Chapter 11
Stephen had never felt so…lost.
So absolutely uncertain of what to do.
Get your phone was the first clearly articulated thought that came into his head, quickly followed by No! No time for that!
“Just go,” Christine finally said, putting a comforting hand on his back, “I’ve got everything here; just go to them.”
“Right.”
What Stephen did know was that he was going to need his white coat, the one that had been embroidered with his name and impressive status on the left breast. He also made sure to clip his Metro staff badge in a conspicuous place. There was no time to play games with security check-points.
Metro’s Little wing was located on the southside of the building. It was a massive four-story structure that incorporated an ER, ICU, multiple operating theaters, physical therapy and even its own pharmacy. Considerable effort had been put into creating a soft and friendly environment for the patients. Some of the walls had murals with colorful renderings of city icons; Staten Island ferries passing by the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge dotted with yellow taxis and even a scene with children and Littles collecting balloons at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park.
In lieu of the teal scrubs that Stephen had come to regard as the official Metro uniform, the nurses and doctors were all dressed in soft pastels with childish motifs.
Stephen had managed to make an unobstructed bee-line to the emergency room’s nurse station. Dozens of nurses, they too dressed in scrubs featuring animals and flowers and licensed cartoon characters, were zooming about with arms full of patient portfolios, lab results and discharge paperwork. Trying to capture one’s attention would be like trying to grab a butterfly by the wing. But tucked into the corner was a young lady typing up a storm in front of a computer screen; alone…and stationary. Stephen marched right up to her with all his surgeon self-importance.
“Hello,” he greeted brusquely, “I’m looking for a patient; Peter Stark?”
“Oh!” The nurse looked up and smiled, “Yes, hello! Um,” her giant hazel eyes floated downward and narrowed on his left breast. “Is the patient…supposed to be in neurosurgery? I didn’t get any notes…” Her attention quickly shifted to the computer screen in front of her.
“I got a request to come down.”
“From Doctor….Banner?” The nurse looked back up, “Dr. Banner is the attending.”
“I suppose, yeah,” Stephen was struggling to not sound annoyed. Every second wasted here was a second he was not with Tony and Peter.
“Hm, weird,” the nurse tap-tap-tapped at her keyboard, “looks like the patient came in with a cough, body aches…yikes, high fever; one-oh-three. But nothing neurological…”
“Dr. Strange?” Another and clearly more seasoned nurse walked up behind the girl, “You’re here for Peter Stark?”
“Yes,” Stephen sighed in exasperation, “where can I find him?”
“It’s alright, Jeanie, Dr. Strange is supposed to be here,” the nurse smiled at the girl before looking back to Stephen. “He’s resting in bay twelve. If you want, I can walk you over,” the moment she paused to raise a directing finger, Stephen was off.
“Um, bye?” Jeanie awkwardly waved after him.
Bay twelve, bay twelve, bay twelve…there!
Stephen rushed over and pulled the curtain aside. Immediately, his vision was filled with the heart-breaking sight of Peter upright in the bed, dressed in a star-dotted hospital gown. There was little in the way of equipment, just an oxygen cannula under his nose and an IV inserted at the top of his right hand. A comforting stuffy had been tucked under the opposite arm.
“Stephen?”
Stephen turned to see Tony standing up from the chair beside Peter’s bed. He looked awful; genuinely worse than the boy who had actually been admitted to the hospital.
“Tony-”
“Shit, I’m sorry,” Tony said suddenly, running a hand through his dark greasy hair, “Stephen…sorry…”
“It’s okay,” Stephen approached his boyfriend. “The nurse up front said Peter came in with a bad fever. When did it spike? Last night? After we spoke?”
“Uh, no…it was this morning; maybe around five?” Tony did not sound sure, “Peter was still in the bed next to me, it was dark…and he was crying; crying like I never heard before.” He looked up at Stephen with absolute defeat in his eyes, “I’m sorry. I…I panicked.”
“What are you apologizing for?” Stephen asked with a nervous laugh. “You did the right thing bringing him here. A spike in a fever can be dangerous for a Little.”
“Not that…I’m talking about the hundred text this morning…”
“I didn’t get…”
Stephen’s phone had exploded with text just as his taxi arrived at the hospital. But he was so hungover, so tired…he didn’t bother to look. The moment he entered Metro he was whisked away to the OR; emergency surgery, only you can do it! Get in, gown up! Hurry, hurry, hurry!
“They said you were in surgery,” Tony continued in a sheepish voice. “I felt so stupid…”
“Oh…Tony,” an incredible weight crushed Stephen’s chest. His breaths became shallow shudders as a sharp pain pieced his throat. “Tony…no,” his arms reached out and pulled Tony close. “You’re not stupid,” he whispered into a kiss on Tony’s cheek.
You’re the stupid one! This was your big moment! Tony and Peter needed you!
“It’s fine, I overreacted,” Tony said as they parted, looking downward so he could stealthy wipe away a few tears. “I know you’re a surgeon and-”
“Doesn’t matter,” Stephen said hurriedly, “what I am doesn’t change facts; I should have been here for you and Peter. I’m the one who owes you an apology.”
At this, Tony barked a small laugh.
“Can’t exactly ask you to walk out of brain surgery.”
“Yes you can,” Stephen countered with a stern, almost fatherly tone, “you can ask me for anything. Ask me for the moon and I’ll drop everything and bring it to you.”
