A/N: Here's the next chapter! Thank you to all who reviewed, favorited, and followed!
WARNING: Rating may go up.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing! I make no profit off of this. This is solely for my enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of others! ;)
The book excerpt in italics is from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
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"…exchanged looks of glee. 'As I was saying: today, we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult Vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell -'
'Hem, hem.'"
Peter kept his eyes closed as the words washed over him, trying to decide if was really awake or not. His head felt like someone had packed it full of cotton and a dull ache was calling out to him from his limbs.
His nose scrunched slightly as his nostrils filled with the scent of antiseptic and laundry detergent. The fingers of his left hand curled around the fabric next to him as he slowly opened his eyes. He shut them quickly as the lights stung his eyes.
" 'I wonder,' said Professor McGonagall in cold fury, turning on Professor Umbridge, 'how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking.' "
Peter tried a second time, getting his eyes open halfway this time as he slowly turned his head to find the source of the voice.
Mr. Stark was sat in plastic chair beside his bed, one hand holding an e-reader, the other propping his head up.
Before Mr. Stark could read the next line, Peter spoke. "Mr. Stark?" He whispered, wincing at the sandpaper dryness in his throat.
The effect was instantaneous.
Mr. Stark's head popped up off his hand, e-reader falling into his lap as he looked up sharply. "Hey, Pete," he said as he stood up from his chair, setting the tablet on the table next to the bed.
A combination of relief and concern painted an odd expression on his face as he placed one hand on the bedrail. "It's good to see you awake, kiddo," he said, a small smile pulling at one corner of his mouth, but the concerned furrow of his brow didn't waver.
Peter swallowed thickly, trying desperately to coat his mouth with some moisture. "Where are we?" He whispered, looking past Mr. Stark as if that might give him some clues.
"We're at the Avengers Compound upstate," Tony said, reaching behind him and snagging a cup off the table. "Want some water?" He said, brandishing the cup.
At Peter's nod, Tony pressed a button on the side of Peter's bed and the head slowly began to raise. Peter instinctively raised his right hand to take the cup, but was surprised to find a white cast around his wrist. He experimentally wriggled (or rather, tried to) his left ankle and found it immobilized.
He took the cup from Mr. Stark and sipped at the cool, clear liquid. Once he was finished, he passed the styrofoam cup back into the man's waiting hand, relaxing his head back on the pillow.
"Were you reading Order of the Phoenix?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow as he watched Mr. Stark place the cup back on the table. Tony hummed noncommittally as he pulled his chair up closer to the bed. "I never pegged you as a Harry Potter fan," Peter mused, eyes slipping shut again.
"Yeah, well, shows what you know," Mr. Stark quipped back.
Peter kept his eyes shut as a smile spread over his face. They suddenly popped back open when a thought struck him like a lightning bolt. "May!" He yelped, shooting upright in the bed, gasping at the stab of pain in his left side.
"Whoa whoa! Easy, kid," Mr. Stark said, hands outstretched in a placating gesture as he stood up from his chair. "Lay back down," he said as he slipped an arm behind the teen and slowly lowered him back onto the mattress.
"Where's Aunt May?" Peter bit out against the pain that refused to dissipate. "She's probably worried sick. Mr. Stark, you have to–"
"She's fine, kid," Tony cut in. "In fact, she just stepped out to go find you another blanket. She thought you looked cold." He shook his head as he pushed another button Peter couldn't see. "I took over reading for her. She should be back any second."
Peter clutched as his side as he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Pain, scale of 1 to 10."
The teen looked up at his mentor's face. "Uh…maybe a two?"
Tony nodded. "Which means a four. Got it," he said just as there was a knock at the door. The door swung inwards to admit a short red-haired woman in a white coat.
"Good morning," she said with a small smile. "It's good to see you awake, Peter," she said, repeating Mr. Stark's earlier words. "How're you feeling?"
Peter tried to push himself upright again, but Mr. Stark suddenly splayed a hand across his chest. He didn't push the teen back down, but his meaning was clear. Peter dropped back against the mattress, eyes flicking back to the woman. "I'm okay."
"My name is Doctor Ghazali. I'm the doctor in charge of your care," she said as she seated herself on the stool to Peter left. With a swipe of her badge, she quickly logged herself into the computer Peter hadn't noticed until then.
"Are you experiencing any dizziness or nausea right now?" She said, fingers poised over the keyboard. Peter shook his head and she quickly entered something into the computer. "Are you in any discomfort or pain?" She asked, staring at Peter with concerned brown eyes.
"Not really–"
"His side's bothering him," Mr. Stark interjected. Peter snapped his head to the other side, tossing the man a look of betrayal. Tony just raised his eyebrows in response, showing he didn't feel any remorse in the slightest.
