Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Sunday, December 22
May hasn’t slept since Tony called her on Friday afternoon. She’s used to the night shift and being awake for longer than should be humanly possible, but it’s different when it’s her Peter that’s thousands of miles away and sick enough to need surgery.
She’s had more than enough time in an airport, and then a hotel room, to worry. She’s been getting hourly updates from Tony, who she’s convinced is a saint because from the sound of it, he hasn’t left Peter’s bedside since he picked him up from school two days ago. She trusts Tony and Pepper, knows they’re the only reason she’s able to travel for her new job. May had been waiting to take an administrative position for a global nursing company for years, but Peter’s spider bite, and everything that came with it, had changed everything.
The sneaking out. The lying. The Snap. The battles and overall danger of being an Avenger as a teenager. All of these things had been enough to make her question whether Peter was ready for her to be away so often, but in the end, it was Peter’s asthma attacks that had kept her from taking the position.
Mostly, it was their tendency to happen at night, coupled with the fact that Peter wouldn’t talk to her about how he was feeling until he was wheezing in her bedroom doorway at 3 in the morning. Over fifteen years’ experience as an emergency room nurse, and May couldn’t help but feel absolutely shaken by the sight of Peter struggling for breath.
And then Tony had stepped in and assured her that he’d be happy to look after Peter when she was away, had the technology to keep an eye on him 24/7 and get his attacks under control. It hadn’t been an easy decision, nor a quick one, but in the end, May knew it was the right choice. It had to be, because Peter.
Three cancelled flights, two nights in two different hotel rooms, and finally, finally, she’s landed in New York. Tony’s sent a car for her despite her insistence that the AirTrain and subway would suffice, and she’s caved because she hasn’t slept, needs to see how Peter is with her own eyes before she lets herself get any ounce of sleep.
Dr. Cho called her personally to give her a general update full of medical terms and medication dosages, but it’s been Tony’s text updates that kept her from falling apart completely. You raised quite the tough cookie, May and I’ve never seen this kid sleep so much in my life. Didn’t think this was even possible. The humor and care in his messages brought her to tears more than once, and she’d had to explain to more than one passenger and flight attendant that she was fine, that her baby was sick and she just wanted to be home with him as soon as she could.
She’s been let in by Happy, the driver who picked her up at the airport, and is advised to ask that the elevator take her up to the residence. May hasn’t realized just how apparent her sleep deprivation truly is until she sees herself reflected in the elevator panels. By the time she’s whisked up to the correct floor, it’s too late for her to fuss over her hair or wrinkled clothes, and as she steps out and walks quietly toward Tony and Pepper’s voices, she realizes, upon seeing them, that they, too, are just as disheveled and exhausted. Pepper, whose arms are crossed against her chest, has her blonde hair in a messy bun. Tony’s beard is unshaved, the front of his shirt rumpled. She watches quietly from afar, nervous to interrupt what sounds like an argument. She worries for a moment that something’s happened with Peter, but then she hears Pepper say, “You want to adopt Peter.” It doesn’t come out as a question, but a statement, and May’s first instinct is to pounce. Adopt Peter? She’s suddenly not so sure what, exactly, their intentions are, what they’ve been, and she’s shaking her head, can feel tears stinging her tired eyes.
“I didn’t say adopt, did I? I said guardianship. Do you know how many laws we’ve probably broken in the last three days, Pepper? If Peter’s school had sent him to the hospital, we’d never have been allowed past the emergency room doors. We don’t have legal custody over Peter, yet because we brought him here to be treated, we’ve been able to make all of the decisions while May’s been away,” Tony rationalizes, and May feels her defensive walls fall. She’s not angry that Tony and Pepper have been making the decisions, has tried to keep the imaginative scenarios of Peter going to a conventional hospital out of her mind because she shudders to think of how they’d handle his unconventional genetics and chemistry. She hates to think that her exhaustion has sent her thoughts spinning toward the negative once again, that she’s doubted the goodness of the two people who have obviously been putting Peter before themselves while she’s been away. “If something like this were to happen again-”
“May’s not going to sue us, Tony.” Pepper puts a hand up and finishes his thought. “Let’s be realistic for a moment. Her and Peter signed paperwork when he became an Avenger.”
