Peter's POV
Chapter 9:
There is a cold wet rag that is being dragged slowly across my forehead. Was that Wendy? Oh thank Gods, It was only a dream. A horrid terrifying dream that I hope I never experience again. My eyes are still closed because I am strangely tired but I know I am still in Wendy's bed. My head is throbbing and my side is numb. . Is this still from the fall? I slowly open my right eye and peek out at whoever is cooling my head. Michael stands over me, looking down with watery eyes.
"Oh, Peter, you're alive!" The young boy throws his arms around my neck and hugs tightly while crying what I assume are tears of joy.
"Of course I am, Michael," I chuckle, feeling warm inside at his delight. "Don't cry, buddy, I'm alright. What happened?" I stroke the back of his blonde head to comfort him. His shaky breathing returns to normal and he slowly sits back up on the side of the bed
"You were passed out on the floor… You were covered in blood, Peter."
The realization that I wasn't dreaming hit me like a cannon.
I sit up and grip Michael by his arms. "Where's Wendy?!" Michael, where is she?!" I shout as I shake his little body by his arms.
Michael's eyes show intense fear at my actions and he just cries out, "GONE, PETER! We don't know what happened?! She was gone and you were half dead on the floor. You looked like you had been stabbed."
My eyes open widely and I gently push Michael aside and swing my legs off the side of the bed. She can't be gone. She can't-. I drop my head into my hands and cry for a second. Then suddenly jumping up from the bed I shout out in rage. The world is spinning around me, taunting me to try and save her, knowing I am not well enough to do so. Stumbling, I run to the door of the bedroom and take off down the stairs.
John sees me and runs to my side. "Peter?! What are you doing out of-"
"I have to go," I blurt out,"I have to go save Wendy. Hook stole her and she-she needs me, John, she needs me." I am teetering from side to side and speaking so quickly I doubt he even understood me.
"Okay, Peter, calm down." John tries to help me regain my balance but it's no use.
"No! I have to go, John, s-she needs-" I stutter as tears roll down my face, choking up my words. I feel so empty without her. The more I think about what hook could be doing to her, the more I cry. I tear away from John and hustle to the door.
"Peter, no!" is all I hear as I take off. I slide down the front steps and stumble into the street. A rushing automobile comes at me with its horn blaring. I leap to the right to avoid the car and roll in the way of another oncoming vehicle. I brace for the impact then abruptly get yanked to my feet and pushed to sidewalk. The car comes by beeping its horn and shouting at my foolishness. My rescuer, John, sits beside me on the sidewalk, panting heavily.
"What were you thinking?! You don't know your way around London! And no one can know who you are and that you are real!" John scolds in between breathes.
"I don't know. I just need to save her, John." I sound helpless and feel like it too.
"Well you can't save anyone in the physical shape that you are in! Now let's get you inside before you do something else stupid and it looks like you ripped your stitches also." John shakes his head and I notice my bandaged side is seeping through with bright red blood.
John helps me to my feet and we go back inside to greet a red eyed Michael.
"Peter are you- wait what happen-?"
"We will explain later. Go get the things from earlier. This fool ripped his stitches." John glares at me and I just hang my head.
Michael nods and runs up the stairs. Once he is gone, John motions me to the living room sofa and I sulk over to lie down. He sits down on the coffee table next to the couch where Wendy's smashed cigarette from earlier lays as ashes in a ceramic bowl.
"Okay, Peter, I want you to calmly tell me what happened to Wendy."
I open my mouth to speak then close it again when I feel a lump form in my throat. Struggling to control my emotions, I take a deep breathe. Michael comes down the stairs and joins John on the table. In his hands are a sewing needle and a wad of fishing line.
"John, do you know what you're doing?"
"Look I fixed you the first time. I saw this in a picture show once, just trust me and tell us what happened to our sister." John seems to be more focused on hearing the painful story than to worry about his doctoring abilities. He bits his bottom lip as he strains his eyes to thread the needle with the fishing line. While he does this, Michael unwraps my middle and I gasp when I see the huge gash in my side.
John snorts at my reaction and says, "It was worse before."
I gulp and then ask, "How long was I bleeding out before you found me?"
"We heard Wendy scream and then a crash but by the time we got upstairs, she was gone and you were on the floor, covered in blood." Michael tells me. "Where is she, Peter?"
"Hook. He has been looking for me for five years to seek his revenge on me. He must have heard that I was hiding out here and-"
"Wait, so you weren't here to be with us? You were here so you could hide from Hook?!" John shouts as he jumps to his feet in anger.
