In most circumstances, a hospital bed was the least comfortable spot for him to be sleeping in. However, Peter had slept in very uncomfortable positions over the last few months, so he appreciated it. Plus, he could move the bed up and down, make it how he wanted it and what wasn’t cool about that? His bed at home couldn’t even do that. He was just trying to keep things on the bright side, that’s what he’d always done. It helped him keep his mind from wandering to the flashes, to forget about the fact that at the end of most nights, he was alone in the streets. He had no one to blame for that but himself, he did this to himself because he hoped what he was doing was right, that it was for the best. He kept telling himself this fact, getting so consumed up in his own mind that he was doing what was best for the ones that he loved, even if he had to suffer in the process. That was a sacrifice he was willing to make, he would do it if it meant the ones he loved were safe. There was no doubt in his mind about that.
“I can’t help it, really I was just born that way. Trouble always seems to find me, it was the same way in high school but maybe not… to this extent.” he said, gesturing up to his nose. He got called the occasional name, but nothing ever really that bad. He was a pretty likable guy, so he mostly just slid under the radar - he preferred it that way in the first place. “I’ll send ‘em in your direction if I see them again.” he said with a soft smile, leaning into the touch for a moment. He turned his head away, definitely not wanting to watch the needle go into his arm, made him a bit squeamish even if he didn’t really want to admit that. “I can’t believe you would play such a cruel joke on me, Annie. I am hurt.” he said with a dramatic sigh, clutching to his chest before giggling softly and dropping it back to his side. “No back alley medical care, got it. I’ll come here and ask for you specifically.” he said playfully.
“Yeah but you’re really good at your job Annie. The best nurse in Deerfield, no, in Illinois.” Peter proclaimed, a smile on his lips before he looked down at their connected hands. “I really want to, I do. There’s just these things going on. Things that I don’t know.. I don’t know how to explain.” he said, feeling himself starting to relax a bit from the medicine she had given him minutes ago and unable to actually filter himself. “I’m starting to see people in a different light, and it scares me. It makes me feel like I know them, when I don’t. Like you, I was pretty close to you.” he said softly, his eyes still directed down. “But I’m afraid that’s not going to last long, this world can do bad things. I don’t want it to happen to you but I think it happens to everyone. It’s inevitable. I’ve seen it happen to me, it was scary. I was… I was fading away and I couldn’t stop it. I watched other people fade away before me and I couldn’t stop it. Why couldn’t I stop it?” he whispered, his voice breaking slightly.
Annie did her best she really did, but sometimes she felt herself at a loss to really help people in the ways they really needed to be helped. Fixing up a bruise or a broken bone here and there was fine and dandy, but most of the people Annie saw filtering through the ER needed a lot more than that. And she tried with each and every one of them, but for the most part, Annie felt like she was failing in one way or another. And broken nose or not, Peter needed a whole lot more than he was sayin'. That was for sure.
She found a lot of times she could bully things out of her patients when she needed to. Annie had a strong enough personality for it, after all. But she couldn't bring herself to start bullying Peter Parker about anything. It wasn't that she thought he was made of glass or anything, whatever she had to dish out, Annie was sure Peter could take it. Maybe it was just that he already had so much weight sitting there behind his eyes that she couldn't bring herself to try and break him down more. Even if it would be for his own good. "It wasn't all that cruel," Annie said after a moment. "I tell that to all of the people that come in her thinking beating up on people is cool. Or getting beat up for that matter. Death by bone shard sounds a lot more thrillin' than death by concussion. She smiled and pat his arm. "That's all I wanted. No trying to fix yourself and try to protect that face of yours. It's too cute to let it get all messed up."
Annie ducked her head and almost shook it at being called the best nurse, when she knew she was still fairly new to the game and hardly knew as much as the rest of the nurses here. But it was nice to hear anyway. "You're being too sweet on me, Peter Parker, don't make me rat you out to my girlfriend," Annie said and winked, about to get up and go fetch the doctor. But Peter was still clinging to her hand and when he started to talk, Annie knew it was for something important. Something that she ought to sit and listen to. She tried not to frown or look judgmental and just sat there and held his hand, her brow creased lightly as she listened to him. "Not everythin' has a pretty explanation, sug," she told him gently and gave him a lopsided smile. "And you do know me, Peter, I see you too much," she teased lightly, but then wondered if she should have, since he was really telling her more. Telling her something different. "Do you..what do you see that's different about other people? Like they want to hurt you or somethin?" she asked, desperately trying to understand. "Hey, hey," she said when Peter's voice broke and squeezed his hand, reaching her free hand up to stroke his shoulder lightly. "Whatever it is, I know what I know about you. And you wouldn't let anything bad happen to anyone, no way no how. So whatever it is you think you did, you didn't do it, okay?"