Chapter 14: Breathing out the dust
Tony's phone rang once, twice, before he picked it up out of sheer annoyance.
"What?" He snapped into the phone, exhaustion turning his words into anger.
"Tony? It's Pepper. Have you seen the news?" Came Pepper Potts voice from the other end of the line.
Tony grimaced. "No-no i haven't had the chance to. I cut open my leg. I've been in the medbay since noon."
Pepper audibly sucked in her breath. "Okay, okay," she said. "Don't panic, but Peter and Nat are currently under a collapsed building."
Tony shot up in the bed he was laying in. Panic blossomed in his chest, spreading through his entire body like a disease. He couldn't distinguish one thought from another, what was real and what wasn't. All he knew was that Peter was trapped under a building because of him.
"-ony? Did you hear me?" Pepper asked, breaking through Tony's swirling thoughts.
"What?" Tony breathed through the pressure on his chest. "What's going on?"
"I said, Steve found Peter and Natasha. They're coming back to the towers hospital wing. Get ready for them. According to Clint, the injuries they sustained are extensive. I'm on my way home," Pepper explained again before hanging up.
Tony nodded to himself, turning off his phone and dropping it into his lap. He placed his head in his hands, anxiety crashing over his like a rough sea current, taking him under and drowning him. The amount of times he'd wished to be alone and lose his shit today was unmatched, but even when he found himself alone, he couldn't bring himself to break. For whatreason, he didn't know, but if he didn't soon...he's a ticking time bomb.
Time. That's all i need.
And everything i don't have right now.
Tony wanted so badly to throw down everything and hop in a suit and get to Peter, but he knew he couldn't. He knew he had to stay at the Tower and prep the medbay for their arrival.
The billionaire pulled himself to his feet, shaking slightly before steadying himself. He called out to Friday to gather the finest doctors in the area before prepping two beds for the Black Widow and Spider-man.
Just a little longer, Tony.
***
Bright lights. Loud sounds. Dusty, grimy, bloody. If Peter hadn't already been on the verge of passing out, he definitely would be having a sensory overload right about now.
Natasha Romanoff was unconscious on the stretcher beside him, her head lolling with every slight movement of the helicopter. Her face was covered in grime and dust from the rubble, blood dried beneath her nose and lips. Her body lay limp, her mangled limbs swaying loosely. If she didn't look so wrecked, she almost would've looked like she was sleeping. But the huge gash in her leg kinda gave it away.
A medic hovered over Peter suddenly and his big brown eyes struggled to focus on her face. He weakly reached for her.
The medic caught Peter's hand. She gave him a gentle smile. "It's okay, sweetheart. You're safe now. Captain America found you. You're gonna be just fine."
Spider-man moaned behind his oxygen mask. He gestured erratically towards the Black Widow lying in the next bed over.
The medic cocked an eyebrow. What was he trying to say?
"Is..is she gonna..l-live?" The boy choked out, eyes fluttering and chest heaving. Even the simplest tasks like asking a question completely drained the injured hero.
The medic shushed Peter. "We're gonna make sure she makes it. You're the reason she's alive right now, Spider-man. You can rest now, okay?"
The vigilante offered a small smile that looked more like a painful grimace with the blood staining his teeth. "Okay," he breathed before blocking out.
The medic squeezed his hand softly before beckoning to her team behind her. "He's out!" She cried. "Get the kits! We gotta open him up!"
Three paramedics rushed to her side, cutting off the blue and red spandex and tossing it aside as they assessed Spider-man's extensive injuries. He was covered in cuts and bruises, blood covering his skin. Both of his wrists were broken from holding up the building at such an awkward angle and three vertices in his back had snapped when the pressure was finally released. Along with that, he had multiple broken fingers and toes, and two bruised ribs from his collision with the Black Widow. To sum it up, he was in rough shape.
The medic whom Peter had been talking to a moment before took a shaky step back from the scene, her eyes glazing over with tears.
"Kayla!" One of the other doctors yelled. "Get back in here! All hands on deck!"
Kayla shook her head, a sob tearing through her throat. "Y-yes, yes, o-o-of course. J-just-," she placed a trembling hand in Peter's hair, massaging his scalp while also comforting herself.
"Is he gonna make it?"
The doctors eyes softened sadly. He pulled down his mask before speaking. "He won't if you don't help us."
Kayla nodded grimly and wiped her eyes, smudging her mascara across her face. "Someone sew up that gash in Black Widow's leg. We have some superheroes to save," she said and picked up a scalpel.
***
Sam grunted and swooped down onto the helipad, Clint and Steve stumbling ahead of him.
"Couldn't have a softer landing?" Clint grumbled, rubbing his sore back.
Sam elbowed the hawk in his side. "You try carrying two fully grown men across New York City."
Clint rolled his eyes. "I'm not that heavy!"
"Bullshit you are! You ate three sandwiches for lunch!"
"I have a fast metabolism!"
"You are fifty, Clint. No fifty-year-old has a fast metabolism-."
"Enough!" Steve exclaimed, separating the bickering birds with a sweep of his arms. "It's like Peter and Nat didn't almost die! Stop fighting like five-year-olds and get your priorities straight!"
Clint pouted and Sam just scoffed.
Steve rolled his blue eyes and led the trio inside the Tower.
"Prep an OR! Spider-man needs surgery on his back and wrists!"
"What blood type is Black Widow?"
"Can i get a list of Spider-man's injuries over here?! I need to know how long this is gonna take!"
"How deep is the gash in Black Widow's leg?"
Sam exchanged a worried look with Clint at the sight of the scene of scattered doctors and medical supplies. He turned to Cap.
"Was it really that bad when you pulled them out?" Sam asked in a quiet voice.
