Baby Underoos Chapter 3
"Miss Connors, I presume" a voice asked from the doorway, startling her badly where she was sat next to the bed and she spun to face the man who had finally arrived.
"Yes, that would be me" she answered respectfully, just about managing to keep her jaw from hitting the floor, but she wouldn't let the fact that it was the Tony Stark standing in the doorway, phase her.
"What's wrong with the kid?" he asked, striding purposefully across the room and pressing his own hand against one of Peter's roasting pink cheeks.
"M'fine Misser Star" Peter mumbled blearily, squinting up at the older man hovering over him, "m'sorry sturbed your meeing"
"Don't worry about it Underoos" Tony murmured softly, brushing the hair off his forehead with a gentle smile, "you really are out of it, aren't you kiddo?"
"He has a fever of 102 degrees so I should think so!" she exclaimed, presenting the thermometer as evidence, "no matter what he tries to tell you this boy is sick."
"Do you think you can stand Pete?"
Peter managed to shuffle to the end of the bed, legs dangling freely from the edge. Pressing his hands flat against the mattress he pushed and hopped off with a little effort, landing squarely on his feet. For a moment it looked as though he would make it under his own power, then he wobbled dangerously, knees seconds away from giving way and he flailed his arms slightly to delay the inevitable.
"Woah there" Tony chuckled, looping an arm around the young boy's waist and dragging Peter's arm to loop around his neck. "That was a question, not a demand for you to prove yourself kid."
After a smile and a signature for the sign out sheet and receptionist at the front desk, the two were outside the front of the school where Happy was leaning looking very disgruntled against the bonnet of a sleek black car.
One look at Peter's pale face, ruddy cheeks and the hair plastered to his forehead, not to mention the way he was hanging off Tony instead of bouncing along like an overexcited puppy, and Happy knew something was very wrong. Before they even reached him, he had the backdoor held open for Tony to carefully deposit the sick teenager inside.
"So, it wasn't just a prank call then eh." He asked as he started the car and pulled as smoothly as he could away from the kerb.
"Kid's running a mega fever, which is strange given that since the spider bite, he hasn't been sick once." He couldn't help the deep frown on his face as he laid his palm on the boy's forehead once again.
"So, hospital?"
"No!" Tony exclaimed, meeting Happy's eyes in the rearview mirror. "Are you mad, we can't take the kid anywhere near conventional medical centres, spider DNA remember. Besides I have facilities in the tower that are as good as, nay better, than any hospital Happy my dear pal."
Happy agreed with a short, sharp nod, "You're the boss." And without much further ado, turned the car sharply to the left, speeding down the highway to exit fourteen and flooring it to the tower.
"Geez Happy" Tony scolded as Peter's, granted minimal bodyweight was flung into him suddenly as they rounded a bend at speed "where's the fire? What secret organisation is tailing us this time, hey? Be careful of the kid!"
"Well I thought you would have been pleased that I was trying to get us home as soon as is physically possible, but ill slow down if that's what you want?"
"Don't get smart with me Hap, just take it easy and get us to the Tower."
Barely ten minutes later and the three of them had glided smoothly into the underground car park and screeched to a halt before the shining silver of the lift doors. Happy didn't even bother to pull into a proper parking space before cutting the engine and swinging himself bodily from the front seat and ripping open the back door.
Tony clambered out of the black leather seats, before turning and helping Peter to slide out after him. This time however, his wobbly legs weren't even able to support him for a few meagre seconds and he just hung limply, Tony's arms under his armpits the only thing keeping him upright. With a fondly exasperated sigh, the elder man with a strength belying his small stature, swept the young boy up and into his arms, sweaty head coming to rest heavily upon his collarbone.
Hefting his burden, he stepped into the lift and was greeted cheerfully by a mellow British voice echoing from where one could be forgiven from thinking was the ceiling. "Welcome back Sir, I was not expecting you home so early today, did you have a good meeting?"
"Hey Jarv, I wasn't expecting to be here either, but the kids not well. Get Bruce to the med bay asap and have Dr Cho on the line just in case." Tony sighed.