Dream a Little Dream // Daniel Howell x Reader

Chapter 40

Time seemed to inch away at an agonizingly slow pace, the worried weight within the boys' chests growing stronger with each passing minute. The two of them sat ridged and alert on the grey futon below, eyes never straying from the doorway a few paces down the hall. They sat quietly, neither daring to make a sound and risk missing any sign of (Y/N)'s long overdue awakening. Even thinking about the events that led to this catastrophe made Dan feel unbearable amounts of sickness, this unwanted disarray a wicked aberration to his usual composure. Despite these terrible feelings, Dan willed himself to stay calm as he sat quietly with Phil, patiently waiting in (Y/N)'s apartment for her familiar cheer to make an appearance.

Dan couldn't stop himself from fidgeting his feet nor his hands as he clasped them together, running his fingers through his digits absentmindedly. When those movements did nothing for him, he would resort to biting his lip, nervously gnawing away at the surface. Phil must have taken notice, gently placing a hand on his friend's shoulder; the action surprised Dan, causing him to jolt a little. "She's going to be fine. The paramedics looked her over twice, even three times more. They said that all she needs is to sleep off the drugs in her system— 'ketamine' to be precise. Since we're here watching her, the paramedics said there was no reason to bring her to the hospital; she's perfectly healthy otherwise."

Dan let out a rickety sigh, slowly tilting his head to look at his raven-haired friend; his cerulean eyes mirrored the exact same fatigue that plagued Dan's own. "I know what they said but I can't stop worrying! They said it would take several hours for her to wake up, yet it feels like a century of waiting! What if they missed something? What if she's really hurt?" Dan took in a long breath, swallowing back the memories of last night like bitter bile. "Phil, you should have seen (Y/N) when I found her in that alley. S-she... God, she looked so scared. She was shaking a-and crying and—" The brunette inhaled sharply, his breathing shaky as his thoughts turned dark. "We could have lost her. I could have lost her. If we hadn't found her when we did, that sick fuck might have gotten away with whatever he was planning to do with her that night!"

Phil grimaced when Dan spoke of the potential outcome, the very idea of it unwanted and unbelievably frightening. He nodded somberly, taking his hand away from his friend's shoulder. "The important thing is that we did find her and that nothing happened. What's more is that sick fu— Ehem, guy was caught on the spot, tackled down by the officers within a second. I even heard that he landed on his wrist, smashing it on the pavement. Even when he was screaming out that he was on a broken wrist, the officers pushed him into the ground harder." Phil was silent for a moment, his gaze glossy as he stared at nothing in particular. "Hearing that made me feel overjoyed."

Silence stood between the boys until Dan nodded in agreement. "Me too"

"The officer I spoke to told me that this guy was going away for a long time. It was known that there had been cases of drink spiking at that particular bar yet no one knew who the culprit was. Thanks to last night that guy was finally caught." Phil let out a lifeless chuckle. "According to that Ryan guy, (Y/N) gave him quite the trouble. You could hear it through the garbage he was spitting at the cops."

Dan's ears perked slightly. "Did she?"

Phil nodded, "Yes, that sick crook was singing like a songbird when they caught him, spilling every little detail like some kind twisted vent. (Y/N) wouldn't go down, fighting off the drug even as she was getting dragged down the street. She was even the one who broke his wrist. Pushed the prick over the bike rack and broke it. It was around that time that she ran into the alley, found by you a few minutes later."

"...She's tough, I'll give her that."

"Agreed. That's why I think you should be less worried about when she'll wake up. In addition to the drug, she was literally fighting for her life last night. If anything, we should let her sleep more."