After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the Stacys, Henry prepared to leave.
George Stacy looked energetic and spoke with vigor, as though he could return to work immediately and fight on for another twenty-four sleepless hours.
But the operation Black Super had performed on him absolutely counted as major surgery. If another surgeon had handled it, stitching up all the organs and suturing or ligating every bleeding point would have taken several hours at minimum.
Although Black Super had performed the operation perfectly, he had no way to help George Stacy recover quickly. The old police officer still needed post-operative care and rest. Henry had come by today partly to make sure everything was all right.
Even setting aside their personal connection, it was more convenient for Henry to get things done with someone like this in charge of the NYPD. He could not casually give up such a useful connection.
Gwen Stacy walked the man who was about to leave to the door of the hospital room.
Seeing the worried expression on the girl's face, Henry smiled. "Gwen, you need to smile more around George. Wearing that expression will only make him worry. You don't think it would be a good thing if he saw you looking like this while he was already feeling depressed, do you?"
The girl became emotional, but she kept her voice low. "This wouldn't have happened in the first place. If I'd been the one to take the antidote up to Spider-Man..."
"Then you'd be the one lying over there today, and George would be even more worried and heartbroken than he is now." Henry interrupted Gwen's "if." "But if Professor Connors saw me, he probably wouldn't hurt me."
"You said 'probably' yourself, which means even you aren't sure. And if an experienced