Take My Hand | Peter Parker

Chapter 12

Bright colours and places I've never seen before started flashing right in front of my eyes.

Those pictures and colours stopped presenting themselves the instant a finger touched my arm. Someone was trying to lift me up, and believe me, they had no problem.

But with my head thrashing itself around again, my head snapped.

The colours didn't return. Those were giving me a headache, so I'm glad that they didn't come back. My eyes shut themselves from the brightness of the sun again. At least I was under some shade before. I could feel a mask or something placed around my mouth. I could breathe much better now, but that wasn't much help.

No wonder whoever carried me had no trouble. I felt so light, as if I was floating.

Not literally. My weight pressed down against something, and my back was leaned up. I was probably on a bed in an ambulance.

However, I really hadn't realized I was actually unconscious. I felt vibrations through the ground, people talking in muffled voices. There were too many to distinguish all at once, so I gave up on that. 

Finally the ambulance doors slammed shut. The voices were easier to tell apart.

"Monitor her heartbeat..." One said.

"Make sure she's in a comfortable... yes, we think her neck suffered trauma." Another said.

I paid attention and listened to their conversation. There were only two people, a male and a female. At one point they stopped as soon as they analyzed my neck.

How could I tell, exactly? They were feeling around the behind area of my neck. The male gasped in shock at one moment. He pulled his hands away, and probably covered his mouth. I really didn't want to know what he saw at that moment.

The ride to the hospital was quick and fast.

I tried to move around my arms, signalling I was okay, but they didn't want to move. I panicked, thinking I was paralyzed in my neck. 

Again, I didn't actually realize my body went unconscious when my head thrashed around. Somehow I was able to hear and feel what was going on around me. I even had things prodded and poked on my skin. The worst part was, I could feel all of this. They must have been doing tests on me, to see if I was in a coma or something.

It was agony just sitting there and not being able to tell anyone I was aware of everything. 

I eventually tried to shift my weight around, but it was consuming all my strength. Still, people continued to come in and out, talking to each other, then leaving.

I must have been lying there for two hours. The door opened again, and I expected the usual- but this was different. The vibrations became stronger and the noise was louder. A hand touched mine, and clutched it tightly.

"Please... be okay... wake up for me..." A voice sobbed.

It was female, and strangely familiar- Nora's voice! I squeezed her hand with all the might I had. She let go for a moment.

"What? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

She slipped it back through mine and waited patiently. I again tried, but it was stronger than last time. It was because I used more force. However, it was exhausting my body.

Nora squealed and let go of my hand again. Footstep vibrations radiated away from me, so I just assumed that she left to go tell some doctors or something.

 Eventually, they came in, but didn't believe her, so she had to prove it. 

I was just thankful I had enough strength to do it one more time. But even more thankful that they didn't keep going to really prove her theory. I was soon able to move my arms around, and move my legs, as well.

Nora was there with me the entire time, supporting and encouraging me.

The team was leaving from Washington tomorrow, but Nora said the doctors think I'd be discharged early. I should've been in a coma.

There was a possibility I could've died, too. If that one action paralyzed me, well- I didn't want to imagine life like that. I'd definitely confront Spider-Man about that. Just let him know that me and death said hi and bye at the same time.

"They want to have you here, though- but they say it's a miracle at the same time. Apparently your neck suffered trauma, but there's no injury,"

Since I was denied to be discharged early morning from the hospital, Nora was explaining to me that I need to keep fighting. Probably even fighting for my life at this point. Oh my gosh, I couldn't even imagine Aunt Rebecca's reaction-

"Just hang in there." She sighs, and releases her strong grip on my hand.

I clutch her hand tighter. "Pack... my stuff, for me...." 

She was so shocked that I spoke up, finally. I would be surprised too. Wasn't I in a coma, anyway? But, I was more shocked than her.

Unfortunately, I had to spend the night in this hospital. One thing I hated the most was sleeping in places unfamiliar to me. Especially the hospital, without anyone here, except for Nora. She was desperate and pleaded to be with me over the night, but Mr. Harrington couldn't allow her, nor would the doctors.

Before Nora left, she expressed her anger over Peter returning. Everyone couldn't make up their opinion about him, but Flash was determined to be the one to say Parker was expelled.

The hospital did get busy at night, and the sirens never stopped. Sleep was merely just a dream, waiting to happen, but it never did.

I pieced all of this together as lay in that hospital bed, unable to open my eyes. If my neck snapped, I should've been paralyzed or dead. If I was so light to be lifted (which I'm not), there was clearly something wrong with me.

After I lifted myself off the bed, I opened my eyes for the first time, again.