Hi friends! This is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!
It turned out that going to bed that night was the easiest part. It only got colder as the night went on, and while Percy had planned for Annabeth, he had not been as good at planning for himself. He had worn a sweatshirt and jeans, but that was proving to not be enough against the rapidly dropping temperatures.
Percy took to holding Annabeth as his source of warmth, but he couldn't seem to take the blanket he had wrapped around her off of her so they could share. He wasn't sure why, but he just didn't think that it was fair. While he wouldn't admit it, Percy felt a lot of guilt for the situation they were in. He was the one that kept Annabeth isolated in a room away from everyone. He was the one that forced her into marriage. He was the one that pushed her socialize with the rest of the family. It was him that put her in the situation that almost got her killed.
In his defense when he had asked her to socialize he thought that he was going to be there. In his perfect world he'd be in a meeting and she'd knock and ask to join him, but that was pretty far fetched. Not to mention she didn't even know where his office was. However, Percy always thought that she would have asked him for help before throwing herself off a cliff, but guess not. Even though the more he thought about Annabeth the more he realized that was a stupid assumption.
Percy didn't get much sleep that night. He was cold and uncomfortable in the cave. Not to mention that he felt like they were going to be eaten every time he closed his eyes. So he settled for watching Annabeth sleep peacefully, monitoring her breathing to make sure that it stayed even and deep. Even though he did notice that one in awhile she would flinch when her neck moved too much.
Morning was a long time coming, but it did finally arrive. The den hadn't gotten super wet thanks to Percy's boy scout skills, but that didn't stand for the rest of the forest. The ground was damp and mushy, two things that were not going to help the tired and injured. That didn't stop Percy from packing up camp as soon as the sun rose though. He wanted out of there as quickly as possible. It also didn't hurt that there was a doctor at the house, and Percy was pretty sure Annabeth needed to see one as soon as possible.
Once camp was packed up Percy made a move towards Annabeth, "hey, wake up" he tried as he lightly shook her. Nothing. "Babe, come on we've got to go. I'll carry you, but I want you to wake up." Nothing. Now he was getting really worried. "Annabeth!" he shouted shaking her.
As if she was possessed Annabeth flew up and turned, vomiting all over the floor. Well trying to vomit. There wasn't much left to vomit up. So she dry heaved a few more times and rolled to face him. Percy wasn't sure what to do at first, and it showed in his hesitation, but he soon decided that rubbing her back and trying to calm her was the best thing he could do. He also knew that Annabeth needed to see a doctor, like yesterday. If she was vomiting he needed to check for signs of internal damage, and Percy was not looking forward to checking out Annabeth's puke for signs of blood.
He had to do it though, and it seemed the sooner the better because Annabeth was still coughing. So Percy leaned over his heaving wife and looked for a red coloring, and was relieved to find none. However, that didn't mean that they were out of the woods yet, both literally and metaphorically. He was beginning to worry that if they didn't see a doctor soon they were going to have bigger problems than just bruising.
"Ok Beth we have to get out of here. Do you feel well enough for me to carry you?" Annabeth nodded, but he could tell that she was trying to hold in tears. There was a nasty bruise forming around her neck that Percy wanted to get checked as soon as possible. It was times like these that he was glad that he had a doctor living in the mansion. Dr. Drew was always on call and ready to help. It also kept the feds off their trail in the case that someone was shot or "punished" in other methods. A family doctor was the best way to hide the secrets of the family, and there was nothing Percy wouldn't do to protect his family.
Percy scooped her into his arms and started to make his way toward their home. It was going to be a few hour walk, and carrying Annabeth was only going to make it longer. However, Annabeth was drifting in and out of consciousness, so her walking herself home was not an option. Percy played with the idea of calling for a stretcher to meet him halfway, but something in him couldn't bring himself to pass her off to other people. One thing that has always been drilled into his head as a child was loyalty, and Annabeth was his wife. He was going to stay by her side, through the good or bad, even if they hadn't said those exact words.
The walk was not an easy one. They were far away from any for of civilization, and there were no paths that lead back, so every step he took he was on moss and twigs. Percy slipped a few times, and almost dropped Annabeth twice, but started to take more careful steps. The only problems with the careful steps was that it slowed them down even more. On his way to find her Percy had been so hyped up on adrenaline that he hadn't cared about falling, but now falling wasn't really an option. If they tumbled it would probably only cause more damage to Annabeth.
