Fatherhood Part 2
Fallout: Chapter 1
Peter Udonta, dug his fingers deeper into his dad's neck, only Yondu didn't appear to notice his six-year-old sons extra pressure, as he carried his mate Kraglin through the decks. If Peter had a mind, he would have released his grip and dropped to the floor like he had been trained too, but with his little heart racing in his chest he was too terrified to do anything as Kraglin moaned once more causing Yondu to increase the pace without looking down.
As they came to the med bay, Yondu had called them in advance so they had everything prepped as he burst through the door and laid Kraglin on his back, shrugging his shoulders so that Peter knew to drop.
"Kraglin, Kraglin". Yondu slapped his mate's cheek which caused a frown to appear over his face, as he tried to fill his lungs with air, immediately struggling as the Medic came over.
"What happened?" The Medic asked as bio signs of Kraglin begun to appear on monitors, Kraglin had stolen some supplies from a Xandarian Med Ship a year earlier just for kicks, which was now proving to be one of the best ideas of his entire life.
"It was the Sakaarans". Peter whispered as Yondu squeezed his shoulder, his boy had seen more death than any child his age should even though they both did their best to shield him from it, to keep it at a distance. And now this.
Yondu stood back as the medics did their work, as Kraglin top was cut off and his chest and stomach which already had an adornments of impressive scars, and now with the hole in his chest spilling his blue blood over the table, he looked like he was about to gain a new one.
"Daddy", Peter uttered noticed how pale his daddy looked as he glanced up at Yondu who's face was just frozen.
The Med bay begun to full with Ravagers to get their own wounds cleaned, but they took one look at the Udonta family and immediately backed off to lick their wounds elsewhere under the aid of one of their colleagues and a fuck ton of booze.
Under the gaze of their Captain, the Medics worked quickly as they begun to insert needles into Kraglin's skin to get his heart to move at a better pace whilst they tried to extract the bullet, as Yondu looked down at his son feeling the fear vibrating through his body and the sight of blue blood, Kraglin's blood that was over his clothes and face which the boy hadn't noticed. He knew if Kraglin was up he would have a go at Yondu, he could practically hear his mate's voice in his head as he picked up the boy and took him to a nearby table, grabbing a cloth to wipe the blue off the Terran's face. Peter looked like he was going into shock.
"Peter…Peter". Yondu grabbed a chair so he was at eye level at the boy, Peter gaze wouldn't meet Yondu's so in the end he had to use his most commanding voice, the one he normally saved for his crew and not his son, as finally the bright green eyes looked at him.
Yondu could see the tears that Peter wouldn't spill in Yondu's presence. Yondu had a rule for Ravagers and tears weren't one of them. Peter had taken that rule seriously so only saved his tears for when he was alone with Kraglin, with daddy. With dad…with Yondu it was more serious, which caused Yondu a stab of guilt.
"He's going to be ok". Yondu assured him, hoping he wasn't lying to the boy as Peter just nodded. "I know he will because he's strong". The six-year-old whispered as an edge appeared in his voice. "They were aiming at me…Daddy jumped in". The boy admitted, in a hushed tone, which indicated how guilty he was feeling.
"Ok, this is not your fault…it's mine". Yondu admitted feeling more like a bastard with each word. "It was my idea to take you on the retrieval, he didn't want you to…we had no idea the Sakaarans was going to be there, and they shouldn't have been there. So don't you ever blame yourself for this". Yondu realised he was starting to word vomit so shut up and run a hand over his face. He knew if Kraglin was up, he would be throwing something at his head for putting their son in danger and he was right about that.
Peter nodded; as Yondu run his hand through his hair, the universal indicator of trust between the pair as several feet away the bed where Kraglin was lying on begin to beep widely.
"Shit". Yondu turned away, as Peter instinctively wrapped his arms across his body as Yondu dashed over to his mate.
"What is it", he yelled as Kraglin began to flat line. "The bullets still stick in him; it's too deep so we can't get it out". The Medic stated as he begun to resuscitate Kraglin. For a full minute, there was nothing but the Xandarians body twitching on the table as Yondu felt sick as he was looking down at his mate. "Don't you die on me, you bastard. Don't you dare die on me". He urged as the electrical impulses going through his body were proving useless. "The bullets pressing on a valve, we can't get it out…we need something to grab it". The Medic stated, and from the look on his face was preparing to call it, something that would have got him killed a minute later, as Yondu thought for a second before rushing back and picking up Peter who just look bewildered.
"Look at these". Yondu held up the boys tiny Terran hands. "Can these grab it?"
The Medic look at Peter's hands, and immediately after poured the surgical alcohol over his fingers begun issuing directions.
"Nothing to lose…Right Peter, you need to put your hand in that hole there and right at the end you will feel the bullet. Can you get it out?"
From the look on Peter's face he was clearly terrified but under the watchful gaze on his dad, his fingers disappeared into Kraglin's body there was a sickening squelching sound as the Terran's hands slipped into Kraglin's chest until they found the metal object, and drew it to the surface. Almost immediately the vitals across Kraglin's body begun to stabilise as with a sigh of relief from everyone in the room, the Medics immediately went back to work on patching up the Xandarian.
"You did brilliantly, Peter…You did so well". Yondu murmured as he held his son close to his chest, stepping back so the medics could continue their work. Kraglin had always been pale, now his face looked like ash but he was breathing easier.
