Hospital Talks
The next few moments are a blur. Before I know it, I’m lying face-up on the highway, covered in burns and bruises, a high-pitched whine in my ears. Someone approaches me, standing over me like Death coming for my soul. I shake my head. He pulls out a gun and points it at my head. No, I think to myself. Not here. Not yet.
Then a repulsor beam blasts him back, and a red-and-gold figure appears. I watch him blast away the other man, a wave of gratitude spreading through my body. The red-and-gold figure runs over to me, face-plate lifting and his mouth is moving, but I can’t hear what he’s saying.
Darkness comes into my vision, and I let it take me.
------
“Peter? Peter. Peter!”
I jolt awake at the voice, seeing a white ceiling above me. The hell? I turn my head and see a white room filled with medical equipment, with wires sticking out connecting to me. I find the source of the voice when I see May sitting beside me, eyes red and puffy.
“Oh, thank god,” she sniffles, petting my hair with a hand.
“Where…where am I?” I say in a croaking voice.
“I think they call it the med-bay. We’re back at the compound, sweetie.”
“And a good thing too, or else we’d have to explain to a hospital how all your injuries were healing faster than humanly possible,” says a voice from the door. I look up at Mr. Stark as he walks in, a smile coming onto my face.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey, yourself,” he says. “How’re you feeling?”
“Fine.” I shift so I’m sitting up, leaning back against a pile of pillows. “What happened?”
“Don’t remember? I don’t blame you. That was one hell of a blast.” He comes closer and sits on the bed, close to my feet. “You were attacked on the highway. Some hitman hired to get you, I’m guessing.”
“Hitman?” I ask with a frown. “What, really?”
“Peter,” Mr. Starks says. “This is the second attempt on your life in a week.”
“It’s what?” May says, looking straight at me with eyebrows raised.
I bite my lip, then say, “I was gonna tell you, but I didn’t get the chance. There was just…a lot.”
“But you have to tell me next time, okay?” Her eyes waver with fear. “We’re talking about this later, you know.”
I nod. “Promise. On both.”
She smiles, and turns to Mr. Stark. “So can we do? Someone’s…after him?”
He nods. “That seems to be the case. And I’m gonna take a wild guess and say it has something to do with your parents.”
I blink. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Wish I was.”
I lean further back into the pillows, letting out a long exhale. “Great. So someone’s what, trying to stop me from learning what happened?”
“That’s my guess,” he says, crossing his arms. “That’s the main reason I can think of, anyway.”
“So what now?”
“Now, we protect you,” he says, uncrossing his arms and putting a hand on the bed. “You’re staying here for a few days, okay?”
“What?” I straighten. “But what about school?”
“We’re having all your assignments and tests and things sent here, sweetie,” May says.
“What, so I’m just living here?”
“For now,” she says.
I shrug. “Sure, that’s…great.”
“I know you’re not happy about it,” she says, leaning forward. “I know you want to be normal, but sweetie, if someone’s trying to hurt you, then we need to keep you safe.”
“It’s not that I’m not happy about it,” I say. “I’m fine staying here. You guys are awesome,” I say with a look at Mr. Stark. “But I need to keep looking for answers. And I can’t do that trapped here.”
May bites her bottom lip and looks down. “Yes. There is that.”
“I may have a solution to that,” Mr. Stark pipes up.
“Really?” I ask.
“We can keep working on this little mystery of ours here, if you like. Where we can look after you. After all, it’s not like I can’t hack into every database on the planet. If I can’t find what we’re looking for, no one can.”
I grin. “Sure. Thanks, Mr. Stark.”
“No problem. Oh, and…” He turns toward the door. “I swore they were coming in…”
Within seconds, the door bangs open, and MJ runs over to me, smothering me in a hug. Ned piles on top, and all the air leaves my body.
“Well, this is one way to die,” I croak from underneath them.
“Sorry,” Ned says, backing away with a chuckle. “We’re just like, super glad you’re okay.”
