Regrets

After the initial outburst, Steve managed to get Tony to sit back down, murmuring soft reassurances into the brunette’s ear. Steve pressed a kiss to Tony’s temple before he saw Bruce approaching them with two cups, one coffee (Steve, because he was going to need it) and water (Tony, because the last thing he needed was coffee) in his hands and a weary smile.

“I just talked to the nurse. Everything is going great and she said we’ll be able to see him in about an hour,” Bruce informed, handing the cups over to Steve. Steve offered him a smile in return, taking the two drinks. He drowned his in two gulps before sitting down in the chair next to his husband and gently wrapping Tony’s fingers around his own cup.

“Drink,” He persuaded softly, pushing the cup up to Tony’s lips. Thankfully, Tony managed a few sips of the water without argument and he offered the cup back at Steve a few moments later, not bothering to look up from his lap.

Steve took a second to glance at the rest of the team that was scattered around the waiting room each with an anxious worried expression plastered across their face.

“H-how-,” Tony’s voice cracked and he swallowed heavily before saying,” How long do symptoms for appendicitis show up for, Bruce?” The questioned took the the two man sitting on opposite sides of him by surprise. Bruce gave a slightly alarmed look to Steve before looking back at his friend. They both knew where this was heading.

“There are several symptoms associated with appendicitis, Tony. It can start with just a simple stomach ache. But with children it’s usually acute. In just a matter of hours.”

“Tony-” Steve started but was cut off.

“It wasn’t acute with Peter. He told the paramedics his stomach started hurting days ago,” Tony revealed and Steve felt the lump of guilt that had settled in his stomach hours ago grow in size. He watched as Tony turned to look at him, the worn look in his husband’s eyes wanting him to look far away. It was silent and tense as the two stared at each other, not one of them wanting to break the silence. He could feel the other team member’s eyes drawn to them and at the moment he wanted to crawl beneath a rock and disappear for ages.

Tony blinked first and then he fell back against the chair. Steve eventually did the same.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About an hour later, Steve and Tony strolled after the nurse who had come to retrieve them from the waiting room with news that the surgery was finished. Before that, the two had barely looked at each other, as they each were drowning in their own thoughts but the seconds the news hit, Steve had crushed Tony into a hug. 

“Let’s go see our son,” Tony had murmured, accepting a chaste kiss from Steve before they had started to follow the nurse after promising their team members that they would come get them the second Peter was moved upstairs.

“He’s been in and out of it. We’re going to wait a few more minutes before we move him up to his room,” The nurse informed them as they reached a curtained off section of the post recovery area.

The two man nodded their heads, not bothering with words as they wanted to be with their child more than ever in that moment.

The nurse smiled before opening the curtain and allowing the two Avengers to slip past her.

“Oh honey,” Steve cooed as his eyes landed on his son. Tony and him separated hands as they each went to opposite sides of Peter’s bed.

Their son was tucked away underneath a heavy blanket, with only his sweet, pale face and soft brown curls exposed. A nasal cannula was hooked around his ears, providing oxygen to his wounded body and Tony couldn’t help but count the numerous wires and tubes that extended out from underneath the blanket; much more than when Peter had been down in the emergency room.

“Baby. Peter, it’s Papa and Daddy,” Steve murmured gently bringing up a large hand to sweep Peter’s hair away from his cold, clammy forehead. His eyes had been resting but they fluttered open the moment his father’s hand made contact.

“That’s right, honey. Let Papa and Daddy see those beautiful eyes of yours,” Steve gently encouraged, still stroking Peter’s hair.

Peter let out a small groan, scrunching his face but didn’t move away from Steve’s hand, but instead leaned further in.

“Sleepy,” Peter whined, lettings his eyes drift close once more. He continued to feel his Pop’s hand running through his hair and a moment later a gentle thumb started to caress his cheek and he knew what his dad’s hands felt like as they had comforted him too many times to count in his life.

“That’s not a surprise, honey. You just had surgery. Remember?” Tony explained and Peter gave a little nod of his head and regretted it not even a moment later.

Peter’s breaths suddenly became quick, startling the two men, and he dug one of his hands out from underneath the blanket to grab at his head.

“Don’t feel good,” Peter moaned, closing his eyes in despair, trying to eliminate the dizziness that came on all at once. Steve did hesitate for a second before he started tracking down the nurse while Tony stayed by Peter’s side. He placed one hand on the on Peter was holding onto his head and leaned in close.

“Are you in pain, honey? Does your head hurt?” Tony asked, not bothering to hide the anguish in his voice.

“No, I just feel like I’m-”

Peter didn’t have the chance to finish his sentence as he suddenly lurched up from the bed and vomited one to the middle his lap. Tony’s eyes widened and with quick thinking managed to grab a bedpan on the table side and thrusted it underneath Peter’s face where he managed to deposit most of his second round of vomit.  

“I’m sorry,” Peter cried softly, small sobs filling the room and crushing Tony’s heart at the same time.

“Nothing, nothing at all to be sorry about. Daddy’s gonna take care of you,” Tony murmured the promise, latching it down with a loving kiss to the side of Peter’s head. Not bothering with trying to find a towel, he slid his jacket off, wrapped a gentle arm around Peter and brought him into his chest, before using the sleeve of his jacket gently wipe at his son’s mouth. At the same time that Steve finally came back with the nurse in tow, gasping at the state he found his son and husband in.

“He threw up. Twice,” Tony informed the nurse with a grunt as Steve came up behind him.

“I’m guessing you were having nausea instead of pain when you grabbed your head, Peter?” The nurse asked, remembering Steve’s frantic words when he found her. At Peter’s confirmation, she started to strip the blanket off the boy and replaced it with a new one, at the same time explaining that nausea and vomiting was a common side effect of anesthesia.

“There has to be medicine for it?” Steve asked as him and Tony gently lowered Peter back down onto the bed. He turned to look at the nurse while Tony grabbed a handful of tissues as gently wiped the stray tears of their son’s face.

“I’ll talk to his doctor, but we should be able to give him something once he’s upstairs,” His nurse compromised and Steve sighed before nodding his head. He turned back to Peter but a few seconds later a commotion outside the room had him turning around just in time.

“I don’t care who I have to be to go in there and see my nephew. Move.” The voice demanded and a few seconds later, the curtain pulled open revealing the distraught man.

“Any reason one of you idiots didn’t mind to tell me that my own godson was having emergency surgery?” Rhodey demanded.