Not So Happy Birthday (Peter, Open to anyone there, the more the merrier, do whatever!)

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

The cruise for Peter's birthday was absolutely perfect. Peter loved it. He loved that he got to spend the time with his friends and family and there certainly were a lot of those around tonight... He was thrilled to hear Spectre and Derek Sherinian playing, and Deirdre sang occasionally too. It was wonderful. Even if he had doubled the amount of pain killers he was taking just to numb his stupid aching head. Once he was headache free, he was able to enjoy himself immensely. He had a wonderful chat with Dimitri and Sergei, and he laughed as Tasha danced with Hope and Fiona all at once. He danced with Aly too. And then with his daughters all in turn. Even Caleb wanted to dance, but only so he could stand on Peter's shoes and get a 'ride'. Lavannah was sitting by the railing chatting with Gavin, though she was watching Johanna with someone else who Peter recognised was Will. Evey kept running up to Will and then darting away again to chat with Deirdre and her girls as well. Every time there was a break in the music, Spectre was followed around by Jacinta and Edward Montgomery, and they proceeded to parent him. He looked oddly pleased. Abigail and Stuart were dancing and looking quite happy. Even Robert looked okay, though he hung back away from the action. Thomas was talking with Mary and Kat who was rolling her daughters back and forth in the stroller as she talked. People were everywhere, dancing and laughing and eating.

And then Peter started to feel a little strange. He excused himself from Aly's presence and he slipped down under the deck into one of the small hallways so he could lean up against the thin wall. It might be that he was just a little motion sick, but the cruise had ended about twenty minutes ago and the boat was now docked. It was gently rocking back and forth, but nothing major. And still Peter felt incredibly dizzy. He put a hand to his head and he crouched down a little, willing himself not to be sick.

Comments

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter gripped his head again, and he feared he might actually cry from the pain of it in front of Renee, Deirdre and Svetlana. Which would be terribly embarrassing. "I...I can't...it hurts. A lot of..hurts."

Deirdre backed up a bit. "Uh...maybe you need some water?"

[seminalsemiotic.livejournal.com]

Renee bit her lip. It sounded like what Peter needed was an ambulance, but that couldn't be right. They couldn't let him be taken to a conventional hospital, anyway. That never ended well. If he did need to go somewhere, someone would have to convey him to the Robert Macgavillary Memorial Hospital where he could be properly taken care of by people who understood the way his body worked. "I'll get the water," she said, and hurried off to grab a glass.

"Maybe we should take him to bed?" Svetlana suggested.

[deirdre-ionuin.livejournal.com]

"Maybe...maybe we should get his wife." Deirdre said, looking terrified.

"No!" Peter looked up, though he kept one hand on his head. "No, she'll freak out!"

Deirdre gave him an incredulous look. "What because you're vomiting on boat decks. Silly, Aly, that's completely normal! I'm getting her."

Peter grumbled and he clung to Svetlana as Deirdre stalked off. She found Aly talking to David and Christina. "Guys! Guys! Peter's all kinds of fucked up!"

Aly looked positively terrified when Deirdre said that. "What?!"

"He threw up all over the place." Deirdre said, making a face. Aly shoved baby Thomas into Deirdre's arms as she ran to find Peter. Deirdre looked shocked. "Well...thanks?" She spied Spectre and walked over to him. "Can you hold the baby?!"

[demon-svetlana.livejournal.com]

"Baby? Wha- Whoa, baby!" Spectre took hold of baby Thomas as a whirlwind of Deirdre passed by. He bounced little Thomas against him as he tried to figure out what on earth all the fuss was about.

David and Christina hurried out close behind Aly, but kept back so Peter had air and they didn't get in his wife's way. Svetlana was still there, watching everything dubiously as she still had no idea what was causing Peter to spew. Renee had returned with the water, but Svetlana wasn't even sure about that. The Thames had rather changed her opinion of water when she looked closely at it, she decided.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter drank the water almost desperately as Aly approached him slowly. "Peter...what's wrong?"

Peter leaned back against the wall of the boat looking absolutely miserable. "Head hurts." He glanced up at David and Christina. "Hi..."

"Your head hurts? But you...er..you were sick." Aly stepped forward and she ran her fingers through Peter's hair.

"Yeah...pain made me ill." Peter closed his eyes. "Hu...hucking..fuc...fucking hate this. This is shit."

Deirdre stood beside David, but she was staring at Peter like he'd just threatened to kill them all or something, that was how scary this was.

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

David was quickly becoming frightened as well, and he clung to Christina as tightly as he dared with the bulge of her pregnancy. "I don't like this, not at all. I should probably get you out of here, Peter. Unless... maybe Abby should take a look at you now? I think you could use a doctor." He knew that Peter's constitution was such that nothing could do him irreparable harm, but he could still be sick and in all kinds of pain and discomfort until he reached the point of automatic healing.

Renee slowly moved back from beside Peter and took Deirdre's hand, sensing her distress.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

"Okay." Peter said weakly. And that scared Aly more than anything else that had already happened. Peter did not agree to let doctors see him. He did not go in for checkups. He hated having people look at him. If he was agreeing without argument, this was bad. Bad, bad, bad.

"I can get Abby too?" Deirdre suggested, and she squeezed Renee's hand setting off to find Abby.

Peter looked up at David. "What...fucking...fucking head. What's..." Peter groaned and he leaned forward. "What's happening. Did I break my head by drinking?!"

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

"I suppose this could be drink-related," David said as he sat down near Peter. "I hope so... something like that would probably wear off. This might be the worst of it now." He looked up at Christina as though searching for confirmation, and she offered a smile. It was fragile though, filled with worry behind it, and David didn't blame her in the least.

