take me to the hospital (carina)

After being sick and groaning around the ground floor toilets for a while, Ptolemy managed to get himself back to the Slytherin common room and to the bathrooms. He showered, cleaned his teeth and washed out his mouth, then pulled himself up to his dormitory. Once he was in there, hair still wet and only a towel wrapped around his waist, he collapsed onto his bed and lied there, hand draped off the side of it, staring at the clock on his bedside table.

His ears were ringing, his head was spinning, he felt rough and sick and disgusting. Nobody should have seen him like that. Why did he wander to the lounge anyway? What was he thinking? This was exactly the sort of undone state that he'd prefer to keep behind locked doors: now everyone would think he was weak!

He planted his head inside of his pillow, groaning.

@Carina Malfoy

Carina made her way down to the dungeons and entered the common room going straight for Ptolemys room. She entered, without knocking and quickly looked away when she saw that he was on display of sorts due to only having on a towel. She covered her eyes and blushes a dark red, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were ok." She was half tempted to sneak a peek, but decided against it.

@Ptolemy Rowle

He turned his head fractionally when he heard Carina's voice.

"Hello, Carina..." he muttered dully.

With some substantial effort, he managed to get into his bed. Removing the towel with he did, he flung it on the floor. He pulled the sheets up to his shoulders, looking over at her.

"I feel terrible," he admitted, wiping over his eyes then leaving the back of his hand resting on his forehead.

@Carina Malfoy

Carina watched as he got into bed and blushed even more when he removed the towel. She waited for him to get under the covers before going over to him, "You look terrible. Let me see you." She placed a hand to his forehead and frowned, "You're burning up, Ptolemy." She leaned close to looks at his face, "You're pale and sweaty. I think I should take you to healer Ashton."

@Ptolemy Rowle

Removing his hand, she replaced it with hers. Although the concern was very endearing, he felt more a sense of shame from being seen like this. It was disgusting. He was just as bad as the common folk, with their matted hair and poor lifestyle choices. At least he didn't reek too much: only a lingering scent of liquor hung on his breath, but it had been carefully covered up be the peppermint of toothpaste and mouthwash.

He watched her, with only one eye open.

"No, I don't want to move. I don't want anyone to see me like this. It's bad enough that you have. At least when my dorm mates come in I can close the hangings."

@Carina Malfoy

Carina frowned at him and took a seat on the edge of the bed beside him, "I sorry something is wrong with you. You either let me take you to the hospital wing. Or I fetch for healer Ashton myself. Take a pick." Carina wanted to be a healer one day and Ptolemy was officially her patient, "And you know just how stubborn I can be. I can rival Alayna if need be."

@Ptolemy Rowle

"I do," he murmured, smiling.

She had always been very sweet.

"I just don't want a bloody great fuss about it, or to bring any more attention to myself in this state."

Groaning, he turned to his side, pulling the covers right up to his lips, looking up at her sat on his bed.

"Can't you just be my healer, Miss Malfoy?" he asked cheekily, straining a grin.

@Carina Malfoy

Carina chuckled a bit at his attempt of a smile in his state, "Fine. But if it gets to be beyond something I can fix, I'm going to get Healer Ashton." She got up and went to the bathroom and wet a towel to rest across his forehead. She walked back into the room and brushed his hair from his face, placing the damp cloth, "When did you start to feel bad?"

@Ptolemy Rowle

He moved onto his back again, as she appeared to have a damp cloth for him. This was all making him feel rather warm and cosy, despite a lot of aches and pains and his stomach writhing in protest from too much alcohol and not enough food. There was a nice, glowing feeling at the centre of his chest. It felt good to be looked after, and cared for.

"I wasn't feeling wonderful before I started drinking, but I did get through three quarters of a bottle. I was saving that as well, for a special evening or something. It just seemed like something that could curb whatever else I was feeling, or thinking. Or regretting..."

He frowned slightly.

@Carina Malfoy

Carina looked down at him as he spoke and frowned a bit, "We're all regretting things Ptolemy." She stroked her hand through his hair And sighed to herself, "Do you want to tell me what was on your mind? I promise, no judgement." She could feel that he was aching bad and it made her just want to protect him, "I sort of have a feeling I already know the answer anyway."

@Ptolemy Rowle

"Well, it goes without saying that I shouldn't have slept with Pandora Carrow."

He looked away from her when he said it.

"At that time I was angry, and she was encouraging it - saying everything that I wanted to hear in that moment. I told her that I should go down a list of girls and have relations with them: all the girls that Alayna was ever envious of."

He sighed.

"Of course I see now how fruitless that would be," he muttered, looking up at her again. "So yes, that is one of my regrets. And I'm sorry - by the way - for trying it on with you as well."

@Carina Malfoy

Carina was shocked he was actually admitting he felt guilty for what he had done. She had never experienced this side of him before, "It's ok. I forgive you. And Alayna would too. You know she would in a heart beat." She wanted to fix everything for him. She wished she could forgive eachother for them and everything go back to normal. She lied down on top of the covers next to him and looked at him, "Do you regret not stopping her from leaving?"

@Ptolemy Rowle

He watched her lie on the covers, shuffling up so she would have enough room beside him.

"I do, in some ways," he said thoughtfully, "But I also believe it would be much worse if she were still here. We were both feeling hurt and betrayed, and to a certain extent I still do feel that way, so we would have made each other far more miserable. Having space has allowed me to think about things."