“You said the same thing about Hank Pym, remember? And look where we’re at now, sitting in ridiculous litigation for months,” Tony reminds her. “Besides, you’re missing the fact that the paperwork May and Peter signed refers to medical decisions made immediately following an injury sustained during active duty. Falling ill in chemistry class doesn’t exactly fit the criteria.”
Pepper sighs. “But it’s not our place to overstep and just assume we can sign a few papers and make him ours, Tony. I swear, if this is another one of your crazy, overeager ideas-”
“Just hear me out, okay?” he asks.
“Tony, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure I want to,” Pepper says, cocking her head. “Are you out of your fucking mind?” She’s stressed, tired, even, but Tony is too far into his head to fully notice.
“Well, if I’m being honest,” Tony interrupts, “I was expecting this conversation to go in a completely different direction.”
“Really?” Pepper raises her eyebrows and widens her eyes. “You thought I’d be entirely okay with stealing Peter out from under May’s nose and raising him as our own?”
“No, Pep, that’s not…” He sighs heavily and looks up at the ceiling. “You’re not listening to me or a word-” A hand balls into a fist when Pepper interrupts again.
“It’s one thing to play mentor and pick him up from school when he’s sick, even take care of him while May is away, but this,” Pepper says, shaking her head. “I love Peter. I really do. I’m just not sure this is appropriate Tony. I don’t know if we can even handle having more responsibility over-”
“-a damn good kid who just happens to have web shooters and asthma?”
“This is more than asthma, Tony, and you know it.”
“I know that, Pepper, but I don’t understand why that matters so much to you!”
“Because you can’t just take May out of the equation! Peter’s her life, Tony. We can’t just take him from her.”
“This isn’t about replacing May or taking him out of her life! You won’t even let me finish my sentences, for God’s sake, so how can I expect you to make any sense of what I’m trying to say?” He’s raised his voice, is two seconds away from crying out of exhaustion and fear and frustration.
“Then what is it about, Tony?” she finally asks. “Tell me and I’ll say yes.”
“I don’t…I don’t know, Pep,” Tony says, throwing his hands up and shaking his head. “You’ve got my thoughts all jumbled up from interjecting.” He sighs and composes himself. “May was in a meeting when Peter passed out at school and I couldn’t get a hold of her, and then it took me an hour to get through to her again about the surgery…and I can’t help but think about what happens if we can’t wait on a decision. What happens if it’s just you and me and-”
Peter’s congested hacking and wheezy inhales steal his attention from Pepper, and in seconds he’s in Peter’s room, right at his bedside, his arms sliding under the teen’s tiny frame. “I gotcha kid,” Tony coos as he shifts Peter’s position against the pillows so that he’s more upright than slumped. Pepper stops in the doorway to check that he’s alright before heading to the kitchen for a much-needed cup of coffee, May inching closer to Peter’s bedroom once Pepper is gone, Peter’s frame coming into her view.
He lets out a few more coughs and tries to relax. “Hate this,” he pants in Tony’s arms, catching his breath.
He’s pale, his cheeks red from coughing and hair matted in every possible direction. May’s expected him to be on oxygen, but instead there’s a positive airway pressure cannula under his nose, and she realizes, then, that this is worse than she’s let herself believe it to be. Her heart breaks as she watches him try to lift himself up from the bed.
Tony gently eases him back down and puts the back of his hand to Peter’s forehead, frowning as he pulls it away. “Fever’s back.”
Peter laughs softly. “You know that’s not…an accurate way to…measure a fever, right?”
“Who says?” Tony asks in his usual dry sarcasm.
“Um, the…doctor’s association people?”
“Hmm. Sounds legit,” Tony deadpans.
“Sorry, I’m not…myself, Tony. S’hard to think. I-I promise I’m…smarter-”
“Was only joking, Underoos. I know you’re smart.” He gently ruffles Peter’s hair, getting a smile out of him. “Too smart for your own good, sometimes, but smart nonetheless.”
