Another moment;
Just like the moment before…
You count the hours;
And wonder, can you take anymore?

Chapter 2: Give It Time

10 am

When Peter's eyes fluttered open, he felt the corners of his mouth move downward as he stared at the white ceiling and furrowed his brow. Where was he? All he could remember before going to sleep was feeling like he was on fire, but now he felt better.

He felt a strange pressure on his chest from the blanket over him and lifted one hand cautiously to see an I.V in his arm. Setting his arm back down beside him and lifting the other, he pushed the blanket down off his chest to relieve the pressure. As he did so his hand brushed against something and his eyes opened wide.

Peter grabbed the blanket and lifted it; staring down at his chest as it rose with each breath. This was not the body of a boy! He moved his hand from the blanket to the bed and pushed himself up, the blanket falling onto his lap. He suddenly realized he couldn't feel any pressure between his legs.

Panic rose in him as he looked around franticly. "Uncle Ben? Aunt May?" he called out. This had to be a fever induced dream; and when he woke up he'd be in his own body, his own bed, back at home. "Where are you?" he winced at the sound of his own voice, it was higher than normal.

Peter heard the monitor begin to beep uncontrollably in synchronization with his fast heartbeats. He glanced up as the door opened and a doctor rushed in, injecting something into the I.V. "It'll be alright Mr. Parker, this will help you calm down."

Peter started to feel tired and soon he was back asleep.

1 hour later

When Peter awoke, he stared up to the ceiling knowing this was not a dream.

Numbly, he lifted his hand, unable to see any notable difference, but the shock still lingered. He heard a soft knock on his room's door. As the door swayed open he looked up to see his aunt and uncle standing, staring at him. In their eyes was a fearful surprise. Aunt May moved forward and cradled Peter into her arms.

"Oh thank goodness you're awake!" she cried and Peter started to feel a little less distressed.

"You mean you're not shocked about…this?" He questioned and belatedly realized that they had probably already seen him…this way. "But I'm a girl," he said frightfully as he began to question what had occurred. "How did this even happen?" He gasped at the sound of this unfamiliar female voice coming from his mouth. It only confirmed to him that this wasn't a dream.

Uncle Ben sat on the edge of the bed beside Aunt May. "Kiddo, you remember that bite on your hand?"

Peter cautiously nodded as he wondered why. "That spider bite caused this?" he cringed as he heard his voice rise accordingly. When Uncle Ben shook, Peter didn't know how to react and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "This isn't a dream?"

"No Peter, it's not." Aunt May replied delicately.

Peter felt the shock start to wear off but the fear remained. The spider bite really had done something to him. He was frightened and uneasy. Anyone in his position would feel this way, he thought reassuringly, but this must have happened for a reason. That was the only reasoning he could latch onto to keep himself from breaking down in his aunt's arms.

"Can…can we go home?" he asked quietly.

His aunt and uncle exchanged glances. "Are you sure, you don't have to leave, you just woke up after all, kiddo." Uncle Ben whispered.

Peter shook his head. "No, I want to go, I'm fine…" his voice broke a little, but he fiercely pushed it aside. "I feel better," he said lightly, "no fever or pain at all."

"Well, if you're sure…" Uncle Ben trailed off as if waiting for Peter to say otherwise. Without a response Uncle Ben rose from the bed's edge. "I'll go get Dr. Bromwell." He said before walking out of the room.

"Mr. Parker, good to see you're awake." The doctor said amiably as he walked into the room with Uncle Ben. Peter thankfully accepted the avoidance of the address 'Miss'; he was certain he couldn't handle that just yet. "Now, I understand that you want to leave?" An inquisitive look crossed the doctor's face as Peter simply nodded. "Right, now, you're feeling no pain or any discomfort?"

Peter refrained from snapping back with "Nothing besides the obvious," but he only said, "No, I feel better, great even, so can I go?" he asked optimistically.

Dr. Bromwell shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. You just came out of a coma; you will have to remain here for a few days to be monitored in case of adverse effects."

