LOUD MOUTH → PETER PARKER ✓

Chapter Nineteen: Hospital Rooms

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍: HOSPITAL ROOMS

When Callie woke up in the hospital, she was sure she was dead. Bright, fluorescent light hung above her head. It wasn't exactly how she pictures the afterlife, but it was good enough, she supposed. Her first indication that she was, in fact, still alive was the pain. Everything hurt. It all hurt. She felt like she had been pushed through a meat grinder and then stuck back together with washi tape. Finally she was able to turn her head, where she saw Lily by her bed, her face red and streaked with tears.

"Lily?" Her voice was low and gravelly.

Lily looked up, her worried expression turning into a still very worried but also very happy beaming smile. "Hi, Cal." She got up, gently wrapping her arms around her. Callie grimaced, feeling sharp pains in her side, and she looked down to see that her entire torso had been wrapped in thick white bandages.

"This is worse than when I broke my arm." Callie groaned.

Callie's mom suddenly appeared in the doorway, a cup of coffee in her hand. She stopped abruptly when she saw Callie, eyes open and sitting up, and her eyes filled with tears.

Callie looked at her nervously. "Is this where you scream at me, or does that come later?"

Teresa didn't answer, instead rushing forward and wrapping her arms around her daughter so tightly that Callie felt it hard to breathe. "Okay, I guess that comes later." she wheezed.

Her mom sat by her side nearly the entire time, silently watching over Callie. She left every few hours to get food or run home to get Callie a fresh change of clothes―she hated the feeling of wearing one outfit for more than a few days. She never formally apologized to her mom for all the shit she had pulled over the past few weeks but there seemed to be some sort of unspoken apology that she gave when she first appeared at Callie's side, tears in her eyes and kissing her face over and over.

Gwen came to visit, too. She teared up when she first saw Callie with her torso wrapped in thick white bandages, though Callie assured her over and over that nothing was her fault. Gwen sat at her side for almost an hour, talking about anything that Callie needed updating on (e.g. who the fuck was doing the announcements while she was gone).

"Mrs. Freeman, the receptionist." Gwen answered when Callie asked. "And she's actually doing surprisingly well. She said she took a lot of inspiration from your announcement style." she laughed at that.

"Is the skipping over the sexist dress code reminders?"

"For the most part."

"Good."

Callie looked up and saw Captain Stacy had walked into the doorway. He stood there for a moment, looking at Gwen and Callie sitting together. He clearly didn't feel great about the fact that Callie and Peter had actually been right about the whole Lizard thing, and that Callie was now in the hospital because he didn't believe them. But before he could even get a word in, Callie spoke up.

"I'm sorry I took your gun."

His mouth closed. Callie supposed she said it just to diffuse the tension, but she cringed anyway at the unexpected words that came out. But surprisingly, he smiled (well, not a real smile, but sort of a half-smirk half-grin smile). "That's alright, Callie." he paused for a moment. "And I'm sorry, too."

Callie nodded, accepting the apology. "You were just doing what you thought was right. I understand. Besides, who would actually believe Doctor Connors became a giant dinosaur monster running around New York? I mean, I wouldn't believe me either."

She felt stupid for not being able to think of something else but she shut her mouth. The Captain nodded and Gwen resumed her chattering. She was glad for the distraction―she didn't want to have to continue the conversation with Captain Stacy for very long before things got awkward. She didn't notice when he eventually left, not being able to stand the sight of Callie in a hospital bed, tied to an IV.

Gwen didn't stop talking until Peter walked in, a small bunch of flowers in his hand. Callie smiled, feeling her heart race―which now seemed to happen every time she saw him. God she hoped that stopped soon.

"And this is my queue to leave." Gwen said, grabbing her bag. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"You better. You're my only source of entertainment around here." Callie looked over at the ancient looking television in the corner. "That thing is stuck on the Spanish soap operas. I'm dying."

Gwen smiled at her before she left, leaving Peter standing in the room. He scanned her over a couple times, his own heart racing. It was terrifying, to see her like this. There was a heart monitor in the corner, emitting a steady beeping that for some reason seemed ominous to him. She had an IV needle in one arm and a bandage on the other, but her face was still the same. Bright and happy, with a smile that made him feel like nothing was wrong.

"I know I'm attractive and all, but you're staring quite a bit there, Guevara." she said finally. She felt her heart rate go down after she started talking, because who said being a Loud Mouth wasn't a good thing?

"Hey, I can't help it that you can look that good after being attacked by a giant dinosaur." he grinned. He set down the bunch of flowers at her bedside and sat where Gwen had been. He cautiously wrapped an arm around her, making sure he didn't hurt her, and she leaned in closer to him, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"How's your mom?" he asked. Her eyes had fluttered closed and she was breathing steadily, but her voice was still as energetic and clear as it always was.

"She's fine. I think almost dying kinda repaired any rift I made when I disappeared for a few days. It's weird, like she's suddenly gone into full Mama Bear mode. I don't think she's missed more than a few days of work in years, and now she's suddenly taking the week off. I guess Captain Stacy has some involvement in that, though." she rambled. "I kinda feel bad about it. I've been a jerk to her, and now that I'm suddenly hurt, she has to care, because that's what parents do. It just doesn't feel right, I guess." she paused. "However, I do have a pretty big ego now. I shot a gun at a mutant lizard. I'm a badass."

Peter laughed. "Definitely."

"And I'm dating a superhero. Extra cool points."

Peter looked down at her, an amused grin on his face.

Callie grinned, too. "What?"

Peter said nothing as he leaned in and kissed her. She kissed back, forgetting any pain she felt. This wasn't exactly how she planned high school to go, but she liked it much more this way. Even if she did almost die a couple times―but she didn't think about any of that as she kissed Peter.

They both stopped as a new figure appeared in the doorway, dressed in a long dress and carrying a small dog in their arms. Callie looked up to see Mrs. Edelstein standing there with Peggy in her arms. She saw the two of them lying together with Peter's arm kept around her in a protective hold and she grinned.

"You must be Peter." she said, looking to Callie to confirm.

She smiled, nodding.

Mrs. Edelstein grinned. "We have much to discuss."