GRAPHIC CONTENT FAIR WARNING! GRAFFIC CONTENT
I wake up still wrapped up in Jason's arm, one leg caught between his, his face tucked right against mine. I shift my head, brushing his lips with mine, that's enough to wake him up. He lets out a tired groan as he squirms around me.
"Morning." I smile up at him.
"Wow, so that wasn't a dream?"
"Nope." He kisses me until I speak again, "I should go before Chiron gets in here and yells at me."
"He won't mind." He says quietly, kissing my nose.
"I think he will." I tease.
"Do you know how many times he's walked in on Percy and Annabeth in more compromising situations?"
"We're not them." I flip over in the bed, he kisses the back of my neck as I do so.
"Don't go."
"I won't be gone forever." I promise, "I want to shower."
"Can I come?" He jokes.
"You're on strict baths remember?" I stand up.
He grabs my hand, "You'll be back?"
"Count on it." I turn around, kissing his tired lips, even though he has morning breath and I'm sure I do too.
"Can I say I love you?" He asks.
"As long as I can say it back." I leave a kiss on his forehead before running to my room for clothes. Percy's just waking up when I hurry out. Once I've closed the door to the bathroom I take off my pants, suddenly acknowledging the wetness. I'm a bit early for my period this month, I hope I didn't stain Jason's sheets.
That'd be just perfect, right? Bleeding on my new boyfriend's sheets. Wait is he my boyfriend? Are we there?
I take a quick shower and peek into Jason's room on my walk back. I presume Chiron has taken him to breakfast since the room is empty. Hastily I check Jason's sheets and find relief in them being stain free.
I get to breakfast after that. I find immediately when I walk in that Calypso is sitting on Leo's lap. I feel a bit of pride in my throat at this. Hazel and Frank might as well be mounted on each other as well for how close they are. Jason is talking to Percy, who is smiling slightly. My chest feels a little warmer watching all of them, they're still more normal then my dad's side of the family, which instantly makes them better. Even as a particularly painful cramp stabs at me, I keep my smile alive on my face.
"Piper." I turn at the sound of Chiron's voice. "Could you come with me?" He asks as he reaches the door.
"Sure." I follow him to his office.
"Take a seat." He says walking over to his desk.
"Are we really going to be here that long?" I ask with a small smile.
He says nothing as he takes a seat and folds his fingers together.
"Okay..." I take a seat in front of him, "What's up?"
"I was speaking with Nico the other day."
"Like a therapy session?"
"Sort of."
"Is that what this is?"
"If that's how you choose to view it yes. The others are very open with each other and me, but you, you are not."
"Alright..." I chuckle nervously.
"I want you to start coming to me willingly. You are not any different than anyone else here, you're just more reserved. And that's alright but you need to talk to me."
I feel my eyebrows scrunching together on my forehead as I ask, "What's this about?"
He looks at me kindly, but there is not a trace of happiness in his expression, "Jason and Nico told me about the conversation you three had. As I said, I talk to all the others the way I want to talk to you. And Nico was worried about you. Only, he wouldn't tell me what happened. I asked Jason to tell me, he's sure I can help you. That is why I'm here after all, I'm here to help you."
I take what feels like the last breath I will ever take in, "Oh... That."
"Yes that." I say nothing, forcing him to ask, "How does it feel?"
"What?"
"Thinking about what happened. How do you feel thinking about it?"
At this point, I decide I might as well tell the truth. It's not like I can get out of this, "It feels like... Like I'm choking." It's his turn to stay silent, waiting for me to speak, "I think about it and I see him, not fearless but not fearful either. I feel like I need to do something but I just... can't."
He nods, "Tell me what happened, in your own words."
I tell him about the rally, about what my grandpa said. I describe how the sirens sounded, I tell him how it felt when my grandpa collapsed.
"You were arrested?" He asks as I near the end of my story.
I nod, "With sixteen others, they let my dad take me home though, because I was kind of a kid. They made the others spend the night in jail."
He nods, "Were you scared?"
I shake my head.
"What did you feel?"