"Can you rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10?" Dr. Ghazali asked, transferring Peter's attention back to her.
"A two," Peter said firmly, glancing back at Mr. Stark as if daring him to refute the teen's statement. Mr. Stark simply rolled his eyes and said nothing.
Dr. Ghazali stood up from her stool and approached Peter's bedside, pulling on a pair of gloves. There was a click and then the railing on her side was lowered. "I'm just going to take a quick look at your ribs," she said, peeling back the blanket that covered most of Peter's chest.
He moved his left hand off his chest and let it fall to his side as the doctor slowly lifted his shirt and began pressing gently on a few spots on his lower left side. Peter bit his lip as the pain spiked. It took everything in his resolve not to roll away from her touch.
A hand suddenly settled on his right shoulder, squeezing gently. Peter didn't have to look up to know that Mr. Stark was trying his best to offer comfort as the doctor worked. She placed her stethoscope against his chest and had him take a few deep breaths, which only aggravated his side further.
"Well," Dr. Ghazali lowered Peter's shirt and stepped back slightly, "the good news is that I don't feel any odd lumps and your lungs sound fine. You just need to make sure you avoid any unusual twisting motions and try your best to keep pressure off that side if you can."
Peter twisted the grey blanket with his fingers absentmindedly. "Are they broken? My ribs?" He asked softly, eyes staring down at the grey weave lying across him.
"Your eighth and ninth ribs were both broken, though you only fractured the seventh. Would you like to hear what else we found?" The doctor asked as she peeled off her gloves.
Even though Peter knew exactly what it was they found, he nodded anyways.
"Alright." Dr. Ghazali sat back down on her stool, glancing at something on the screen before she spoke again. "You had a Colles' fracture on your right wrist, meaning that the bone that runs along the thumb side was broken near the top and displaced backwards. Luckily, we were able to set that without surgery.
"I've told you about the fractured and broken ribs. You have a hairline fracture along the outside of your ankle, which we were also able to fix without surgery."
Peter nodded as the woman continued to talk, knowing he needed to hear all of this but hating every second of it.
Dr. Ghazali went on. "We found multiple contusions that already looked to be healing nicely, along with fading ligature marks around your neck. There was a bite mark on your right shoulder that had punctured the skin; its been cleaned and bandaged. Now, Peter, because of the nature of the injury I have to ask: were you sexually assaulted?"
Peter shook his head violently as his eyes started to burn and an all too familiar lump in his throat appeared. Jason's words suddenly sprang to the forefront of his mind. "None of them are like you, sunshine. Innocent, young, naive, fresh."
"Okay, good," the redhead nodded, entering something in his chart. "There were a few circular burn marks along your back that we treated. The skin is already healing nicely so we'll just have to monitor them for infection."
Against his will, Peter felt his hands beginning to shake. He blinked rapidly against the tears threatening to spill as the memory of the blowtorch against his skin resurfaced. He'd almost blacked out from the pain. And the smell of melting flesh…
Nausea churned in Peter's stomach as the doctor continued to list his injuries and treatment.
"We also discovered a few stranger looking burn marks: two dots closely set. I'm not sure what those are from, but they are also healing just fine. You're missing a few fingernails off your left hand, but those should return with time."
Peter focused his attention on breathing calmly in through his nose and out through his mouth, trying to keep in the impending doom of vomiting at bay.
He was deeply grateful for Mr. Stark's hand still on his shoulder, helping to keep him grounded.
"Mr. Stark here mentioned that you have quite the healing ability," Dr. Ghazali said kindly. "We're expecting to get you out of those casts within about two weeks. Your ribs should heal just as quickly if you follow those instructions I gave you a few minutes ago."
Peter nodded quickly, still not looking at either of the room's other occupants. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he'd either (a) vomit or (b) start sobbing again. And as he currently he wanted neither of those things to happen, he elected to keep his mouth shut.
"Now, I know you said you were in some pain," Dr. Ghazali said, switching gears slightly. "You're IV's only feeding you fluids at this point, so I don't have you on any medication right now, but I can give you something if you feel like you need it."
"No!" Peter blurted suddenly, tear-filled eyes flying up to meet the doctor's. "No drugs! Please no drugs," he pleaded, voice dropping to a whisper as the tears finally broke through his carefully controlled barrier and rolled down his cheeks.
Dr. Ghazali's face softened as she stared over at her patient. "That's your decision. But please know that in the future, should you change your mind, I can only give a lower dose than what you probably need. We did run a blood tox screen when you were brought in and we found traces of oxycodone, diazepam, and propofol. Judging by the amount we found, it's safe to say that you'll probably experience something akin to withdrawal symptoms. We'll be monitoring you closely in case it does happen."
