Waiting

Darkwing sighed. He was alone in the tower, as Launchpad had been tired, and had gone to bed early. Launchpad and Gosalyn had been very strange lately, he had caught them whispering about something three times now, and the conversation always stopped when he entered. It WAS his birthday soon, maybe they were planning some kind of party. He hoped not, because having the Muddlefoots over was NOT his idea of a party.
He coughed violently as he came down from the computer platform. That was another thing worrying him, he’d had this awful cough for a month now, and the headaches that seemed to come with it. He hadn’t told Launchpad or Gosalyn, when they were around he pretended that he had a tickle in his throat. But they were getting harder to contain. Perhaps that was what those two were incessantly whispering about.
He sat in the spinning chair in the tower, and coughed again. He really ought to do something about it. A visit to the doctor...nah. He couldn’t really be bothered, and the waiting rooms in those places were always depressing. Besides, with all the sick people there you’d probably end up worse than when you went!
He spun out the other end of the chairs, and felt the all-to familiar headache coming on. A few nights off might do the world of good, but it was almost the end of the Summer holidays, and crime was always bad around this time of the year. He rubbed his head and slowly climbed the stairs to his room. The headache was getting worse. He flopped into bed, and immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning Gosalyn yawned and rolled over to try and go back to sleep. Then, remembering what today was, she jumped out of bed, got dresses and ran down stairs. Launchpad grinned when he saw her.
“I knew you’d be down soon! All set to go?”
“You betcha! I can’t wait! This is going to be sooooo much fun!” she laughed as she jiggled in her seat. Launchpad passed her the Frostieos, and she put spoonful after spoonful of sugar on them.
“Er, Gosalyn, I don’t think DW would like you doing that.”
“Lighten up LP! I’ll need the energy for walking around Wiffleland and going on all the rides!”
“Well, when you put it like THAT!” Launchpad did the same.
Just when they finished there was the sound of a honking car horn outside. Gosalyn ran to the window. “It’s them! I’ll go see if Dad’s awake, you get the stuff in the car!” Launchpad saluted her, and she ran up stairs. She knocked on Drake’s door. There was no reply. She opened it and peered in.
“Dad? You awake?” He didn’t move. Gosalyn shrugged. “Guess you’re wiped, huh? Well, sleep good Dad, cause I’m coming home screaming!” She grinned and ran down to the car, squeezing is next to Honker and Launchpad. “This is going to be GREAT Honker!” she said to her friend. “Step on it Mr Muddlefoot!” She called from the back seat. He laughed. “Righto Gosalyn, let’s go!” The car pulled away from the curb and headed for the highway.

That night Gosalyn slammed the door noisily. “Hey Dad! You missed the BEST time! What’s for dinner?” She ran into the kitchen, expecting to see him. He wasn’t there. She looked all over the bottom floor of the house. “Dad? Launchpad, do you know if Dad was going anywhere? I can’t find him.”
Launchpad shrugged. “You know DW. Have you tried the tower?”
“Of course not, you would have heard me. Come on.” She grabbed Launchpad by the wrist and hauled him to the chairs.

“Well, he isn’t here either, and he’s not patrolling, the Ratcatcher is still here.” Launchpad sighed.
“I guess we better go home. Maybe he just went for a walk.”

Launchpad started ordering pizza as Gosalyn went upstairs. On a sudden burst of inspiration she looked in his bedroom. He was still there, sleeping.
“Dad! I’ve been calling and calling! You better get up, sleepyhead! You have to go on patrol soon!” She shook him hard, but he didn’t wake up. “Gosalyn to Drake Mallard! It’s 7:30, time for dinner!” she yelled in his ear. “GET UP DAD!” Gosalyn yelled her very loudest, and made Launchpad(who had just gotten off the phone) cover his ears. But Drake didn’t move. Gosalyn felt his face, and she gasped. “Launchpad, come quick! I can’t wake Dad up, and he’s burning up!” Now that she looked closer she realized that he was covered in sweat. His sheets were all tangled around him, so he must have been tossing and turning. Launchpad rushed in and quickly walked over to Drake. He pulled the sheets of Drake and rolled him onto his side.
“Why’d you do that?” Gosalyn asked about the rolling over.
He shrugged, not paying much attention. “I’m pretty sure that’s what you’re meant to do. I think it makes sure people don’t choke and suffocate.” Gosalyn shivered. Drake suddenly coughed a very loud, dry cough that shook his whole body. Launchpad grabbed a glass of water and tipped on Drake’s head as a last attempt at waking him up. It didn’t work, and Launchpad ran to call an ambulance, while Gosalyn stroked his hand, willing him to wake up.

