Their people started getting the scene under control. Luckily, there weren't many civilians left in the school, and the SHIELD agents had cleared them out from behind while Natasha and a small group had gone to the front door to draw attention that direction. And to keep them from leaving with Peter, of course.
She turned her attention back to the little boy, but decided that a hallway with the two dead bodies wasn't the ideal place for Peter to be. Instead, the assassin carried him out into the bright sunshine, even though it was cold, and Clint followed. Romanoff tried to sit him on the hood of one of the dark SUVs so they could check him out, but Peter wouldn't let go of her – although the sound of crying wasn't as loud, now. He refused to let go.
"Peter…" she tried to pull back a little, but the boy was strong – and still scared enough that he needed the touch. "Hey… are you hurt?"
"My arm hurts," came the muffled reply. "He grabbed me."
"He won't do it, again," Clint assured him, calmly. "Where's Coulson?"
"They said he got called away. And they wouldn't let me call Tony."
Peter finally turned his face from the front of Natasha's uniform to look at Clint, and then up at her. His eyes were wide and scared – and his cheeks and eyelashes were wet with tears. There was also a mark where Rumlow had slapped him, and it made Natasha scowl when she saw it.
"We're calling him, right now," she said, running her fingers through his hair, trying to look less annoyed, so he wouldn't see it. "Nick's taking care of it."
"Let's get you looked at," Clint added, taking advantage of the slight amount of separation, now, between the little boy and Natasha. "We want to be able to tell him you're okay when he comes."
Peter sniffed, wiping his nose with his hand, which smeared tears and snot across his cheek, as well.
"He's coming?"
"I guarantee it," Natasha said.
They didn't want to take Peter back into the school, so Natasha carried him over to the back hatch of the large SUV. The heater was on and the engine was still running, and she opened it, knowing it would make a convenient staging area to have him checked. Convincing him to let her go, though, so she could have their medic take a look at him was a bit more difficult. He'd taken a fright and still wasn't willing to release her, just yet.
She understood completely, but Romanoff wanted to have him looked at before Tony arrived, so they could reassure him. She pressed several kisses against Peter's temple as she hugged him, carefully – just in case – but then she pulled back a little so he had to look at her.
"I want Ray to take a look at you," she said, nodding her head to the same SHIELD medic that had taken care of Peter's hand in the park. "We want to make sure you're not hurt. Okay?"
He didn't look like it was okay at all, but he nodded, and let the medic help him out of his coat.
"Ouch…"
"Yeah, that's going to bruise…" the medic said, looking at Peter's arm where Rumlow had been so rough. "How does it feel?"
Peter sniffed, wiping his nose, again.
"It hurts."
"It isn't broken, is it?" Natasha asked, just as Clint walked back over to them.
"Doesn't look like it," they were assured.
"We found Coulson…" Clint said.
"Where?"
"In the bathroom. He took a blow to the head, but he's coming around."
The medic looked up from Peter's arm.
"They're bringing him out here?"
"Yeah. He'll be mobile in a minute. They're waking him up."
All of them were trained for first aid. Ray was the official medic with much more training, and he could stay with Peter for now.
"Who hit your face?" he asked Peter, taking a cloth and wiping Peter's face, carefully. "Your cheek is swelling."
"Rumlow," Natasha replied, scowling when Peter's eyes filled with tears, again. "He slapped him." Her expression softened when she reached out to touch his chin, but she was careful not to brush her fingers against that swollen cheek. "He won't do it, again, honey, you can bet on that."
Before Peter could respond, the sound of thrusters from somewhere above the SUV drowned out the ability to have any conversation, and they all heard a metal thump from somewhere near the front of the SUV. A moment later, Tony was rounding the back, no doubt guided by his AI to Peter's location. His face fearful and worried, he stopped at the open hatch, and Clint moved to the side to give him room.
"Peter?"
"He's alright," the medic said, breaking open a chemical icepack. "I'm going to want to have his arm x-rayed, though."
"His arm?" Tony gaze went from the boy's face down to the arm in question and his expression tightened as he saw the marks on it. He looked at the medic. "Can I pick him up?"
"Yeah. Of course."
Stark reached for the boy and Peter sobbed when he was engulfed in Tony's arms, the man tucking his head under his chin as he held him close.
"Are you okay?" he whispered, softly. "Did they hurt you?"
"They grabbed me," Peter told him, his little face buried against the man's expensive shirt. "Natasha saved me."
Stark looked over at her – and at Clint.
"What happened?"
"What did Fury tell you?"
"Someone made a play on Peter and he was at the school – but he was fine."
"Someone made a play on him," she confirmed. "It was a bit more complicated than that, though. We definitely want to discuss what happened – but not right here."
"Is he safe?" Tony asked, clearly worried. "Do we get more agents? A private security force?"
He'd get the entire NYPD if he needed to.
"It's safe," Romanoff assured him. "We know who it was, and now we'll know who to go after to make sure they don't try it, again."
Tony settled himself in the place Peter had been sitting, holding his son closely, and soothing him – as well as allowing his own heart to stop pounding.
He'd been in a meeting with several executives – as well as Pepper – when Nick's call had pulled him away. The SHIELD director had explained that there had been a try on Peter at his school, and had been quick to reassure that the boy was fine, and they hadn't even made it out the door with him. Stark had stopped long enough to tell Pepper he was leaving before he was in the Ironman suit and rocketing toward Peter's school.
Still reassuring himself, he looked up Natasha.
"Was it a kidnapping?" he asked. "For ransom? Or is it related to me being Ironman?"
"Neither," she told him, succinctly. "Peter was the target, not you. We'll explain it in further detail, later."
This wasn't the place for that conversation – and she wanted to be certain before she read Tony in on what they knew. Or suspected. Besides, Stark had other things to keep his attention, just then, since Peter was clearly not ready to allow him to let him go.
The medic was still hovering close at hand, and Clint disappeared, but Romanoff stayed close by the SUV, even as reports started coming in and more officials showed up – including the news.
"You have a choice," the medic said to Tony, while the SUV and a solid line of police and SHIELD agents kept the media away. "We can go to a hospital, or we can go to the compound."
"We're just doing X-rays?" Tony asked.
"Yes."
"Do you think it's broken?" He brushed his hand along Peter's head. "I don't want to delay in care for him…"
But he was sure the hospital would be a zoo, and there would be better control over who was coming in and out of the compound. Not to mention, he could find out what was going on, faster, that way.
"It's precautionary. I think it's just bruised."
The billionaire looked down at Peter, who was slumped against him, still shivering – although Tony was warming him as was the heater in the SUV.
"Peter? Do you want to go to the compound? Or do you want to stay home?"
The boy simply shrugged and buried his face deeper into Tony's suit jacket. He didn't care; he just wanted to be held.
Tony looked at the medic.
"What do you think?"
"We have everything we need at the compound."
"Including security," Natasha added.
"Yeah." That was what sold Tony on the idea. He nodded. "Let's go to the compound."
"I'm going to go check Coulson," the medic told them. "We'll take whatever rig you want."
"This one's fine." He looked at Natasha. "Will you have someone get my suit?"
She smiled, despite the gravity of the situation.
"Can I wear it?"
That made Tony smile, as well, and he appreciated the attempt.
"No. You'll stink it up with your womanly perfume and such."
She smiled, and rested her hand on his head for a moment, maybe to get an idea of how upset he was.
"Fine. Next time, then."
Tony shrugged, which was an accomplishment when holding Peter like he was.
"We'll see." He looked down at his son and back up at her. "Thank you."
He wasn't thanking her for getting his suit, and she knew it.
"You're welcome."