My Cobra Guy

Episode Fifty-One

Johnny swallowed hard. Was he ready to see Daniel? Could he face him? The waiting room had cleared out. The others had probably wanted to shower and get a better sleep than could be had in a hospital.

Light poured through the large windows. He'd guess it was mid-morning already. Maybe even later.

The hospital room was full of machines that beeped and dinged to monitor Daniel's condition. Johnny stopped in the doorway and swallowed. His friend's head was wrapped in bandages. A cast wrapped around his left arm, and there was another on his nose. His eyes were swollen and almost black. He looked so pale, like a corpse.

Johnny's eyes filled with tears again. Sam gave him a little nudge, reminding him of a happier time when Regina and encouraged him to go into Daniel's bedroom to put on those ridiculous costumes.

Amanda got up from her chair with a yawn. "He's going to be okay." She grabbed his sleeve. "No internal bleeding. Nothing that requires surgery, except perhaps his nose. Mostly broken ribs, nose, some fingers, and a cracked eye socket. I'm sorry but I have to get to the dealership after this mess. I have to meet again with the police and check the security cameras. I..." She paused to swallow. Her eyes were rimmed in red. "Stay with him?"

"I'll stay. Go get some rest, too, Amanda," Johnny said.

"I mean stay with him when he goes home, too? He's going to need a lot of care," Amanda said.

Johnny nodded. "I won't leave him." If he wants me gone, I'll wait until he's better.

"I'm counting on it," Amanda said. She took Sam by the shoulder.

Sam looked behind her as her mom guided her out. "If anything happens or anything changes, call us."

Johnny nodded again and forced his legs to step to Daniel's bedside. He hated how these places smelled. And not even the disinfectant scent could mask the aroma of dried blood that clung to Daniel.

He knelt beside Daniel's bed and reached for his right hand. A few of the fingers were bandaged, so Johnny had to be careful.

"Johnny." Daniel's voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm here," Johnny said. "I..." There were so many things he wanted to tell Daniel, but all he could manage was a quiet sob. His tears spattered on Daniel's hand, which was far too cold. Johnny let his tears fall, glad the room was quiet so they didn't have someone gaping at them or trying to make small talk.

"Are you crying?" Daniel cracked an eye open, but barely. If he could see at all through the bruising, it would be a miracle.

"Fuck yeah, I am," Johnny said. He was torn between letting himself carry on like this or pretending everything was fine. He quieted, wiping his face on his shoulder.

"I was asking for you for like an hour...Amanda had to fill out paperwork so you could stay. Took forever..." Daniel said.

Daniel still wanted him here? "I'm going to take care of you, all right?"

Daniel's eyes opened incrementally wider. "You don't need to do that. I'll hire someone to come to the house." As Daniel spoke, Johnny noticed his front teeth were broken. He was gonna kill Kreese...

"I want to," Johnny said. "I insist."

"What? You have a change of heart?"

"Just shut up and let me do this," Johnny said. Was Daniel drugged up right now? Would he even remember this conversation later? If he was going to do a confession, he wanted Daniel lucid. He wanted him to remember when Johnny poured his heart out. Why bother now if he was in and out of consciousness?

"The kids, the students, are they okay?" Daniel asked. His fingers twitched in Johnny's grip. Just seeing him like this was making Johnny feel sick. Shut that shit down. He needs you strong now.

"Yeah, they were really worried about you. June and Regina were loud as hell, as you can imagine. Wouldn't be surprised if June isn't at the police station right now, threatening to shut the place down."

Daniel tried a chuckle but it was a pathetic sound. He wheezed. How many ribs were broken?

"I think they're gonna keep me one more night. Amanda mentioned something about it. Jesus, I hope Sam isn't traumatized."

Johnny thought about the sight of his broken body lying there on the ground and shuddered. Traumatizing? The word barely covered it.

"She's a strong kid. She knows you're a fighter."

"Yeah, I guess I can take a beating." Daniel's eyes kept closing and Johnny squeezed his hand gently.

"Get some rest, okay? I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere."

Daniel made a sound in his throat and his eyes slid closed. Johnny sat watching him for a while, his fear finally melting away. Daniel was going to be fine. He would make sure of it.

The coffee from the machine was disgusting but it woke him up. He spent most of the morning on his phone, texting parents and giving updates. Any who offered to visit he turned away. If the students had truly been traumatized, then the next time they saw Daniel should be when he was back on his feet again.

Julie called and told him that Robby was doing okay. He and Sophie were getting along, for now. Her tone was reassuring when she told him that Robby seemed genuinely sorry about what happened and concerned for Daniel. The news loosened a knot in Johnny's stomach. Was Robby finally coming around? Was it possible that he might truly get his son back? Knowing that he was as hard headed and prone to fly off the handle as Johnny himself was, it might be too much to hope for. But then, he had to hold on to hope.

Meanwhile, Bert's and Mitch's parents had decided this was the last straw. They were pulling their kids from the dojo. Johnny read their texts and sighed. He honestly couldn't blame them. This entire thing was a shitshow.

While Daniel was asleep, Johnny asked nurses what things Daniel would require at home.

He then texted Regina who'd been eager to help. She knew how to shop from the internet. And Johnny would pay her back later. The hours passed slowly, despite his efforts to stay busy and do something, feel less helpless. Before he knew it, he was nodding off in the chair beside Daniel's bed.