MJ pulls away as well, keeping a hand on my shoulder. I look over her, seeing a bandaged cut on her forehead and left arm. A pit of anger bubbles in my stomach. How dare someone hurt my friends? My girlfriend?
“You sure you’re okay?” she says.
“Yeah.”
“Good.” She gives a tiny smile. I give a bigger one, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
“Gross,” Mr. Stark says.
I laugh, and lean back against the pillows again. “So what now? Shouldn’t we be questioning those guys who tried to kill me?”
Mr. Stark looks at me, then away. He takes a breath through his nose. “Well, about that.”
“What?” I say.
He pulls his sunglasses out of his chest pocket and puts them on. “You ever heard of cyanide capsules?”
My eyes widen. “Like in spy movies?”
He sighs. “They both had them. Swallowed them before we could get any information out of them. I’m sorry Peter. But they’re both dead.”
A chill sets into my bones. My heartbeat accelerates, and my hands ball into fists. “That’s…awful.”
He nods. “I have to agree with you there. Sorry, Pete.”
I cross my arms over my chest, as if that will protect me from the news somehow. MJ’s hand squeezes my shoulder in a gesture of comfort. I meet her eyes and hope she senses my gratitude.
“So we’re at a dead end again,” she states, looking from me to Mr. Stark.
“Not necessarily,” Mr. Stark says. “I’m trying to find evidence from the crash, something we can use. But I can’t find anything. Still, I’m looking.”
Ned nods in agreement. “Yeah, I tried looking too. They’re blocked. Still, give me a few days, and I might be able to find something?”
Mr. Stark looks at Ned. “Hey, kid.”
“Yeah?” Ned perks up.
“You want to look for those case files using my stuff? My tech for that’s just a few rooms away.”
Ned’s eyes widen, and he smiles. “Yes,” he says, way too fast. I laugh.“That uh, sounds great, sir,” he says, calming down.
“In the meantime, Peter, I have a question for you,” Mr. Stark says looking at me.
“Sure,” I say.
“What do you remember about the night your parents left?”
I freeze. “Nothing. Why?”
He removes his sunglasses. “Because you were the only one who might have a clue as to what happened. You were the only one there besides Ben and May, right?”
“Actually, I was in the other room when they left,” May says, voice soft. “They were talking to Ben and Peter. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. They sounded in a hurry, though.” She sniffles. “I just thought they were going on a trip, or something.”
“Okay,” Mr. Stark says. “Then that leaves you, Peter. Can you tell me what you remember?”
“I already told you, I don’t remember anything,” I say.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Are you really sure?”
“Yes!” I say, louder. “What does that even have to do with anything?”
“Because it might give us a clue,” he says. “Something we haven’t seen yet, something we’re missing.
I sigh. “I’ll try to remember, okay? But if I don’t, don’t blame me.”
He rises to his feet. “That’s all I can ask for. Thank you, Peter.”
“Sure.”
With that, he leaves the room, closing the door behind him. I slouch, letting the pillows encase me.
“You all right?” May asks, putting her hand on mine.
“Yeah,” I say. “But what I can’t remember something? And then, what if I do? What if it’s bad? What if it’s…What if it hurts?”
She moves her hand to my cheek. “I know. But even if you do remember something, that’s good, isn’t it? It’s a touch of your parents, the greatest people I ever knew. A memory would be good, don’t you think?”
“I guess.”
“I think she’s right,” MJ says. “And if you do remember something helpful, even better.”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding slowly. “Maybe you’re right.”
Suddenly, something rings from the floor. We all startle, and May looks down, pulling up her purse. She reaches a hand into it and pulls out my phone. She hands it to me, and I thank her.
The contact name on the screen reads: Mr. Osborn.
With a rush, I answer it and put the phone to my ear. “Sir?” I ask.
“Hello, Peter. I was wondering if you might like to look over some of your parents’ research this week?”
“I’d love to, but…you’re not going to believe what happened to me!”