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Family Emergency	By : Bloodylocks Category: G through L > Heroes Views: 6221 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
At around six o'clock PM, Nathan arrived at the clinic and it felt as though he had not left. Cusack left him shortly afterwards to retrieve Hope from the babysitter, leaving the lawyer all alone in the building with his brother.
And his daughter.
The notion did not feel real, not at all. He hardly thought of this painful proof of his and Peter's relationship as true blood relation. He soon found himself walking to the room where Cusack was keeping both her and the younger Petrelli brother. She made him feel ashamed of what he had done, and she made him angry at what she had almost done to Peter. Eyes narrowed on his rock hard expression, Nathan approached her.
Peter was still peacefully asleep, pale face serene and long hair spread over the white pillow like a sun feather. Hooked to the side of the bed was a transparent bag halfway filled with a yellowish fluid, which he guessed was urine. Right. Peter had a catheter.
The overwhelming love Nathan felt for the younger man momentarily made his throat constrict. If he'd lost Peter...
Stopping by the crib where their offspring lay, he stared down at the deformed little creature. She was asleep as well, her breathing slightly laboured, most likely due to the misshapen oral cavity. Nathan had hoped the baby Peter carried would come out stillborn. It would have made things much less complicated for everyone involved. A dead foetus could be thrown in the garbage bin, and no one would miss it. Now he was stuck with finding a home for this monstrosity that could have no part in his or Peter's lives. Unless...
Peter had almost died because of her. He had spent nine months in physical and mental agony because of her. He did not deserve that, nor did he deserve the torment he found himself in for bearing this deformed thing. No one would really want to take her in anyway, with her appearance and possible disabilities. Face still as devoid of emotion as ever, Nathan picked up one of the blankets provided for the infant. Folding it just so, he held it a few inches above the cloven face. She deserved to be put out of her misery, his business side of logic told him. She needed to be taken care of anyway, and in the end she was the one held responsible.
Wasn't she?
An image appeared in his mind of himself and Peter, entwined like trees in a dense forest. Their naked bodies slid against one another as they heaved and moaned.
The hand he held above the infant's head trembled. She had not asked to be born. No matter how badly he wanted to, he could not put the blame on her. The one really responsible was he. And Peter, of course, but first and foremost Nathan himself. He was the older brother; he was the one thought to know best. Peter was just a kid. He was almost as much of a kid now as he was ten years ago, when this whole affair between them started.
Damn it, he should have known better. The infant, unwanted though she was, could not be punished for his deeds. Nathan had killed before in battle, once using his bare hands, but he was no cold-blooded murderer. Besides, he had Peter to think of. His gentle baby brother would be horrified if he ever found out what Nathan had done.
Putting the blanket down beside the sleeping babygirl, he rubbed at his eyes again. Even after the nap he took, it still was not enough. Turning around, he faced the bed where his brother slept. He felt his stomach turn over at the sight of him now. So many times he had almost lost him. The moment in the department store, the vision of Texas in a mere painting, and now this. Pulling up a chair, he sat at his brother's bedside and took one of his pale hands. Exhaustion finally got the better of him and he found himself laying his head on the mattress.
Several minutes later, Peter awoke to what were by now familiar surroundings, only now he had a visitor.
What a softie, he thought in amusement as he looked down at his sleeping brother. Only a few hours and he was back already. Removing his hand from Nathan's hold, he ran his fingers through clean dark hair.
Nathan stirred eventually, blinking a few times to regain the focus in his gaze. He soon became aware of a hand on his head and instinctively reached up to put his own on top of it.
"Hey, Peter..." he murmured, slightly surprised to see his brother smile.
"You're back..." Peter said, unable to hide the longing in his voice. "I didn't think you'd be back until tomorrow..."
"Cusack had to go pick up her kid. I couldn't let her leave you here all by yourself."
"...oh. You didn't have to come, though. She'll just be gone for a short while, won't she?"
"I'm not taking any chances," the lawyer stated. "I'll be here all night if I have to." He noticed that there was still an IV connected to the hand Peter carded through his hair. He also wondered if his brother still had the catheter in his urethra.
Clearing his throat, Nathan began to explain what happened in the short while that he was gone.
"I kind of had to tell Heidi that you had a tumor removed."
"You told her I had cancer?" Peter responded, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
Nathan shrugged. "I just ended up coming out like that. But now she doesn't suspect anything else and we can possibly breathe for now."
Peter's worry was immediate. "But what if Mom..."
"I made her promise not to tell her," the older man instantly replied. "It's a stretch, but hopefully she'll respect my request."
