Little

Chapter 2

2 weeks later...

After two grueling weeks of being wrapped in bandages and stuck in fixators, Stephen's hands were ready to be revealed.

A doctor came and slowly and steadily unwrapped the bandages. There were scars all over his hands, and when he tried to open them, they shook. Hard. They shook like the ground during an earthquake. And was he supposed to use this--these earthquake-shaky hands--to do surgery? He was screwed. He couldn't be a doctor anymore.

"Give your body time to heal," the doctor said. Time to heal? He had no patience. He wanted this to be over as soon as possible.

"You have...visitors," Christine said, stirring him from his thoughts.

Who would want to visit him? His parents were dead, his sister and brother were dead too. His other relatives, why would they care about him? And besides, his few friends had already visited him.

And the way she had said visitors...

The door opened to reveal a guy in a suit. He held a bunch of papers and files in his hands.

"Ah...Mr. Strange," he said, looking Stephen up and down with...disgust? No. Probably just his imagination.

"Who are you?" Stephen asked.

"Wyatt Hughes, lawyer for May Parker," the man replied. "We have some things to discuss."

And now he was really screwed.

"What...what do you want?" Stephen asked.

"Witnesses from the crash--and there's multiple--state you weren't focusing on the road, swerving everywhere, breaking the speed limit. By the laws of the state, by endangering multiple people--and, unfortunately killing one--you need to appear up in court."

When Stephen didn't respond, too stunned to speak, Hughes continued.  "I'm not kidding," Hughes replied. Softly, he added, "I don't make the decisions here. I'm sorry."

==================

The next week, Stephen found himself sitting before a judge, head hanging low. He never thought he'd be in this situation, but here he was. He listened as the judge read the charge.

"Stephen Strange, the court finds you guilty for the death of May Parker. You have been charged with vehicular assault of the second degree."

She looked up at Stephen. "Doctor," she said. "As for your sentence, I have two ideas. As a judge, I have found that prison usually does nothing. The criminals come back, commit more crimes. The prison system does nothing for them."

Stephen hated that he was being referred to as a criminal. He had just been driving--it wasn't his fault that her car had been there at that specific moment.

"So, for your sentence," she continued. "You can either choose prison, or..."

She turned towards the door as it opened. A man gently pushing a boy appeared. The boy had red eyes--it looked as though he hadn't slept. He had headphones over his ears, a blue jacket, a T-shirt with Iron Man on it. He clutched a toy in his hand.

"This is Peter Parker," the judge said. "Nephew of May Parker."

Great, Stephen thought. He already sensed where this was going.

"Either prison, or you can choose to be Peter's legal guardian," the judge said. "Ms. Parker specifically stated in her will that Peter not be put in an orphanage in the case that she passed. Me and my colleagues have agreed that this would be a respectable punishment due to your...egotistical personality."

"How long in prison?" Stephen blurted out. This was his last resort. 

"Ninety days," the judge said, eyeing him cautiously.

Ninety days? That was too much for Stephen. He had to work on getting his hands healed, so he could go back to being a doctor.

He groaned miserably. It seemed fate was against him.

"Fine," he muttered. 

"I choose the kid."