"I-... Didn't. I couldn't. I didn't know how to feel then. It was all just happening to and around me."
"I want you to list some words for me, about this event."
I hold my breath for half a second, "Painful. Relentless. Haunting. Shameful. Insane."
He nods, "Do you blame yourself?"
"I wouldn't say I blame myself."
"What would you say?"
"That I should have... I don't know, done something."
"Do you feel guilty?"
"I don't know... It's just really confusing."
"Do you want to talk me through what you're feeling?"
I shake my head swallowing the lump in my throat, "No."
"Why not?" He asks.
"Because I'll start crying."
"You're allowed to cry, it's alright."
"No, it's just because I'm on my period."
He looks taken aback by my words, "What?"
"I'm on my period?"
"Since when?"
"Since today...?"
"But-..."
"I don't know if you know this, but periods are kind of a monthly thing." I chuckle a bit.
"Piper you're not supposed to be getting one anymore." He stands up.
"Huh?"
"Come on, before Dr. D leaves for the hospital." I follow him to Dr. D's office. "Do you have a minute?" Chiron asks walking right up to Dr. D.
"Uh... Sure, what's up?"
"Piper's on her period."
"Since when?" He asks.
"Since today." I say, "I'm right here."
Dr. D looks between the two of us, "Piper, go get your phone and call your parents tell them to meet us at the hospital."
"Is this really a big deal?" I ask.
"Yes, it is, go." He picks up his phone to call the hospital.
I head to my room and pick up my phone. My dad doesn't answer, so I call my mom walking back into Dr. D's office.
"Hi sweetheart." She answers.
"Hey, mom, you busy?"
"Yeah, actually, can you call back in a few minutes?"
"Not really." I say as Dr. D walks up to me.
"Is something wrong?"
Putting the receiver to my chest I ask, "What do I tell her?"
"Tell her you need tests done and that one of your parents have to be there."
"I need to get some tests done, dad didn't pick up but I need a parent with me."
"Is it serious?"
"Uh... We don't know." I answer.
"Can your step-dad stand in for me until I get there?"
I ask Dr. D, "Does a step-dad count?"
He rolls his eyes. I take that as my answer, "No." I say.
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
"I'll try my dad in the mean time."
"Okay sweetie, I'll call you when I'm on my way."
"Thanks."
"I love you."
"Love you too." That's a first.
"I'll go get the others." Dr. D says walking out of his office. I walk, in a rather determined fashion to the sofa where Jason's sitting.
"Hey." He smiles at me, I kiss him quickly.
"I'll be back, okay? Dr. D wants to run some tests."
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be back later." I assure him.
"Piper, let's go." Dr. D says from the doorway.
"Bye."
"Bye."
Dr. D loads me, Percy, Leo, Calypso, and Hazel in the car.
"Hey, why aren't you staying home?" Hazel asks me.
"Hm?" I ask dialing my dad again.
"Shouldn't you be with, I don't know, Jason?"
I sigh when he doesn't pick up the phone, "Really?" I ask the phone.
"Is everything okay?" Hazel asks.
"Yeah, everything's alright." I call him again. And another time before we get to the hospital. They all go to the waiting room, I stay outside trying to call my dad. My mom calls when my dad has still yet to pick up to tell me she's a few minutes away.
Dr. D takes me up to some exam room in a part of the hospital I've never been too, the gynecology ward.
He talks to a nurse, hands her some paperwork, and gets us to an exam room.
"Alright honey," The nurse tells me as she hands me a blanket, "Take off your pants and we'll wait for your mom to get here."
"Okay." I mutter softly before sitting on the halfway exam bed. I say halfway because it's not a full bed, and where the end would be is replaced with those stirrup things. In walks my mom as I've situated myself on the bed with the blanket covering my legs.
She looks riddled with nerves and she almost immediately starts fussing, "Is everything alright sweetheart?"
"Right now." I say clutching the blanket in my hands. She kisses my forehead before taking my hand.
"Your Nana and Grandpa are watching Seth right now. I tried calling your father myself but he wouldn't pick up."
"He had a late night for work." I tell her.