Gosalyn was curled up in Launchpad’s arms, fast asleep. Launchpad was awake, the waiting room chairs being to uncomfortable to sleep in. He probably wouldn’t have slept anyway, no matter how nice the place was. He’d been to the hospital with Drake/Darkwing many more times than Gosalyn had, and he could tell from doctors faces how serious something was. The thing that scared him wasn’t the “life threatening look” or even the “no-hope-whatever” look. His friend had lived through both of those. This was a new look, a “I-have-absolutely-no-idea-what-this-is” look. And if the doctors didn’t know what was wrong, how could they help?
He looked down at Gosalyn, maybe not sleeping peacefully(he doubted if anyone in this building did) but at least not worrying about her father.
He wished he could swap places with Drake. Gosalyn would get over losing him, but losing DW was a different matter altogether. Oh, he knew Gosalyn loved him, and he knew that Drake saw him as a brother, but they had something special that he could never share. He wasn’t jealous, that was just the truth. Anyway, he knew what Gosalyn had been like when she thought Drake was dead the first time, and she hadn’t even known him that well then. And seeing Gosalyn hurt was something that Launchpad had never been able to stomach.
“Hi, are you Drake Mallard’s..er...brother?” A doctor startled Launchpad out off his thoughts.
“Sorta. We’re real close. I’m his partner and housemate, and this is his daughter.” He said, using the story which had been made for times like this. They’d never really expected to use this one though...
“Well, I have to tell you, I’m afraid we have no idea what’s wrong with Drake. It COULD be some kind of fever, but it seems to be the kind that’s usually found in the tropics. And that doesn’t explain his cough. Has he had any other complaints lately?”
Launchpad wiggled guiltily. “Well, he said that the cough was just a tickle, so he wouldn’t have told us. I think he was covering something.” Just like us, he thought.
The doctor looked slightly annoyed. “Oh. So he’s a brave-face person is he?” He looked at his watch. “I have to go, we’re about to try some of the medicine they use on Tropical Fevers. He’s not allergic to penicillin is he?”
Launchpad’s eyes widened. “No! He IS allergic! Very badly! He told me that when he was given it when he was a kid, he got real sick. That shot was just for an infection.”
The doctor muttered a swear word under his breath and ran off. Launchpad could have kicked himself for not saying earlier. They knew that Darkwing was allergic, but he forgot that they didn’t know about Drake.
He’d meant to ask if they could see him, but stopping running doctors had never seemed wise to Launchpad.

Launchpad slept lightly for about an hour. He was gently touched on the shoulder at around 3am by the same doctor. Launchpad work with a start, and peered at him.
“I’m afraid I wasn’t in time to stop them from giving him the penicillin They had given him the first of three shots when I got there.”
“Is he OK?”
The doctor shuffled his feet. “He’s had a series of muscle seizures. The heart is a muscle, and it’s stopped once. We fortunately got it started again. The seizures have stopped, but his heart rate has dropped dramatically and he’s gone into a coma. I’m really, really sorry.”
Launchpad sighed. “OK, thanks for doing your best.” he said numbly.
The doctor patted him comfortingly. “Don’t worry,think of it as a little rest. He’s just taking some time out.”
The doctor bustled off again, and Launchpad leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. Drake was going to be OK. He WOULD be. Drake was a pro at comas. Now that he was back in his normal injures, he was sure to be OK.
Launchpad groaned inwardly. He wasn’t even fooling himself.
He was suddenly aware of a growing wetness on his arm, and a snuffling sound from Gosalyn. He immediately grabbed her and sat her facing him.
“Listen to me Gos. DW’s gonna be fine, I can feel it.”
Gosalyn started to cry. “But he’s in a coma! The..the..doctors gave him..him..penn..icill..in. What if he doesn’t wake up, Launchpad?” Gosalyn started hiccupping.
Launchpad shook her. “Gosalyn, think positive and listen.” Launchpad decided to take the risk of his life. “I know your Dad’s gonna be OK. I KNOW it. I promise you Drake will be fine. You hear that Gos? I promise. Have I ever EVER lied to you?” She shook her head. “Well, then.” She hugged him and cried into his scarf. Launchpad slowly uncrossed his fingers.