"This could take a few hours, but Kraglin can breathe by himself now and his vitals are good". Even though the Medic would never order him directly, Yondu knew the implication in the tone as he looked down at his boy. Peter was just looking down in his right hand, staring at the bullet he had just pulled from his daddy's body. He needed to get the boy back to his quarters, even though he wanted to stay, but it was what Kraglin would do. His mate was always the calm in the storm and at times the most sensible of the pair, especially when it came to Peter.
Yondu nodded as he gave the order to be called if anything changed making it clear in his voice that he better pull through this, as he adjusted the boy in his arms and stepped from the Med bay. Holding Peter in his arms, he noticed the crew that passed him never meeting his gaze as if terrified of his temper, even though he knew it was impossible to have foreseen this.
Stepping into their quarters, Yondu perched Peter on his own bed before dipping into the boys bedroom to grab his night things, along with his trusty Walkman the music from his planet had the ability to banish the nightmare that may arose from this night, even though Kraglin was always good for those as the memory of his mate as he soothed the boy through the night terrors sent a stab into Yondu's heart.
Peter was still on the edge of the bed looking at the bullet that was stained, and staining his own hands with Kraglin's blood as he picked the bullet from the boy's hands and placed it on the side. He didn't want to see it, and didn't t want Peter to see it anymore. Wordlessly he picked the boy up, took him into the bathroom and began to clean him. Normally Peter hated bath time, growing up in a place where hygiene among the Ravagers took a backdoor was a factor in their lives…But not for the Captains son. Tonight there were no protests, or words as Peter let Yondu wash him clean as if trying to erase everything from the night as Peter just held the dead look in his eyes as if he was trying to process everything.
Putting the boy in his pyjamas and quickly changing into a pair of loose trousers Yondu picked up the boy, and instead of taking him back to his bedroom placed him on his own pillow where Kraglin normally laid.
As the boy's head, hit the pillow Peter curled himself up into a little ball of Terran as Yondu slipped in beside him, it was best to keep the boy close just in case of nightmares, he rationalised in his head.
"The pillow smells like daddy", Peter whispered the first words he had said for a while as Yondu begun to run his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know, boy I know". Aware that he needed to say something more, he leaned his head closer. "Look, your daddy is tough; he's the strongest man I've ever known. He's going to be fine". Peter nodded as he slipped his earphones on and closed his eyes, trying to slip into a world where the day never happened and daddy was fine.
Yondu watched as his son drifted away on the music until his breathing evened out, he was expecting a nightmare which could still come, and he knew he needed to rest. Even though Kraglin was the only casualty, the mission was still a success and he needed to go through the objects, and it would do no good if the Captain was out of commission too.
Yondu tried to relax, his mind in the med bay where they were still working on his mate, and Peter was right, the pillow did smell like Kraglin, in fact the whole bed smelled of him, of that Xandarian shampoo he used in the shower and the aftershave he wore. The whole room was saturated in him, as Yondu took a deep breath, and felt his eyes wander.
Even in the half-light, Kraglin was etched on every surface; he had insisted that the world outside may be dangerous, but here in these quarters was a safe environment. They were adorned with pictures of them three of them as a family, on picnics and zoo trips, the excursions they had taken off the Eclector. Kraglin's smiling face with the boy between them caused the hair on Yondu's body to twitch and he could take it no more.
Checking to see if Peter was still asleep, he pulled his drawer open to pull out the Terran monitor. It hadn't been used in years, but when Peter was a babe still in his box it was essential for them to know when he was up or crying so they could come to his aid, even if they were on the other side of the ship, as he activated one half and dressing quickly put the other in his pocket as he slipped out of their quarters and made his way back to the med bay.
The room was silent, apart from the beeping of the machines that were monitoring his mate as the Medic filled in Yondu on what had happened. The surgery had been a complete success, and he was breathing with no problems, but there was a moment, a small moment that Kraglin was starved of oxygen. The effect on his Xandarian brain had caused it to go into hibernation, to recover in his own time. They had no idea how long that would be, but he needed to rest and let his brain reconnect with the rest of his body.
The meaning of the word hung in Yondu's mind as he approached his Kraglin and took a seat taking his left hand, the one that didn't have needles in it, noticing how cold it was and how unnaturally Kraglin looked with his eyes closed.
"Listen, they say you can hear me, and listen good. You have got to wake up…And you better do it soon. I cannot run this ship and take care of Peter without you. Hell, I only kept him five years ago because of you, and we both know that. You do this better that me Kraglin…Perhaps I should have told you that earlier, like you didn't already know". Yondu smiled to his mate, as he pushed a lock of his hair off his motionless face. "I need you, we need you. So you better wake up".
There was a twist in Kraglin's lips which Yondu took as an indicator he had heard everything as the sound of Peter muttering in his sleep chimed in over the monitor in Yondu's pocket. Knowing he had to get back to their son, stroked Kraglin's hand once more and went back to his quarters, Peter was still asleep, but moving in the early moments of a nightmare, as Yondu with expert ease stroked his boy's forehead with his thumb until the twitching behind his eyes subsided and Peter begun to dream easier.
Yondu his job done, slipped back next to his Peter, and held him close, he may have banished their son's nightmares but as Yondu finally let himself rest was hoping the same for Kraglin.
To be continued
