sheltering the boy I knew (from the hell that I put him through)

Part 3

Peter could have been woken up by a lot of things. He could have been woken up by the bright light above his medical bed, the beeping of the heart monitor beside his medical bed, the light hiss of the oxygen mask on his face, or even his aunt's voice. But, what he didn't expect to be woken up by was the tight restraint that was clenched around his left ankle.

Well, that, and the sound of Director Hayward yelling at Doctor Lewis and Agent Woo from outside his room.

"Are you two out of your damn minds?!" Peter heard and, in response, he shifted uncomfortably on his bed. Even though the two had asked him to come to the SWORD base so he could talk Wanda down, he still didn't like that they were getting in trouble because of him.

Doctor Lewis spoke next and Peter remembered her voice from when she spoke to him outside his cell in the Raft. "We were just trying to right a wrong, Director Hayward," she said, her voice steady. However, it seemed as if Hayward didn't even want to listen to what she had to say, as he cut her off as soon as she spoke.

"By blackmailing a government official?!" The man raised his voice.

"With all due respect, Director, New York law specifically states that a minor can't be held in custody for more than twelve hours until after their sentencing. Peter's seventeen, which means he's still considered a minor, and he hasn't even had his trial yet; and he's been held in the Raft for three weeks. It's not fair to him." He heard Agent Woo explain. But, with zero context and a probable concussion, Peter was scrambling to try and figure out what the three were talking about.

"Well," Director Hayward snapped, "since you feel so strongly about this topic, Agent Woo, then you can join Captain Rambeau and Dr. Lewis in being suspended for a week from any SWORD operations."

"But-" Dr. Lewis tried to cut in.

"And, since you two dragged Mr. Parker into this mess, without having him sign a physical contract, that means SWORD can be held legally liable for any action he decides to take against us. So, you two can spend the duration of your suspension keeping him company with Captain Rambeau while he rests in our med bay. And, if you two ever pull some shit like this again, I can personally assure you that you will never work in another high ranking position like this one. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," the two SWORD members said in unison.

"Good." The sound of Director Hayward's footsteps retreating reached his ears, and Peter immediately felt the guilt hit him. Both Agent Woo and Dr. Lewis seemed really nice, and he didn't mean to get any of them in trouble.

'I still would've saved Hayward though,' he thought to himself, ''if I had the chance to go back.' If he hadn't and he'd let Hayward get hurt, he'd probably be even more upset with them.

Seeing as that conversation had ended and that there was no one who'd be coming into his room for the time being, Peter decided to turn his attention to the next pressing issue; the restraint on his ankle. He wasn't the type to sit still for long periods of time, and he wanted out of this bed now.

Placing both his hands beside him, Peter pushed himself up and slipped the oxygen mask up and over his head. Then, once he had set it beside him, he had thrown the blankets off his body and tugged at the restraint harshly with his right hand, while using his left to hold his burning chest. Despite how much he pulled, though, the restraint wouldn't break, with or without his super strength.