musesandlyrics | 3.24. Otis Redding lyrics
3.24. And if you would let them hold you
Oh, how grateful I will be
These arms of mine
They are burning, burning from wanting you
These arms of mine
They are wanting, wanting to hold you
These Arms of Mine - Otis Redding
Co-written with imgrounded
[Follows THIS]
Peter had no idea how he'd managed it, but somehow he had managed to get his jeans on up over his hips. Now he just needed a break before he even contemplated getting his fly up. He had boxers on, so it wasn't like anyone could see anything. He had one arm in a cast, and he looked down at it tiredly. It was strange, but he'd had healing for so long that part of him was at a loss for how to deal with a normal injury like a broken arm. His ability didn't work like it did before, so he couldn't heal without touching someone like his niece to pick it up again.
And then he'd lose his brother's flight, and for some reason he wanted to keep a hold of it. Like it would be a connection to Nathan. In Princeton Peter was on his own, and he had wanted it that way. He'd wanted a fresh start, and normality. He just hadn't expected to be literally hit with it. He could still picture the blonde clearly in his mind, and he knew she'd visited him a couple times. He could even remember asking for her.
He just wished he could have a conversation with her without being drowsy, or stuck in a hospital bed. He just wasn't sure if they'd got to swapping details so once he was out of here as a patient would she even be able to find him again? Would he be able to her? He remembered something about a brother as a nurse at PPTH, but for all he knew he was imagining it because he wanted some link to her, some way to find her that was easy.
Of course it would still mean talking to every male nurse, and coming across as crazy, but Peter had been called worse. He was also no stranger to being called crazy. He winced as he straightened his back, still feeling a little sensitive all over from hitting the ground. He just wanted to lay back down and curl up until he felt better. Maybe with Randy holding him, but he wasn't supposed to be having those thoughts, right?
Randy had just finished having lunch with Matt. She just couldn't help worrying about her brother after his shock with the patient death. He seemed to be doing okay, though, maybe just a little shaken that it would happen again. It wasn't that she thought he would throw nursing in after it, because she knew he loved it too much and he was brilliant at it. Still, she was also the one studying psychology and she knew things that gave people a shock could lead to them wavering in their confidence. He was mostly just tired after a long shift, though, and ravenous, which was a good sign. She bought him a pizza from the local joint a block away from the hospital and he ate just about the whole thing.
She wasn't sure if Peter was even going to still be a patient, but she decided to drop by the room he was in just in case. She was close to backing off, not sure anymore if he just didn't want her there, wasn't much of a talker, or really did have a sore head that made him not really aware of his surroundings. It was more tipping in the former two options in her mind, though, and she wasn't sure what to make of that. She just wanted to know he was okay and she would stop bugging him. Matt wouldn't pass on any information about Peter, even if he might have had access to it. It was because he was a colleague too and Matt didn't want to fuck up more than he thought he had. If Peter was okay today, Randy would be okay to leave him alone and stop haunting him. She just didn't expect him to be half-dressed when she did it and when she appeared in the doorway, she squeaked and slapped her hand over her eyes, holding her other one up apologetically. "Shit, I'm sorry. This isn't doing my attempt to convince you I'm not a stalker any good. I-I'll go, and leave you to it," she said hastily.
Peter held out his uninjured hand as he looked up at her. "Wait, no. Please. I, um, I was just thinking about you. I think I might actually need some help. You know, if you could manage it. I still don't actually know how I managed to get this far. Probably just the need to not be in one of those embarrassing gowns." He chuckled a little as he looked down with a lopsided smile. "You've seen me zonked out of my mind. I think me like this is maybe the better option. At least I hope so."
Randy kept her hand over her eyes for the moment, hovering again and not sure what to do. "Are you sure?" she asked anxiously. "I can get you a nurse. Good nurses in this place, I can vouch for that. Though, my brother isn't on this ward, so I might be a bit biased in saying he's the best." She dropped her hand with a laugh. "Actually, how did you get that far into the jeans with the cast on? Are you superhero or something?"
There was a fleeting hint of panic that crossed Peter's face before he shook his head with a laugh. "Not quite Superman, even if I am wearing the boxers. It has been about twenty minutes before I started getting dressed..." He looked sheepish, but waved her closer. "Just stop hovering, Randy. I... I like you being here. I've liked you being around. I'm sorry I've been a really crap conversationalist. Hits to the head kind of make me stupid. I was just being stubborn and not wanting a nurse to help. I'm sure your brother's nurse vibes have rubbed off on you somehow."
