I want to thank everyone who reviewed my other fics, thank you all for your wonderful reviews.
Thanks for all the amazing reviews, jjonahjameson, Moonjava, and Mark C. Hazelle, thanks for telling me what you think in your email.
LordLanceahlot – No, awesomest isn't a word. Thanks for the review, no one's pressuring me, I had been updating like crazy before, but I just may need to barrow your stick to fight off the writer's block. And speaking of updates…do you plan to write anymore Spidey fics? I love your short Peter/M.J. ones.
Thanks to jjonahjameson for all of your input for the chapter as well as for beta reading this for me.
Part Seven
Wondering Who You Are
Sunlight.
That was the first thing Harry saw when he woke up. It reflected off the wall, from the half closed blinds.
Taking in a deep breath as he sat up, Harry felt like he hurt worse today then he had yesterday. He was still sore everywhere, but it wasn't so bad. The pain was tolerable.
Harry's thoughts drifted back to the events of yesterday. It was strange to say the least. People he didn't know, or least remember, knew more about him then he knew about himself. Peter was obviously a good friend of his. From what he could tell, Peter was just an average, everyday kind of guy; there wasn't anything extraordinary about him.
Peter's girlfriend on the other hand…Mary Jane was her name, if Harry remembered right. She had been pretty quiet. But then, he'd have to say Mary Jane was just plain pretty, no, in fact, beautiful was a better word to describe her.
Peter and Mary Jane did make an odd pair indeed. Harry wouldn't go so far as to say they were the most unlikely couple, but then he didn't know either of them that well.
Cait seemed nice, she was cute in her own way. Harry wasn't sure what to think where she was concerned, mainly because he had just only met her yesterday. But one thing was sure, she wasn't as good looking as Mary Jane was.
Not knowing what to think, Harry didn't know what to say or do about anyone. He felt like he didn't know who he was. He hated that he would have ask Peter and Mary Jane about himself. It was maddening.
His door opened, he was somewhat surprised to see it was Cait herself. "You're here early," he commented. He almost said, I had been just thinking about you a minute ago, but caught himself in time.
"I'm working for a few hours today. Peter and Mary Jane should be here with my brother later on," she said, setting down his breakfast tray. Harry hadn't met Ivan yet, but Cait had told him yesterday that he was going to be staying at their house.
"What do you think about Peter and Mary Jane?" Since Harry didn't remember his two friends, he thought he could get Cait's opinion of them. Perhaps she could tell him about them.
"They're good friends of yours, of that I have no doubt," she said but then hesitated.
Cait wasn't sure if it was her place to mention everything the couple had told Ivan and her yesterday. It was probably pointless to tell him about all of that and the little bit of information she did pry out of Peter and Mary Jane about Spider-Man. Harry, no doubt, wouldn't remember any of that anyways.
As far as Spider-Man went, she got a general idea on what he looked like. She had never seen him on TV. Cait almost wished that Peter had a picture of him so she could see what he looked like. Though neither Peter nor Mary Jane had said, she could tell they liked the masked hero. They talked of him causally like he was just an everyday person, but since they lived in New York City, or Manhattan really, the 'wowness' had worn off of them. She had thought Spider-Man would get a "Yowza" from them.
Cait knew that Harry wanted some type of an answer. "We just talked about some basic stuff: jobs, school, things along that line," she said carefully. "But you're going to have to ask them, so they can tell you more about their lives. I couldn't," she quickly added before he could question her on it.
"Do they say anything about me?" Harry asked. Since they had been quite vague, he thought maybe Cait knew something.
Shaking her head, no, Cait wished she had something to tell him. She could tell Harry her impression of them. Peter and Mary Jane knew him better then she did, they could answer his questions.
"I think they're worried about you. After all, Peter and Mary Jane did come all this way to make sure you were alright. Not everyone would do that." Cait knew from her own experience that was true. But she had forgiven those in question years ago.
