Spider-man: Alone in New York

~ Chapter 29 ~

I sat down on the subway train seat between two other men, staring down at my palms. MJ had taken the news that I was Spider-man better than I expected. 

She gave me a smile and said, "You're still a loser, though." That smile was quickly wiped away when she realized the gash on my temple wasn't the only injury I had.

She had moved my arm back into place, and after explaining to her ten times that it would heal without going to the hospital due to my enhanced healing, she agreed to let me go. I didn't tell them anything about the broken ribs, though. We just put some salve on my burned skin while I kept my hoodie on my other side, so they wouldn't see the bruises that marred that area. I didn't want them to worry too much about me.

I took a deep breath to check if I still had pain by my chest, and I quickly regretted the decision as pain flooded my senses. I cupped my hand over the injured area and rubbed on it. Ow. Broken ribs were just painful. Last time I had broken ribs, thanks to May, it took a whole week to heal. I never had a broken arm before, although I did break my wrist not a while ago, so we'll see how long that takes to mend. MJ had bandaged my arm too. At least the break was near the elbow on the forearm, far away from the wrist. It would be easier to cover that up.

Once the subway train came to a halt at my stop, I stood up and walked out with others. I had taken a bag from Ned in which I stuffed my replacement hoodie for Spider-manning in. Now, I just needed to come up with an excuse as it was 12 AM, not 10 o'clock as they had asked me to be back by. How mad were they going to be?

As mad as May? No, they wouldn't. They weren't like that. My mind went back to what had happened earlier tonight. Mental snapshots of Natasha trying to punch me, Steve trying to knock me out with his shield, and Mr. Stark shooting an energy beam at me went through my head. My heartbeat picked up. What if they hurt me again?

No, I shook my head trying to rid myself of these thoughts. They hurt Spider-man, not me. They didn't know it was me. It wasn't their fault. Still, I couldn't keep those images from my mind, no matter how much I tried. 

My eyes were on the shoes I was wearing, one of the new pairs Mr. Stark had bought me, as I made my way down the street towards the tower. Every step jolted my ribs. 

Finally, I made it in front of the entrance. I wettened my lips, preparing myself mentally for what was about to come. Maybe they went already to bed? Hopefully...

I walked to the elevator, noticing that Emma had already left for the night as it was 12 AM and the lobby area was empty, and stepped in once the elevator arrived. 

"Hi, Peter," Friday greeted me, as usual. But then, she added, "The team is waiting for you on the common floor."

"Thanks, Friday," I said, worry clouding my mind. They knew I was here. I waited painfully anxious as my heartbeat increased as the elevator moved up, getting closer to our destination.

"You seem to be suffering from multiple injuries," she said while my eyes widened, "Including internal bleeding, broken ribs, a concussion, a broken arm, and a second-degree burn on your side. Shall I call 9-1-1 for an ambulance?"

"What? No! No, I'm all good! Thank you, though." My hands became clammy as I wrung them in front of me.

Could an A.I. have feelings? Because I could almost hear Friday's admonishing tone as she pressed. "Are you sure? These injuries can be life-threatening. Would you like me to contact Stark instead?" 

"No! That's even worse Friday!" I exclaimed, and she stayed quiet. I looked down at the bag I had placed down and knew they would wonder what was in it if I came out with it, and if they looked, they would find one new Spider-man hoodie. "Could you stop a floor below the commons area. I just need to drop something off."