Spiderdad

33

Peter quickly lowered himself back into the alley and collapsed on his knees next to MJ. The girl had thrown up a mix of breakfast and blood droplets and had one hand holding her stomach while the other was clapped over her sobbing mouth. Her entire body trembled and when Peter wrapped his strong arms around her, she collapsed into his touch.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked with a heavy fierceness in his voice.

MJ nodded then shook her head in a confused frenzy of terror, "h-he said..." she hiccuped; she was crying too hard to speak.

"Shh," Peter stroked her hair lovingly, "it's okay. I'm here. I got you, and I'll never let you go," she nodded her understanding with her eyes shut tight then felt Peter hold her head to his chest, "it's okay, I'm here. You're home."

"I know," she mumbled as she curled up as much as her body would allow, "I'm home," MJ shakily drew in a deep breath then slowly let it out as she let herself be enveloped in Peter's protective love, "h-he said he was going t-t-to kill Baby," she managed, tears still flowing down her cheeks, "he was going to k-kill Baby... a-and," she shook her head, unable to continue.

Peter held MJ tighter, knowing that their baby very well could've just been murdered. Come to think of it... he still didn't know Baby's gender, neither of them did seeing as MJ was avoiding unnecessary doctor visits. MJ's stomach felt as if it were in knots and she could already feel the heavy pain of the bruises forming on her stomach. The back of her head and her shins were feeling sore in a less intense agony and were the least of her worries.

"Do you think Baby's okay?" Peter asked softly.

"I don't know," MJ mumbled as Peter rested his hand on top of hers, "I don't feel them. I mean they're normally a quiet baby... m-m-maybe they're okay."

Peter shuddered and closed his eyes, Don't be dead, please don't be dead. He desperately tried to listen for Baby's heartbeat but, in his panic, he could only hear his own heart thundering in his chest. His panicked thoughts came to a stop as he heard two sets of frantic footsteps behind the couple. He loosened his grip on MJ and craned his neck to look over at the two men of MJ's family—Adrian and David— rushing over.

"Adrian, I told you to keep running!" MJ scolded, she was only yelling because she was terrified for his safety.

"IwasrunningbutthenIrealizedyouweren'twithmeandIpanickedandthenIrealizedourdadisapoliceofficer!"
Adrian rambled.

David ignored their squabble and knelt down in front of MJ, examining every inch of her appearance as he cupped her face in his hands, "how bad did he hurt you?"

MJ's eyes trailed down to her deathly quiet stomach, "I... I'm not sure."

Peter couldn't remember exactly what had happened next, he was too lost in his own concerned thoughts that insisted on running hundreds of miles per hour. David had ordered some colleagues to take care of MJ's attacker (as well as see if he was even alive) while David drove his children home so he could make an appointment for MJ; she needed to get and ultrasound to ensure there was still a living organism inside her. Meanwhile, Spiderman had agreed to fetch Peter and inform him on the situation.

The boy could only stand by the alley for a few minutes as he pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to calm himself; he was shaking almost as hard as MJ had been. He definitely didn't have the time to drag his ass all the way to Avengers Compound then back to the center of the city just to change his clothing. As a result, Sam agreed to drop off his backpack (which held a change of clothes) so Peter could change in an alley.

After changing, Peter hurried to MJ's house and knocked quickly on the door. When Nora answered, she instantly let him inside, seeing her own terror reflected in the boy's expression.

"She's in her bathroom, she wants to see you," Nora stated and Peter nodded silently.

He paced towards the bathroom MJ and Adrian shared, hearing David's agitated voice speaking with someone over the phone as he passed the kitchen. Doing his best not to let his anxiety get the better of him, Peter gently knocked on the cracked the door and entered when he heard Adrian's voice say 'come in.' MJ leaned against the toilet miserably while Adrian kept her hair tucked behind her ears and out of her face. Peter couldn't help but smile softly at that; he often found himself wishing he had a little brother, but only if they were exactly like Adrian.

"How're you doing?" Peter asked gently as he sat on the floor next to MJ.

"Baby's quiet," was all she could say.

Peter tenderly presses his lips against her temple and tried again to listen for the unborn child's heartbeat. Frustrated tears stung his eyes when he could only hear his own heart as well as MJ's and Adrian's. There was just too much fear.