Peter felt his face twist up as he gestured to his body. "Isn't this an 'adverse effect'?" he asked angrily.

"Peter!" Aunt May admonished him.

Peter glanced at her and suddenly felt drained. "Alright, and I just have to do what then?"

"From the inactivity your body has sustained, you will have to get accustomed to walking again and some blood samples must be taken to check for any irregularities or any…anymore effects of the spider bite." Dr. Bromwell explained.

Peter frowned at the welts on his hand. "I understand."

The next few days weren't as bad as he thought they'd be. Sure, the tests kept him antsy. The thought of there being something else wrong was unnerving; but what could be changed more than his DNA? They took samples of his blood during the physio part of the exam.

As a female he was changed in more than just the usual ways, for one thing, he was tall; not the previously short height he'd been before. He now stood at a height of 5'7 or 8, so that was deemed a plus. His height affected balance performance when having to walk though; he had to remind himself to hold onto the rails as he went but still, it was nice to know that 'Puny Parker' was gone. He winced when he realized the full meaning of that phrase.

5 pm

"How are you feeling today?" Aunt May asked on the third day of testing.

Peter sat up in his bed while his aunt sat down beside him. "Fine." Aunt May eyed him suspiciously, knowing that this wasn't exactly true. He lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.

Aunt May reached over and petted Peter's hair as she had done when he was younger. The soothing gesture made him relax. "You shouldn't be ashamed of yourself."

Peter flinched. "What are you talking about?" he asked nervously.

"Peter, I can see it in your eyes, it's okay to be scared, it's normal, but you should never be ashamed of yourself." Aunt May said in a kind but stern tone.

Peter was about to snap. How could this possibly be normal, he thought heatedly but forced the words back. Aunt May is only trying to help. "I know," he said quietly, "it's just…this is all too much."

"Peter, you're uncle I were talking while you were…recovering, we think a change of scenery would be best for the summer." Aunt May said tentatively, as if she didn't know how Peter would react.

Peter thought it over for a moment. A change in scenery would be nice. He would have time to adjust to this new, unexpected change. "Sounds good." He murmured. "Is there anything else?" he saw Aunt May's eyes flash guiltily, but before he could speak up, his uncle came back in with a doctor.

"I'll just give your vitals another check and you'll be able to leave." Dr. Bromwell said before Aunt May moved away from Peter's side. His vision was carefully checked. Peter stared up at Dr. Bromwell in awe, something that during the last few days had never occurred to him.

"I can see." He said in something akin to amazement.

"Excuse me?" Dr. Bromwell asked.

"I needed to wear glasses, but now I can see." Peter said as a trace of excitement laced his voice. "I don't need glasses anymore." He said looking over at his guardians. "I never noticed it before, but I can see."

"That's wonderful, Peter." Aunt May said, though there was brittle smile on her face and Peter realized that his guardians needed to adjust to this change as well.

This would be a good thing for all of them.

Peter was silent through the rest of the check up and when he was able to get out of the bed, he was mildly surprised to find his legs didn't feel wobbly anymore. Aunt May placed a change of clothes in Peter's arms…girl clothes. He looked at her questioningly.

"I brought a change of clothes with me since I knew you'd want a change." she explained and Peter nodded, but before he walked out, he stopped and looked at his aunt sheepishly.

"Uh, I don't know how…um…uh…" he trailed off as he looked down at his feet.

Aunt May realized what he meant though and walked over to him, leading him out of the room. "I understand, and do you want me to help you change?"

Peter flushed as he was nervous about anyone seeing his body. "Uh, could you just show me how to use the...bra." he whispered, his face heating even more.

Aunt May looked at him sympathetically. "Of course, Peter." She said as the two of them stopped at the bathroom and picked up the bra from the clothes. "Now, just hold it around you and clip these two straps and turn it around, put your arms through the shoulder straps, and the cups go over your-"

"I-I get it Aunt May." Peter cut her off softly as his face was practically beet red.

Aunt May's eyes softened as she patted Peter on the shoulder. "I'll be right out here in case you need any help."

