Author's notes: Was re-watching the episode when I got the idea. Enjoy!
Summary: A look into Norman's nightmare from S1E13 "Strange".
It's Just a Nightmare I
A man shuffled inside the waiting room. Eerie lights came through the thin, rectangular windows. He ran his fingers through his messy brown hair. Around him were many seats connected by a metal pole underneath. He couldn't sit down. He was worried. His wife was in the delivery room.
He knew he should be delighted. The couple was expecting a baby boy. But his gut warned him that something wasn't right. She would always assure him. She insisted that she was fine, that he was worrying too much. There was something that was telling him otherwise. His treading stopped when he heard the doors opened.
Inside walked a stout man. His glasses reflected the light, shielding his eyes. He wore a set of scrubs.
Norman looked at the man. A set of silence fell between them. This unholy quietness stretched from the windows, wrapping around each seat, consuming the white and blue tiles. It seemed almost unbreakable.
"I have some bad news," the doctor began. "Your wife didn't make it."
"What?" Norman gasped. "How could that have been? When did… Emily…"
The name of his sweet wife fell from his mouth. He could never call her again.
"We tried to save her," the doctor explained. "I'm afraid that there were a number of complications."
Norman lost his voice. He couldn't believe that the love of his life was gone forever. She had been filled with an unmatched joy when she unfolded the news about her pregnancy. She had always carried herself with a marvelous strength. That wasn't enough to have provided salvation from the birthing process. Now he didn't know what he would do without her.
"I'm afraid there's more bad news," the doctor continued.
Norman looked back up to the man. He doubted anything worse could happen. He listened anyways.
"We couldn't do anything for the infant," the doctor added. "The child was a stillborn."
Norman stood in place. He disbelieved what he had been told. It was like his ears had betrayed him. He not only lost his wife, but the child she had carried as well. All the love the husband and wife, who were overjoyed to soon be a father and mother, washed away.
Usually his rage took control of him. He would have yelled at the doctors and nurses for their unprofessional work. He would have tormented the hospital. Yet he couldn't summon his rage. He had nothing. Everything he had in him poured out like a sieve in the sand. He could never hold his wife again. He never even had the chance to hold the infant.
The broken man fell to his knees. In a black void he was left alone.
"It's open night mic here in the nightmare lounge. And I'd like to kick things off with a little number I call: There's Nothing to be Afraid of; It's Just a Nightmare!"
The friendly voice rang throughout the city. The wicked spell imprisoning the citizens broke.
Norman awoke. He found himself in his home office. He was alone.
Healthy sunlight shined through the wide window panes. The office kept a cool temperature from the blowing A/C unit. Everything seemed to have this calmness to it, like the first moments after a raging storm turned away. It had released its victims thanks to one heroic voice.
That voice sounded familiar. But such an observation seemed trivial.
Norman ignored the stable atmosphere. He overlooked what had caused him to lose precious work hours. He could only focus on his horrible vision. He recalled the special someone he lost. That was real. His beloved wife Emily Osborn had died. All that was left of her was her final gift, their child.
A sudden shock came through the man.
"Harry!"
He sprung up from his seat and bolted towards the door.
Norman arrived at Midtown High. He noticed all the rest of the citizens awakening. He had little clue what had happened. He had no time to observe or ask questions. He needed to find his son.
He raced onto the school grounds. Students who had been out on the field at the time were making their way back inside. Chatters and mutters filled the hallways.
Norman looked past the cumbersome sea of students. He grew distress. He couldn't find the one he was searching for. Such anguish would soon envelope him, never releasing him. He felt an unbearable isolation.
"Dad!" a voice cried, breaking the desolation.
Norman looked up. He turned relieved seeing his son racing towards him. "Harry!"
The two embraced each other.
Harry trembled in his father's grip. No doubt he was recovering from his own horrid vision.
The older Osborn maintained his tender grasp. No longer was he performing the acts of a businessman. He was now being a parent to his son. He sensed the distress. He urged to sooth it.
"It's all right," Norman tried to comfort. "We're still together. A united family. That's what matters."
He could feel his boy start to relax.
A day never went by where Norman didn't think about Emily. He wanted to keep her last gift to him close by. The downer memories relentlessly plagued him. Sometimes, late at night, he berated himself. He hated how he was powerless. He believed he had failed as a husband to protect his wife. He would also wonder if something worse could have happened. But he had his relief right in his arms. As the father rubbed his son's back, he fought to banish such thoughts.
After all, it was just a nightmare.
End It's Just a Nightmare
Emily Osborn-Lyman, for initial appearance in a photo, see Spectacular Spider-Man #180, 1991 ("The Child Within: Part 3 of 6"). For full appearance, see Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin #1, 2000. For her possible return as Emma, see Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #789, 2018.