"No, I didn't mean it like that! John, I stayed here because I love you guys! I am not afraid of Hook in the least but now that he has Wendy, he has me. He knows it, Wendy knows it, and I know it. But it's not stopping me from going to save her. It's me he wants to suffer. I'll suffer for the rest of my life if it means Wendy and you boys remain unharmed!"
John slowly sits back down and apologizes. He picks up the needle again and threads it quickly then ties a knot. "This will sting a little, Peter. Just hold this stick in your mouth and squeeze Michael's hand when it hurts."
I take the stick and place it in between my teeth. Michael looks at me with a worried look and holds out his hand for me. I take it and close my eyes preparing for the pain. John gulps and then wipes over my wound with a clean cloth to sterilize it.
"Alright. Here goes nothing." And I feel a prick then hear a collection of tinkling bells.
"TINKERBELLE!" I shout out in delight and the boys get broad smiles across their faces. The tiny fairy buzzes around our heads speaking so quickly, I can't even keep up with her. The boys have puzzled looks on their faces because they cannot understand her bells which are how she speaks.
"Tink, TINK! Calm down! I can't keep up with you. What is going on?! Have you seen Wendy?! Is she okay?!"
Tink lands on my shoulder and tells me to hush. She needs to fix me first; that girl can wait a few extra minutes besides her rescue is hopeless unless I am in good enough condition to be able to fight Hook. Tink has always been jealous of Wendy. Actually, Tink is jealous of just about anything and everything; that's why her dress is a bright green color; green is the color of jealously after all. She flies down and lands on my stomach. Stepping around my wound, she examines me like a medic arriving to a scene.
She tells me my ribs are broken which I already assumed and that my cut from Hook's sword is pretty deep.
"I figured as much." I say in agreement," How's my arm?"
Tink flutters to my shoulder again and walks gently down my injured arm, examining it like she did with my chest. She confirms that it is indeed broke and asks if Hook did all this.
"No… Wendy and I had a bad fall yesterday. I was the one who took most of the impact."
Tink shakes her head and then soars above me. "Ready to be healed?" she jingles as she conjures up a large amount of pixie dust in the air. I smile and close my eyes as she thrusts the glittering dust upon my chest and arm. My skin feels as though I were standing in the bright sun on a summer day. Then I open my eyes and move my arm slightly to test it out. Realizing Tink's magic had done its job, I leap to my feet in joy.
"Oh thank you, Tink!"
She twirls around my head in delight of my good health and for a moment I forgot about Hook. The boys bring me back to reality, begging Tink to update them on their sister. She rings out that all she knows is that Wendy is alive. I translate to the boys and a rush of reassurance comes over them both.
"Now that I am better, I can save her! I will leave at once!" I leap into flight consumed with happy thoughts of rescuing Wendy.
"You will do no such thing!" Tink rattles at me crossly. "We need to come up with a plan, Peter, you cannot just walk into a large trap such as this one without a plan."
"I don't have time to plan! I need to leave right now I don't care what the cost is; if it is my life then so be it, as long as Wendy is safe." I say to Tink.
She gives me a stern look then clutters," Fine! Go get yourself killed; see if I care!"
"Tink, I don't want to leave you like this. Come on."
"I have missed you Peter. I just don't want to see you hurt. What if I am not there next time to heal you?"
"I will be alright, Tink. Peter Pan never loses."
"That's because he never had any weaknesses; now he has three." She points at the boys and they gulp, unaware of what we are discussing.
"Tinnnkkkk…" I warn her to stop talking about them in such a way. "I admit, I love them and I know that it makes me vulnerable but it also makes me stronger. See how I am flying right now? They give me these happy thoughts. I can save Wendy without harming either of us, but if one of us needs to suffer to save the other it will be me and I will do so willingly because Hook will not leave Wendy and her brothers alone otherwise."
She nods in understanding then gives me a kiss on the cheek. I smile my smug grin at her and she chuckles. The boys laugh along as if they understood our conversation perfectly.
"See you soon, boys." I say as I wrap them in my arms for a goodbye hug.
"We know, Peter." Says Michael as he hides his face in my chest.
I release them and strike my signature pose. With my hands on hips and my chest puffed out I smile and then crow. The boys join in and then I rise off the ground still smiling widely.
"Second star to the right and straight on till morning!" I shout as I fly out the window I usually spied from. I'm coming, Wendy. Just hold on. I'll save you, I promise.