"Yeah," Peter said, rolling his eyes, "hopefully." Both of them knew if was a long shot to absolutely believe in their mother never finding out about all that had happened in the past few months, especially now that Heidi knew Peter had nearly died from a surgical procedure.
A sudden noise from the crib where the infant lay startled Peter and made him whip his head in its direction. "What's the baby doing in here?" he asked almost accusingly, and then looked at Nathan again.
"*I* didn't bring it here," the lawyer replied, purposely referring to their offspring as "it" to emotionally distance himself from the disfigured baby girl. "Perhaps Cusack left it here so that it'd be close by if it needs feeding."
And only seconds after Nathan had finished his sentence, the coos originating from the crib were replaced by loud, piercing cries, hinting strongly that it was indeed time for food.
The way Peter sighed and asked for her to be given to him made him sound as though he were facing electroshock. He took her without emotion and lifted his new hospital gown in preparation. While Nathan had been out, Cusack had changed the young nurse's blood stained gown for something far cleaner, and now the only thing which soiled it were two damp spots on Peter's chest. In the moment of hearing the cries, Peter's body had instantly reacted.
Though he could have cared less what the baby felt, Nathan could not help but be unsettled by the look on his brother's face. It was so devoid of feeling that Peter no longer looked like himself.
"Are you okay?" the lawyer finally asked.
"I just don't want to bond with her," Peter answered, knowing full well what his brother referred to.
"Hey, you don't have to feed it," Nathan said, afraid of the effect the infant seemed to have on Peter. "I'm sure Cusack could get it mother's milk supplements, or something."
He held out his hands, meaning for Peter to hand the baby back to him, but his brother held on to it, although with the same stone-faced expression.
"I might as well feed her while I still can," he finally said in reply. "At least my goddamned jugs stop leaking for a while after she's suckled."
Nathan watched the infant's deformed left hand - the only body part visible to him from under the blanket she was wrapped in - open and close almost in time with her content, suckling noises. Meanwhile, his brother just continued to stare at the wall before him, as if attempting to block the baby's presence from his mind altogether.
The sudden smatter of high heels against the floor pulled Nathan from his musings and he turned to see Cusack enter, carrying a baby he assumed was Hope on her arm.
"Sorry I'm late," she declared. "I got stuck in traffic. How are you doing?"
"Okay for now," Peter replied, looking in the doctor's direction, though his eyes did not meet hers. It was clear he was still trying to separate himself emotionally from his child.
A mix of curiosity and envy flickered through Nathan's mind as he stared at Hope. She was adorable, like Peter had said, and to think it was presumably the first child born by a man, she was an amazing little creature to behold. However, he could not help but feel worse that Peter had birthed something so painfully obvious of their impure union. The baby would have still been given away, but at least she would have faired better in getting adopted. Nathan found himself wondering about what adoption agency would even take his "daughter". If so, what the hell would become of her?
"Alright, she's done for now," Peter finally stated, and he pulled the infant away, handing her to the eager arms of his big brother.
Still carrying Hope, Cusack approached and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I can tell it's difficult for you," she said compassionately. "And I understand that. Maybe you're right in trying not to bond with her, but please remember; she's a newborn that needs her mother's warmth and touch. The fact that she looks like she does should not"�
"Please... don't..." Peter sighed, turning his face away from Cusack to hide tears.
The doctor, however, did not let herself be stopped. "I just want you to know that it could be much worse. She does not have to remain permanently handicapped. The cleft palate is operable, as is the club foot. Surely you know the wonders of reconstructive surgery today. I've done a fair amount of work myself," she added.
"When can I go home?" Peter asked quietly, his voice and facial expression making it clear that he did not wish to discuss the baby's future.
"Well... That depends on how quickly your body recuperates," the doctor replied. "I'm planning to keep you on intravenous nutrition throughout the night, and if you feel like it, you can start eating tomorrow morning."
"What about my catheter? When can it be removed?" Having a tube through his urethra was a source of great discomfort indeed; one Peter had not really considered as such even when tending to elderly patients with such in his work.
Cusack's expression, however, told him what he had hoped against.
"I'm sorry, darling," she replied, "but for now it would be much more hygienic to keep it in. Hopefully you can be up and about shortly, but while you're stuck in bed, you'll have to keep it in."
Peter sighed, and in response, the doctor spoke up again.
"In adition, I think it would be best if we kept you on some laxatives for the time being."
"Why is that?" Nathan inquired. When Cusack opened her mouth, Nathan realized the answer and felt like a moron.
