My Cobra Guy

Episode Fifty

The hallway was cold and smelled like chemicals. Johnny hated hospitals, so many bad memories. But he would be here, for Daniel. He had tried to sit in the lobby with the others but he couldn't stand it. Seeing the terrified faces of the kids and their parents just plunged that knife of guilt and pain deeper into his gut. So he stood, leaning against the wall, in the hallway where the restrooms and vending machines were.

His eyes throbbed from crying and he knew his face was red and puffy but he didn't care. He hated the thought of Daniel being alone right now. Daniel had stayed close to Johnny when he'd had a concussion, even insisted Johnny stay with him after the hospital. He doubted he'd even be allowed to see Daniel; he wasn't family, after all.

He began to pace in irritation; he had no better way to direct his emotions. Why the hell didn't the hospital have rooms with sandbags? People here must feel the need to punch shit all the time.

A doctor emerged and called for Mrs. LaRusso. Johnny's head popped up. He nearly ran back down the hall.

"...but you should be able to see him soon," the doctor was saying. Amanda nodded, her face pale and lined with worry. Sam sidled close and they wrapped an arm around each other. Daniel's son was sitting in a lounge chair, on his phone.

They are his family, not me, Johnny thought. He thought to console the others, provide them some comfort, but didn't think he'd be much good at it right now. He was more afraid than he'd ever been in his life. Hell, he should've taken Silver more seriously as a threat. He should've done a lot of things differently.

Once the doctor left, Amanda caught his eye. "He's going to be okay," she said. She wiped silent tears from her cheeks as she spoke. "He's going to be okay."

Relief was a punch to the gut. Johnny felt his knees buckle and crouched down before he could fall, his hands on his head. Daniel was alive, and even better, going to live. He felt tears threaten again but this time, he held back. If he did get to see Daniel tonight, he needed to be strong. For him. He needed to be strong for the dojo, for the kids. He was going to make things right. Whatever it took.

Sam touched his head and he gazed up at her. "We'll be able to see him soon."

Tears clogged Johnny's throat. "I'm so sorry, Sam. You and your family didn't deserve this." He'd fix everything if he had the chance to speak with Daniel. The thought of more decades of unfinished business was more than he could handle. "I'll talk to the students. They should probably go home for now." Surely some of the parents were worried.

Sam nodded and leaned against her mom's side.

Johnny walked to the middle of the waiting room as dozens of eyes fixated on him. "Daniel is going to live. You should go home. Get rest, all right?"

"Like hell," Miguel said. He turned to Carmen. "I'm gonna stay at the hospital."

"Like we're gonna go home and sleep after this," Demetri said.

"Why the hell aren't the police doing anything?" June burst out. "My daughter was attacked in a funhouse. At an amusement park. Nothing done. Now Daniel is battered, and again, they do nothing!"

"I'm sorry, June," Johnny said.

"This isn't your fault," June said. "There's something deeply, deeply wrong with that man, and he's a danger to this community and our children! Who...who behaves this way over a karate competition?" She grabbed Regina's arms. "I don't want you in harm's way any longer."

"Kreese probably won't stop," Julie said. "I know we all want to protect our kids. So, we pull our kids out of something they love, because of some maniac who hasn't moved on from the 1980's?"