Peter nodded and managed to give her a weak smile before walking into the washroom. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, but really didn't see much of a difference since he never really thought of himself as attractive. He was taller at least. He changed out of the hospital gown and put on the bra first, taking his aunt's advice about how to put it on and put on then the underwear; these he thankfully didn't need to be told how to change into and put on the shirt and jeans.

He walked out of the washroom suddenly marveling at the fact that he was no longer feeling unbearably tired. He no longer had a vivid memory of falling asleep with the terrible feeling of being on fire.

"I'm all done." Peter said awkwardly as he held the gown in his arms. Aunt May gave him another pat on the shoulder before they both walked back to his hospital room and he handed the gown to the doctor.

"You are fit to leave, your vitals have all been checked out and the tests cleared you, just sign out at the receptionist's desk." The doctor said before walking away.

Peter followed his guardians down the hall. As he was being signed out, Uncle Ben put a hand on his shoulder and started to lead him to the hospital's exit. "So…where are we gonna go?"

"Hartford, Connecticut, my sister lives there." Uncle Ben leisurely explained.

"She said that we were welcome to come over for the summer." Aunt May clarified.

"Oh, but don't I need to pack?" Peter questioned and wondered if the summer would be enough time to get used to this new situation.

"We…packed the new clothes your aunt bought for you." Uncle Ben replied.

Peter blinked slowly as he realized his guardians had already decided that they were leaving the city for the summer while he was still asleep or when he was recovering. He couldn't be angry as he did in fact agree with their thinking. "Oh, that's good. How long will the drive be?"

"The drive will be a little over two hours," Uncle Ben began, "though we need to make one stop beforehand."

Peter furrowed his brow and tilted his head. "Where are we going?" he asked and he received no answer, making his worries return. His eyes soon widened as the car was pulled up to his friend's penthouse that rested atop of the OsCorp headquarters, the actual facility being somewhere else in the city. "Why are you stopping?"

"Nothing to worry about; just letting him know that you're alright." Uncle Ben replied.

Peter didn't think anything of this at the time as there was still so much on his mind at the moment. "Oh, okay then."

7: 18 pm

Peter had been falling asleep as the sun started setting, having lost track of how long they'd been on the road. He thought the scenery had something to do with his weariness, but his eyes closed for what felt like a brief moment. His eyes flashed open as he felt a strong hand grasp his shoulder and shake. "Hmm, wha…?"

"We're here, kiddo." Uncle Ben said before Peter nodded and got out of the car.

The teen helped grab the bags before the three of them walked up the steps. Aunt May rang the doorbell, only having to wait a few moments before the door opened to reveal a woman. She appeared to be the same age as Aunt May with similar white hair, but having green eyes instead of blue.

"May!"

"April!"

Peter blinked as the women hugged. He turned to look at Uncle Ben, mouthing 'May and April?' His uncle only shrugged. The green-eyed elderly woman moved to hug Uncle Ben.

"How are you, Ben?" April asked.

"Good, you April?" Uncle Ben asked in return.

April smiled sadly, but it was only there for a second. "I'm…fine." She said and looked over at Peter. "Oh, this must be the niece you told me about," she said giving Peter a hug, "I'm your Aunt April, and you are simply beautiful, dearie."

Peter felt a little awkward about being called 'beautiful' but reasoned that she was saying that only because she was also his aunt. "Thank you." He said politely. "I'm tired from the drive, is there any place I could sleep?"

"And such good manners." Aunt April mused before ushering her into the house. "You can sleep in the room just down the hall; it'll be the first room on your left."

Peter nodded as he walked down the hall and found the room. It was bare, aside from the bed, and he set his suitcase down on the floor, and sat down onto the bed. He opened the case and was surprised to find his satchel in the case as well before he figured that it'd give him something to look over later.

He yawned and lay down onto the pillow, thinking to himself to take things one step at a time. 'Remember,' he told himself, 'this happened for a reason.'

He just didn't know how long he could tell himself that before it started to sound like desperation.