Hidden - P. Parker |Book I|

69 | Awake

Peter Parker

"She'll be fine, right?" I asked again, and Mr. Stark gave me a sideways glance. 

"Ask me that one more time, Pete, and I will literally pull the plug." 

I was sure he wouldn't do something that drastic just because I annoyed him. 

Pretty sure. 

Ok, maybe 50% sure.

The door opens beside me, and Mr. and Mrs. Carson walk out, looking dreary and tired. Mrs. Carson's eyes were wet with tears, and a pang went through my heart. Dr. Cho exits the room after them, and I immediately straighten up. 

"Is she ok?" She looks at me and sighs, fiddling with her fingers. I begin to tense up, expecting the worse. 

Pleasetellmeshe'sfinePleasetellmeshe'sfinePleasetellmeshe'sfinePleasetellmeshe'sfine-

"She's alright, Peter." A sigh of relief escapes my mouth, and Lila sinks into the chair behind me, her eyes fluttering shut in thankfulness. 

"The thing is..." All of us turn back to her as Star's parents look at the ground, clutching onto each other in a manner that provided worry in me again. "-she's stable, yes, but she's severely damaged." We stay quiet, urging her on, and she glances at us all before continuing. My heart hammered in me, terrified of the next words that were going to come out of her mouth. 

"Whatever they did to her there, it wasn't pretty. Her blood- hell, not just her blood; her being itself seems to be raw, as if she was burned inside out or injected with bleach." 

A soft sob escaped Mrs. Carson, and Lila places a hand on her shoulder, sharing a glance with Ned. 

Dr. Cho looks at me and motions at the door, and I don't hesitate for a second as I almost sprint towards it, opening the door and letting it fall shut behind me. 

Star lay there, her hands folded on her stomach, her eyes shut peacefully as her eyelashes brushed her cheeks. Walking closer to her slowly, I pull the stool from beside the bed and plop myself on it, assessing her. 

The gash across her neck had been covered with a large cotton pad, and the blood it soaked was visible from my spot. Dragging my gaze down to her arms, my breath hitched when I caught sight of a large bruise forming as well as scrapes and cuts that we cleaned up. 

Dr. Cho had managed to change her out of the shirt from the lab and into a pair of fleece pants and a loose shirt, which hung off of her now thin and bony frame. 

"Hey, Star," I muttered quietly, lightly tracing a finger across her hands. 

"I don't know if you're listening. Heck, I don't even know if you can hear me right now. I guess it really doesn't matter though." I place my head down on the bed, clutching her hand lightly as I gazed at her. 

"I missed you. I missed you so much. I didn't know what to do without you bickering beside me." Glancing at the door to make sure no one was listening, I continued to talk to myself and Star, thinking out loud. 

"Why do you make me feel like this? Every time I see you, why does my day get so much better? You're haunting me. You won't get out of my head, and it's killing me."

A couple of seconds of silence broke my words, and what I said next was barely audible to even myself.