Chapter 19
The next morning, Mary Jane was there by Peter bed side. Things were looking up when Dr. Benson informed her that his wound was healing at an above average rate. She was determined to be there when he woke up.
She didn't have to wait long. Peter's hand began to twitch underneath her hands. Her heart leaped as she sat up and looked up at his face. His eyes fluttered open and they dazedly looked over at Mary Jane whose wore a radiating smile. "Wha? What happened? Where am I?"
"You're lucky to be alive right now. You're in the hospital."
Everything started to come back to him: the Eddie Brock situation, the Lizard attack at Aunt May's house, everything. Mary Jane's reply suddenly dawned on him and he began to sit up. "The hospital? I can't be here, I…"
"Peter, stop moving or you'll reopen your wounds!" Mary Jane gently pushed him back down.
"My secret will be revealed here! I can't be treated here!"
"Mr. Parker, it's good to see you awake!" Dr. Benson entered the room with Peter's charts in his hand.
"Doctor, I have to get out of here. No offence, but I can't be here."
"If you are referring to your secret identity, it's safe with me. You have nothing to worried about. Your wounds, on the other hand, should be something to worry about."
Peter's eyes widen in horror. "You know who I am?"
"Peter, you can trust him. He will not tell anyone that you are Spider-man?"
Peter's heart began to race. "How can I know if I can? It's not a small-time secret. If the wrong people find out, you and Aunt May will be hurt!"
Mary Jane smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Peter, I will vouch for Dr. Benson, because he has kept my secret all these years."
"Your secret? You have a secret?" Peter looked at her with a confused look on his face.
"See how trustworthy he is? Not even you know about my secret." Mary Jane smiled, but her smiled faded away as she took a deep breath. "Do you remember high school, Peter?"
"Of course. We lived next to each other. You lived with your father and… "
"Yea, well you know how violent my fights were with my father who was always drunk."
"How can I forget?" Peter replied.
"I know we weren't dating at that time, but did you ever notice that there were stretches of time that I missed classes?"
"Yea, now that you mention it, I remember you missing school for two whole week."
Mary Jane nodded. "Well, the fights between my father and I got violent a few times."
Peter's head tilted in his pillow. "Your father hit you?"
Mary Jane nodded. "Quite a few times. I've been bruised quite a few time by his abuse. That time I missed two weeks of school was because he broke one of my ribs."
"If your father physically abused you, why have you never reported it?"
Tears strolled down the sides of her face. "I didn't want anyone to know about the abuse. I didn't want anyone to see the bruises and how much physical pain I was in. If I had reported it, I would have been taken away and been forced to stay with a foster family, and that was the last thing I wanted. I was determined to graduated high school and then move out on my own. Dr. Benson treated me during my high school years, and despite the possibility of being stripped of his medical practice, he has kept this a secret."
"She is one strong woman," Dr. Benson said. "To survive her entire life of abuse from her father and to still make her dreams come true is unheard of."
Peter looked at the doctor. "I am convinced that you are willing to keep my secret, but I don't understand why. This is a far bigger secret to keep hidden, and you will loose your practice for sure if it gets out."
"Because, it's the least I can do for you. I am forever in your debt. Do you remember a few years back at the Macy's Word Day Festival? You rescued a boy from the collapsing concert stage when that Green Goblin character attacked."
"I remember," Peter replied.
"That boy you saved was my son. You saved him and handed him safely into my wife's arms. When she came home that day and told me what happened, I promised myself that someday I would find a way to help Spider-man out in any way I could. Me helping you know is just the beginning of my way of saying thank you for saving my boy's life. If you ever need it, I will come to your house or apartment and treat your wounds. It's the least I can do."
"I appreciate it, doctor," Peter replied.
There was a knock at the door and there stood Aunt May holding on to her purse. "I'm glad to see you awake!" Aunt May entered the room.
"Aunt May!" Peter smiled. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Aunt May. If it wasn't for Spider-man, I may not be here."
"That was what Mary Jane told me," Aunt May placed a hand on her shoulder. "That lizard creature is horrific!" Aunt May said, shaking her head. "Excuse my French, but I hope that Spider-man can stop him!"
Peter's looked at her in disbelief. "I though you hated Spider-man, Aunt May."
"I've had a change of heart. He saved my nephew, after all. You can say I've became a big fan of Spider-man now."
There was a knock at the door and walking into the room was Martha Connors. "Mrs. Connors!" Peter said.
"It's a little crowded in here. I'll come back in a little while and check up your progress," Dr. Benson said, exited out of the crowded room.
"I am so sorry to bother you, Peter, especially when your seriously hurt, but this is kind of an emergency," Martha Connors said, entering the room.
"It's no problem," Peter replied.
"From the photographs I've seen on the Daily Planet for a long while, I get the sense that you are close to Spider-man. Is that true?" She asked.
"I am an acquaintance of his, yes," Peter replied.
"I need to get a message to Spider-man right-a-way, and you are the only one I could think of who might know of a way to get in contact with him. I need speak with Spider-man right away regarding what the Daily Planet is now naming the Lizard. I have information about the Lizard that Spider-man needs to know. I am so sorry to come to you in your condition, but do you know of anyway that I can speak to Spider-man about this issue."
"I will make sure, one way or another, that he knows about your request to see him," Peter replied.
