a ghost of my life
Peter was awake, but he had trouble moving. And thinking. And speaking. He was having trouble with everything.
“He’s going to have to relearn most things, Pepper. Someone has to be with him at all times, many TBI survivors have seizures, or can forget where they are, what they are doing, or even who they are.” Bruce explains to Pepper, who is nodding and taking notes.
Harley is paying attention. He’s not going to ignore what Banner is saying about his brother, but he also can’t help but watch Peter, who had been staring at the blank wall ever since he woke.
“-I can't clear him to go out as Spider-Man, if he remembers it, until he has fully recovered-“
It’s clear to Harley that his brother isn’t paying any attention to what the doctor is saying, or if he is, he’s not comprehending any of it.
It made Harley’s stomach turn, seeing Peter as he is. Peter is always up and moving, talking a mile a minute. And now he’s sat in a hospital bed, unaware of the world around him.
“Harley.” He looks up to his mom, “I need you to go stay with Morgan.”
“What do I tell her?”
“Just... tell her that Pete is sick, and that he needs to recover.” Pepper offers him a small smile.
Harley slowly leaves the room in search of his sister.
“It’s going to be hard, Pepper. But Peter has a team of world renowned doctors in his side, not to mention the Avengers.”
With that, Bruce leaves Pepper and Peter alone. The mother sides next to her son, who doesn’t so much as glance her way. She grabs his hand in hers, mentally cringing at how fragile it felt.
“Hey Petey.” No response. “I know that you must be really confused right now, but I promise that we are going to everything that we can to help you get better. I’m not leaving you, no matter what.”
Pepper wipes the tears from her cheek, watching Peter blink at the wall.
She stays until the nurse comes to check on him. As soon as the nurse starts feeding him through the tube, Pepper speeds towards the nearest bathroom and empties her stomach in the trash.
—
Harley smiled at the sight of Morgan coloring with Bucky, the two unaware of his presence. Morgan laughs loudly before looking to the doorway to see her brother.
“Harley!” The girl squeals, launching her tiny body into Harley’s arms. “You’ve got to come color with me and Buck!” She starts pulling his arm towards the table.
“Actually, Morg. I need to talk to you.” He crouches next to her. “It’s really important.”
Morgan stops tugging on his arm, “Is it about Petey?”
When Harley nods, her eyes fill with tears.
“Did he die? Like daddy?”
Harley’s heart drops. He shakes his head, maybe a little too fast. His vision is a little fuzzy.
“No- no. Peter isn’t dead, but he is very sick. He hit his head really hard, and-“ Harley pauses, his words caught in his throat. He really didn’t want to cry in front of his sister. “He just- he needs to remember how to do things.”
“Like what?”
Harley lets out a shaky breath. “Right now, he needs to remember how to talk, and how to walk.”
Morgan stays silent, then crawls into Harley’s lap. “Can we go see him?”
“Not right now, Morg. But soon.” Harley combs his fingers through her hair. It doesn’t take long for the six year old to fall asleep.
He moves her to the couch, covering her with a blanket.
Harley looks to where Bucky stands at the edge of the room.
“He’s gonna be okay, right?” He asks the older man.
“Yeah. If anyone can pull through, it’s Peter.”