"What is it with guys and superman pants? My brother has them too. Whenever I hung the washing out when he lived at home, I used to hang them right at the front of the line so all the neighbours could see them," Randy said with a devious smirk. She breached the gap between them, her hands getting shoved in her pockets. "I actually wasn't sure if you were just wanting me to shut up and piss off, which I would have totally understood on account of the fact I hit you with my car and nearly killed you. I'm also studying psychology, so I didn't know if you were trying to project a wish for me to get out of your personal space. And on that note, I should warn you that studying psychology tends to make me overthink everything, and talk too much," she added as her hands were pulled from her pockets again for them to go to his jeans without hesitation, helping him with them carefully. "I promise I won't give you a wedgie, as tempting as it is."
"Hitting me with my car wasn't enough?" Peter asked with a slight smirk of his own. He touched her wrist with his fingers, ghosting his fingertips across her skin. "You're a bit of an evil sister, aren't you? I bet he just loved having his boxers flashed to the neighbours. I don't know what it is about the underwear. Think it's us still trying to hang onto our boyhood. We never really grow up, do we? So you're a budding psychologist, huh? You always assume people don't want you around?" He raised his eyebrows a little as he watched her. "It's more just my head was still swimming. I was actually just trying to work out how I was going to find you again since I was never conscious enough to ask for your number."
Randy laughed. "It's a mutual evilness. Or more like a three-way. My sister and me give as good as we get with Matty," she explained, still trying to carefully tug his pants up. "I think I'm destined to have a boyfriend with Superman jocks. It seems like one of those fated things in life. And no, I'm not usually this paranoid, only with people I nearly kill. I figured I wasn't your favourite person in the whole world right now." She glanced up at him. "You wanted my number?"
"Maybe I'm fated to have a girlfriend that hits me with her car? Might explain why the others haven't lasted," Peter suggested, not really joking. He felt his stomach tighten with nerves and realised he might have just given away entirely too much of his muddled thinking of late. "I think it's what siblings are for. The mutual evilness. Me and my broth--I miss it." Peter gave a nod. "Yeah, I did. Is that okay? I mean, I know it's weird. Why would you want anything to do with me? I feel like a really weird stalker right now."
Randy looked up at him, her eyes remaining on his face as she rose slowly, and her hands still sitting on the waist of his jeans. Talk of girlfriends and phone numbers, she was hesitant to fill in the gaps without him confirming anything. "Are you asking me out?" she asked. "Or do you just want my number to sue me and maybe give you tips on where to find other chicks to hit you with cars?" She was rambling again, which she managed to do when she was out of her comfort zone. Not that she wasn't comfortable with him, because she was. She just didn't want to assume anything because she was having a hard time believing he would want to socialise with her after she hurt him. She chewed on her lip. "I know I totally keep going back to the car thing, but are you sure you even want me here? Why would I think you were stalking me? You can hardly move. Stalking general indicates a form of covert movement."
Peter didn't hesitate before he reached out and cupped her cheek with his good hand. He thought he should have, that there should have been something to make him stop. He held her gaze and gave her another lopsided smile, this one tinged with sadness. "I know it's because you ramble, which is unbelievably cute by the way, but can you please just stop thinking the worst of me? I haven't... I'm not going to sue you, or chase you because you hit me. It was an accident, and I know that. I'm not even really going to try and explain why that's not really phasing me right now. I like you, Randy. Ever since I first saw you. I wasn't so concussed that I didn't notice how beautiful you were. I want your number because I want a chance to get to know you fully conscious." He cleared his throat as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. "Is that okay?"
Randy searched his eyes, her forehead creasing a little. This was unexpected. "You know, this is kind of like one of those Sleepless in Seattle moments. All we're missing is the cheesy music and strange Uncle called Stan or Louis. Like that Sandra Bullock train movie. I nearly kill you, you ask me out on a date, then my weird family gets involved and you start wondering what the fuck you really got involved in..." She trailed off and clamped her mouth shut, pulling her lips in between her teeth. She needed to learn to shut up. She just hadn't been asked out on a date date for awhile. Usually it was just boys she knew at college and they knew how to have a good time. "Yes, it's okay!" she finally added and then cleared her throat.
"Well, alright, then," Peter smirked. "Just so long as we got the okay sorted out. Didn't want to fall flat on my ass. Getting hit by a car is one thing. Getting turned down by a girl hurts even more. I'd rather take this broken arm than a bruised ego." He dropped his hand back away from her face, trailing his fingers down her arm. "Also, I'm pretty sure I can out do you in any weird family stakes. I'll take whatever family you got."
Randy held up her hand. "You might want to reserve judgment on that. My big brother, he might not look scary, but he can be when he wants to. Doesn't even need super powers for it. When it comes to me and Mel, it's just the way it goes," she had to explain apologetically. "But he's nice, I promise. Just might get a little... interregatory."
