Peggy was having flashbacks to her childhood, remembering how it felt to be yelled at for doing something wrong and the looks that her father would give her when she was in trouble. It was the same look that her brother-in-law, Allen, was giving her as they stood in the kitchen of her sister’s home.

“I need to wake your sister up,” Allen told her with a sigh, his voice heavy with fatigue from being woken up in the middle of the night.

Peggy knew what a big deal it was for him to have to wake her sister. The times that she was actually able to sleep were incredibly valuable since more often than not she was kept awake by either extreme pain as a result of her cancer or the side effects of chemotherapy.

“Do you have to?” she asked. “I don’t want to disturb her.”

Allen threw his hands out in frustration as he wasn’t aware of any other options. “Last I checked, she is the only experienced medical practitioner in the building. For all we know your idiot boyfriend has a concussion. If she wakes up tomorrow and he’s unconscious because we didn’t do our due diligence she’d be pissed we didn’t wake her up.”

When Peggy was a child she had fallen out of a tree and broken her arm. It was in the moments afterwards, while her sister held her in her arms and comforted her until an adult was able to take her to the hospital, that Marilyn had decided she wanted to be a nurse. For many who aspired to be doctors it was about the science of it all, the functionality of the human body but for Marilyn she sought the human connection.

Nursing was a good fit because she not only had the brain for the science but also a higher than average level of compassion that made her want to make every person who hurt feel just a little bit better. Because of her compulsion to support people in their time of need, Peggy knew that Allen was right and her sister would be upset if they didn’t at least consult her on Nick’s potential head wound.

Allen ran off to wake Marilyn from what was likely a drug-assisted sleep and Peggy looked around, wondering what had happened to the tall blonde that had just been with them.

“Nick?” she called out in a stage whisper, not wanting to wake her nieces who were sleeping just down the hall.

All she heard was silence until the sound from down the hall alerted her to the return of her brother-in-law and the appearance of her sister. Peggy was somewhat embarrassed to have to tell Marilyn about what happened at the club, she only hoped she didn’t judge Nick for his actions. She also was anxious to tell her about the Dustin sighting that had led to the bump on Nick’s noggin.

“Have you seen Nick?” she asked Allen before bending down to hug her sister who had just been helped into a recliner.

Allen nodded. “Yeah, I told him to go throw his jeans in the washer. They were covered in puke.”

“Oh no! Say you didn’t really do that,” Peggy breathed and the couple in front of her both questioned why clean jeans would be an issue for the pop star. “It’s just... he’s somewhere in your house drunk and naked.”

“Why is he naked?” Marilyn asked, her sleepy voice full of amusement. “Go find him and let me take a look at his head. Don’t let him go to sleep yet until I figure out how bad it is.”

“Let’s just say he was free ballin’ it tonight.”

With that, Peggy set off through the small bungalow to find her beloved, knowing there weren’t too many places he could have wandered off to. She checked the laundry room, living room and a small powder room that was just off the front hallway but there was no Nick to be found. As she scratched her head, perplexed, she realized that when she had looked into the family room the patio doors were wide open. It seemed odd that Nick would have gone outside, but she felt it was worth checking.

“Nick?” she called out softly, poking her head out the door. The backyard was dark, the only thing illuminating the dew-covered grass was the sky, lightened by millions of lights shining through the city in the distance.

“Over here,” she heard him reply and she squinted into the dark. As her eyes adjusted she realized he was standing at the edge of the patio, just before the grass, completely naked as she had expected, staring up at the moon.

“What are you doing?”

“I think I might be a werewolf. The moon is so full, it’s changing me.”

Peggy rolled her eyes dramatically and crossed the patio. She grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him towards the house. “I’m pretty sure you’re not a werewolf and the moon isn’t even full.”

“Oh.”

She put herself behind him, pulling his back against her chest so she could lead him back inside. Both hands were securely cupped over his nudity and he giggled obnoxiously as she pushed against him, forcing him to walk.

“More than a handful, right baby?” he slurred, leaning his weight back against her so his hips pressed up into her hands.

“Yeah, yeah,” she replied dryly. “Stop worrying about being macho and start walking, I’d like to go to sleep at some point this morning.”

Nick continued to laugh, reaching down to push against her hands with his own. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Nope!” Peggy replied matter-of-factly. “You’re absolutely useless when you get like this. Obviously, since your brain is in your dick, getting drunk affects more than just your ability to not be an asshole.”

Ignoring the rest of the insult, he stopped walking just a few feet short of where Marilyn and Allen were waiting. “Are you saying I can’t get it up?”

“That’s what I’m saying,” she agreed. “Now, if you would please stop embarrassing yourself and let my sister look at your head I’d be really grateful.”

“I can get it up.”

“Nick,” Peggy groaned. “I’m not going to argue with you. Just stop.”

Marilyn shook her head, amused by the scene playing out in front of her. “It’s not abnormal, Nick. Most guys have issues with that when they’ve done a lot of drinking. Maybe Allen can go grab some shorts for you?” she asked, directing the question to her husband.

Allen did a mental comparison of Nick’s tall, lean body against his short, round one and raised an eyebrow at his wife. “Nothing I have is going to fit him.”

“He doesn’t care about looking good right now. Anything you have is fine.” Peggy said, her cheek resting against Nick’s shoulder blade as she fought to keep his swaying frame from falling over.