That factoid was the straw that broke the camels back.
A choked gasp escaped his throat as he struggled to sit up, Mr. Stark's hand exerting slight pressure to keep him down.
"Easy, kid," he said. "Don't try to get–"
Peter shot him a desperate look and the meaning must've been clear in his eyes, because Mr. Stark's hand vanished as the man spun on his heel and quickly snagged the waste bin off the floor, holding it under the teen's mouth as he lost the battle with his stomach.
He was sick twice, both times bringing up nothing but watery bile, having not eaten anything since that horrid breakfast Greenie had force-fed him. Tears continued to slide down his cheeks as he retched pitifully over the bin, coughing harshly as nothing but saliva came out the third time.
"You're okay, you're alright," Mr. Stark soothed, rubbing one hand over Peter's back as the teen lifted his head out of the bin.
Dr. Ghazali handed him a tissue to wipe his mouth as Mr. Stark removed the bin and retrieved the cup of water from the table.
Peter exchanged the tissue for the cup of water, swilling the liquid around his mouth and spitting it into the proffered bin.
Mr. Stark set the bin back on the floor at the bottom of the bed as Peter gripped at his hair, drawing his knees up to his chest.
"I'm going to step out now, but I'll be back later to check in on you, okay?" Dr. Ghazali said, tilting her head to try and peer into Peter's eyes.
Peter nodded, eyes closing as he dropped his forehead onto his knees.
Mr. Stark whispered a thank you as the woman's footsteps retreated and a second later came the sound of the door latching behind her.
Peter heard Mr. Stark sigh in the new silence. "Peter–"
"Why?" Peter mumbled into his knees, the blanket covering them slowly becoming wet with tears. "Why did he do this to me?"
There was another click and then his bed dipped as another weight was added to it. "Peter," Tony tried again. "I don't think–"
"What did I do wrong? What did I do? Why couldn't I escape? I'm Spider-Man. Spider-Man's supposed to be strong. So why why why did I let him win?" Peter hiccuped, rocking himself slightly.
"Hey! You did not let him win," Mr. Stark butt in, consciously softening his voice as he watched Peter flinch back at the sharper tone. He reached out gently took the boy's wrists, easing his hands off his head and making him release the death grip on his hair.
"Peter, look at me," he said, keeping the teen's hands held in his own.
His heart broke as the boy looked up, red-rimmed eyes full of despair and complete misery.
"You did not let him win," Tony repeated, gaze never wavering. "You were strong, Peter. Strong enough to keep your head down and follow instructions from a man who could've snapped at the drop of a hat. Whatever it was you did, or he made you do, you did what you had to to survive. Peter, I'm sorry that I didn't find you sooner. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to get to you. But I swear on my life that nothing like is will ever happen to you again. You're going to recover, kid. You're going to bounce back stronger than before. Doesn't matter how long it takes for you to get back on your feet, your aunt and me will be right there with you the whole time."
He placed his palm against Peter's cheek, swiping away a tear from under his eye. "You're going to be okay."
Peter sniffed, eyes closing as he allowed Tony's hand to take the weight of his head, overwhelming exhaustion suddenly making itself known.
Mr. Stark eased him back onto the pillow before sliding off the bed.
Peter flung out a hand, catching the back of Mr. Stark's shirt as the man made to sit back in his chair. "Stay?" Peter asked, eyelids heavy as he gazed up at the man imploringly.
A sad sort of smile lifted the corner of Tony's mouth as he turned back. "I'm not going anywhere," he said snagging the e-reader off the table before sitting back on the bed. Peter scooted towards his left, giving the man space to stretch out on top of the blanket.
Tony leaned back against the pillow and switched the tablet on with one hand, the other mindlessly carding through Peter's hair as the teen burrowed into Tony's side, head resting on the man's shoulder.
Mr. Stark's voice filled the silence as he picked up reading where he'd left off. " 'Professor Umbridge looked as though she had just been slapped in the face. She did not speak, but straightened the parchment on her clipboard and began scribbling furiously. Looking supremely unconcerned, Professor McGonagall addressed the class once more.' "
Peter's eyes slipped shut of their own accord as he listened to the story. As Mr. Stark attempted a Scottish accent, Peter felt a warm feeling spread over his skin. He felt his muscles relax as the hand continued to run through his hair, feeling a sense of ease and security that he hadn't felt in days.
This was safe. He was safe.
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Thanks for reading! I'm going to try and post again pretty soon since you all had to wait for this chapter. Drop me a review if you've got the time!
A/N: This may or may not be the last chapter of this story. There are some loose ends that need tied up. What happened to Magnus? What will become of the photos he took of Peter? How will Peter handle recovering from such a traumatic event? I hope you'll stick around to find out!