Gosalyn and Launchpad hid behind a wall as a doctor went past. They carefully edged around the corner. The quietly peered into all the rooms in the Intensive Care ward. They saw what looked like Drake’s beak on the pillow. This room was filled with more monitors than most. They snuck in, and stared at the limp figure in the bed. Drake had tubes all over him, and even an oxygen mask on his face. Gosalyn raced to grab his hand, but it had a tube coming out of it, and another in his wrist.
“Dad! DAD!” Gosalyn was going hysterical, and Launchpad slapped his hand over her beak.
“You wanted to see him.” he whispered. “Now keep quiet or they’ll kick us out. Now let’s be quick.” She nodded and he returned her to the floor.
“Dad.” Gosalyn whispered. She stroked his cheek, which amazingly was tubeless. His feathers felt brittle. “OK Dad, we snuck in here to talk to you. We hope you can hear us. LP?”
Drake fought the pain to listen. He tried his upmost to make a sign, wiggle a finger, anything. I’m listening Gos! I’m awake! Help me, I’m trapped! He fought and fought, but couldn’t do anything.
Launchpad cleared his throat. “DW, I don’t regret a minute of it. And, well, heck, I hope you get better real soon. Ah, that’s about it. Oh yeah, hey Drake? You’ll always be my best friend ever, and if you..well...die..”he said the last word very fast “I’ll take care of Gos for you.”
Drake wanted to scream. They talk like I’m going to die! I don’t want to die! I’m scared! Drake gave up trying to move, it was wasting what he knew was precious energy and concentrated on listening.
“Dad, I love you. Please, please don’t die Dad! I need you!”
Drake wondered if she was touching him. He couldn’t feel anything, all he could do was hear.
She took a deep breath. “Dad, me and ‘Pad have something to tell you. We didn’t tell you before, because we didn’t know how you’d take it.” She reached into her pocket, and pulled out the letter. She read it to him, slowly and clearly, so it was easier for him to understand.
“.....Your’s Truly, Matthew Waddlemyer.” She finished. She looked at her father, the person she trusted most in the whole world, the person who knew her better than anyone, the person who could see through all her tricks with a single glance. The person who loved her more than anyone else, even Morgana and Launchpad. Launchpad looked at the man who had trusted him before anyone else, his friend of friends, the boss who had given him more than just a job.
“Bye Dad. We gotta go.” Gosalyn whispered to him, giving him a good-bye kiss on the cheek.
“Bye Drake.” Launchpad ushered Gosalyn out the door.
Drake tried to understand what they were saying. Words seemed to be missing, and sentences were making less and less sense. The blackness which he had been fighting for hours now was getting closer, and Drake felt more trapped than he had ever felt before. Maybe the darkness was the way out of this. He gave up his mental battle and the dark mist overtook his brain immediately