Peter raised his eyebrows as he chuckled. "Hey, I get it, but am I going to get interrogated before we even have a date? You know, just so I can be prepared."
Randy nodded with a small laugh. "He works here, remember? It might be unavoidable. He knows you're here and what I did. He's going to ask me how you are," she explained.
Peter looked like he didn't exactly remember, but it was more the facing of her brother so soon. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had to face interrogation from a prospective girlfriend's family. Even Caitlin's brother hadn't been that bad. And Simone had been complicated for other reasons. He also couldn't remember the last time he'd fallen for someone without complications. Being hit by Randy's car was normal compared to the fucked up thing he'd had with Simone, or the amnesiac dependency issues with Caitlin. He didn't think much about either woman now, their memories pushed back into the dark corner of Peter's mind with the rest of turbulent past.
He gave her another lopsided smile and pulled her in closer between his legs as he brushed a kiss against her cheek. "If it means being able to get that date, and see you again, I'll take the interrogation by your brother. And you can tell him I'm fine."
Randy smiled and tilted her head a little. "I don't mean to make him sound terrifying. He's not. Work-wise, you're probably more experienced than him. He's just started his job here after being a student nurse. He's had a bit of a crap time too, lost his first patient and took it hard. Maybe you guys can be friends. I promise he's not an ass. He's just a typical big brother. He works in Surgical and sometimes in the ER. He would probably be relieved to hear I'm... um... sticking to one guy for the moment," she admitted sheepishly. Oh great. She may as well have just shoved a flashy 'I'm a slut' sign on her forehead.
Peter arched his eyebrow a little as he watched her. "You know you don't have to stick to one guy if you don't want to. If... if it's weird, or whatever, you don't need to say yes. I won't be offended. I know, um--" He held his good hand up. "You know what, never mind. I'm taking the yes, and the date, and ignoring the bits in my head that are trying to imagine what I can still get done with one good hand. It's hard losing your first patient. I really feel for him. Having said that, I used to be a hospice nurse. I'm used to losing my patients."
Randy shook her head firmly. "No! That's not what I mean. I'm not a slut, I wouldn't fuck around on anyone. I just... well, I work hard at uni, so I mostly just seek out friends for a bit of fun when I have the time. Guys don't usually... they get pissed when I pick study over them. Which is fair enough. I think it just means I haven't found the right guy yet," she mused and searched his eyes for a few moments. "Do you miss that work?"
Peter's hand came to rest against her hip, his fingers spreading over it as he rubbed his thumb against the soft denim of her jeans. Now that he was feeling better it was genuinely hard not to start thinking about her and 'fun'. "It's been a while for me. The fun part. I do understand how important the studying is, and I'm happy to wait until you have free moments. Your brother's a nurse so you know what kind of hours we work. Not every girl understands that, either." He gazed back at her, happy to sit there as she searched his eyes. He just hoped she wasn't picking up on his deviant streak just yet. "Yeah, I do. My life was a lot easier back then. Times change, and jobs do, too. I'm back to nursing so I can't exactly complain."
Randy raised her eyebrows. "How long is awhile?" For a moment, she thought Peter was similar to her sister, Mel. Same sort of softness and maybe a hint of a reserved nature, though probably with a fun streak inside if the right thing brought it out. Like English footballers. "You don't have to answer that. I'm being a nosey bitch, sorry. Do you work with older people here? Or something different? You would be exactly the sort of nurse I would like caring for my Nana."
"You're not being a nosey bitch," he said with a laugh. "I wouldn't volunteer the information if I didn't want you to know. And it's... a while. Definitely over a few months. Right now I"m in the ICU. I needed a change of pace for a little while. Maybe once I find my feet here I could go back to hospice work. And if your Nana ever needs looking after, I would be happy to take care of her."
A few months. Definitely sounded like Mel. "Where are you going now? Is your brother picking you up? Should you even be alone right after getting out? You shouldn't be. Not with the head thing. And the arm thing. What if you need to pee? How are you going to get in and out of the pants?"
"Back to my apartment," Peter answered. He frowned a little. "No, he isn't. He's... busy. I hadn't actually thought about the pants thing. It's entirely possible I might wind up embracing a nudist lifestyle for a few days."
Randy shook her head. "No, you'll get pneumonia and land right back in here half dead. I can't deal with that guilt. I'm coming to stay with you. I'll sleep on the sofa, and I can cook for you too. Only, you'll have to put up with my sister visiting. She's my twin, so we're kind of a package deal."
"You mentioned that before." Peter looked at her, this time taking his time to search her eyes as if he was trying to work out if she was genuine or not. "You won't let me say no, will you?"
"Fuck, no," Randy confirmed, raising her chin a little as if challenging him to protest. "I can be a huge bitch. A screechy resonant one, too," she said with a cheeky smirk.