"If we don't, Peter could tear himself open by accident."
Although Peter's face remained neutral to the answer, Nathan felt the need to take his hand in his own. He could not help but feel protective of his brother, even now when he was so far out of harm's way.
Two hours later, Nathan announced that he sadly had to leave, since he had to show up at work the following morning. Peter knew that his brother was an important person and people would start asking questions otherwise, yet he felt disheartened at the thought of being left alone. Cusack would be there, of course, but she would not be staying with Peter in the examination room, as she had Hope to look after. She had brought in a TV for him, but it was a small consolation.
"I'll visit you tomorrow during lunch break," Nathan vowed, tenderly leaning his forehead against Peter's. "Then I'll be back after work and stay till the evening. How's that, baby?"
"I just wish I could go home..." Peter said miserably, fighting back tears.
"Shhh..." his older brother whispered, lips against his forehead and fingers stroking against his cheeks. "I know you hate being here. But you have to get better first, or else you be staying here a lot longer than either of us want."
He felt the bowed head nod slightly against his lips and he smiled. "I love ya, buddy."
"I love you too."
The way Peter said it made Nathan want to pick him up and take him away from this sterile, unfriendly place and back to his nice warm bed, but he knew that for now this was the wiser thing to do.
"I'll be back soon."
After his brother had left, Peter spent some time zapping between different TV channels, but he found nothing that caught his interest and soon gave up, turning the TV off altogether. Cusack had arranged for an alarm, much like those found in hospitals, to be brought into his room and told Peter that if he needed help of any kind, one small press at the red alarm button would let her know.
Peter seriously considered summoning the doctor many times even though there was no emergency; he just felt so miserable and lonely and was in desperate need for human contact.
Peter had never been a selfish person and he was well aware that Cusack was probably already asleep or busy dealing with Hope, so he refrained from it.
His own baby had been left in the room with him, and although he couldn't see her, every noise she made sounded like it was put through an amplifier.
Now that Nathan was gone, her presence made him feel even worse. It was like a punishment, as though he were a murderer locked away with one of his victims. He desperately wanted company, but this was not exactly what he had in mind. His daughter was asleep for now, at least three feet away from his bed, and the little wet sounds of her cleft lips sickened him, with the thought of how he had created someone so disadvantaged. The images of her as an alienated child caught up with him again and he wept openly.
Her mother's discomfort must have made the infant upset as well, and she awoke despite the quiet nature of her mother's sobs and began to cry as well.
"Goddamn it, shut up...!" Peter yelled at the shrieking little thing in the crib to his left, but if anything, the baby's cries only increased in magnitude. Maybe she needed to be cradled or perhaps even fed again, who knew? Despite Peter's unwillingness to touch or even look at his offspring, it was an option he'd take rather than listen to her angry, imploring cries all night.
The nurse, however, was bed bound. Cusack had specifically told him to absolutely avoid trying to get out of bed, as he risked tearing his sutures and start hemorrhaging again.
Hand trembling, he reached for the alarm and pressed the button.
Still clearly exhausted, Cusack arrived in little time at all upon her summoning and obediently handed the newborn to her mother. Thought he wore the same emotionless mask he did when he fed her before, Peter held his child close as she fed. She did not need much this time and seemed to require only comfort and warmth.
"Would you like me to take her now?" Cusack asked, expecting a yes.
"It's fine..." Peter said, arms securely around the bundle. "She's quiet now. I'll keep her like this for another few minutes."
Though she was thankful for her patient's behavior, she avoided giving any sort of �I told you so�. Peter did not need it presently.
"Alright then. Probably best for now."
"How's Hope?" Peter asked more to make conversation than out of actual interest. The mere thought of Michael's child only emphasized how imperfect or downright hideous his own was in comparison.
"She's asleep, of course," Cusack replied. "It's almost eleven. Actually, Peter, if you don't mind, I'd really like to go back to my over-night quarters. I've been up for over a day and it's starting to wear me down. Will you be alright?"
Peter nodded. He already felt bad for pressing the alarm button in the first place. Only after the doctor had left did he realize that he'd forgotten to have her put the baby back into her crib. The little one was still in his arms and there was no way he could put her back himself, unless he suddenly regained his telekinetic powers, which he deemed unlikely. Peter was also really, really tired. Closing his eyes, he leant back against the pillows, planning to simply rest his eyes for a minute or two. Just to get some rest, nothing more...
The tiny disfigured infant was calmed by its mother's steady heartbeats and dozed off shortly after Peter.
TBC...
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Family Emergency