Harry had been hoping for more information about them than that, but whatever he wanted to know he'd have to ask Peter and M.J. himself.
"I've got to go back to work. I'll see you later."
Nodding to her as she left, Harry pulled off the lid of the tray. Yes, he had the breakfast of champions. Looking at it, he frowned. Maybe he shouldn't complain about it, he hadn't even tasted it yet. Plus, it looked like he got more food then he had had for lunch yesterday.
After tasting it, he wished for the watered down soup he had had. Forcing himself, he ate most of it until he thought he was full. Full, no that wasn't right word. Perhaps the food was enough to satisfy his hunger.
Getting up, he walked over to the closet that held his duffel bag. Not bothering to look through it, he was just pleased to see there were some clothes in it that he could change into. He would look through the bag later on.
Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about the stupid IV, he'd had it taken out last night. Even though his friends wouldn't be coming until later, Harry was going to get ready now. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. Showering eased some of the stiffness from his muscles.
Now out of the shower, a towel around his waist, Harry looked at himself in mirror. He had the one white bandage on the left side of his head, the left side of his face was black and blue. There were small cuts dotting his face, but he must have covered his eyes to protect them from flying glass, because there wasn't a scratch in sight. Looking in the mirror with his own brown eyes, he thought, I've seen myself all my life, but I don't recognize this stranger staring back at me.
Studying himself or, making a closer inspection, he took in the curly, dark blond hair that brushed his collar. He looked at his brown eyes, and then at the dark circles around them. Had he been sleeping badly before this? He wished he knew. The slight hollowness to his cheeks gave his face an almost harsh look. His unsmiling mouth looked like it was set in stone. He looked older then his 21 years.
As he dressed he noticed his tough frame was muscular, but not overly so. The jeans he donned were slightly loose. Must have lost weight, or maybe he hadn't been eating as he should have been?
Now dressed, not without a small amount of pain, and with the sling back in place, Harry unfortunately had nothing to do. Since he couldn't remember anything, thinking was out of the question. Unless he wanted to drive himself insane questioning what his life had been like before this hospital room.
Since he hadn't bothered to look through his bag earlier, Harry figured now would be as good a time as any to see what was there. He had to admit he was more than a little curious to see what was in there. Especially if he could find something that gave him clues about who he was.
The ride over to the hospital was a quiet one. Ivan didn't have to go to work until early evening. He was going to be doing the 'graveyard' shift, or working all night, until 6:00 AM.
Peter and M.J. sat in the backseat, each one in his or her own thoughts. Mary Jane was watching the passing scenery as they drove by. Her thoughts weren't fully on everything Elroy held. She was thinking of some of the things she and Peter had talked about this morning. Both of them were concerned for Harry; they hoped they could help him. But there was also the matter of the diary.
Peter wasn't sure what to think of the diary. Mary Jane and he had talked some more about it that morning. She had suggested going to the library for information about Jon Parker or his son, Derrick. Neither of them even knew where in Wisconsin they had lived. Just because Elroy was Peter's hometown, that didn't mean that Jon or Derrick had lived here.
But going to the library or on the internet may give them some clues to see if the Parker line after Derrick had continued on. There still was a one in a million chance that Peter could be related to them.
Today wasn't the day to go searching for answers. Harry needed to get settled at Ivan and Cait's house, then Peter and M.J. had to see what Cait was going to do. She had offered to show them around town, that is if Harry was up to it. They didn't think their friend would want to be cooped up in the house. It was just something that they would have to play by ear.
Ivan parked in the hospital parking lot. He was glad that his sister was going to be getting a car, even a temporary one, to drive to work.
Since Cait only worked till noon, they were coming to pick her up while they got Harry released. On the way back to the house, Cait was going to be dropped off to pick out a rental car until she could get a used car she liked. Just because Ivan was a doctor didn't mean he got a huge salary.