"Well, this is a mom thing anyway." She strokes my hair back. Dr. D walks in with another doctor just at that moment.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Nightshade." She smiles at me shaking my hand and then my mom's, "Dr. D has filled me in on your case, so shall we get started?" I nod, "Lean back for me dear."
I lay back on the half bed just as she asks. My mom starts asking questions, "I'm not sure I know exactly what's going on here, could one of you please explain?"
Dr. D says, "The new medication we've put her on should have stopped the hormones that signal her body to menstruate." Dr. Nightshade helps me place my legs on the stirrups.
"New medication?"
"When she had a heart attack we put her on a new medication to help her heart have less stress. The hormone in the medication normally balances out the estrogen."
"Piper, when was the day of your last period?" Dr. Nightshade asks.
"February twelfth."
"You're a bit early then huh?" She asks pulling gloves on.
"A bit." I nod.
"Any symptoms?"
"Cramps." I shrug as she rolls her wheeled chair over to examine me.
"Have they been worse than usual?"
"I mean, they're all bad." I find myself taking my mom's hand.
Dr. Nightshade looks concerned at first glance, and so I look away because this is all too weird. I mean, my mom who I've known since Christmas, a doctor I've just met, and the doctor I live with are all in the same room where my freaking legs are spread open. This is uncomfortable to the max.
"So, she's not supposed to get her period?" My mom asks, Dr. D.
"Technically not, it's not impossible that she'd get her period. I just want to be sure nothing's wrong."
"So this isn't a we're testing because something's wrong?" My mom asks.
"This is a precaution."
"Piper, sweetheart." Dr. Nightshade looks up at me, "I want you to tell me if this hurts alright? I'm not trying to hurt you, I'm just trying to see if there's anything wrong."
I nod looking back at my mom. My mom runs her hands through my knotted hair, "It's alright." She says gently, "Everything's alright."
Only it's really not alright because the worst cramp I've ever had sears through out my entire body. I hiss when I first feel it, snapping my eyes shut before sucking in harsh air.
"Piper, can you describe your pain?"
I let out an unstable breath, "It burns."
"Is it sharp or dull pain?"
"Sharp." My mom starts hushing me as if I'm a baby that needs to be caudled.
Dr. Nightshade takes off her gloves, "You can put your legs down, honey." I let them drop like dead weight as Dr. Nightshade pulls the blanket over my legs, "I want to do an ultrasound real quick, is that okay?"
I nod but I don't open my eyes.
"You're okay sweetheart." My mom kisses my forehead, "You're just fine." I let go of my hold on the blanket and instead grip the hem of my shirt. The impossibly cool ultrasound gel eats the heat of my stomach instantly. The machine clicks to life as Dr. D's pager goes off. He ignores it almost completely, I say almost because he turns it off the moment it buzzes.
My mom draws nervous circles into the back of my hand and Dr. Nightshade presses the wand into my abdomen. She types in a few things before she says, "Doctor, is this what I think it is?"
Dr. D walks up behind her and squints at the screen. "My god." He says under his breath.
"Is something wrong?" My mom asks, her wishful thinking is almost admirable at this point.
"Okay, Piper, we need to get you to surgery." Dr. Nightshade turns off the machine.
"What?" My mom asks gripping my hand.
"Zoe, she can't have surgery." Dr. D says.
"What do you want her to do bleed out?"
"What's going on?" I ask.
Dr. Nightshade puts a hand on my thigh, "I don't want you to be afraid, alright, Piper?" I nod, "Your left fallopian tube is detaching from your uterus. We need to get in as quickly as we can to stop the bleeding and reattach it."
Dr. D gives a pinched look, "Dr. Nightshade may I have a moment?"
She huffs looking at him with incredible irritation, "You're kidding me right?"
"Not at all."
"Do you at least agree that she should be hospitalized?"
"Of course, I'm not completely insane."
Dr. Nightshade turns to us, "I'm going to have you admitted, I'll find your room as soon as Dr. D and I come to an agreement." She leaves the room with an expression of pinched anger.
"Piper-"
"Can I call my dad?" I ask her a sense of fear settling throughout me.