"What if I know ways to keep you quiet?" Peter asked, his hand moving around to press against her ass as he pulled her closer against him still. His mouth was dangerously close to hers, and he grinned. "I'll take the package deal, and the crazy family, and the brother, and I'll take you sleeping on my couch and taking care of me because I can't actually imagine anything better right now. I really like you, Randy. Is that okay with you?"
Randy decided this was really nice, and she still couldn't quite believe the bloke she hit with her car was hitting on her. Or that she hit a guy so hot with her car in the first place. Suddenly the random sneeze fest seemed extremely worth it. "I should warn you, I can't actually cook well. Do you like cheese on toast and scrambled eggs?" she asked with a laugh and reached up to brush her thumb along his lower lip, always being the sort to map out boyfriends with her fingertips and locking them into memory. His lips looked nice, and they felt how she imagined. "And I might fuss. I get that off my Mum."
"I have a feeling I'm going to really like them otherwise I might get another broken arm," he teased as he smiled, stilling so she could map him out. He didn't mind. He hadn't ever really had time to just get to know someone like this. It was better than he'd imagined. "I'm sure I can take the fussing. Just so long as you can take me being a little possessive."
Randy laughed, stroking his cheek. "And there you were saying you wouldn't mind me messing around with other guys. See, now I know you were just being polite. But I like that. I wouldn't ever do that, though. I'm honest, and I appreciate the same in return. It's not rocket science. All these people who fuck around on people they supposedly love, it's screwed up. If you want to go to the effort of sleeping with someone else, how is it too much effort to tell the person you're with it's over? The world is full of bastards, it really is."
Peter kissed Randy's temple and smirked. "I like the way you think. It's not too much effort, and I couldn't agree more. So I guess now we know we're not about to go sleeping around on each other... want to help me with my shirt so we can get out of here?"
"Damnit, you got me. I was trying to keep you talking longer so you forgot you had it off," Randy joked, snapping her fingers with a smirk. She reached for the shirt, finding the sleeve to help him get his injured arm into it. "So, are you a typical guy with hardly anything in your fridge? We might need to go shopping on the way home. Or we get you home, and then I'll drag Mel shopping with me."
"Hey, I could walk around like this if you wanted, but I think it might be starting to get cold outside. I think you better get me home, then take your sister. I'm using all my energy being completely charming and sexy right now," Peter admitted with a slightly sheepish look. It was true. He was still feeling a bit lethargic after everything, that strong urge to have his head against a pillow starting to creep up on him. "I think I might need everything but cereal and beer. I seem to have those. And a tomato, but I'm not sure it's even a tomato anymore."
Randy smacked him softly on the arm. "That's shocking bachelor behaviour. Those days are gone, mister. Mark my words." She carefully got him into the shirt and then instead of helping him smooth his hair down, ruffled it up more and then kissed his forehead. "Time to go test my nursing skills against my brother's. I'm so going to win because it's vital to always beat the big brother."
Peter smirked. "I know how that goes, so I'll try and be a cooperative patient. I've even got some scrubs you can wear if you really want to get into the part." Peter stole a quick kiss on the lips before slipping from the bed onto his feet. He ignored the head spin, and took a deep breath. "So you're already planning to take me off the bachelor market? Interesting, Ms Murray. Very interesting."
Randy shot him a devious grin. "Hey, I don't share, Petrelli, and I'm not polite about it." She patted her butt. "Think I'd suit the scrubs? Have we tapped into a lil fetish, Nurse?" She got his jacket off the bed, wrapping it around his shoulders and holding him securely, not missing the hint of unsteadiness. "Are you okay, love? You don't have to walk out there, you know. We can get you a wheelchair just to get back to the car. It might be a better idea."
"Oh yeah? Get a little rough, do you? I think I might just like you even more." Peter licked his lips, his smirk increasing as he just looked at her. "Maybe. I think you'd look hot in my scrubs. And no, no wheelchair. I'm not giving up this chance to stick close to you. I'm okay, just got up too quick. Spent a long time flat on my back, and not in the fun way."
"Good, because if you're still not feeling well, I'll make sure you're still on your back when you get home, and not in the fun way. I can play the Evil Nurse Evilness card." Randy quickly checked the room to make sure all his belongings were in the patient bag and he hadn't left anything important behind. She squeezed his waist a little. "Okay, I think you're ready to go. Your loss, I don't get to spin you around the corners in the chair, maybe make some mean car noises in the process."
"I'm shaking in my trainers," Peter promised as he chuckled. He lifted his bad arm like he wanted to do something, but had to drop it. The cast was already starting to get on his nerves again. "Next time you land me in hospital we can get a wheel chair and you can make the car noises."
