LoveBite [2]

82

His feet pound against the tile as he bolts out of the room as his name is shouted after him, even the one given to him by his daughter, but he isn't hearing any of it. It doesn't reach his ears that have become useless to him. His body numbs, his heart breaks, and he slams himself through the door leading to the vacant stairwell. Just a few steps down and he trips and lands on his hands and knees on the floor, but he has no strength to push himself up.

Peter heaves through the pain in his chest and the ache in his neck and head. The emptiness in his stomach spills out on the cement floor as the life that he breathes everyday is ripped from his lungs. Lifetimes that he deamt of spending with this woman, gone. Like they never meant a thing to him, or her family, or God...like her dreams never meant a thing. Her wish to have a normal life, make a family, and die old with her husband all gone because of one person: Antonia Dreykov. If it wasn't for him, if he had been sent to burn in Hell a long time ago, this would have never happened. Satine and Peter may never have met that way, but at least she'd be alive.

At least she would be alive.

Like he can feel his bones crushing inside of him, Peter nearly collapses in the end. He breaks with that, letting out everything he had ever held back. He's lost his parents and he's nearly lost all of his family, but never before has he felt something like this.

He pushes himself up onto his foot, but quickly falls to his back, slamming his head against the wall. He forces his fingers through his hair, gripping the strands from the roots. His vision blurs behind the never ending tears and he shakes beneath his clothes, almost unable to really hold his head with how weak it makes him feel.

The door he busted through opens and Steve freezes at the sight. He sighs and hangs his head for a moment.

"Peter." He calls softly, almost a whisper, but his presence is easily ignored. "Pietro came in with the cure." He informs and his palms slide to his forehead. "It brought..." He sighs again, unsure how to say this. "Her hearts beating again, Peter."

With that, he gradually turns to him with furrowed brows.

"What?" He asks with a raspy voice.

"She's alive, Peter." He nods surely and his body goes cold. "She's okay."

Peter simply stares at him, unsure if he can even move at the moment, but that uncertainty disappears as soon as Steve presses his back to the door to open it further. He stumbles up on his feet and churning stomach and his weak legs push him up like he's never been stronger. He wooshes past him, though this time he doesn't run, until he's reached her room.

A step into her doorway and he stops moving completely. Alive she is, but she's still asleep. Watching her sleep will never be the same after this.

Wires surround her and the tubes they've attached to her, the oxygen mask, the IV drip, the pulse monitor on her finger... A part of it is too much. It's all too much, but it is saving her life.

He shakily takes a hold of her free hand and leans over her to push her hair out of her face with a sobbing whimper.

"I was supposed to die first." He whispers, heartbroken in vain. "You weren't the one that was supposed to go, Baby. Not before me."

He barely grips her hair above the wires and tubes with the sound of her steady, but shallow breathing and the slow, but calm rate of her heart beating echos on repeat in his ears. His head aches, exhausted by the storms of tears falling from his eyes and the strain it took to not hold back, so he lays it on her chest. He holds every bit of her that he can and curls into her neck, sure to not leave that spot until she is awake and is telling him herself that he needs to move.

---

As soon as the monitor picks up and her heart begins to beat faster beneath his head, Peter jolts off of her to see her face as her eyes finally open. He scooches closer and brushes her hair back.

Those blurry eyes squint at the bright light above her and though he promised himself he wouldn't move, he is quick to his feet, racing towards the light switch. He shuts every light off and moves right back to her side, pulling her attention to him.

"Hey." He smiles softly as a tear slips down his cheek. "Hi, Baby. My girl." He wipes his cheek and her brows furrow.

He quiets himself as she looks down at the mask on her face and then his hand that he's placed on her cheek. He tilts his head at her as her eyes flicker back to his.

"Baby, you don't remember, do you?" He grazes his knuckle along her cheekbone, but she doesn't reply. "Can you talk to me, Satine?"

He gives her a moment to reply, but when she doesn't and there is only a increase in her breathing rate, he knows that she's trying, she's just too weak to proceed.

"Can you nod, or shake your head?" He asks and once again, he receives nothing. "Okay." He sighs. "Dr. Boone said that you might not know what's going on at first. You might not be able to move, or speak, or remember what happened, but it's okay." He nods softly. "You'll come back soon."

He hesitates to move, afraid he might confuse her more, or freak her out, but he still leans down, hovering over her, and presses his lips to her forehead. He remains still for a moment as she stares at his chest, though she wants to see his face again.

Her heart relaxes in her chest and he closes his eyes and hangs his head before he sits up. She watches as he turns away and rubs his mouth as his face begins to contort, but he pulls himself back together as best he can and takes a deep breath.

She whimpers behind him and he quickly turns to her.

"Satine, shh." He coos gently. "Don't try to force it, just stay calm and relax."

"I --" She starts and his brows furrow. "I can't --"

"Can't what?" He leans his fist on her other side. "What's wrong?"

"Feel..."

"You can't feel?" He asks and she silences herself in agreement. "You can't feel anything? That's okay, it'll come back." He nods before he pauses as the pools quickly fill his eyes. "It's normal after --"

He takes a deep breath and covers his mouth while backing away. Her brows twitch in on themselves as she watches him go.

"After you come back..." He breathes while sliding his hand beneath her head, into her hair.

His chin begins to tremble and he moves his forearm above her head. He looks into her eyes before his brows furrow and he pulls the oxygen mask off. He lays his head next to hers and she closes her eyes as he wraps his arms beneath her head and neck.

"Oh, God." He cries into her hair. "God, please don't do that. Please don't leave me, Baby." He shakes as a tear slips down her cheek and she tries to reach for him, but like a weight is holding her down by the wrists, she can't move. "You're the light of my life, I can't lose you. I love you so much."