Allen returned only moments later, armed with a sweatsuit that, if Peggy had to guess, had been purchased on clearance some time in the early 90’s. The sweater was heather grey with neon green thunderbolts across the chest while the matching sweatpants were complete with ruched elastic waistband and tapered ankles. Under any other circumstances she probably would have asked if Allen had anything else in his closet but she was happy to let Nick suffer just a little once she had the pictures posted on Facebook.

Reluctantly and not without protest, Allen helped her get Nick into the clothes. She had to fight back her laughter at the short height of both the arms and legs of the get-up and couldn’t wait for Nick to sober up so she could laugh about it with him.

Once they got him sitting down on the couch in a position where his head was easily accessible Marilyn pulled out a small medical bag, starting her examination of his wound. She flashed a penlight in his eyes, watching as his pupils responded positively to the light before turning him to see the back of his head.

“So Nick, I always guessed that you were a suicide blonde but tonight you finally confirmed it for me.” Marilyn said as she looked through his hair at the small cut and bump on his scalp.

“What do you mean?” Nick asked, his voice groggy as he quickly started to run out of steam.

Marilyn chuckled. “Judging from the fact that the carpet doesn’t really match the drapes it’s pretty obvious that you dye by your own hand.”

Nick’s face was full of confusion but Peggy broke down into hysterical laughter at her sister’s joke, happy that even when Marilyn was sick, tired and disrupted in the middle of the night to come play nurse to a drunken idiot, she still had a wicked sense of humour.

~*~

Nick was certain as he slowly awoke from his slumber that he had been hit in the face with a 2x4. A thick layer of crust was keeping his eyes shut to the light that streamed in through the patio door. Despite his reluctance to face the sunlight he scratched it away, looking much like a small child as he wiped at his eyes.

He tried not to move his aching head too much as he looked around the unfamiliar room. He was wrapped in a blanket, laying on a couch by himself in someone’s living room. He vaguely remembered being at the club the night before and pounding shot after shot of whatever he could get his hands on. After that things had started to get muddy and he was uncertain of which parts of his memories actually happened and which parts he made up.

“Babe?” he croaked, shocked by the hoarseness of his own voice. Although he was alone in the room he remembered Peggy being there the night before and he was sure that memory was real. He called out for her a few more times, trying to ignore the overwhelming taste of old alcohol and vomit that lingered in his mouth.

He heard someone walk into the room and he opened his eyes once again, expecting to see his girlfriend waiting anxiously to tend to his hangover. Instead, a small girl in a pair of flannel footed pajamas was watching him curiously, the ear of a well-loved rabbit pressed against her mouth.

“Hi,” he said quietly, trying to keep the rattling in his skull at bay.

“Hi,” she replied, keeping her voice as low as his had been. “Who are you?”

His mind was telling him that now would be an appropriate time to sit up and take a better look at his surroundings but everything in Nick’s body was telling him not to move from the spot he had claimed. “I’m Nick.”

“I’m Lucy,” the little girl replied and he immediately realized that the girl was Peggy’s niece. A flood of mental imagines from the night before confirmed to him that he was in Peggy’s sister’s home, but not much more than that.

“Where’s your Aunt Peggy?”

Expecting the girl to run off and find his girlfriend, he hadn’t braced himself for what was easily the loudest yell he’d ever heard. He had been in arenas full of tens of thousands of screaming girls but they had nothing on the qualified lungs of this little one. He cringed dramatically, reaching up with one hand to grasp his head while Lucy called out again for her Aunt to come to the living room.

“What’s all the noise?” Peggy’s voice finally rang out as she entered the living room.

Lucy pointed at Nick who was still clutching his head, “He’s in my spot and I want to watch cartoons.”

Peggy smiled and patted her niece on the head. As soon as she turned to the man on the couch though her cheerful demeanor disappeared and she reached out and pushed his hands away from his ears.

“Get up,” she instructed.

“Could you just give me a few minutes?” he whispered his request, not quite ready to move from the couch as a nauseous feeling overcame him.

“No. Now.”

“What is your problem?” he asked, though he followed her instructions by first getting himself into a sitting position on the couch. As soon as his legs were clear of the end Lucy was hopping up to begin her weekend morning routine and Nick wished he had a quarter of the energy she had.

Slowly he pulled himself to standing, nearly losing the sweats he was wearing in the process when they slid right off his hips. He was pulling the drawstring as tight as it would go when Peggy suddenly yanked on his arm, trying to move him out of the living room.

“Would you just move?”

“Hold up!” he snapped, pulling his arm free from her grip. He finished tightening the pants then followed her from the living room into the kitchen where Marilyn and Allen were standing at a small kitchen island in their pajamas.

“How’s your head?” Marilyn asked thoughtfully and Nick reached back to touch the sore spot on his scalp delicately.

“I think it’s okay, I have a wicked headache though.”

“I’ll get you something for that.”

“Great. Thanks,” he smiled gratefully. “Can I use your bathroom?”

Alan nodded and pointed the other man in the right direction but before Nick walked away he turned to Peggy, raising a curious eyebrow.

“Is that alright with you?” he asked sarcastically. “Am I allowed to go piss?”

Peggy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms firmly across her chest. “Just go.”

Nick walked down the hall and Marilyn shook her head at her sister disapprovingly. “Be nice to him. He’s a man, he can’t help being an idiot.”

They both ignored Alan’s cry of protest in response and Peggy sighed. “He frustrates me. Sometimes...I just want to walk away from this, from him.”