"Of course, sweetie." She says sympathetically.
"My phone's in my pocket." She grabs my pants and hands me the phone.
I wait until he finally picks up, "Hello?" He groans tiredly. I don't want to wake him up, I know he tired, but I'm scared, and I need him with me.
"Daddy. It's me, Piper."
"Hi, princess, what's up?" He sighs with exhaustion.
"I'm in the hospital, there's something wrong and they think they need to do surgery." My mom squeezes my hand tightly. "I need you here."
I hear him stumble over something, "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Okay." I feel my chest tighten, "Bye."
"Bye."
A nurse walks in then, handing papers to my mom to check me into the hospital. The two of them get me up to the Pediatric ward where my step dad meets us.
"What happened? Is everything alright?" He asks my mom while the nurse pulls me into bed.
"At this point, I'm not sure." My mom hugs him.
"If you need anything the nurses at the information desk will help you." The nurse leaves when I nod at her.
My mom and her husband start talking about how confusing everything is before my dad comes into the room, red eyed from sleep but so alert it's frightening.
"Pipes." He sighs, "Are you alright?" He takes me in his arms, even as his body is tense, his presence relaxes me.
"They said I need surgery." I say.
He sighs holding me tighter, "Baby girl."
"I'm sorry daddy." I find myself whispering into his shoulder. I wish I wasn't such a burden on him, I wish this was only hard on me and no one else. Watching him suffer is worse than the pain.
He lays me back down gently, he sits down on the bed next to me. He tries to smile through his tiredness, he tries to talk to me. His effort makes me smile for him, laugh for him.
Until Dr. D walks into my room with a whole team of people behind him. Dr. Nightshade and Dr. Underwood in tow.
"I must be dying, oh wait." I smirk at Dr. Underwood and Dr. D.
"Piper." My mom reprimands me as my dad stands up still squeezing my hand.
Dr. Nightshade speaks first, "Mr. McLean, Mrs. Alester... Mr. Alester. After looking over your daughter's case-"
"And bickering over it." Dr. Underwood flashes me a teasing grin.
Dr. Nightshade refrains from rolling her eyes, but I can tell she wants to, "We see no other alternative but surgery."
"However." Dr. D interrupts, "Because of your daughters heart condition we don't want to put her body under the strain of anesthesia. Which could cause any number of complications." He looks to Dr. Underwood.
"Which is uh..." He composes himself, "Why we have come to the conclusion that the best way to go about this is to give her an epidural and have her awake during the surgery."
Oh joy.
My mom looks absolutely petrified, my step dad holds her tightly. But my dad is different, he just looks confused.
"How does that work?" He asks.
Dr. Nightshade says, "It will start out like a standard C-section. We'll give her the epidural and we'll make a horizontal cut low on her abdomen, and for this particular surgery we'll be doing a vertical cut halfway from her bellybutton down to the first cut. Then we'll open her up, hopefully find no other signs of tearing or any other problems, we'll reattach the fallopian tube and close her back up."
That sounds like boat loads of fun.
"And she'll be awake, the whole time?" My mom asks visibly pale at the thought.
"Yes." Dr. Nightshade nods.
"We also plan on keeping her awake for some time after the surgery so that her body won't shut down or anything of that nature." Dr. Underwood informs my parents, "It's standard procedure to keep the patient awake for an hour at least."
"Okay." My mom takes a deep breath.
"How long?" My dad asks.
"If all goes according to plan? We're looking at an hour, if there are complications anywhere from an hour and a half to four hours." Dr. Nightshade tells him.
"And she'll be going in when?"
"As soon as possible."
My dad nods, "Piper?"
"Hm?" I ask.
"How do you feel about this?"
"Just fix me." I shrug.
"I want you all to meet Dr. Artemis, she's our head of the gynecology department." Dr. Nightshade presents one of the women standing behind my three doctors, "She and I will be performing your surgery."
"It's nice to meet you all." Dr. Artemis nods to us.
"I'll be checking up on you periodically." Dr. Underwood tells me, "Just to make sure you're doing alright."