“Hey!” Peter protests playfully.
“Peter’s temperature is now 102.8,” FRIDAY announces. “Motrin and fluids are recommended to bring his temperature down.”
“See? Even FRIDAY agrees with my methods.”
Peter’s confused as he says, “You beat her to it. How?”
“Magic.”
“Really?”
Tony laughs. “No, kid. Wow, you really are out of it, huh? I got an alert twenty minutes ago on my watch that your fever was creeping up, was just waiting because it’s been only five hours since your last dose and I can’t have your liver going out on us now.”
Peter’s eyes widen at the mention of another organ going haywire.
Tony’s serious as he says, “Hey, not gonna let that happen, Pete. Promise.”
Peter’s not convinced, is suddenly thinking back to not being able to breathe in MedBay. He’s sniffling, a slight wheeze present as his breaths quicken.
“Peter?” Tony asks, trying to catch his eyes. “Look at me, bud. You okay?”
“N-no,” he finally answers, eyes turning glassy.
“You trust me, right? I wouldn’t let anything happen to you?” he asks, adjusting the BiPAP cannula against Peter’s face to make sure it’s snug but not too much so, Peter nodding as the tears start to fall.
“I just miss May,” he sobs softly. “S-she’s probably all…worried about me, t-trying to…get home and s-see me. D-don’t want her to...get s-scared. She’s not g-good with…this kind of s-stuff.”
Tony pulls a tissue from the box on Peter’s nightstand and wipes the tears from under his eyes. “She’s a nurse, kiddo. Nothing here she hasn’t seen before.”
“Different with me,” Peter says tiredly. “I think it’s…a lot for her. She does e-everything for me. Never for herself. Can’t…do this to her.”
“Well, even so, she can’t wait to see you. Happy texted that they’re on the way from the airport.”
“What if I’m asleep when…she gets here?” Peter worries until she steps into the doorway. “May!” Peter exclaims breathlessly.
“I’m so sorry, Peter,” she apologizes as she rushes toward his bed and pulls him into a too tight hug. It takes everything in her to loosen her grip enough for Peter to rest comfortably in her arms. “My flights kept getting cancelled.” The tears are falling already, her eyes meeting Tony’s as he gives a small, understanding smile and backs out of the room.
“It’s okay,” Peter promises. “I’m happy…you’re here.”
She cups Peter’s chin in her hands, one lifting to touch his BiPap cannula, and sniffles.
“It’s okay, May.” He pulls her hand down and into his. “It helps, and…Tony and Pepper have been…taking really good care of me.”
“I should have been here, baby,” she cries, wiping her tears with her sleeve. “I’m sorry I wasn’t. I’ve been worried sick about you since Tony called me.”
“You’re here now.” Peter smiles sleepily, May moving to lie beside him and pull him close. “Love you,” he says, and she can’t stop the few stray tears from falling.
“Love you too, baby,” she replies.
“M’really tired, May,” he says, closing his eyes.
“Get some sleep, alright?” she whispers. He’s out before she can even look over, his facial muscles relaxed and content. She’s glad to be here with Peter, and it’s not until an hour or so later, when she’s convinced herself that Peter’s okay enough for her to use the bathroom that she slowly creeps out of the bed and into the hallway.
“May,” Tony says softly, but his voice startles her, a hand flying up to her chest in panic. “How are you doing?” He’s placed a gently hand on her shoulder and his eyes are searching hers for the truth.
“I’m exhausted, but I’m glad I got to see Peter. I know he’s not well, that this is going to be one hell of a recovery, but I’m grateful for everything you and Pepper have done for Peter while I couldn’t be here. I can’t ever repay you for all of this, Tony. This is more than keeping tabs on our boy. This is above and beyond.” She goes to open her purse as she continues with, “I don’t have much right now, but if I could write you a check-”
Tony shakes his head. “You don’t need to do anything but thank us, May. Pep and I would have done it regardless. You know that.” She sniffles and nods, a hand coming up to her mouth as she tries not to cry again.