Randy laughed and patted his arse. "You got a deal, Nurse."
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 4,281
Oh, how grateful I will be
These arms of mine
They are burning, burning from wanting you
These arms of mine
They are wanting, wanting to hold you
These Arms of Mine - Otis Redding
Co-written with imgrounded
[Follows THIS]
Peter had no idea how he'd managed it, but somehow he had managed to get his jeans on up over his hips. Now he just needed a break before he even contemplated getting his fly up. He had boxers on, so it wasn't like anyone could see anything. He had one arm in a cast, and he looked down at it tiredly. It was strange, but he'd had healing for so long that part of him was at a loss for how to deal with a normal injury like a broken arm. His ability didn't work like it did before, so he couldn't heal without touching someone like his niece to pick it up again.
And then he'd lose his brother's flight, and for some reason he wanted to keep a hold of it. Like it would be a connection to Nathan. In Princeton Peter was on his own, and he had wanted it that way. He'd wanted a fresh start, and normality. He just hadn't expected to be literally hit with it. He could still picture the blonde clearly in his mind, and he knew she'd visited him a couple times. He could even remember asking for her.
He just wished he could have a conversation with her without being drowsy, or stuck in a hospital bed. He just wasn't sure if they'd got to swapping details so once he was out of here as a patient would she even be able to find him again? Would he be able to her? He remembered something about a brother as a nurse at PPTH, but for all he knew he was imagining it because he wanted some link to her, some way to find her that was easy.
Of course it would still mean talking to every male nurse, and coming across as crazy, but Peter had been called worse. He was also no stranger to being called crazy. He winced as he straightened his back, still feeling a little sensitive all over from hitting the ground. He just wanted to lay back down and curl up until he felt better. Maybe with Randy holding him, but he wasn't supposed to be having those thoughts, right?
Randy had just finished having lunch with Matt. She just couldn't help worrying about her brother after his shock with the patient death. He seemed to be doing okay, though, maybe just a little shaken that it would happen again. It wasn't that she thought he would throw nursing in after it, because she knew he loved it too much and he was brilliant at it. Still, she was also the one studying psychology and she knew things that gave people a shock could lead to them wavering in their confidence. He was mostly just tired after a long shift, though, and ravenous, which was a good sign. She bought him a pizza from the local joint a block away from the hospital and he ate just about the whole thing.
She wasn't sure if Peter was even going to still be a patient, but she decided to drop by the room he was in just in case. She was close to backing off, not sure anymore if he just didn't want her there, wasn't much of a talker, or really did have a sore head that made him not really aware of his surroundings. It was more tipping in the former two options in her mind, though, and she wasn't sure what to make of that. She just wanted to know he was okay and she would stop bugging him. Matt wouldn't pass on any information about Peter, even if he might have had access to it. It was because he was a colleague too and Matt didn't want to fuck up more than he thought he had. If Peter was okay today, Randy would be okay to leave him alone and stop haunting him. She just didn't expect him to be half-dressed when she did it and when she appeared in the doorway, she squeaked and slapped her hand over her eyes, holding her other one up apologetically. "Shit, I'm sorry. This isn't doing my attempt to convince you I'm not a stalker any good. I-I'll go, and leave you to it," she said hastily.
Peter held out his uninjured hand as he looked up at her. "Wait, no. Please. I, um, I was just thinking about you. I think I might actually need some help. You know, if you could manage it. I still don't actually know how I managed to get this far. Probably just the need to not be in one of those embarrassing gowns." He chuckled a little as he looked down with a lopsided smile. "You've seen me zonked out of my mind. I think me like this is maybe the better option. At least I hope so."
Randy kept her hand over her eyes for the moment, hovering again and not sure what to do. "Are you sure?" she asked anxiously. "I can get you a nurse. Good nurses in this place, I can vouch for that. Though, my brother isn't on this ward, so I might be a bit biased in saying he's the best." She dropped her hand with a laugh. "Actually, how did you get that far into the jeans with the cast on? Are you superhero or something?"
There was a fleeting hint of panic that crossed Peter's face before he shook his head with a laugh. "Not quite Superman, even if I am wearing the boxers. It has been about twenty minutes before I started getting dressed..." He looked sheepish, but waved her closer. "Just stop hovering, Randy. I... I like you being here. I've liked you being around. I'm sorry I've been a really crap conversationalist. Hits to the head kind of make me stupid. I was just being stubborn and not wanting a nurse to help. I'm sure your brother's nurse vibes have rubbed off on you somehow."
