Chapter 3 [Daily Bugle—An Hour Later]

Activity buzzed through the newsroom on that Thursday afternoon. A few reporters talked on the phone with sources. Typewriter keys click-clacked across paper stretched on rubber cylinders. A dozen more men and women rushed for the elevator and Mayor Lindsay's press conference.

Peter, Gwen and MJ struggled against the tide of reporters to leave the elevator. They managed to get out before the doors snapped shut again.

"Where's the party anyhow? Wish one of them had let me know," MJ quipped half-seriously.

"Probably…another press conference." Peter rubbed his forehead. "This may take a while. I'm going to see Betty. Maybe she can tell me if the darkroom's freed up."

"MJ and I can head downstairs for coffee." Gwen looked him over. "Are you sure you're going to be all right?"

"Gwen, I think I can handle Jolly Jonah." He exaggerated a role of his eyes and a smirk for her benefit. "Just need to get these developed."

"All right." Gwen exhaled a deep breath. Worry brewed in her eyes. "We'll be right downstairs in the coffee shop. Do not try to leave without us."

He raised an eyebrow. "Uh okay."

"I mean it, Mr. P." She pointed her index finger into his chest. "Get what you need to get done. Then we're going to get you some much deserved r and r."

"Chicken soup and some time with a certain blonde angel maybe?" he supposed.

She giggled. Her face brightened. "I knew you were the smart one. Now you're seeing sense."

"Don't mess with her, Tiger." MJ motioned toward Gwen. "Besides I could call my Aunt Anna too."

He shook his head. "The last thing I need is your Aunt Anna, Aunt May and Gwendy tag teaming me."

Gwen nodded. "You better believe it. We'd make sure you go to bed and stay there, Peter. Go and talk to Betty. We'll wait until you do." She motioned toward the slender secretary's desk across the room.

"Be right back." He walked across the bullpen area. He wondered how many times he'd done so since high school. He could imagine all of the pictures he'd sold to the often terse and cheap publisher whose office sat just to Betty's left. At least the door was closed at the moment.

Betty Leeds held a finger up. She talked a few short responses into the phone's receiver. Then she listened. "Yes, Chief Richards. I will have Mr. Robertson call you right back. Yes, Sir. Have a nice afternoon and thank you." She hung up. "That man thinks the planet revolves around himself." She sucked in a composing breath. "Well it's nice to see a friendly face. How was your trip and…?" She looked him over. Immediately she saw the signs. "You caught something up there?"

"Guess so. Sorry, Betty." Peter looked around. "Maybe you can point me to the darkroom? That way I can get out of sight before Mr. Jameson…well you know."

Betty nodded. She'd endured several of JJJ's rants against sick reporters and staff members that week. She'd overheard Jameson arguing with insurers over the rising premium costs. "I think Room 2 just opened up." She sighed. "You never change. When are you going to take better care?"

"You know how it is. I have my Aunt to worry about. There's the couple of courses I squeeze in at ESU. And…." He shrugged off the rest of the excuses.

Betty shook her head. Even though it had been a few years since they'd dated, she knew he'd never change in that regard. "I might have to talk to Gwen about you. You may not believe this but Ned worries about you too."

He shrugged. Even though Ned Leeds and he were not much more than acquaintances, he knew Ned to be a kind and caring if not workaholic guy. "How's he doing? Haven't seen him the last couple of weeks."

Betty frowned. "Well, Peter, he's pursuing a correspondent piece in Turkey somewhere. Guess that's the life of the big reporter, right?"

"Guess so." Sympathy moved him. "He'll be home any day now. Speaking of Gwen, maybe you two might talk? Maybe when Ned comes back, we can all do dinner?"

Betty smiled. She knew that Ned would feel threatened if she and Peter were to do coffee even as friends. "You know I'll do that. Be right back." She hustled over toward the two waiting girls.

My friends can help my other friends. He nodded at the sentiment. Wish Mr. Osborn would see that I'm not a threat to Harry. He sighed.

"Such a heavy sigh, Pete." Joe Robertson poked his head out of his office. "How was the trip?"

Peter held two rolls of film up for the City Editor's consideration. "Hi, Robbie. I had no trouble finding the Hulk or getting pictures of him and the military." He coughed into his fist. "I'm sure Thunderbolt Ross would love knowing I got a couple of him." He frowned. "He sure picked a fight with the Hulk up there."

"Ross has a history with the Hulk, Pete. I heard Spider-Man was up there too," Robbie clarified.

"He sure was. I have shots of the whole thing on these rolls. Sorry I didn't get them developed. My roommate was having an emergency. I just got back from JFK. Betty told me that Dark Room 2's open?" Peter agreed.

Robbie motioned toward the door. "You'd best get there before Jonah sees you. He's been on the warpath all week."

"So Betty tells me. Gwen and Mary Jane are waiting. I'll get to work on developing these pictures." Peter braced himself against the desk.

Robbie shook his head. "We can get those developed for you. You need sleep, Son."