The ground was still damp from the storm the night before, which meant that everything was slick. Percy was pretty sure that he cursed the whole way home, but Annabeth was asleep most of the way so there was no one there to corroborate his story. Not that Percy really minded. In fact he kinda liked it just being the two of them. Even if Annabeth wasn't going to remember it, there was something about this that Percy knew he would remember forever. It felt like the first time that Annabeth really trusted him. Even if she didn't really have a choice.
The closer he got to home the more Percy realized that he was dreading it. Once he got back he was going to have to keep a constant eye on Annabeth. It wasn't that he was upset about watching over her, it was more that he was upset that he couldn't trust his family to treat her fairly. Those were the people that he grew up with and trusted with his life, but he knew that he couldn't trust them with her. Percy felt like he was between a rock and a hard place, and he was just praying his family would let up before he was crushed.
They did finally make it though, and for that Percy was thankful. Walking onto the lawn of the house Percy was surprised to find it in a frenzy. People were running about, and his second in command, Grover, was shouting orders at people. However, when they saw him emerge carrying Annabeth they all stopped. It was like a spell had been cast over everyone.
"Percy?" Grover called. "Is that her? Is she okay?"
It was like he was snapped out of the same spell everyone else was under. "Get me a doctor!" he roared over the lawn. Then everyone else snapped out of it too. The lawn became a frenzy again. People were going in the house to get out of the way, and others were running to get the doctor. No one was wanting to further upset their boss.
A frumpled old man came jogging out of the house shortly after, scanning the lawn looking for the injured girl. He was carrying a large first aid kit, but Percy knew it wasn't going to be enough. They were going to have to go to the clinic that was kept in the basement of the house. Annabeth was going to need x-rays among other things, and Percy wasn't playing around. Even if the tests weren't all necessary she was going to undergo them anyway. There was not going to be any Derek Shepherd missed tests.
The doctor reached them and Percy set an unconscious Annabeth on the ground in front of the doctor. "What happened?" the older man asked him.
"She was strangled then ran away. She was able to run about 2 hours north of here, and I found her passed out in a cave. We both spent the night there, and when she woke up this morning she was vomiting. No blood though." The doctor nodded at what Percy had said and went back to his assessment. He looked at the bruises marring her neck and listened to her breathing.
"I'm not gonna lie to you boss, I can't tell much without x-rays and some other testing. It would be best if we head to the clinic," the doctor said looking up at him. Percy nodded and swept Annabeth back into his arms. His step was determined. No one was going to get in his way, not that they wanted too.
The clinic was in the basement of the house (easier to hid from the feds). It was a full fledged clinic, so it didn't take long for the doctor to set up what he needed. Soon enough Annabeth was being put through every test under the sun and then some. It wasn't like she really knew what was going on anyway. She had yet to fully come to, and that was making Percy even more nervous.
It felt like hours before any results were available, but Percy stayed diligently by Annabeth's side through all the in and out tests. He wasn't going to lie though, he was definitely getting anxious for answers. At this point they would have to know if something was seriously wrong with her. For God's sake wouldn't she be dead by now if it was? Percy took back that last part as soon as he thought it.
Finally the doctor walked in. "Okay, so good news. There isn't anything seriously wrong with her. There is severe bruising on her neck though, and she may have a hard time talking when she fully wakes up," Percy nodded. "She's going to need to drink a lot of cold water and ice her neck as often as possible. Also, keep your eyes open for unusual behavior. There could be brain damage that we couldn't see. Other than that her feet are cut up, but nothing serious. Just keep a close eye on her." It wasn't great news, but percy would take it.
"Thank you doc. I'll being her by next week for another evaluation." The older man sent him a kind smile and sent the pair on their way. Carrying her back, Percy felt a sense of relief. Annabeth may not have woken up yet, but she was going to be okay. Yeah she wasn't going to be happy, but he still had her to hold onto. Percy wasn't so sure why he was so protective of her. It wasn't like they had known each other that long. He wanted to credit it to the promise that he made her mother, but he knew that wasn't the whole truth. There was something about her that made him like her, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. At this point Percy was just hoping he could keep her around long enough to find out. His family wasn't going to get away with treating her like this, and Percy was going to make sure that they knew that.
Hi guys! Long time no see! Anyway, don't kill me I'm working on my updating habits. How did you guys like this chapter? I focused more on Percy in this chapter, and the next one will focus on how Annabeth feels about the whole situation. Let me know what you thought!
Emily