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Danny breathed shakily, staring up at the overhead lights. He knew, intellectually, that he was only here so that Alfred could treat his wounds. But the sterile aspect of the clinic was… it was making him think of gray lab walls and people in hazmat suits standing over him.
And Jazz was here. Though that didn’t help as much as he would have liked. She’d been there the first time too. But she wasn’t locked up this time. She wouldn’t let anyone hurt him.
“Let's get started, Master Daniel.”
Danny flinched slightly, trying to shut out memories. “You can just call me Danny.” he said, his voice strained.
Alfred smiled gently down at him. “Of Master Danny.”
Danny opened his mouth to tell him just Danny was fine, but Barbara interrupted.
“You won’t be able to call him by just your name. He says he’s to proper for that.
Alfred smiled but didn’t deny it.
“Now then,” Alfred continued, “we have some extra strength anesthesia we can try if you’d rather be asleep while I fix you up, or I can apply extra strength anesthetic if you’d prefer to be aware.
“Extra strength?” Danny asked, furrowing his brows.
“Miss Gordon told me that regular medicine doesn’t seem to work on you, but luckily we have some meant for… people with a high metabolism.”
Danny’s eyes widened slightly, and he glanced at his sister. “You mean… metas.” he said quietly.
Alfred nodded slightly, “Yes, they are typically used for metas.”
“But I’m not–” Danny started before cutting himself off, biting his lip.
“I’m not saying you are.” Alfred continued, softly. “And even if you were, it would not make a difference. Both I and Miss Gordon would still help you and your sister, and we would tell no one.”
Danny breathed out shakily, holding on to Jazz’s hand tightly. “Ok.” he said, quietly. He’d let them assume he was a meta. He didn’t want to push their luck and tell them what he really was. They might not have a problem with metas, but who knows if they’d still help him if they knew he was part ghost.
“I’m not sure if… I don’t know what…” he bit his lip for a second before taking a deep breath. “I don’t really want to be asleep, but I also don’t know if I can be awake for you…uh… fixing this.” he said motioning to his torso.
“I understand.” Alfred nodded. “We can start by using the local anesthetic and taking things slowly, taking breaks when you need them. And if it becomes to much we can use the anesthesia.”
Danny nodded jerkily. “Ok.”
“And I’ll be here the whole time.” Jazz said, and Danny felt himself relaxing. Jazz wouldn’t let them hurt him.
“Alright then,” Alfred started, “if you’ll remove your shirt and lay back on the cot, I’ll get the necessary supplies ready.”
Before Danny could do as he asked, Barbara spoke up. “Would you like me to stay here or leave?”
“Um… I don’t– um…” Danny stuttered. “Could you please leave.” he finished quietly. He didn’t think he could handle an observer right now.
“Of course.” she said easily before wheeling out of the room.
Alfred came back a moment later. “Would you like me to walk you through what I’m going to do.”
Danny thought for a moment before nodding.
“First, I will be applying the local anesthetic. We will wait a moment before checking ot make sure it worked. Then I will remove the current stitches, disinfect the area, and then redo the stitches. I will then clean the area again applying some cream that will help with inflammation and fighting infection. Lastly, I will wrap the wound and provide you with some medicine to help fight the current infection.”
Danny exhaled, shakily and Alfred approached to inject the local anesthetic.
Once Alfred had checked that it worked and cleaned the area, he started removing the stitches. Danny stared up at the ceiling the whole time, holding on tightly to Jazz’s hand but being careful not to use too much of his strength.
The process was slow, especially since Danny had to stop several times to calm his breathing. Jazz helped him through it, talking about random things to help distract him.
And soon, it was over.
As Alfred was cleaning up, Danny leaned forward and took his hand.
“Thank you.” he said trying to show how grateful he was through his voice and expression.
Alfred smiled gently at him. “Of course, my boy. It was my pleasure to be able to help.”