Tell Me You Love Me

Sick(Ninety-Eight)

I was woken up to Ariana shaking my shoulder. "What," I muttered sleepily. "Daddy, Luke wants you."

I sat up, confused. Then I could hear the crying. And it wasn't the babies. I followed Ari out of my bedroom and down the hall.

Luke was curled up on the bed, holding his stomach. He was crying. "Hey bud, what's wrong?" I asked, getting on my knees next to the bed.

"My...stomach...hurts," he groaned through tears. I checked the time. 7:23 am. The babies usually wake up around 8:30 typically. I crawled into bed with Luke and he climbed onto my lap.

He had his eyes shut tight and he held onto me desperately. He was really miserable, that much I could tell.

"Hey, Ari, can you grab the bottle from the cabinet in the bathroom? It's white and blue." She nodded and dashed off. Seconds later she came back.

I grabbed the water bottle on the nightstand and gently nudged Luke. "Can you take these for me bud?"

He did without opening his eyes. I'll admit, he was worrying me a little bit. "Do you feel like you're going to be sick?" I asked him. He shook his head miserably, then seemed to reconsider and shrugged.

"Ok I'll be right back." I got up and ran to the bathroom, grabbed the thermometer out of the cupboard. While I was up I grabbed a few other provisions.

I peeked into the nursery to see the twins still sleeping.

I crept back into Luke's room and took his temperature. He definitely had a fever. We both fell asleep for about an hour. I woke up to Luke groaning. I tried to rub his stomach a little to relieve the pressure, but immediately found out that was not a good idea.

He cried out in pain and threw his hands over his mouth. I grabbed the garbage can I brought earlier and got it under him right on time.

He threw up into it, crying. I was starting to get worried. I'd underestimated the pain he was in. He sat dry heaving for another five or so minutes. I got him to drink some water, but then I heard the babies crying. I couldn't very well leave Luke and I didn't want to get the twins sick if I was carrying Luke's germs.

"Ari? Can you grab me my phone please?" I asked. She came back with it seconds later. I opened it up and called Reyna.

"What's up, Percy?" She asked.

"How do you feel about babysitting?" I asked over the crying of three children.

"Percy what's going on? Do you need help?"

"Yes actually. Luke is sick and the babies are crying. I don't want to get them sick too or anything so I was wondering if you could handle the for a few hours?"

"Of course, Percy. I'll be right there. Do you have a diaper bag ready or should I pack one?"

"I should have one in the nursery. It might need to be restocked though."

"K. See you. Bye."

Luke was shivering so I wrapped him up in another blanket and sat with him in the dark of his room. I could hear Ariana in her room, singing a song.

I heard the door open and soon Reyna was in the doorway. "Oh poor thing," she said with a frown. She went down the hall to where the babies were crying. I heard her talking to them and then getting them to settle down.

She stopped again in the doorway, a baby in each arm and the diaper backpack slung over her shoulder.

"I might call Nico for reinforcements," she said. "Otherwise, I think we're good. See you later."

"Thanks, Reyna."

"Of course."

After awhile I moved Luke to the couch downstairs so I could keep an eye on him while I made Ari and I something to eat. I tried to get Luke to eat something, but he wouldn't. He'd also puked twice since that morning.

After lunch I sat on the couch with him wrapped in a blanket. He couldn't stop crying and moaning. He was in a lot more pain than this morning. I was starting to think this was more than the flu.

"Ari, can you go run to Will's house and tell him that I need him to come quick?"

She nodded and ran. I sat with Luke on the couch and held him close to me. He was half conscious, sweaty and shivery, and in a lot of pain.

Three minutes passed when Will came through the door, Ariana right behind him. He kneeled next to Luke and pulled the blanket away from his face.

"How's he doing?" Will asked, still examining Luke. "He's got a fever, he's been throwing up, shivery. He won't eat anything. I thought it was the flu, but he's got a lot of stomach pain. I was getting really worried so I called you."

"Good you did. Let's see. Luke? On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

Luke groaned something that sound like, "Nine." Will knit his eyebrows together and nodded. "I'm going to press on your stomach, okay? Tell me where it hurts."

Luke's sobs had slowed down into gasps and he nodded. Will felt a round a little until he got to his right side. Luke gasped and screamed, startling both of us.

Will nodded grimly. "It's what I thought. I can't treat this here. We have to take him to the New Rome hospital. He's got appendicitis."

My heart jumped to my throat. "Will he be okay?" I asked. Will smiled at Luke, ruffling his hair in a comforting way. "He should be fine after the surgery. It's necessary and will take about two hours. It's a minor surgery. Percy, everything will be fine."

I got to my feet, cradling a swaddled Luke in my arms, and followed Will out the door.

"Ari, can you run over to Sammy's house please? Tell Leo and Calypso that I asked if they could watch you for awhile."

"Okay, Daddy," she said, running off.

Once we got in the hospital, Will went right up to the receptionist and exchanged a few words. Will obviously had a reputation in the hospital, because he got a doctor for Luke in record timing.

"I could do the surgery with the right supplies," Will explained on the way to the operation room(he'd already told the doctors the diagnosis and nobody questioned him), "but I'd rather have a specialist do it."

Luke was crying again in the operating room, but not so much the pain anymore, for they had a morphine drip going. He was scared.

I got down on my knees next to the operating table and squeezed his hand. "You're gonna go to sleep pretty soon, okay? And then it'll be over and you won't hurt so bad. Everything is going to be just fine, alright? I promise."

Luke nodded. "Can you stay till I fall asleep?" He asked me, his voice trembling. The doctor nodded and I said yes, I would stay.

They put the mask over his nose and mouth and got him to start counting. He made it t seven before passing out. Will led me out of the room, assuring me the whole way.