Now in the hospital, Peter went to sign the papers for Harry to be released. While he did that, Mary Jane and Ivan headed up to Room 410. M.J. wondered how Harry would be today compared to how he was yesterday.
Will he remember anything? Does he remember Peter and me at all?
"What's your opinion of Spider-Man?"
M.J. was jolted out of her thoughts by Ivan's question. "What?"
Repeating his question, Ivan waited for her answer.
"Didn't we talk about this last night?" she said lightly.
"Yes, we did. But I'm sure you have your own opinion on Spider-Man."
"What exactly are you asking?"
"You and Peter skirted around Cait's inquires last night. Why was that?"
"We answered her questions."
"Only general answers, nothing specific. I get the impression you don't want say much on Spider-Man. What do you think of him?"
As they stepped out of the elevator, Mary Jane putted forward her best acting skills, keeping her face expressionless as possible. She didn't want Ivan to think his interrogation was putting her on the spot. Laughing lightly, she said, "I thought you could care less about Spider-Man."
Shrugging, he said, "I don't care a whit about it. I just think you and Peter know more than you're telling me and Cait."
"Why do you say that?" Damn, he's getting suspicious, I've got to talk to Peter about this.
"Because you're avoiding answering my question. You do have your own opinion of Spider-Man, I think," he said rubbing his breaded chin.
"Not that this is any of your business, but I think Spider-Man is heroic for trying to do what he can to help the people of New York."
"But he wasn't there during 9/11." Ivan pointed out.
"I'm not saying Spider-Man is someone immortal. I think he is a human being just like the rest of us. Besides, Spider-Man didn't appear until two years ago. And you know as well as I do that that 9/11 happened a year before that." Mary Jane stopped herself from adding that she and Peter had been seniors in high school at that point. She'd better watch what she said, she was getting defensive.
Thinking that it was best to remain quiet, Ivan didn't say anything. Perhaps it would be better just had keep a close eye on Peter and Mary Jane for now. That may be the best thing, since their friend did have amnesia.
Though Ivan didn't say anything, M.J. was glad to see Harry's room. Upon entering his room, Ivan and Mary Jane found him channel surfing in the armchair.
"Hi, Harry," she said cheerfully.
"Hi," he gave her a polite smile and stood, then looked at Ivan inquisitively.
"I'm Cait's brother, Ivan McKinnon. I'm also an ER doctor here."
"That's neat," Harry really didn't know what to say to Ivan, who already knew about him.
"I'm going to go find Cait," Ivan said to the both of them. After being acknowledged with a 'sure', he left the room to look for his sister.
Frowning in uncertainty, Harry asked, "Wasn't there someone with you yesterday?"
"Peter, he is on his way up. I'm Mary Jane," she supplied in case he forgot.
"Right, I knew that," he said nodding.
"I'm sure yesterday was crazy for you," she trailed off. This is so awkward, what to do you say to someone you know, but they don't know you?
Once again Peter showed up and saved the day. "Hi ya, Harry," he said brightly.
"Hey."
Mary Jane could tell this was strange for Peter too. Taking his hand, she felt he needed the contact as much as she did. They stood in strained silence.
"You mentioned that my parents were deceased. What happened to them?"
"You mentioned at one point that your mother died of a terminal illness. I don't know much about the facts because you never talked about it."
As Mary Jane listened to what Peter had just said, she couldn't help thinking, Norman Osborn said his wife was gold digger, yet she died of fetal illness. Were does all of the pieces of this crazy puzzle fit together?
"And my father?"
Mary Jane dared to glance at Peter's reaction to this from the corner of her eye. Though the expression on Peter's face didn't change, something was in his eyes, sadness mixed in with guilt. Had Harry noticed this?
Before Peter had a chance to answer, the door opened again, Ivan came back in. "Cait is getting her things, are you ready?" he asked them.
"Yes," Peter said, maybe a bit too quickly while holding up the discharge papers. Grabbing Harry's duffel bag, he swung it over his shoulder.