"What is it with guys and superman pants? My brother has them too. Whenever I hung the washing out when he lived at home, I used to hang them right at the front of the line so all the neighbours could see them," Randy said with a devious smirk. She breached the gap between them, her hands getting shoved in her pockets. "I actually wasn't sure if you were just wanting me to shut up and piss off, which I would have totally understood on account of the fact I hit you with my car and nearly killed you. I'm also studying psychology, so I didn't know if you were trying to project a wish for me to get out of your personal space. And on that note, I should warn you that studying psychology tends to make me overthink everything, and talk too much," she added as her hands were pulled from her pockets again for them to go to his jeans without hesitation, helping him with them carefully. "I promise I won't give you a wedgie, as tempting as it is."
"Hitting me with my car wasn't enough?" Peter asked with a slight smirk of his own. He touched her wrist with his fingers, ghosting his fingertips across her skin. "You're a bit of an evil sister, aren't you? I bet he just loved having his boxers flashed to the neighbours. I don't know what it is about the underwear. Think it's us still trying to hang onto our boyhood. We never really grow up, do we? So you're a budding psychologist, huh? You always assume people don't want you around?" He raised his eyebrows a little as he watched her. "It's more just my head was still swimming. I was actually just trying to work out how I was going to find you again since I was never conscious enough to ask for your number."
Randy laughed. "It's a mutual evilness. Or more like a three-way. My sister and me give as good as we get with Matty," she explained, still trying to carefully tug his pants up. "I think I'm destined to have a boyfriend with Superman jocks. It seems like one of those fated things in life. And no, I'm not usually this paranoid, only with people I nearly kill. I figured I wasn't your favourite person in the whole world right now." She glanced up at him. "You wanted my number?"
"Maybe I'm fated to have a girlfriend that hits me with her car? Might explain why the others haven't lasted," Peter suggested, not really joking. He felt his stomach tighten with nerves and realised he might have just given away entirely too much of his muddled thinking of late. "I think it's what siblings are for. The mutual evilness. Me and my broth--I miss it." Peter gave a nod. "Yeah, I did. Is that okay? I mean, I know it's weird. Why would you want anything to do with me? I feel like a really weird stalker right now."
Randy looked up at him, her eyes remaining on his face as she rose slowly, and her hands still sitting on the waist of his jeans. Talk of girlfriends and phone numbers, she was hesitant to fill in the gaps without him confirming anything. "Are you asking me out?" she asked. "Or do you just want my number to sue me and maybe give you tips on where to find other chicks to hit you with cars?" She was rambling again, which she managed to do when she was out of her comfort zone. Not that she wasn't comfortable with him, because she was. She just didn't want to assume anything because she was having a hard time believing he would want to socialise with her after she hurt him. She chewed on her lip. "I know I totally keep going back to the car thing, but are you sure you even want me here? Why would I think you were stalking me? You can hardly move. Stalking general indicates a form of covert movement."
Peter didn't hesitate before he reached out and cupped her cheek with his good hand. He thought he should have, that there should have been something to make him stop. He held her gaze and gave her another lopsided smile, this one tinged with sadness. "I know it's because you ramble, which is unbelievably cute by the way, but can you please just stop thinking the worst of me? I haven't... I'm not going to sue you, or chase you because you hit me. It was an accident, and I know that. I'm not even really going to try and explain why that's not really phasing me right now. I like you, Randy. Ever since I first saw you. I wasn't so concussed that I didn't notice how beautiful you were. I want your number because I want a chance to get to know you fully conscious." He cleared his throat as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. "Is that okay?"
Randy searched his eyes, her forehead creasing a little. This was unexpected. "You know, this is kind of like one of those Sleepless in Seattle moments. All we're missing is the cheesy music and strange Uncle called Stan or Louis. Like that Sandra Bullock train movie. I nearly kill you, you ask me out on a date, then my weird family gets involved and you start wondering what the fuck you really got involved in..." She trailed off and clamped her mouth shut, pulling her lips in between her teeth. She needed to learn to shut up. She just hadn't been asked out on a date date for awhile. Usually it was just boys she knew at college and they knew how to have a good time. "Yes, it's okay!" she finally added and then cleared her throat.
"Well, alright, then," Peter smirked. "Just so long as we got the okay sorted out. Didn't want to fall flat on my ass. Getting hit by a car is one thing. Getting turned down by a girl hurts even more. I'd rather take this broken arm than a bruised ego." He dropped his hand back away from her face, trailing his fingers down her arm. "Also, I'm pretty sure I can out do you in any weird family stakes. I'll take whatever family you got."
Randy held up her hand. "You might want to reserve judgment on that. My big brother, he might not look scary, but he can be when he wants to. Doesn't even need super powers for it. When it comes to me and Mel, it's just the way it goes," she had to explain apologetically. "But he's nice, I promise. Just might get a little... interregatory."
Peter raised his eyebrows as he chuckled. "Hey, I get it, but am I going to get interrogated before we even have a date? You know, just so I can be prepared."
