Foreverland

Chapter VII

Chapter VII

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Iris woke with a start, panting from a horrible nightmare. Peter was still asleep in front of her. She checked his wound, which was still swollen and red, but at least didn't look infected. 

She wondered how late it was, and realized she'd never checked on Cam. She got up and went to his room. It looked like Liam and Max had gone to bed already, but Cam was lying awake. She could hear him wheezing before she even entered the room. 

"Can't sleep?" She asked him. 

Cam looked over at her. "I'm having a little trouble breathing," he said softly. 

Iris went over to him and sat on the bed. "Can I look?" She asked, gesturing at his chest. He nodded, and she lifted up his shirt. His chest was black-and-blue, with scrapes all over it. She bit her lip. "Oh, Cam. Are your ribs broken?"

Cam nodded. "I don't know how many, maybe one or two." He wheezed slightly. "I'll be okay," he gave her a grin. 

"What can I do to help?" She put her hand on his. 

He shook his head. "Nothing. Really. I'm okay." He gave her hand a squeeze. 

She smiled. "Okay. If you lay on your side, it might help with your breathing. There'll be less pressure on your chest."

He hesitated for a second before trying it out. "You're right," he said cheerfully. "It does help. Thank you."

Right when she was about to reply, she heard a groan. Cam gave her a questioning look. "It's okay, I've got it." She left and went to where Peter was laying, before lighting a candle next to them.

He was still asleep, but he was squirming around with a grimace on his face, mumbling. Iris went to his side and put a hand on his forehead. It was hot, which worried her. He calmed for a second, before squirming harder. 

"Peter," she whispered, shaking him slightly. His eyes opened and looked at her through watery eyes. 

His scar twitched as he grimaced. "I don't feel good," he moaned, not sounding like himself. "I think my father did it again," he mumbled. 

Iris stroked his forehead. "It's okay, Peter. You'll feel better soon."

"No," he groaned. "He's going to do it again."

Her heart ached in her chest. What was he mumbling about? "Where's your dad, Peter?" She asked. 

Peter whimpered. "I can't find him, Jack is crying, he wants our mother." 

Iris didn't know what he was talking about, but she hated seeing him like this. She'd never seen so much emotion from Peter, and for the short time she'd known him, he'd always seemed impossibly impassive and brave. "It's okay, it's okay," she whispered. 

She got up to re-wet the cloth on his head, but he grabbed her hand. "Don't leave me like she did," he begged. 

Iris felt her heart breaking inside her, and the air around her seemed to thicken. Had Peter's mother abandoned him? Is that why he was suffering so much? No- she knew there was more to it, but she didn't want to take advantage of him to get answers when he was so vulnerable. 

"I won't leave you," she said sitting back down. "I'll sit right here, okay?"

He nodded, before slowly falling back into a restless sleep.

She was so surprised, and didn't know what to do. She knew nothing about Peter, and now she knew that he'd been abandoned. This had all happened in a matter of minutes, and it felt like she knew Peter even less. He'd never tell her any of this if he was in his right mind, that she was certain of.