Steve looked away, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "You should've seen the way Peter...he just...gave up from exhaustion," the man sighed, looking old behind his years. "I've never seen a boy so tired. He wouldn't have lasted another minute."
Clint cursed under his breath. "I can't imagine what Tony's feeling right now."
Sam nodded along, for once having nothing to say.
The trio silently followed the stream of panic into the medbay.
***
Tony stared at the cupboard, eyes trained on the shining bottles of liquid glistening inside it. It was so tempting, so easy! To just get up and grab one and drain the whole bottle before anyone found out-
"Mr. Stark!"
Mr. Stark? Only one person calls me that...
"Peter?" Tony said and turned around, expecting to see Peter Parker's blinding smile but instead finding a grim looking paramedic in his place.
The medic paused for a moment before continuing on her path. Her blue scrubs were covered in blood, her once neat bun falling off her shoulders. She looked like she'd been through hell and back.
"No-sir, I'm Dr. Snyder. I-I was in the helicopter that picked up your..Spider-Man and Black Widow. If you could follow me, they are being escorted down to the medbay now. I was instructed to fill you in personally," the medic replied, ushering for Tony to follow her.
"Spider-man held up part of the building for the majority of fifteen minutes, which should have killed him-," Dr. Snyder started before Tony interrupted.
"He is alive though, right?" The billionaire blurted.
Dr. Snyder nodded. "Barely, but yes. Him and the Black Widow are both alive, but sustained very serious injuries. Black Widow has been unconscious since she was pulled from the rubble. Spider-man said she helped him hold up the building at one-."
"Natasha held up the building too?!"
"Yes, but-,"
"How is she still alive?"
The medic frowned. "We believe she only held it for a minute at most, of even that. She has multiple cuts and bruises, a major concussion, and a two-inch gash in her left leg that seems to have disrupted a nerve. She will be taken into surgery shortly-."
"And Peter?"
Dr. Snyder sighed. "I was getting to that. He also has multiple cuts and bruises along with a severe concussion. He has sustained at least two bruises ribs if not cracked ones. Both his wrists are broken and will need surgery and he displaced three vertices in his back which will also be needing surgery."
"Is that all?" Tony said, panic knowing at his insides. He needed to see his kid.
Dr. Snyder hesitated. She clung to her bloody scrubs for a moment, a weary look in her green eyes. "We..we aren't sure. We will have more information once we get him to an OR," she explained and stopped outside the medbay doors. It seemed like they'd walked three feet during their conversation, not across the whole tower.
Tony carded nervous hands through his air. "Oh," he whispered. "Oh, yeah, okay. Just make sure he's alright. That's all i want."
Dr. Snyder eyed the frantic genius for a moment. She looked like she wanted to say more but decided against it.
"I'm going into surgery on Mrs. Romanoff. Someone will be out shortly with news on Spider-man," Dr. Snyder said and pushed through the medbay doors. Tony just barely caught a glimpse of the chaos inside.
It was havoc. Doctors and nurses were everywhere, running frantically like chickens with their heads cut off. The whole room revolved round two beds, around two very broken figures..
Peter Parker lay mangled in a hospital bed. He was hooked up to countless machines, all helping his body function for him. His Spider-Man suit was in tatters if not completely gone. His tiny body was littered with injuries, some making Tony's stomach flip just by imaging the pain his boy was in.
The doors swung shut before he could see more.
Tony stumbled to the nearest restroom, clambering through the door and collapsing by the toilet. He barely got the lid up before he threw up both his breakfast and his lunch. And even when his stomach was properly emptied, he couldn't stop. He gagged and dry-heaved until his stomach and throat were sore. He felt like he was dying, he had never felt this kind of pain before. The kind that made him feel like he was being ripped from limb..the kind that made him want to throw everything away just to be in that kid's place.
"Oh shit, Tony," came a sad voice behind the distraught man.
Tony couldn't bring himself to lift his head from the toilet seat. "What do you want, Rodgers," he snapped, mouth tasting of bile.
Steve Rodgers, Sam Wilson, and Clint Barton stood in the doorway of the bathroom, looking not quite sure what to do with themselves.
Steve took a step into the restroom, kneeling by Tony's side. His ice blue eyes screamed mercy.
"I'm sorry, Tony, truly. Peter doesn't deserve this, and neither do you," the war hero said, placing a gentle hand on Tony's shoulder.
Tony wanted so badly to shake that hand off, to jerk away from the man's touch because god, everything was Steve's fault. Everything. The civil war, his anxiety, Peter's aunt dying, and now this. Two of the best people is his life nearly crushed to death. He didn't want Cap's pity, but instead wanted to see him suffer like he had.
But he couldn't.
Tony hung his head, chin dangling over the toilet seat. A sob tore through his already raw throat. And soon enough he was crying in front of three other fully grown men, letting all his grievances loose like birds from a cage. His body shook as he weeped. He wanted to stop, to collect himself. He told himself he'd wait to be alone to finally break, but no. The slightest showcase of kindness from the man was enough to tear down his walls like they'd never been there in the first place.
"It's okay, Tony," Sam said, taking the space on the billionaire's other side.
Steve nodded. "I can't imagine your pain right now."
Tony chuckled, the sound coming out strangled. "Yeah, no shit!" He exclaimed. "You don't even know the beginning of pain."
Clint looked away, tears brimming in his eyes.
Tony jabbed at Steve's chest with his finger. "Pain is that boy right in there, being stitched back together like he's some piece of china someone dropped. That-that, is the deepest pain God has ever known. You are nothing compared to Peter Parker, and you never will be."
With everything out in the open, Tony pushed himself off the floor and stalked out of the bathroom, the pity party officially crashed but it's saddest member.
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