Randy nodded with a small laugh. "He works here, remember? It might be unavoidable. He knows you're here and what I did. He's going to ask me how you are," she explained.
Peter looked like he didn't exactly remember, but it was more the facing of her brother so soon. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had to face interrogation from a prospective girlfriend's family. Even Caitlin's brother hadn't been that bad. And Simone had been complicated for other reasons. He also couldn't remember the last time he'd fallen for someone without complications. Being hit by Randy's car was normal compared to the fucked up thing he'd had with Simone, or the amnesiac dependency issues with Caitlin. He didn't think much about either woman now, their memories pushed back into the dark corner of Peter's mind with the rest of turbulent past.
He gave her another lopsided smile and pulled her in closer between his legs as he brushed a kiss against her cheek. "If it means being able to get that date, and see you again, I'll take the interrogation by your brother. And you can tell him I'm fine."
Randy smiled and tilted her head a little. "I don't mean to make him sound terrifying. He's not. Work-wise, you're probably more experienced than him. He's just started his job here after being a student nurse. He's had a bit of a crap time too, lost his first patient and took it hard. Maybe you guys can be friends. I promise he's not an ass. He's just a typical big brother. He works in Surgical and sometimes in the ER. He would probably be relieved to hear I'm... um... sticking to one guy for the moment," she admitted sheepishly. Oh great. She may as well have just shoved a flashy 'I'm a slut' sign on her forehead.
Peter arched his eyebrow a little as he watched her. "You know you don't have to stick to one guy if you don't want to. If... if it's weird, or whatever, you don't need to say yes. I won't be offended. I know, um--" He held his good hand up. "You know what, never mind. I'm taking the yes, and the date, and ignoring the bits in my head that are trying to imagine what I can still get done with one good hand. It's hard losing your first patient. I really feel for him. Having said that, I used to be a hospice nurse. I'm used to losing my patients."
Randy shook her head firmly. "No! That's not what I mean. I'm not a slut, I wouldn't fuck around on anyone. I just... well, I work hard at uni, so I mostly just seek out friends for a bit of fun when I have the time. Guys don't usually... they get pissed when I pick study over them. Which is fair enough. I think it just means I haven't found the right guy yet," she mused and searched his eyes for a few moments. "Do you miss that work?"
Peter's hand came to rest against her hip, his fingers spreading over it as he rubbed his thumb against the soft denim of her jeans. Now that he was feeling better it was genuinely hard not to start thinking about her and 'fun'. "It's been a while for me. The fun part. I do understand how important the studying is, and I'm happy to wait until you have free moments. Your brother's a nurse so you know what kind of hours we work. Not every girl understands that, either." He gazed back at her, happy to sit there as she searched his eyes. He just hoped she wasn't picking up on his deviant streak just yet. "Yeah, I do. My life was a lot easier back then. Times change, and jobs do, too. I'm back to nursing so I can't exactly complain."
Randy raised her eyebrows. "How long is awhile?" For a moment, she thought Peter was similar to her sister, Mel. Same sort of softness and maybe a hint of a reserved nature, though probably with a fun streak inside if the right thing brought it out. Like English footballers. "You don't have to answer that. I'm being a nosey bitch, sorry. Do you work with older people here? Or something different? You would be exactly the sort of nurse I would like caring for my Nana."
"You're not being a nosey bitch," he said with a laugh. "I wouldn't volunteer the information if I didn't want you to know. And it's... a while. Definitely over a few months. Right now I"m in the ICU. I needed a change of pace for a little while. Maybe once I find my feet here I could go back to hospice work. And if your Nana ever needs looking after, I would be happy to take care of her."
A few months. Definitely sounded like Mel. "Where are you going now? Is your brother picking you up? Should you even be alone right after getting out? You shouldn't be. Not with the head thing. And the arm thing. What if you need to pee? How are you going to get in and out of the pants?"
"Back to my apartment," Peter answered. He frowned a little. "No, he isn't. He's... busy. I hadn't actually thought about the pants thing. It's entirely possible I might wind up embracing a nudist lifestyle for a few days."
Randy shook her head. "No, you'll get pneumonia and land right back in here half dead. I can't deal with that guilt. I'm coming to stay with you. I'll sleep on the sofa, and I can cook for you too. Only, you'll have to put up with my sister visiting. She's my twin, so we're kind of a package deal."
"You mentioned that before." Peter looked at her, this time taking his time to search her eyes as if he was trying to work out if she was genuine or not. "You won't let me say no, will you?"
"Fuck, no," Randy confirmed, raising her chin a little as if challenging him to protest. "I can be a huge bitch. A screechy resonant one, too," she said with a cheeky smirk.
