Peter ran over to his aunt, crouching down beside her.

"May?" he asked, his voice light and shaky. He put two fingers on her neck, a great relief washing over him as he picked up a pulse. Still, she needed help.

Ironically, it was just around that time that whoever was sent to check on her showed up in the door. They started to come in but then stopped, putting their hand over their face.

"She's alive," he said, "but she needs help."

The nurse said nothing, instead raising her hand, pointing in what looked like his direction. Peter looked around, scouring the area surrounding himself and eventually found what she was pointing at: a series of broken containers that had produced different color stains on the floor, and there was even some mist that still resided near the floor next to him. In a sense, Peter was lucky he didn't just inhale a ton of whatever this stuff was by rushing in. Granted, his spider sense would've warned him if it was still dangerous anyway, but somehow, he could picture himself ignoring that given the gravity of the situation.

"I'm going to get a containment team in here," the nurse finally spoke up. "Don't worry, we'll get her help."

It didn't take that long for a team to make their way into the room, each one of them wearing hazmat suits for extra protection. Some of them began the process of cleaning up, while others scooped up May, wheeling her out of there quickly. Peter, still in his Spider-Man outfit, tried to follow her, but was stopped by part of the cleanup team.

"Sorry Spidey, but you can't leave until we've checked to make sure you're not a risk to spread anything."

Peter sighed quietly to himself. The last thing he wanted right now was to be separated from May, but he understood that these people were just doing their due diligence that came with the job, so he cooperated.

The next twenty-four hours were some of the longest Peter had ever endured.

First off, it took the crew three hours just to determine that he had come into the lab too late to have whatever had gotten into the air contaminate his suit. That was a relief at least, since he didn't exactly have a spare sitting around at his apartment right now, but still, it was an annoyingly long process.

Once that was done, Peter recovered his street clothes from where he'd left them as the battle had gotten started. He'd learned a long time ago to make sure they were stashed somewhere secure, lest someone come along and steal them just because they were there. Granted, the person might not have really KNOWN they were stealing them, given that they just looked like they'd been left behind, but still. It had happened before, and it was very annoying.

May ended up being put into a completely quarantined room for several hours until they could at least determine that there was no longer a danger of her spreading what she'd been exposed to. Peter remained at the window the entire time. A speaker system was in this room, so the two of them could talk when she wasn't being tested. Through it all, she remained steadfast and patient, but he could tell that she was eagerly looking forward to the whole thing being over and hopefully coming out of it alright, and he was looking forward to the same, even if his nerves wouldn't allow him to properly hope for such results.

Eddie had been kind enough to stay with him during the initial situation, coming back to visit today and sitting with Peter even now. He'd been nervous that his coworker would try to tell him that it was going to be fine, that May would make it out of this alright, and make other assurances he couldn't possibly know for sure. Thankfully, Eddie actually restrained himself quite well, simply sitting quietly with him, making occasional conversation to help pass the time. Anne even came by to bring them some home cooked food as well, offering her sympathy for Peter's situation.

As they continued to wait out the situation, Eddie spoke up.

"What's your favorite memory with her?"

Peter didn't even turn from looking in the room as he pondered the question.

"After my Uncle Ben died," he began, "her and I were kind of at odds for a little bit. We were grieving in different ways, and we were always worried about each other. Over time though, we figured out how to come together on it, but there was still this...disconnect. Ben was always the one I was closest to; we used to do projects around the house together all the time. It was just kind of our thing, you know?

Anyway, one day, I came home from getting some groceries to find that May had a bunch of paint out in the kitchen. She said that she felt it was time for a fresh coat, but she was thinking about changing the color a little bit. I thought that was fine; I didn't really care too much one way or another...until she said she wanted to paint it lime green. I told her that was a terrible idea, and I proposed an alternative based on the other options we had. As we debated which color to go with, she did the most random thing: she brushed my left cheek with the lime green paint!

Of course, there was no way I was going to let her just get away with that, so I grabbed a brush of my own and proceeded to try and give her a new blue complexion. We chased each other around the kitchen for a while, getting in the occasional brushing on our clothes and faces where we could."

Peter couldn't help but smile throughout most of the story.