He paused there, sinking under the sheets a little more.

"Think of the bigger picture, so to speak."

He sighed.

"I realise that, although I know she is pregnant, I haven't really thought about the prospect of Fatherhood - and what that really means to me. It all just seemed unreal. It still does."

@Carina Malfoy

Carina sighed and stared at his curling, "I understand that. But I wish you had asked her to stay. She texts me for updates on you and in the same text bitches about you. She's hurt, but she still loves you." She rolled over on her side to look at him, "And what conclusion have you come to regarding that?"

@Ptolemy Rowle

"I love her too..."

It was pointless to deny it.

"Conclusion? That I..." He frowned, feeling strange about saying these sorts of things. Feelings and the like. "I need to step up, and be a good role model to them. A caring Father. I want them to love me like the Riddle girls love Professor Riddle. Something like that..."

Urgh.

@Carina Malfoy

"I know you do. But does she know you do?" She asked looking at him. She smiled a bit at what he wanted, "I think that's a great thing to want, Ptolemy. But in order for that to happen, you have to fix things. She's not gonna make the first move. You know that." She slid a hand between them and took his hand in hers, "You just have to decide if your love for her is more powerful than your pride and ego."

@Ptolemy Rowle

"Perhaps. But there has to be some effort on her side as well. She did wrong to me as well, remember."

He squeezed her hand slightly, and then heard something buzzing in his bedside drawer. Glancing at Carina briefly, he released her hand and turned over, taking it out. Resuming his position on his back again, he flicked through to messages, where Alayna's name was highlighted.

Then he read her message.

"What?!" he flared suddenly, springing up in the bed so the sheets fell to his waist. "Memphis?!"

His nostrils flared as he stared heatedly at his crystal.

@Carina Malfoy

Carina rolled her eyes at him, "Obviously." She frowned a bit when he let go of her hand before shaking her head. She watched as he checked his crystal but jumped a bit when he yelled, "What's going on?" She took the crystal from his hand and read the message, frowning, "I doubt you have anything to worry for. She's probably just trying to get under your skin or make you jealous. It's just Alayna playing her games." She bit at her lip hoping that's all it was, "Maybe I should call her?"
She said, trying not to look down at his chest

@Ptolemy Rowle

"Why Memphis? Merlin's balls."

He took his crystal back from Carina.

"No, I don't want you to call her. If she knows you're here with me, it will be more fuel on the fire."

He composed a message back to her saying: Why is Memphis involved? I can send it over myself. But how long would an owl delivery take all the way to America? Unless he got it to her in person. Damn it! He gritted his teeth together, glowering at his crystal, wondering what on earth was going on. Were they speaking to each other? Was he going over there to her?

@Carina Malfoy

Carina frowned and looked at him. She had no idea what was going on in Alaynas mind to be messaging Ptolemys brother. She didn't know what to say in this moment, "Maybe he's just trying to be like a brother for her?" She then heard his crystal buzz against and managed to read the text *I told him about what happened and he is going to come comfort me. I'm depressed and pregnant Ptolemy. Some people actually care about that.* Carina frowned even more and looked at him, 'Shes just upset."

@Ptolemy Rowle

"She has her brother with her, and Mackenzie! Why would he go over there to comfort her? What does he think he's playing at?!"

Ptolemy couldn't let Memphis meet with her. He was a devious bastard, and was jumping at the opportunity to spite him. It had been that way ever since they were boys: although he never admitted it, Memphis had been jealous of his metamorphmagus abilities, and how much attention he'd received for it. He was bitter.

"I won't allow him to go anywhere near her," he muttered venomously, whipping the sheets back and standing up, completely naked. He couldn't mope around. Something had to be done.

@Carina Malfoy

Carina yelped and quickly hid her face under the covers, "You are completely naked, Ptolemy. And while you are well endowed I have a boyfriend who I doubt would be happy about this. Boxers at least, please." She poked her head out, eyes still closed, "What can you do? Go to America and win her back?" She knew it was a silly idea. But at the same time.... He was crazy enough to do it, "I was joking, by the way."

@Ptolemy Rowle

Oops. He'd forgotten about that. It was funny to see her dive under the covers so quickly though, and a little cute.

"I forgot," he said, smirking. Going into a drawer, he got some clean boxers and slipped them on. "Decent." Her eyes were still closed. He chuckled silently, but it didn't last long. He was back at the problem in hand.

"America. Why does it have to be bloody America?" he snarled, taking his crystal again and whipping up a quick message to Memphis to stay away from her. He flung it back down onto the sheets, and then sat back down on the edge of the bed, holding his head. Perhaps he needed some potion before he actually started flying about trying to stop the inevitable from happening. "I suppose I have to go over there. She isn't going to listen to me, clearly."

@Carina Malfoy[/b]

Carina opened her eyes when he said he was decent and was pleased to see that he was, "Thank you." She watched as he paced for a bit bit hing about America, "just calm down. We can find a rational solution." She looked at him with a confused look, "You're actually going to go to America? Right now?" She was shocked he would be willing to go so far for Alayna. He really did love her "Are you sure about this?"

@Ptolemy Rowle

"I don't know. I just need to get down to the hospital wing and get a potion, then speak to Professor Riddle about it. Or perhaps I can just get her to come back here."

He ran his fingers over his lips in contemplation.

"I just don't want her meeting with fucking Memphis."

@Carina Malfoy