Chapter 12
Peter and Ned were standing at the table talking to the two men sitting behind it. Barnes had seated himself in a chair that he’d pulled over from one of the other tables and was listening as Jay told the boys about the cabin they’d be staying in. One that Barnes had already overnighted in, and knew it wasn’t anywhere near as great as Peter already thought it was.
“Tony,” Peter said, excitedly, when Stark walked up to them. “This is Jay; he’s the camp director, so he’s in charge of things around here.” He grinned and gestured at the other man. “He’s the camp doctor,” the boy said. “Guess his name.”
“It’s Doctor Strange,” Ned said, also grinning. “Isn’t that cool? He could be a villain with a name like that.”
Tony couldn’t help his amusement when the doctor rolled his eyes. He also didn’t tell the boys that Strange was doing community service. It didn’t, necessarily, make him a villain, but it wasn’t so far reaching, right?
“I don’t think you have to have a cool name to be a villain,” Pepper pointed out, offering an apologetic smile to the doctor.
“Maybe he could be a superhero,” Peter said. “Hiding behind being a doctor but really saving the world at night and sneaking around in the dark, or something.”
“Like Batman,” Ned added.
“Yeah.”
Both boys looked impressed, and to his credit the doctor didn’t scowl in reaction to going from villain to Batman in only a matter of moments.
“We’re going to be in Alaska,” Barnes told them. “Why don’t you guys go get your things out of the cars and we’ll take your folks up to let them see where you’re going to be staying?”
“Can we?”
Eric shrugged.
“I don’t see why not.” He looked at Nor. “When do you want them back here?”
“The bell will ring.” The camp director looked at both boys. “When the bell rings come back down to the front of this building. That’s when everyone else is supposed to start showing up. You can meet the other boys you’ll be rooming with.”
Peter nodded.
“Okay.”
He turned and ran for the door, followed by Ned. Barnes stood up, easily, and he and Kindle followed them out.
“Any concerns, so far?” Jay asked both sets of parents.
But mostly Tony and Pepper.
“Not as many as before,” Tony conceded. Everything looked good, so far, and the place was organized. Even the stand in doctor seemed to be organized, for all that he had only been planning on being the nurse up until a day ago. He looked at Strange. “You know Peter’s allergic to horses, right?”
“I read his paperwork, yes.”
Each camper had a sheet that explained any medical history, allergies, or medication they were taking. As the doctor, Strange needed to know all of them. The doctor was just shocked that a man as prominent as Tony Stark was willing to bring his son to a camp that was filled with strangers and leave him there with only a couple of SHIELD agents for protection. True, he was Ironman, but he didn’t have portals, did he? If something happened and Peter Stark needed to be rescued, Ironman would be a hundred miles away and Strange didn’t know how fast he could fly, but it probably wasn’t that fast.
“Is there anything you need from us?” Pepper asked.
The doctor picked up Peter’s sheet, once more, and then shook his head.
“We’re set, I believe.”
“You have our emergency numbers if you need anything.”
“Or if he does,” Tony added.
“He’ll be fine,” Jay assured them. “He and Ned are going to have a great time.”
OOOOOOOOOO
There were two sizable stacks of possessions by the two parked cars when Tony and the other adults walked out of the administration building to join the kids – and their counselors. Despite being told not to wander off, all four of the teens who had driven up with Eric and Nancy had managed to find their way over to the end of the porch where they were talking to a young blonde woman who was leaning against the rail wearing shorts and a tank top. She was tanned and cute, so it was no surprise to any of them that the boys were less than enthusiastic when Eric called them over to join them.
“We’re going to go check out Ned’s cabin. Help them carry this up to it, and then you can go look around. But stay out of trouble,” he added.
The boys nodded and each of them picked up something from the piles – and then another something since there was still plenty. Soon all four of them were loaded down with everything that Peter and Ned had thought they could use for their week away.
“Not a single complaint,” Tony said, when Peter and Ned broke away in their excitement and ran up the hill with the teens without waiting for the adults. “That’s incredible.”
“They want to look good for the girl,” Ross Kindle said, before Eric could say the same thing.
“And in front of Tony,” Nancy added with a knowing smile. “None of them want to be left out of anything the Avengers might be doing, so they’re not going to complain about carrying a little bit of luggage.”
Good point.
Tony didn’t mind, though. The foster boys were treated well, and it showed. The fact that they were all able to tell their friends that they knew (and occasionally hung out with) Tony Stark and the Avengers? Even better. He knew from Eric that they weren’t angels, of course, but they were helpful and as polite as they could manage – and they were nice to Pepper whenever they saw her. It was more than enough for him to be willing to take new pictures with them whenever he found himself at Eric’s picking up or dropping off Peter.
“Whatever works,” Eric said.
“Nor showed us the cabins when we initially came up to check the place out,” Tony said. “He said that Peter and Ned are going to be in the nearest cabin – because that’s where the youngest kids are, not because it’s Peter.”
Kindle nodded.
“That’s true. No sense putting the younger kids up by the meadow instead of right up close to the main buildings where the majority of the staff is available in case something comes up. Next week when it’s high school kids, it won’t be like that,” he added as they started walking up the slight hill that led to the cabins. Tony saw that there were five on the right, and five on the left and there was a little bit of a clearing with a large bell on a pedestal. “The boys are on the right, and the girls are on the left in all of the co-ed camps, but we pay a little more attention when the teenagers are involved.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Tony was going to make a smart-assed comment – because that was what he did, sometimes – but he heard the door to the nearest cabin slam and sure enough, Peter came running down the hill as fast as he could with his short stride.
“It has bunk beds!”
Tony looked over at Pepper, who smiled.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Even though they had already been there, Tony and Pepper walked with Peter and Barnes around the camp to check it out. Ned would have come with Eric and Nancy, but they were with Ross Kindle, who was showing them the camp, as well, but from the other direction, first. Splitting the kids up wouldn’t happen often, but it was a good chance to spend some time with Ned alone and would give Kindle a chance to know what kind of kid he was so he could adjust his demeanor, accordingly. If Ned had been a shy kid, then Kindle would know and would know that throughout the week he’d need to make some of the suggestions to do things, or meet people.
Tony knew the counselors wouldn’t have that problem with Ned. Or with Peter.
“Wow! Look!”
He turned his attention to what Peter was pointing at and smiled.
“You knew they had canoes, buddy.”
“But not so many.”
The lake was large. The middle portion had a dock that went out about a hundred feet into the water and on the left side of the dock was a designated area for swimming. Complete with a diving board coming from the dock and even a water slide that was kept slick with a simple pump and hose that kept the water flowing down the slide. The other side of the dock was designated for canoeing and sailing. There was a shack on the beach that had several brightly colored canoes waiting for the campers to eventually use.
“Make sure you wear a life vest,” Tony reminded him.
“I will.” He was grinning ear to ear and so happy it made Tony and Pepper smile each time they looked at him. “This is great.” He looked up at them, eyes shining, happily. “Thanks for letting me come.”
Pepper squeezed his hand, and there was no mention of the fact that neither of them had wanted to.
“You’re welcome.”