Launchpad and Gosalyn sat in the waiting room all day. They asked if they could see Drake, and were told no, which made Gosalyn smile and confused the doctor immensely. At 3pm a different doctor came and told them that Drake was out of the coma, but was delirious. They were now allowed to see him from his door. He was tossing and turning with wide-open unseeing eyes and muttering something about flowers that were floating when they should be in the sea. Suddenly he sat straight up and pointed his finger at the foot of his bed.
“Negaduck!” he yelled. “You can’t win against the daring Darkwing Duck! For I am the terror that flaps! Suck gas, evil doer!” He made a firing motion, and suddenly started coughing and choking. The doctor that was with them stood still in shock for a second then rushed over to hit Drake on the back to stop him choking. Drake lay still for a second before yelling “Gosalyn!” and, catching them all by surprise, racing out of the room screaming “If you touch a hair on her head you’ll pay Negadope!” Launchpad raced after him and tackled him to the ground. Drake’s head hit the floor in the process, and he went limp. Launchpad shivered as he carried Drake back to his room. The doctor checked his head, and pronounced only slight concussion. Drake was bleeding from where the many tubes and been ripped out. The doctor sighed and stopped the bleeding as best he could.
“That settles it. We didn’t want to give him a sedative, cuts down the immune system, but it’s either that or chaining him up.” He asked a nurse drawn by the commotion to get a mild sedative, which she immediately did. The doctor injected it into Drake’s arm, and ushered them out into the hallway.
“He’s Darkwing Duck? I KNEW he looked familar.” The doctor paced. “Well, this changes everything. Now I know exactly what drugs he reacts well too.” he looked up at Launchpad. “You should have told us, the mix-up with the penicillin wouldn’t have happened, and we could have given him the Santertan a long time ago.”
“Santertan?” asked Gosalyn.
“About 7 years ago Darkwing was brought in with bad head injures. We’d just gotten a new medicine called Santertan, which works wonders with comas, unconsciousness and delirium. He gave him it, and he had a very positive reaction to it. We found out later that new tests showed that 99% of the people who took Santertan worsened greatly, which immediately stopped any further promotion of the drug. But we applied to keep some on hand, as Darkwing is in here fairly often, and he had such a good response. He’s the only person we give Santertan to.”
“Well.” Gosalyn looked cheerier. “You better give him some.”
The doctor shook his head. “We have to wait for the sedative to wear off.”
“How long?” asked Launchpad.
The doctor looked at his watch. “Given the amount of sedative, the severeness of the delirium, and Darkwing’s strength, I’d say, ohh, about five minutes.”
Gosalyn grinned. “That’s my dad!”

Gosalyn and Launchpad sat on either side of Drake’s bed, waiting impatiently for him to wake. The doctor had given the Santertan about 2 hours ago, and had brought them in 10 minutes ago, knowing that Drake could wake soon. Gosalyn fidgeted expectantly.
Drake’s eyes opened suddenly. He glanced around him and grinned. “Hi guys!”
Gosalyn jumped on him. “DAD! We missed you!”
Drake gasped as she landed on him, but bore it good-naturedly. “Well, thanks for the concern kiddo.”
Launchpad patted him on the shoulder. “DW, welcome back.”
Drake grinned again. “Trust me, I’m glad to be back! But don’t call me that, OK?”
Gosalyn poked him. “The doctors know. They won’t tell.”
Drake looked hurt. “You told them?”
“No.” Launchpad said. “But you started jumping around fighting Negaduck, and they kinda twigged.”
“Oh.” Drake made a face. “Was that before or after you two came in and told me that long story?”
“After. You heard us?”
“Yeah. I could hear everything, but I couldn’t mover or fell or do anything else. It was awful, and I think I went unconscious just before you left.”
Gosalyn held his hand. “Are you upset that we didn’t tell you, or about what was in the letter?”
Drake screwed up his face and thought for awhile. “No. I’m glad that we’re all family, and I’m glad that I wasn’t dumped, and I’m sad about your parents, but right now, it doesn’t matter one little bit. All that matters is that we’re all together as a family. Right you two?”
“Right.” Gosalyn hugged him and gave him a kiss.
“Right.” Launchpad smiled and gripped Drake’s hand tightly in the sign of friendship.
“Group hug!” Gosalyn yelled, and they did just that.
A tear of joy filled Drake’s eyes as he was held by those who he cared about most. Who cared about the past, when the present held so much?

Story Copyright Rachel Baker ‘98. All characters copyright Disney, and including the doctors that I made up, as use for their characters. Gee, bet Disney is soooo happy know, huh? ;)

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