Ruined in the Shadows
Chapter 01
I hear what the sounds of muffled crying getting clearer and clearer as I regain conciousness. A sharp pain travels through my skull. I move my head slightly and slowly open my eyes to find myself in a white hospital bed in what looks like the infirmary at the SHIELD base. I blink in confusion. I'm wearing a white hospital gown. There are tubes and wires stuck in to me all over. I turn to my right and see Steve sitting in a chair next to me, sobbing into my hand.
"Oh, Skylar. I miss you so much. Please come back to me." Steve then looks up. His face brightens and his eyes clear. "Skylar?! Skylar! Oh my God!" He stands up and runs to the door. "She's awake!" He screams down the hallway. His voice is full of joy.
"She is?" Bruce asks, rushing into the room, pulling out a miniature flashlight and shining it in my eyes.
"What's going on?" I croak. "What happened?"
The bustling stops and the two men become very quiet. "Well," Bruce begins. "What is the last thing you remember?"
"I remember..." I squint my face as I think hard. "I remember fighting Arnim Zola with the rest of The Avengers in Washington D.C. I was encased by one of the doughboys and then everything goes black." I look up at Bruce with pleading eyes. "Now can you tell me what's going on?"
Bruce takes a breath, ready to say something but Steve stops him. "Wait, let me tell her." He sits back down and grasps my hands in his. "You've been in a coma for six months, Skylar," he says calmly.
"WHAT?" Anger and confusion starts to arise in me. "What do you mean? How?" I slam my fist down on the bed.
Bruce crosses his arms. "When the doughboy enclosed around you, your powers kicked in. You went, as you say, avatar. You sent a wave of white light, taking out all the doughboys and incapacitating Arnim Zola." He makes motions with his hands. "For some reason, no one else was hurt. It's like you specifically chose your targets. You saved everyone." He half-smiles at me.
Bruce pauses for a moment to let it sink in. "You then fell from the sky, and Steve was right there with you." He puts his hand on the Captain's shoulder. "You were legally dead but then something brought you back. We believe it was your powers. You have been in coma ever since. And amnesia is common with coma patients, especially with the memories surrounding the catalyst."
I sit back, speechless. I turn to Steve. "So it's really been six months?" I ask, breathlessly as a tear rolls down my left cheek.
Steve nods sheepishly. "I'm afraid so." His beautiful blue eyes stare deep into my soul. "Hey, Bruce, can we have some time alone?" He asks, not breaking eye contact.
"Sure," he says. "I need to go tell the rest of the Avengers and Fury anyway." He steps out of the door and down the hallway.
"So you really don't remember anything from after the doughboy enclosed around you?" He asks. There is a tinge of sadness in his voice.
"No," I say plainly, shaking my head. Steve breaks the eye contact and pulls away. He seems defeated. "So what all have I missed?" I ignore his current mood.
"Not much. No one has tried anything since you went under. I think they're scared of you. I would be." He looks up at me. I finally realize how horrible he looks. His eyes are sunken in. Steve's once beautiful pink skin is dark and shabby. He looks as if he has not shaved for a few days. What has happened to this man that I truly care for?
"Who all has come to visit me?" I ask, raging with curiousity.
"Just The Avengers. Sam tried to but the SHIELD agents wouldn't give him clearance. I've been here every day."
But before I can say anything, Tony, Natasha, Clint and Bruce are scrambling into my room. "Skylar!" They all say in unison.
"Hey, guys!" I say happily, watching them all circle around my bed.
"It's so great to know you're okay," Natasha gushes, wrapping her arms around me for a hug. "I've missed you so much."
"I wish I could say I missed you too but I didn't know I was in a coma," I giggle weakly.
"Glad to see you're awake," Tony says, smiling slightly.
"Well, I'm glad to be awake," I answer, nodding.
"Hey!" Clint exclaims. "I just realized something! You're both Sleeping Beauties now." He gestures to Steve and I. "You slept for 70 years and you slept for 6 months! I guess you guys are perfect for each other." He smiles proud, that he figured this out all himself and puts his hands on his hips.
Natasha slaps Clint on the arm and gives him a scolding look. "Stop it, Clint! The woman just woke up from a coma! She doesn't need any of your bullshit right now!"