"So Gwen and Betty tell me." Peter smiled. "I won't let you down, Robbie."

"You rarely do, Pete." Robbie led him across the room toward where Betty, Gwen and MJ were talking. "You ladies figuring out a good place to do coffee?"

Betty stiffened before remembering which boss asked the question. "Sorry, Robbie. Gwen and Mary Jane wanted to do dinner. Maybe in a couple of days, Peter?"

"If it's great with Gwen, it's good for me too. Be good to catch up," Betty agreed. "Thanks for suggesting this, Peter. I've got to get back to my desk."

Robbie smiled. "How's everything been going, Gwen?"

Gwen shrugged. "I take one day at a time. I miss my Dad. Aunt Nancy and Uncle George send air mail. I've talked to them a couple of times since the funeral. It's great that I have a certain guy in my life." She looked up at Peter. "I do wish he'd take better care of himself."

Robbie chuckled. "Sounds like she's got you figured out."

Peter nodded. His eyes sparkled into Gwen's. "She sure does. Captain Stacy was a special man. All I can do is try and be the best person I can where certain ladies are concerned. I think we know one of them?"

Robbie motioned for the dark room. He would've liked to have let the special vibe linger between Peter and Gwen. Still he knew that a certain flat-topped salt and peppered grouch would come stomping through that door any second. "Better get to those pictures, Pete. Sooner you finish, the sooner you get that rest." He pulled the pipe from his mouth.

Peter headed out the door and toward the darkroom down the hall. He anticipated that it would take a good hour to get those pictures developed. Now he really wished Gwen and MJ had gone to one of their apartments.

As soon as Peter left, Robbie turned to the two girls. "Pete mentioned something about his roommate. What's wrong with Harry Osborn?"

"He had a relapse." Mary Jane shook her head. "I wish he could've talked to us. And his father went off on us. I've never seen Mr. Osborn like that."

Robbie could well imagine the elder Osborn's terseness. He'd just seen a report for the next day's edition where Osborn Industries' stock had fallen thirteen percent in the last week. Wall Street pressed the industrialist to correct the problems. Having any issues with Harry would be enough to push him over the edge. "It's been a rough week. Still he knows you kids care about his son. Pete's roomed with him since you all started college together."

Gwen frowned. She dabbed a tear from her face. "Peter literally rushed back from Canada, Mr. Robertson. He didn't eat or get those pictures developed. He's sick. Yet he got up there for Harry. Mr. Osborn started yelling at him. He threw us out of his brownstone."

"What?" Robbie nearly spat out his pipe. Disbelief arched his right eyebrow. "I can't imagine Norman Osborn doing that!"

"He did, Mr. R." MJ rubbed her forehead. "Then he told Gwen and me to get out too. He didn't want us there."

"I think the last week's getting to him. You'll see. He'll have time to think it all over. He'll be of a completely different mind on it," Robbie assured them. He gripped the pipe to keep it and the tobacco from spilling to the floor.

"I hope so. Harry really needs support if he's going to beat his addiction issues," Gwen insisted. "If he'd just realize that we're all here for him."

"I hope you're right." Robbie mulled over the situation. He knew Jonah would explode over Harry's relapse. The indecision between respecting his friend would oppose journalistic integrity. He'd fume and throw several tantrums. He'd bite through several half-smoked Cuban cigars. Then he'd be all over the Police Commission for not cracking down on the drug trade again. "Thank you all for letting me know. I can break it to Jameson easy."

"As long as Pete isn't anywhere around. He doesn't need Mr. Jameson going off on him about it," MJ presumed.

Robbie shook his head. "Mary Jane, Jonah knows Pete cares. He may not always say it. But he knows." He looked about the bullpen. He noticed that Betty, MJ, Gwen and he had the entire area to themselves. "Maybe you both might get some coffee? Pete's going to be at least an hour with those pictures."

"Mr. Robertson, I don't want Peter trying to sneak by us," Gwen disagreed.

"I'll have Betty walk him down to the lobby restaurant if he gets back before you both do," Robbie offered.

"I could use another coffee. My treat this time?" MJ offered.

"As long as someone's watching for our guy, all right." Gwen stood. She collected her purse. "Thanks, Mr. Robertson. I sure appreciate it."

"My pleasure, Gwen." Robbie puffed on his pipe. "We'll make sure of it."

The two girls glanced toward Betty. Getting a nod from their friend, they departed for the elevators.

Robbie shook his head. I just hope Norman can handle this. Then again, how Jonah going to deal with it? He headed back toward his office. "You heard what I said. Right? Have Jonah talk to me when he gets in. Oh and when Peter comes back with the pictures before Gwen and Mary Jane get back, you're going with him to get his check and then down to the coffee shop."

Betty nodded. "I'll be watching, Robbie."

"Thanks, Betty. Last thing we need is for Peter to come down with pneumonia on us." Robbie marched back in his office and shut the door.

Now the clock was ticking on that dark room and Pete's pictures….