Far From Life (Peter Parker Whump)

Appendicitis

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.

Peter's P.O.V.

"Kid. Kid. Pete! Peter! Snap out of it!"

"Huh?" I looked up slowly, locking eyes with an angry looking Mister Stark.

"Pete, I called you down for lunch hours ago! Cap and I were going to wait for you, but it seems like you decided to blow us off." He tapped his foot impatiently, glaring down at me. "And what are you doing on the floor? We have perfectly good chairs to sit on." I frowned, looking at my position. I was indeed on the floor, sitting on the carpet lining my closet. Noticing my confused expression, Mister Stark's glare softened.

"I don't... I don't know... How?" I struggled to find the right words to say. Mister Stark's face wrinkled with concern. Suddenly, a sharp pain in my abdomen reminded me of why I was curled up on the floor.

"Woah, woah, kiddo, what was that?" His hands were outstretched toward me, hovering over me. I had returned to the fetal position, curled up tight around my pain, as if it would make it stop.

"Hurts..." I groaned, eyes squeezed shut, barely allowing a single year to slip out.

"I see that, but I need to know where. Pete, you need to tell me now!" His voice was frantic. "Peter! Now!"

"Ab-" I was interrupted by a quick stream of vomit spewing from my mouth. I felt like I was going to internally combust, the pain in my abdomen getting worse by the minute. The vomit, now all over the carpet, had taken the appearance of everything I had eaten in the past 24 hours. Which, if I was being honest, was nothing. I hadn't really had the appetite. Mister Stark took one look at my pale skin and blotchy eyes, and wrapped his arms around me. He carried me down the hall in a hurried walk, calling out orders as he went. Soon enough, I was laying on the examination table, with Bruce- er, Professor Hulk poking and prodding at me.

"Peter. I need you to tell me your symptoms over the last 24 hours," he ordered.

"Uh, well, I haven't been hungry, and- augh!" I grunted as the Professor brushed his fingers over my abdomen, which had swelled up considerably in the short amount of time I had been there.

"I know it hurts, but I need to know everything." Nodding, I continued:

"So much... pain... and... aghh! Hot and... I just threw up." I finished shakily. He lightly placed a hand on my forehead, frowning at me.

"Low-grade fever, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, vomiting," Professor Hulk muttered to himself. "Tony! Did you prep the room like I told you?" Mister Stark poked his head around the corner, worry etched deep into his expression.

"Done. Do you know what's wrong with him?" Glancing at me, the two men discussed the situation quietly, Mister Stark's eyes growing wide at the diagnosis. He nodded his head to Professor Hulk, and walked over to me.

"Hey kiddo, so you've got something wrong inside you, and we need to get it out. You're gonna just sleep for a little while..." A mask was placed over my mouth and nose, and the room slowly faded out, leaving me in my world of nothingness.

~Some time later~

"Pete? Can you hear me?" Groaning, I cracked my eyes open to see a concerned face looking down at me. "Kid?" It was Mister Stark. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I started taking in my surroundings. The room had white walls, interrupted by big windows on one side. The sky was a beautiful reddish orange, fading into a dark navy blue.

"Where... am... I?" I spoke slowly, enunciating my words the best I could. My brain was not processing anything.

"You're in a Stark Industries hospital room, Pete." His expression changed quickly into a frown. "Don't you remember anything?" I racked my brain for an answer, but everything was just too hazy. I shook my head, brows furrowed in my own disappointment.

"Hey, go easy on the kid," Professor Hulk smiled playfully. "The drugs we gave him haven't worn off yet. Extra strength, remember? That metabolism of his makes it difficult to find the right anesthetic."

"Right." Turning to me, he asked, "How are you feeling?" It was then when I noticed the pain in my side. I scrunched my face up, and lifted the sheet over me, pulling back the thin hospital gown. My eyes widened at the sight: thick bandages wrapped around my entire width, thicker on the right side. I then attempted to peel off the medical tape holding the bandages on, but was stopped by a gentle, yet firm hand.

"Might not want to do that, kiddo." Mister Stark looked amused, with a hint of worry. I nodded, my brain fog was starting to clear up. Yawning, I carefully put back both the gown and sheet. "Why don't you get some sleep. We'll come check on you in a little bit." I nodded, my eyes already drooping. I let them shut, immediately falling asleep.

~Some time later~

I woke up suddenly, gasping at the terrible pain I was in.

"Mister Stark! Professor! Please, somebody," I cried. Not even 30 seconds later, Mister Stark came running in, looking rather disheveled.

"What's wrong?" He questioned, panting as he spoke. I grimaced as another wave of pain struck me. My breaths were coming in short gasps, as I struggled to take in air.

"Help..." I gasped, wave after wave of pain washing over me. He seemed to catch on to what I meant, and quickly began messing with my IV. The pain subsided, and I was suddenly very sleepy. I fell back into the pillows, falling asleep.

Waking up for a third time was easier. The pain in my side was fading, most likely due to my super healing. Professor Hulk walked in, but didn't notice me at first. He was immersed in his clipboard, pouring over some information. I cleared my throat, partly because I felt like I hadn't spoken in days, partly to get his attention. The professor glanced over at my interruption.

"Peter! You're awake! How are you feeling?" He questioned.

"Better. It hurts a lot less now."

"Wonderful. We had to perform emergency surgery to remove your appendix. It nearly ruptured, and if we had been 10 seconds behind there would be been major complications. You're very lucky to have gotten off so easily." He explained.

"It didn't seem easy," I muttered. Professor Hulk chuckled lightly, his gentle smile returning to his face. "It hurt."

"Yes, well, without that pain, you could've died, so it's better that you felt that full force. The infections a ruptured appendix can cause are terrible. It's best to get it taken care of quickly." I snorted gently at that.

"Glad to see you're feeling better." I turned to the voice.

"Mister Stark!" I squeaked. "Uhh, thanks. Turns out my appendix was gonna explode! Good thing we got it taken care of, huh."

"Yeah kiddo. Now I want you to recover quickly, I can't have my young hero on the sidelines!" I giggled at his soft orders. "Oh, that reminds me, we need to get you home for dinner. Your hot aunt called me while you were out. Let's get you up."