"Now, because of the nature of this surgery we would ask that one of you be there during the surgery. To keep her awake, alert, and calm." Dr. Artemis tells us, "I ask that if you don't like blood or are squeamish please consider that."
"I'll be there." My dad says firmly.
"Piper, are you sure you want your father there for this kind of surgery?" My mom asks.
"Oh are you serious? It's not like I'm the one doing it."
"Dad." I sigh.
"This is much more of a mom kind of thing."
I start to say, "Well-"
"What? Awake vagina surgery is a mom thing?" My dad just said vagina in front of me.
"You think it's not?"
"I didn't think surgery was a selective parent thing."
As they get into a more heated argument I turn to my doctors, "So, good day so far?" I ask.
"Piper, please take this seriously." My mother says.
"You know, I'm just the one who needs the surgery." I grumble rolling my eyes.
"How about I solve this?" My step dad says taking my mom's hand, "Honey, you hate blood, there will be a lot of blood. Don't go."
She sighs but nods reluctantly.
"Please just give me the drugs." I sigh looking at my dad. He chuckles softly shaking his head.
I'm not sure how much experience you have with needles but I will be the first to tell you the needles they have for epidurals look way worse than they feel. Having said that it looks terrifying.
They sit me up on the end of the hospital bed, my mom telling it'll be alright, that she's had four epidurals and they aren't so bad. They have me walk, before I lose the feeling in my legs, to the wheely bed that will take me to surgery.
My legs go numb as they start wheeling me into the hallway, my cramps are completely gone too. I guess you win some lose some.
When I get to the operation room, my dad is there in a surgeons gown, face mask, and one of those head coverings. All I can see are his tired eyes that look like they're trying so hard to smile.
"Hi." He chuckles, sitting down beside me.
"Hi." I smile back awkwardly as some nurses put a sheet between us and the actual, you know, cutting. That's starting to freak me out by the way. The fact that they're cutting me open and the only thing shielding me from it is some stupid sanitary cloth.
"Piper, we're going to start okay?" Dr. Artemis leans from over the sheet. She has a cute little head covering, it has deer on it.
"Do me a favor and don't keep me updated. I don't want to know."
"Got you." She winks before... I won't gross you out with the sounds. I won't tell you how absolutely terrifying it is to know wow my insides are now being man handled. I most certainly won't go into detail about any of that.
But I will say that my heart rate spikes when they make the first few cuts.
"Dad, I need you to talk to her." Dr. Artemis says.
"Uh... How've you been, baby girl?"
"Wow dad." I smirk nervously at him, "What a dweeb."
"You had to get it from somewhere." He says letting his hand rest gently on my forehead. He does his best to not rub the shower cap type thing I'm wearing.
"I'm cool." I joke.
"You are a nerd and you know it."
"I'm really not though."
"You collect cards for a nerd card game."
"It is an advanced game dad."
He chuckles, "I'm sure it is."
"Have you told Aunt Careen she's naming her baby after a dying kid?"
"Piper Marie McLean if you were anymore morbid the Grim Reaper could finally retire."
"I mean, it's a valid question."
"No, I haven't."
"You need to get on that."
"You need to stop assuming you're going to die." I roll my eyes, "I'm serious, remember what Marry Poppins said?"
"Dad, no." I sigh trying not to laugh.
He starts singing that song from Marry Poppins the musical, "Anything can happen if you let it sometimes things are difficultbut you canbet it doesn't have to be some..." He looks at me to sing.
"Changes can be made." I give in and start singing with him.
"You can move a mountain if you use a larger spade. Anything can happen it's a marvel. You can be a butterfly."
"Or just stay larval. Stretch your mind beyond fantastic dreams are made of strong elastic." I smile as he starts bouncing to the beat.
"Take some sound advice and don't forget it."
"Anything can happen if you let it."
"Anything can happen if you let it. You won't know a challenge until you've met it."
I smile at how well I'm remembering these stupid lyrics, "No one does it for you."
"No one but yourself vacillating violets get left up on the shelf anything can happen just imagine! That should be my epitaph I wear the badge in honor of this world's free thinkers."