A few minutes later, Cait came to the door with an orderly at her heels. Though Harry thought it was ridiculous, it was hospital policy for patients to be escorted out in a wheelchair. As they all headed for the elevator, Harry glanced at Peter and Mary Jane. Cait was right about these two.
But something about it didn't feel right to him. All he knew was he didn't like it. At this point in time, Harry didn't understand that the seed of jealousy he felt toward his best friend was starting to bud again.
Peter wasn't sure what to feel. Maybe it was worry, dread, or relief? If Harry knew what he was trying to do, or understood what he was trying to find…he was pretty much a dead man. A dead man with un-human powers to that of a spider.
It had nothing to do with Spider-Man or the fact that Harry hated him because he believed Peter killed his father. Which wasn't the truth in the first place.
Peter believed the Goblin had tried to kill him. He'd just gotten out of the way in time before the deed became reality. To this day, he didn't believe it was Norman himself who tried to kill him. He didn't know if Mr. Osborn had tried to kill himself along with Peter. Had a part of Norman thought that dying would kill the Goblin? Or had the Goblin meant to get out of the way before the glider came through? Despite the fact this was a twisted Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde story gone terribly wrong, Peter knew that, just like Spider-Man was a part of who he was, Norman Osborn was who, or rather what, the Green Goblin was.
No, it had nothing to do with the Green Goblin, but everything to do with the performance enhancer. The truth of the matter was that Peter had gone though Harry's duffel bag. Since Harry hadn't been in the room, Peter had quickly gone though his bag to find the enhancer.
Setting the duffel bag down on Harry's bed, Peter eyed it. Knowing that he shouldn't go through his friend's things, Peter still knew he had to find that performance enhancer.
There were some clothes, so Harry had planned to leave for at least for some time. Although there wasn't much clothing, just enough to last a few days.
His cell phone, which was off. Turning it on, Peter saw that Harry had missed numerous calls. Peter didn't know everyone who called, but he would bet that most of the people who called were from OsCorp.
Had Harry just left with no warning, or had he said something to someone?
Shaking his head, Peter turned off the phone. Harry wouldn't be able to answer anything until he remembered everything. Then, Peter remembered something of his own. The mirror in Harry's study had been ruined by the dagger he'd meant to use to stab Spider-Man, no, him. Had his friend just lost it and shattered the mirror? Maybe Harry was that upset about finding out that I was Spider-Man and not some unknown person.
There was nothing else in the bag. Peter checked it again. There was nothing there, no performance enhancer. If it wasn't there, where was it?
That was hours ago. Now, true to M.J. and his word, they were going to treat Ivan and Cait to late lunch, or more like an early dinner. They both agreed the deli a few blocks away would be a good place to grab some sandwiches.
"Do you want me to come along?" Cait figured she'd ask though she was fairly sure they'd want to have some time to themselves.
"Nah." Mary Jane shook head, no. "We're good, aren't we, Pete?"
Nodding, Peter grabbed a pad of paper to write down what everyone wanted. "We'll just get everyone's orders here."
Now, walking hand and hand to the deli, M.J. mentioned what happened at the hospital with Ivan. He hadn't brought the subject of Spider-Man back up.
We can't just not tell Ivan not ask questions because would just give him more to ask. And if Harry hears about Spider-Man, he may put two and two together.
"We'll just have to watch what we say."
"Peter, why didn't you tell Harry about his father?"
"We got interrupted." M.J. gave him a pointed look. "Ok, I wasn't sure how to tell Harry about Norman and hoping to not have him question it."
"And what if he remembers what happened?"
Coming to the deli, Peter didn't want to continue this conversation inside. Before going in he turned to her and simply asked, "Can we talk about this later?"
Nodding, Mary Jane walked in with him. While they got the sandwiches, she couldn't help thinking, Peter is still reluctant to share anything that has to do with Spider-Man. Which has a lot to do with Harry and his father too.
Thanks for reading! Please Review. Jenn