“I’m supposed to be Peter’s caretaker, but with this new job, in trying to make enough money to get us where we need to be-”
“I’ve told you before, you’re more than welcome-”
“I can’t take your money, Tony,” she asserts as kindly as she can, sniffling. “I really appreciate you and Pepper looking after Peter while I’m working, especially with his asthma being so bad at night and all, but this is something I have to do for us. I promised Richard and Mary that I would provide for Peter the best I could.”
“I understand.”
“Thank you.”
“You raised one hell of a kid, you know that, May?” Tony says, his voice cracking as the exhaustion and worry from the last few days hits him. He’s sniffling himself now, holding back the tears threatening to fall. “He’s a good kid.”
“Yeah, he is,” she agrees.
“The only thing he’s been worried about the entire time was you. Kept asking for you, made me promise I’d call you at every turn.”
“But you were the one who was here, Tony. That counts, you know,” she explains, offering a smile. “Look, I don’t mean to overstep, but I heard you and Pepper talking. About adopting Peter. Or rather, guardianship.”
Tony looks down and shifts his weight nervously. “I know how special Peter is to you, May. I know he’s your entire world and that not being here through everything must have been excruciating. I didn’t pose it to Pepper as a means of replacing you or taking him out of your life. We’d never do that.”
“I know I can’t be everything he needs right now. This weekend was a testament to that fact, and it’s killing me to know my not being here delayed his care. If he’s going to heal from this, he’s going to need consistency and attention, which I can’t do with my job situation right now. I would quit in a heartbeat, but I know that Peter would blame himself and feel guilty, which would make everything worse. I don’t want to keep asking you for things, Tony. It’s not right of me to ask you to take more legal responsibility for Peter.”
“May, I would do anything for you and Peter. Just ask, and it’s yours. You know that.”
“I do know, Tony, and I think that’s very generous of you. But this is me being selfish here. Peter has always come first, as he should, but right now I’m conflicted because I took on this job so that I could send him off to college without loans and debt, and now, here we are, trying to figure out how to get our boy healthy again so that one day he can go to college.”
They’ve been down the “paying for college” road before, May insisting that she be the one to provide the money for Peter. Tony’s hoping he can work in a scholarship somewhere to make it that much easier for them, but he knows now isn’t the time to bring it up.
“I think Peter needs you right now, Tony.” May’s looking down at her hands and biting her lip. “He needs 24/7 monitoring and care, and even if I was home for the next few weeks, it wouldn’t be enough. I think joint guardianship is a great idea. You know I’m never one to ask, but this is Peter we’re talking about. Our Peter, and-”
“You don’t have to ask May,” Tony says. “I have it all covered. We can sit down with our lawyers after the holidays if you’d like. When things settle down and Peter’s feeling better.”
“You are a very kind man, Tony.” She gives him a hug and lets out a slow breath.
“Just trying to do the right thing is all,” he says, hugging her back. “You know that you’re welcome to stay here, with the holidays and everything.”
“I appreciate that, but I should probably go home and shower, get some sleep. I have a feeling the next few days are going to be a whirlwind, and I want to make sure that I can be there for Peter.”
“I can have Happy drive you back to your place,” Tony offers, leading her to the elevator.
It’s not until Tony checks on Peter and crawls into bed himself that he feels the fatigue fully hit him. He goes to close his eyes, but hears Pepper ask, “You really care about him, don’t you?” He knows she means like a son, and all Tony can do is nod as his face crumples once again.
“I heard what May said, about the guardianship.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, and I agree with her. That Peter needs you right now. She’s trying, but with her work situation so difficult, I think it’s best that we keep Peter here for a while. I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you before.”
“This has been really difficult and exhausting for everyone, Pep. We’re all on edge and trying to take it day-by-day. I think we could all just use some sleep.”
“Sleep? What is sleep?” Pepper jokes, because when does Tony ever sleep? But Tony’s already out, is starting to snore, and she smiles to herself, can’t help but think she likes this overprotective Dad Mode Tony that she’s starting to see more and more of.