"Jelly isn't jelly 'Till you set it anything can happen if you let it."
"Anythingcan happen if you let it what good is a whistleunless you whet it." He moves his head around, bobbing it from side to side with the jumpy notes.
"Broaden your horizons. Open different doors.You may find a you there that you never knew was yours.Anything can happen."
"Raise the curtain things you thought impossible,will soon seem certain though at first it may sound clownish see the worldmore upside-downish turn it on its head then pirouette it."
I wonder when the last time my dad and I hung out that wasn't yesterday. When we smiled or sang. My dad hasn't sung to me since I was little. I sing back, "Anything can happen if you let it."
"If you reach for the stars all you get are the stars but we've found a whole new spin if you reach for the heavens." He sings his favorite part before we sing together.
"You get the stars thrown in if you reach for the stars all you get are the stars but we've found a whole new spin. If you reach for the heavens you get the stars thrown in. Anything can happen if you let it life out there waiting so go and get it grab it by the collar seize it by the scruff one. You've started living life you just can't get enough. Anything can happen it's official you can choose the super or the superficial sally forth the way we're steering obstacles. Start disappearing go and chase your dreams you won't regret it. Anything can happen anything can happen."
"Anything can happen if you let it." I finish our awkward duet.
"So, yeah, musical numbers fit in everywhere. I told you movies are the best teachers Pipes." He teases me.
"Yes daddy." I smile widely at him.
"You two should do a sing along version." Dr. Nightshade tells us lightly.
"We should." He agrees. But we don't sing again, my dad makes small talk, telling me little stories from when he was young thinking of any story I might like.
My surgery takes a long time, longer than an hour, and I know because my dad is actually falling asleep on me. I feel so bad.
"So... Are we almost done?" I ask watching my dad near collapse.
"Uh... Maybe." Dr. Nightshade says.
"That's fantastic." I sigh.
"There's more damage than we thought so it's taking awhile." Dr. Artemis leans over the sheet to tell me, "How are you holding up, girlie?"
"I'm okay, my dad on the other hand."
"I'm fine." He promises me.
"Don't you have work?"
"Later."
"You look ready to keel over daddy."
"I'm okay princess."
"We'll have one of the nurses set up a cot for you Mr. McLean." Dr. Artemis smiles with her eyes before getting back to my surgery.
I won't tell you about the sounds, or the conversations, or anything because it all goes back to the same surgery that took three hours when it was supposed to take one. Dr. Artemis keeps her promise to me with the whole, not keeping me updated on what she's fixing when. I'm grateful to her for that.
I am exhausted, I have done nothing and I'm exhausted. My dad is already passed out beside me and my mom is trying to keep me awake for another hour until Dr. Nightshade checks up on me. My hospital room is cold and quiet. So quiet my eyes threaten to close.
"What time is it?" I ask my mom.
"Ten." She says softly.
"Ew..." I groan.
"Look at me honey." She is so scared of me falling asleep.
"Uhg."
"I know it's tough, but you're going to be alright. When Dr. Nightshade gets here you can go to sleep."
"It's going to hurt when I wake up."
"It'll get better." She assures me, "Don't go to sleep." Just as she says that Dr. D and Dr. Nightshade walk in.
"How's Annabeth, Dr. D? I meant to ask earlier."
"She was awake for a little bit earlier today, but she had some troubles talking. We're hoping it's just because of the drugs, but we're not totally sure."
"That's good, I mean that she woke up."
Dr. Nightshade checks me out, "I hope you feel special Piper, you're one of the youngest patients we've done this surgery on. You'll be going in the medical journals."
"Fun, getting documented for being unable to have normal surgery." I roll my eyes.
"She's just sunshine and rainbows." She teases Dr. D, "I guess your kids become you."
"Low blow Zoe."
She chuckles, "Whatever, you're good to go, Piper."
"I'm leaving?" I ask groggily.
"Oh good god no. To join your dad in dreamland. Get some rest, alright?"
"Can do." I nod closing my eyes. As the two doctors leave.
"You're such a brave girl." My mom whispers as I drift off almost immediately to sleep.