The next morning, Mary Jane was there by Peter bed side. Things were looking up when Dr. Benson informed her that his wound was healing at an above average rate. She was determined to be there when he woke up.
She didn't have to wait long. Peter's hand began to twitch underneath her hands. Her heart leaped as she sat up and looked up at his face. His eyes fluttered open and they dazedly looked over at Mary Jane whose wore a radiating smile. "Wha? What happened? Where am I?"
"You're lucky to be alive right now. You're in the hospital."
Everything started to come back to him: the Eddie Brock situation, the Lizard attack at Aunt May's house, everything. Mary Jane's reply suddenly dawned on him and he began to sit up. "The hospital? I can't be here, I…"
"Peter, stop moving or you'll reopen your wounds!" Mary Jane gently pushed him back down.
"My secret will be revealed here! I can't be treated here!"
"Mr. Parker, it's good to see you awake!" Dr. Benson entered the room with Peter's charts in his hand.
"Doctor, I have to get out of here. No offence, but I can't be here."
"If you are referring to your secret identity, it's safe with me. You have nothing to worried about. Your wounds, on the other hand, should be something to worry about."
Peter's eyes widen in horror. "You know who I am?"
"Peter, you can trust him. He will not tell anyone that you are Spider-man?"
Peter's heart began to race. "How can I know if I can? It's not a small-time secret. If the wrong people find out, you and Aunt May will be hurt!"
Mary Jane smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Peter, I will vouch for Dr. Benson, because he has kept my secret all these years."
"Your secret? You have a secret?" Peter looked at her with a confused look on his face.
"See how trustworthy he is? Not even you know about my secret." Mary Jane smiled, but her smiled faded away as she took a deep breath. "Do you remember high school, Peter?"
"Of course. We lived next to each other. You lived with your father and… "
"Yea, well you know how violent my fights were with my father who was always drunk."
"How can I forget?" Peter replied.
"I know we weren't dating at that time, but did you ever notice that there were stretches of time that I missed classes?"
"Yea, now that you mention it, I remember you missing school for two whole week."
Mary Jane nodded. "Well, the fights between my father and I got violent a few times."
Peter's head tilted in his pillow. "Your father hit you?"
Mary Jane nodded. "Quite a few times. I've been bruised quite a few time by his abuse. That time I missed two weeks of school was because he broke one of my ribs."
"If your father physically abused you, why have you never reported it?"
Tears strolled down the sides of her face. "I didn't want anyone to know about the abuse. I didn't want anyone to see the bruises and how much physical pain I was in. If I had reported it, I would have been taken away and been forced to stay with a foster family, and that was the last thing I wanted. I was determined to graduated high school and then move out on my own. Dr. Benson treated me during my high school years, and despite the possibility of being stripped of his medical practice, he has kept this a secret."
"She is one strong woman," Dr. Benson said. "To survive her entire life of abuse from her father and to still make her dreams come true is unheard of."
Peter looked at the doctor. "I am convinced that you are willing to keep my secret, but I don't understand why. This is a far bigger secret to keep hidden, and you will loose your practice for sure if it gets out."
"Because, it's the least I can do for you. I am forever in your debt. Do you remember a few years back at the Macy's Word Day Festival? You rescued a boy from the collapsing concert stage when that Green Goblin character attacked."
"I remember," Peter replied.
"That boy you saved was my son. You saved him and handed him safely into my wife's arms. When she came home that day and told me what happened, I promised myself that someday I would find a way to help Spider-man out in any way I could. Me helping you know is just the beginning of my way of saying thank you for saving my boy's life. If you ever need it, I will come to your house or apartment and treat your wounds. It's the least I can do."
"I appreciate it, doctor," Peter replied.
There was a knock at the door and there stood Aunt May holding on to her purse. "I'm glad to see you awake!" Aunt May entered the room.
"Aunt May!" Peter smiled. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Aunt May. If it wasn't for Spider-man, I may not be here."
"That was what Mary Jane told me," Aunt May placed a hand on her shoulder. "That lizard creature is horrific!" Aunt May said, shaking her head. "Excuse my French, but I hope that Spider-man can stop him!"
Peter's looked at her in disbelief. "I though you hated Spider-man, Aunt May."
"I've had a change of heart. He saved my nephew, after all. You can say I've became a big fan of Spider-man now."
There was a knock at the door and walking into the room was Martha Connors. "Mrs. Connors!" Peter said.
"It's a little crowded in here. I'll come back in a little while and check up your progress," Dr. Benson said, exited out of the crowded room.
"I am so sorry to bother you, Peter, especially when your seriously hurt, but this is kind of an emergency," Martha Connors said, entering the room.
"It's no problem," Peter replied.
"From the photographs I've seen on the Daily Planet for a long while, I get the sense that you are close to Spider-man. Is that true?" She asked.
"I am an acquaintance of his, yes," Peter replied.
"I need to get a message to Spider-man right-a-way, and you are the only one I could think of who might know of a way to get in contact with him. I need speak with Spider-man right away regarding what the Daily Planet is now naming the Lizard. I have information about the Lizard that Spider-man needs to know. I am so sorry to come to you in your condition, but do you know of anyway that I can speak to Spider-man about this issue."
"I will make sure, one way or another, that he knows about your request to see him," Peter replied.