Rising Sun (Book Two)

Twenty-Five: Struggles and Fun

***Peter's P. O. V.***

Our first couple nights home, Mercy mostly sleeps through the night. She wakes up once for me to feed her, and of course I can't sleep in, but at least she's not up every hour. She's a good baby. Joy hates it when she cries. He can't mentally handle it, so I have to take care of her whenever she decides to get cranky. It's tough, but it could be so much worse. Joy could be dead right now!

Today we're having a party where our friends and family can all come and visit the baby. It's not just to see Mercy though. It feels like we haven't hung out as a family in forever. Some of the people who are coming are Joy's friends from school who neither of us have seen in months. I'm nervous how they'll react to how different Joy is now.

"Peter, maybe we shouldn't have anybody here today," Joy mutters as I'm getting ready.

"Why?" I ask.

"I-I don't know!" he says defensively.

"Joy, you'll be just fine. If you get overwhelmed you can come upstairs for a break. No one is forcing you to socialize."

"But what if they all hate me now? And what if you leave me alone with them. Peter, d-don't leave m-me all alone!" he cries.

"Relax," I say gently, going and sitting beside him. "You can stay by me the whole time, and if you feel panicky we'll ask everyone to leave. You can't hide from people forever. You have to try socializing in low key situations like this and work your way up."

"You promise I can stay with you the entire time?"

"Of course," I nod.

~~~~~~~~~~

I can see Joy's anxiety rising as Mercy is passed around from person to person. I trust everyone here so he has no need to be worried about the baby. It's not like I don't have my eyes on her, too.

I didn't have friends at school, so I don't have friends here. Joy's friends act a little awkward, but for the most part they pretend like nothing has changed.

"Hey, hold Mercy for a second. I'm gonna go to the bathroom," I say, getting up from my donut pillow on the couch.

"Wait, no, can I go with?" he whispers as he takes the baby.

"Joy, no," I say. "You can wait outside the door if you want."

"Okay."

He gets up and follows me to the bathroom, holding Mercy tightly. He grabs ahold of the back of my shirt as we cut through a crowded part of the kitchen. I go into the bathroom and he sits down on the ground outside.

"Are you still in there?" he asks as I sit down on the toilet.

"Yes, Joy," I say, trying to sound like I'm not annoyed as I actually am.

"Are you still there?" he asks a few minutes later.

"Yes."

"Are you coming out soon?" he asks.

"Joy! Lemme take a shit without you bugging me!" I snap.

Then he goes quiet. Immediately, I feel horrible for what I said. I finish up quickly and get out of the bathroom. He's still right where I left him, but he's looking at the ground sadly.

"Joy, I'm sorry," I say, crouching down. "I got annoyed and I'm a little constipated to be honest, and I just-"

"It's fine," he says quietly. "I understand. I'm really sorry for being annoying."

"No, you're not annoying. It was my fault for snapping at you. Can you forgive me?"

"Yes," he nods. "Peter, I'm done. I don't feel good."