"We'll figure this out, Peter," Renee said softly. "We always do."

[abigail-lilith.livejournal.com]

"Uh." Was Peter's only reply. He leaned his head against Aly's hand.

Deirdre led Abby and Thomas back. Stuart trailled behind them. Thomas grimaced at the sick on the deck and he went to find a bucket to clean it up. He was probably the best one for it anyway.

Abby stepped in front of Peter. "Hey, Peter. What's going on?"

"Head hurts. I took like...6 aspirin and it still hurts. And then I felt dizzy and the walls were closing in...but not like...really. They didn't really close." Peter assured her.

Abby nodded calmly. "I'm glad to hear that." She gave him a little smile. "Did anything else happen?"

"He was talking funny. Svetlana said that." Deirdre chimed in.

Abby turned to Svetlana, with her hand on Peter's knee. "Did he seem confused to you? Did he forget what was happening at all?"

[demon-svetlana.livejournal.com]

Svetlana nodded. "Scattered and confused, yes. He reminded me of me." Though that was something that normally might have thrilled Svetlana, at the moment it just felt wrong. She didn't like it at all.

Renee didn't like that Peter had taken six aspirins. That probably wasn't good for him, either...

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Abby nodded to Svetlana and she turned back to Peter. "And when you vomited, how did you feel then?"

"Sick and dizzy. But it was..kind of sudden. I didn't feel sick to my stomach until then. Been dizzy all night though."

"And has your vision been blurry at all?"

Peter continued to gaze at Abby. "Yeah. You're all fuzzy a little bit. Do I need glasses?"

Abby shook her head. "I don't think so, Peter. But I would like you to come to the hospital with me and get a CAT scan."

Peter looked suddenly terrified. "In that machine! The one they slide you in to?!"

"It's perfectly safe, Dear." Abby patted him.

"But it's so...small." Peter hated small enclosed spaces. With good reason. A demon had locked him in a cupboard, after all.

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

David shuddered at the thought of it, and he reached for Peter's hand. "I'll come with you," he volunteered. "We can do it together. Always together, my brother."

Christina smiled to see David offer his help so readily. It was that loving attention that he gave to all his friends that made her adore him so.

Svetlana bit her lip, and hung her head. "Sorry," she whispered.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter looked up at Svetlana and he squeezed David's hand before reaching for her. "Svetlana...hey.." He touched her hand softly. "You're not that person anymore. Come here." He pulled her in for a hug. Helping her made him forget his plight completely.

Aly took a step back and she swallowed, suddenly too scared for words. She reached for David and grabbed his shirt, pulling him towards her.

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

David embraced Aly, knowing exactly what she was thinking with no need for words. He held her tightly, and kissed her luscious hair. "It'll be okay," he whispered. "It's Peter. He'll always be okay."

Svetlana hugged Peter as well, careful not to break him any more than he was. "Do you want me to come with you too?"

With all the hugging going on, Renee clung to Deirdre. It seemed like the thing to do.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter sighed. "I...I guess. Yes, thank you, Svetlana. Do I have to go now?" Peter asked Abby.

"I think it's a good idea." Abby said, nodding. "Just to be sure. I'll ring ahead, okay?"

Peter pouted. He was going to have to leave his party early to get his head examined. That sucked. He looked over at David and Aly who were embracing. "We have to go now." He called to them. "Can...can you come hug me?"

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

"Of course, Peter." David gently guided Aly over to Peter, and set about embracing both of them. "We love you, Peter. We'll sort everything out and have you feeling better soon enough."

Svetlana moved back so the others would have space for their family hugging. She didn't want to push things with David, under the circumstances.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter pushed away from Aly and David almost at once. "I changed my mind. I changed it. I'm not going there. Not getting my head put in that machine. I'll be fine because it's just a headache."

Abby looked shocked. "Peter...you should get it check ou-"

"You shut up!" Peter yelled, standing, though he was slightly shaky.

"Whoa...none of that!" Thomas said, stepping forward from his cleaning up. "Peter...calm down."

"I'm not going!" Peter repeated.

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

Renee stepped back away from Peter, instinctively putting herself behind Deirdre. It wasn't like him to snap at someone, especially someone he loved. What on earth was wrong with him?

"Peter, please," David said, trying to make him see reason. "No one's going to hurt you. We'll be right there with you. You can trust us."

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

"I know! I know I can trust you, but nothing's wrong! See!" Peter took his hand off the wall as if standing up was going to prove he was fine. "I don't want to go. There's nothing wrong with my head, all I need is sleep. You said it yourself. I should just sleep. Can I go home now? Please, can we go home?"

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

David sighed. He had a really bad feeling about this. "We're not going to force you to do anything you don't want to, Peter. You know our thoughts, Abby's medical opinion. I know you don't want to go in that machine. If you feel you can trust your body to right itself, I can't argue with that. I just don't want to see you suffering like you were."

Renee wondered exactly what sort of suffering Peter was going through. Whatever afflicted him could afflict any of the immortals. Somehow, it was always more disturbing to find weakness in those near-invulnerable, despite all their strengths.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter looked at his best friend. "I want to go home." He said firmly. "I had a very good night, and the party was perfect and everyone can stay and dance, but I want to go home. It's my birthday."

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

"Fair enough, then," David said with a reluctant nod. "Will you at least let someone drive you though? You can't be in any fit state for that yourself."

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

"I don't want to drive." Peter said with a feeble nod. He never drive when he felt ill at all. His father had been killed while driving drunk. He wasn't going to do that to someone. Peter turned to Aly and he kissed her. She didn't look happy about this, but she gave him a tired smile.

"Okay, Peter. Let's get you home."