Little

Chapter 5

It had been an hour since their heated argument. Peter still hadn't woke up and Stephen was stuck carrying him around, since the kid was literally clinging to him.

He sighed and sat down on the couch, picking up a file. When he'd gone to physical therapy for the week, the therapist had told him about some guy, with severe spinal cord injuries, who'd apparently learned how to walk again. Jonathan Pangborn.

He was sure it was all a made up story that was supposed to make him feel better, but as he sifted through the files and papers, he began to realize.

It was real.

A guy with extremely severe nerve damage, learning how to walk again.

At that moment, Peter yawned and opened his eyes.

"Thank God!" Stephen said. "Now get off me, please."

"No." Peter said, pouting. "Cuddle."

"What?" Stephen said, completely confused.

"Cuddle," Peter said, emphasizing this one.

"No, I need to--"

"CUDDLE," Peter said. "You need to cuddle," he added, giggling.

Stephen sighed. Peter happily sat in his lap as he continued to read the files. He was going to find this guy, and figure out how he recovered from such a bad accident.

It would take some time, but he would track him down.

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A few days later, he was able to track down the man and found him playing basketball--running, jumping, even after severe nerve damage. Peter, wearing headphones, clung to his hand, pulling Stephen in this direction and that direction. It was pretty annoying.

The man separated from the group he was playing basketball with and went to get a drink of water. Stephen approached him. Peter let go of his hand and started running towards the court.

"Jonathan Pangborn, C7-C8 spinal cord injury, complete," he said to the man.

"Who are you?" Pangborn asked, confused.

Stephen ignored his question. "Paralyzed from the mid-chest down. Partial paralysis of both hands," he continued.

"I don't know you," Pangborn replied.

"I'm Stephen Strange," Stephen said. "I'm a neurosurgeon. Was a neurosurgeon."

Pangborn approached with him a look of recognition in his eyes. "Actually, you know what, man? I think I know you," he said. "I came to your office once. You refused to see me. I never got past your assistant."

"You were untreatable," Stephen said, still not getting over it that he could walk.

"No glory for you in that, right?" Pangborn said, turning to walk away.

"You came back from a place there is no way back from!" Stephen said, trying to keep his attention. "I... I'm trying to find my own way back," he said, holding up his shaking hands.

Pangborn paused, considering. 

"Hey, Pangborn, you in it or not?" another player asked. "You better come back in, or this little guy's gonna take your spot," he added jokingly.

Peter had joined the players on the court and was trying to shoot a hoop. The only problem was that he wasn't tall enough. But he still was pretty good at keeping the ball from the other players.

"Let him take my spot--for now," Pangborn said, dismissing the player with a wave of his hand. "He your kid or something?" he asked Stephen.

"No, of course not, just--just tell me about how you got healed," Stephen said.

"Alright," Pangborn said. "I'd given up on my body. I thought my mind was the only thing I had left. I should at least try to elevate that."

He paused before continuing.

"So I sat with gurus, and sacred women. Strangers carried me to mountain tops to see holy men. And finally, I found my teacher. And my mind was elevated. And my spirit deepened. And somehow..."

"...your body healed," Stephen said, finishing for him.

"Yes," Pangborn said. "There were deeper secrets to learn then, but I didn't have the strength to receive them. I chose to settle for my miracle, and I came back home." 

Now he paused and looked around with a secretive glance. Then, he spoke up again. 

"The place you're looking for is called Kamar-Taj. But the cost there is high."

"How much?" Stephen asked. He was willing to pay any amount of money, even if he went bankrupt.

Pangborn sighed. "I'm not talking about money," he said. 

"Good luck," he added, with a sly look, before walking back to the court. Peter, upon seeing him, returned to Stephen's side.

"I'm a good basketball player!" he told Stephen happily. "Can I come back?"

Stephen sighed.

"Maybe."

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From what he saw in the books, Kamar-Taj was supposed to be somewhere in Kathmandu, Nepal. Was this the cost Pangborn was talking about? He had to take not one, but two plane tickets. Double the cost. He had to bring Peter with him, which he absolutely hated.

The plane flight was long and uneventful. Peter sat beside him, watching a Star Wars movie with great interest, which even Stephen started to watch.

"Darth Vader is Luke's dad?" he said, confused. 

"Yeah," Stephen stated the obvious.

Peter looked sad, maybe...longing? 

"I want a nice dad that loves me," he said quietly. Stephen only heard the words dad and loves.

"What?" he asked Peter.

"Nothing," Peter said quickly. "Sleepy."

"You didn't say that--" Stephen started to say, but before he could say anything else, Peter had already fallen asleep.

Stephen quietly turned off the movie and put a blanket over Peter to keep him warm. Then he fell asleep too.