"That was one of the first times that I can remember her being so silly," he added. "She was always the more serious one, which was probably a good thing for mine and my uncle's sake. But we never really had a lot of fun before that when it was just the two of us. That day though, where we made an absolute mess of the kitchen and spent hours cleaning it up afterwards...it was the breakthrough we needed. After that, we just seemed to get along better than we ever had before. We talked more, we were more open, and we started having fun together."

Peter turned to see Eddie having a solemn but genuine smile on his face.

The door to the room suddenly opened, and the doctor stepped out, looking at Peter.

"Mr. Parker, please, come in," he said, his expression as even as possible. Peter stood up, as did Eddie.

"I better get going," Peter's coworker said. "I'll leave you to it. Good luck."

Peter nodded.

"Thanks for coming."

As Eddie took his leave, Peter walked into the room, rushing over and embracing May in a hug.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Better," she said. "Still a little not quite myself, but getting there."

The two of them then turned to the doctor.

"What's going on with her?" Peter asked.

"Well, that's complicated," the doctor replied.

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"You were exposed to several different chemical agents," he said, glancing down at the papers in his hand. "On their own, each of these things have various potential side effects ranging in severity, but mixed together...we've never seen a case like this before."

"Doctor, where are you going with this?" Peter asked.

"To be perfectly honest with you two, we have no way of really knowing going forward what will happen," the doctor answered. "In some ways, it's a miracle the combination of it all hasn't already killed you. There could be a range of different affects that still pop up though, or the various agents could've all neutralized each other, and you might be perfectly fine."

"So," May spoke up softly, sounding out her words as she continued, "you're saying that, for all you know, I could either die tomorrow or live to be a hundred still?"

"That's why, as much as I hate to do this, we're going to have to keep you here under observation indefinitely May," the doctor instructed. "We need to be ready for any scenario."

"How long are we looking at right now, doctor?" Peter asked.

"It's too early to say for sure, son," the doctor answered. "We'll reevaluate her every day, and if she continues to improve and be symptom-free, we'll talk further about what this all might look like going forward."

Peter's eyes dropped to the floor; neither he or May seemed to have anything to say as silence filled the room.

"May," the doctor said, approaching them both, his papers now at his side. Peter and May both faced him now as he continued: "everyone in this place is aware of how much you've poured into their lives and this job over the last several years, and there is not a thing anyone in this building wouldn't do for you right now. I never make promises to patients about outcomes, but what I can tell you is that we are all ready to do whatever we can to help you figure this out and deal with it as you need to. If you need anything at all in the meantime, all you have to do is ask."

May nodded.

"Thank you."

The doctor then exited the room to make the necessary arrangements for May to get a proper room. Left to his own thoughts for a moment, Peter almost felt as if he wasn't in his own reality anymore. It wasn't like his recent multiversal excursion, but it felt like he wasn't even in his own body, like he was just floating around somehow. There was so much uncertainty going through his head right now, so many questions that couldn't be answered yet, and so many fears permeating his body all the way down to his soul.

He looked at May, trying to offer a light smile.

"Don't do that," she said.

"Do what?" Peter said, tears threatening to well up in his eyes.

"I know what's going through your mind right now," she said.

Peter nodded. There was no point in denying it.

"I should've done more to keep the fight outside," he said, his voice breaking. I should've just hung out in the suit and waited for them, so I could've stopped them sooner. I should've..."

"Hey," she said, raising her hands to his cheeks, a compassionate but determined expression on her face. "Look at me. This is not your fault, okay? For all we know, even if you had done those things, this could've still happened exactly as it did."

Peter wasn't sure he believed that, but he refused to argue.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I shouldn't make this about me. This is about you, and how I want you to know that I will be here every step of the way, okay? Whatever you need me to do, whatever comes next, I will help you get through this in any way I can."

May nodded, and for the first time since this whole mess began, her eyes finally started to well up. She'd been being strong for Peter when she knew he was feeling guilty; she'd been holding it all in front of him and her coworkers. But now that it was just the two of them, her strong façade was finally starting to crack.

"Hey," Peter said, drawing closer to her. "It's okay."

He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. Eventually they pulled each other into a hug, and Peter could feel May bury her face on his shoulder. They just stood there, not worrying about what people might be thinking or who might be watching.

In that moment, Peter Parker made a quiet promise to himself: he wasn't going to lose May like this.

He wasn't.

No matter what it took.

Hope you continue to enjoy!

Know that I am praying for you all; stay safe and healthy and have a very Merry Christmas!

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.'" Luke 2:8-11