"What if I know ways to keep you quiet?" Peter asked, his hand moving around to press against her ass as he pulled her closer against him still. His mouth was dangerously close to hers, and he grinned. "I'll take the package deal, and the crazy family, and the brother, and I'll take you sleeping on my couch and taking care of me because I can't actually imagine anything better right now. I really like you, Randy. Is that okay with you?"
Randy decided this was really nice, and she still couldn't quite believe the bloke she hit with her car was hitting on her. Or that she hit a guy so hot with her car in the first place. Suddenly the random sneeze fest seemed extremely worth it. "I should warn you, I can't actually cook well. Do you like cheese on toast and scrambled eggs?" she asked with a laugh and reached up to brush her thumb along his lower lip, always being the sort to map out boyfriends with her fingertips and locking them into memory. His lips looked nice, and they felt how she imagined. "And I might fuss. I get that off my Mum."
"I have a feeling I'm going to really like them otherwise I might get another broken arm," he teased as he smiled, stilling so she could map him out. He didn't mind. He hadn't ever really had time to just get to know someone like this. It was better than he'd imagined. "I'm sure I can take the fussing. Just so long as you can take me being a little possessive."
Randy laughed, stroking his cheek. "And there you were saying you wouldn't mind me messing around with other guys. See, now I know you were just being polite. But I like that. I wouldn't ever do that, though. I'm honest, and I appreciate the same in return. It's not rocket science. All these people who fuck around on people they supposedly love, it's screwed up. If you want to go to the effort of sleeping with someone else, how is it too much effort to tell the person you're with it's over? The world is full of bastards, it really is."
Peter kissed Randy's temple and smirked. "I like the way you think. It's not too much effort, and I couldn't agree more. So I guess now we know we're not about to go sleeping around on each other... want to help me with my shirt so we can get out of here?"
"Damnit, you got me. I was trying to keep you talking longer so you forgot you had it off," Randy joked, snapping her fingers with a smirk. She reached for the shirt, finding the sleeve to help him get his injured arm into it. "So, are you a typical guy with hardly anything in your fridge? We might need to go shopping on the way home. Or we get you home, and then I'll drag Mel shopping with me."
"Hey, I could walk around like this if you wanted, but I think it might be starting to get cold outside. I think you better get me home, then take your sister. I'm using all my energy being completely charming and sexy right now," Peter admitted with a slightly sheepish look. It was true. He was still feeling a bit lethargic after everything, that strong urge to have his head against a pillow starting to creep up on him. "I think I might need everything but cereal and beer. I seem to have those. And a tomato, but I'm not sure it's even a tomato anymore."
Randy smacked him softly on the arm. "That's shocking bachelor behaviour. Those days are gone, mister. Mark my words." She carefully got him into the shirt and then instead of helping him smooth his hair down, ruffled it up more and then kissed his forehead. "Time to go test my nursing skills against my brother's. I'm so going to win because it's vital to always beat the big brother."
Peter smirked. "I know how that goes, so I'll try and be a cooperative patient. I've even got some scrubs you can wear if you really want to get into the part." Peter stole a quick kiss on the lips before slipping from the bed onto his feet. He ignored the head spin, and took a deep breath. "So you're already planning to take me off the bachelor market? Interesting, Ms Murray. Very interesting."
Randy shot him a devious grin. "Hey, I don't share, Petrelli, and I'm not polite about it." She patted her butt. "Think I'd suit the scrubs? Have we tapped into a lil fetish, Nurse?" She got his jacket off the bed, wrapping it around his shoulders and holding him securely, not missing the hint of unsteadiness. "Are you okay, love? You don't have to walk out there, you know. We can get you a wheelchair just to get back to the car. It might be a better idea."
"Oh yeah? Get a little rough, do you? I think I might just like you even more." Peter licked his lips, his smirk increasing as he just looked at her. "Maybe. I think you'd look hot in my scrubs. And no, no wheelchair. I'm not giving up this chance to stick close to you. I'm okay, just got up too quick. Spent a long time flat on my back, and not in the fun way."
"Good, because if you're still not feeling well, I'll make sure you're still on your back when you get home, and not in the fun way. I can play the Evil Nurse Evilness card." Randy quickly checked the room to make sure all his belongings were in the patient bag and he hadn't left anything important behind. She squeezed his waist a little. "Okay, I think you're ready to go. Your loss, I don't get to spin you around the corners in the chair, maybe make some mean car noises in the process."
"I'm shaking in my trainers," Peter promised as he chuckled. He lifted his bad arm like he wanted to do something, but had to drop it. The cast was already starting to get on his nerves again. "Next time you land me in hospital we can get a wheel chair and you can make the car noises."
Randy laughed and patted his arse. "You got a deal, Nurse."
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 4,281