that is why your brother's situation upsets me so much. And, it is why I pushed so hard for you to let me take over. I know exactly what's wrong with him, and he is going to need all the guidance he can get."
And she was stricken silent for the remainder of the ride, which he took advantage of to rest his eyes. The car turned occasionally, stopped a few times more, and before long, Jasmine peered out the window to see home. Vlad leaned over and opened the door, looking at her. Examining the look in her eyes. He hears her swallow, and tries to find something to say that will ease her burden a little more. He makes a mental note of the blanket, watching her clutch it tightly to her chest. Maybe he should look into similar bedding...
"Would...would you like me to go in with you? To tel-"
"-Why?" she bites, "You're right, okay? They don't notice anything. They don't pay attention. Its not deliberate, they're just...hopeless."
He sighs softly, "Well, when they finally notice, or, I'd like to imagine they will, eventually, what do you intend to tell them?"
"The truth, I guess," she climbs out of the car, "maybe. I don't know."
As she takes a step towards her front door, "I'll call you when he's awake."
It's faint, but he does hear her mutter, and it nearly breaks him. "At least someone cares."
Vlad waits until she's inside before telling the driver to go. And deep in his chest, he actually feels something of a connection towards her. A misunderstood mind lost in an intellectual wasteland, and an overlooked soul scrambling for a firm hold on a world that seems content to just leave her in the dust. He knows the feeling.
He arrived unannounced, stepping up for a child not his own. He's paid the bill in its entirety, effectively giving the girl her life back and saving her from being financially ruined before she's even old enough to vote. He's seized control of an emotionally traumatic situation and thus is taking on what should be someone else's responsibility. He's doing what the Fentons should have done. He realizes, as the car pulls away from the curb, that he is being the parent.
- 4
- 5
- 6
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Kindred Spirits Complete