“Stephen…,” Tony’s eyes went wide. New tears began to form and fall down his scruffy cheek. “You…”
Tony stammered; his brilliant mind unable to find the right response. He had allowed himself to become so recklessly vulnerable with Stephen, and through text of all things! But Stephen did not care. If anything, he too was slowly coming undone through their relationship. Small cracks were opening in his sterile world, allowing for the loud and rambunctious Peter to come tumbling in. They were changing… together. Changing in a way words could not describe.
So, Tony just kissed Stephen. Because it was the only thing that made any sense.
“Dah-dee…?” Peter’s little voice whimpered from the bed. “Dah?”
Both men broke their ‘yucky kiss’.
“Hey, little duck,” Tony put on his biggest smile as he took a seat beside Peter. “Yeah, daddy’s here. Daddy’s not going anywhere…,” he laid a hand on Peter’s stomach and gave it a small tickle.
The boy made a gurgle and weakly kicked his legs beneath the sickly green hospital blanket.
“Are we feeling better?”
Peter nodded. His drowsy eyes then drifted over his caregiver’s shoulder and over the doctor awkwardly standing behind him.
“Stee…ben?”
“Yeah,” Stephen smiled, “it’s me.”
“Come sit down,” Tony said as he stood, “come on…”
Slowly, Stephen replaced Tony on Peter’s bed.
“Stee-ben,” Peter cooed.
“Well, this has a been a big adventure, hasn’t it?” Stephen asked. Peter nodded his head, “But I know you’ve been a brave boy and listened to the doctors and did what they said.” Again, Peter nodded.
“Stee-ben doh-tah.”
“That’s right, and it’s a doctor’s job to make sure Little ones like you get better quick to they can run and play and cause trouble for their daddy!”
Tony let out an airy laugh through his nose.
“Stee-ben?” Peter’s hand crept across the bed, his fingers gently petted Stephen’s. “’Tory…pease?”
“You want a story? Um,” Stephen looked back at Tony, who was already digging through the diaper bag.
“How about Clifford?” Tony held up a book, the face featuring a comically large red dog.
“Yeah…”
“Okay, Clifford it is,” Stephen took the book from Tony, “I don’t think I’ve read this before, but it looks exciting.”
Peter had clearly spent all his energy on the request. His eyes were starting to flutter, but a smile still curled the corners of his lips.
As Stephen began to read, he felt the shift of Tony sitting behind him on the bed. The warmth and weight of his body curled over Stephen’s back, his head landed perfectly on the doctor’s shoulder.
“Thank you…,” the small words were almost lost in the cacophony of the hospital…but Stephen heard them. He may have been late, but he was finally there.
Exactly where he was supposed to be.
Dr. Banner arrived with the sort of cheery demeanor that all Little care providers seem to naturally carry. He greeted Tony with a firm handshake before turning to Stephen.
“And this must be the world-famous Dr. Strange,” he said.
“I’m not sure about world famous,” Stephen held out a hand for the doctor to take, “there are probably parts of Micronesia that have not heard of me.”
“Well,” Dr. Banner began with a small chuckle, “as nice as it is for you to come visit my patient Dr. Strange, I think you might be a bit overqualified,” he then looked to the sleepy Peter, “this fellow doesn’t need much more than a little bedrest, fluids and maybe some extra cuddles from Papa here.”
“So,” Tony nervously bounced on the balls of his feet, “he’s good to go home?”
“Discharge paperwork is being printed up right now. Just keep him home from school for a few days, let him build his strength back up. Like I said, fluids and a BRAT diet will be best until he’s up and active again; I would definitely recommend sticking to just Pedialyte and water.”
“BRAT diet?” Tony asked.
“Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast,” Stephen explained, “it’s best for anyone experiencing diarrhea.”
“But is also helpful for Littles with any kind of ailment,” Dr. Banner added the moment he saw confusion furrow Tony’s brow. “BRAT foods are already popular with most Littles and those foods help keep their tummies settled while taking medication.”
“And….about medication; am I picking anything up at the pharmacy?”
“I’m going to prescribe a liquid Pseudoephedrine to break up the congestion and help get some of the phlegm out. But, other than that,” Dr. Banner shrugged, “keep an eye on his temperature. If it spikes again, just bring him back. I suspect it’s just a bad cold, but you can never be too cautious this time of year. Especially with Little ones.”
“Right, right…”
“Well, looks like everything is good here,” Stephen slipped an arm around Tony waist and pulled him close enough to put a kiss on his cheek, “I need to check in with my patient and follow-up on a few things. But…if you need me to stay…”
“No,” Tony smiled and sighed, “I think Peter and I are okay. Thank you, though…”
“Call me if you need me,” Stephen have him a kiss on the lips, “seriously, if you need anything…”
“I know,” Tony kissed him back. “I know.”
Tony did not text Stephen for the rest of the afternoon. The doctor did not take offense though has he most likely reached out to Pepper with assist with supplies.
When he left Metro around four p.m., Stephen grabbed a taxi and immediately opened his phone to text Tony and let him know he was on his way.
Their chat window was nothing but a wall of blue bubbles.
Peter woke with a fever. Think I should take him to ER?
Heading to Metro Little’s ER
Meet us there?
Peter keeps asking for you
Stephen put down his phone. That hurt a little more than he could bear. He had to take a few calming breaths before he could open the window again.
Peter keeps asking for you
Peter knew Stephen was a doctor. He knew Stephen could help him feel better. He wanted Stephen to come and help and comfort him.
And he didn’t.
Almost at your place <3 Stephen typed just as his vision got blurry.
His phone pinged and Stephen had to wait for his tears to clear before he could read it.
Door’s open, come in! <3