"No, it's okay, Nat," I laugh. "It's funny. Right, Steve?" I tap his hand and look over at him. He has a deathly glare on his face as he stares out into space. He looks as if his heart was just smashed into a million pieces. "Steve?" I ask, puzzled at his current state. "Steve, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he says. Everyone watches as he storms out of the room in a huff, not saying a word.
"What's his problem?" I ask, looking at my friends.
"I have no idea. He was here with you every waking moment," Tony mutters, clearly hiding his annoyance for Steve's dedication.
"Really?" My eyes widen. I guess I really shouldn't be that surprised.
"Yup. He even slept at your bedside. He would have stayed here 24/7 if it weren't for us. We had to yank him away. And when he wasn't here, all he talked about was you," Tony continues.
"Wow..." I whisper, looking toward the door.
"But enough talk about Mr. Grumpy!" Natasha says loudly, breaking the awkward silence. "Let's go do something!"
"Whoa, whoa, hey now," Bruce says, holding his hands up. "Skylar needs rest for at least a couple days before she can do anything. I still need to run tests on her."
"Aww," Clint whines, stomping his foot like a small child.
"Well, then we can just hang here then. Right, Skylar?" Natasha asks. But I don't answer. My mind is still wondering about Steve. "Skylar!" She yells at me.
"Wha-what?" I mumble, snapping out of my trance.
"I said, we can just hang out here, right?" She smiles innocently at me.
"Sure," I say, smiling weakly. "But um, where's Thor?"
"He had to go back to Asgard," Tony explains. "They're having their own issues there. He is scheduled to be back in a couple days though. He loves it here."
"Good, I can't wait to see him." I look back over at the door, still pondering Steve's outburst.
"Oh, Skylar. I miss you so much. Please come back to me." Steve then looks up. His face brightens and his eyes clear. "Skylar?! Skylar! Oh my God!" He stands up and runs to the door. "She's awake!" He screams down the hallway. His voice is full of joy.
"She is?" Bruce asks, rushing into the room, pulling out a miniature flashlight and shining it in my eyes.
"What's going on?" I croak. "What happened?"
The bustling stops and the two men become very quiet. "Well," Bruce begins. "What is the last thing you remember?"
"I remember..." I squint my face as I think hard. "I remember fighting Arnim Zola with the rest of The Avengers in Washington D.C. I was encased by one of the doughboys and then everything goes black." I look up at Bruce with pleading eyes. "Now can you tell me what's going on?"
Bruce takes a breath, ready to say something but Steve stops him. "Wait, let me tell her." He sits back down and grasps my hands in his. "You've been in a coma for six months, Skylar," he says calmly.
"WHAT?" Anger and confusion starts to arise in me. "What do you mean? How?" I slam my fist down on the bed.
Bruce crosses his arms. "When the doughboy enclosed around you, your powers kicked in. You went, as you say, avatar. You sent a wave of white light, taking out all the doughboys and incapacitating Arnim Zola." He makes motions with his hands. "For some reason, no one else was hurt. It's like you specifically chose your targets. You saved everyone." He half-smiles at me.
Bruce pauses for a moment to let it sink in. "You then fell from the sky, and Steve was right there with you." He puts his hand on the Captain's shoulder. "You were legally dead but then something brought you back. We believe it was your powers. You have been in coma ever since. And amnesia is common with coma patients, especially with the memories surrounding the catalyst."
I sit back, speechless. I turn to Steve. "So it's really been six months?" I ask, breathlessly as a tear rolls down my left cheek.
Steve nods sheepishly. "I'm afraid so." His beautiful blue eyes stare deep into my soul. "Hey, Bruce, can we have some time alone?" He asks, not breaking eye contact.
"Sure," he says. "I need to go tell the rest of the Avengers and Fury anyway." He steps out of the door and down the hallway.
"So you really don't remember anything from after the doughboy enclosed around you?" He asks. There is a tinge of sadness in his voice.
"No," I say plainly, shaking my head. Steve breaks the eye contact and pulls away. He seems defeated. "So what all have I missed?" I ignore his current mood.
"Not much. No one has tried anything since you went under. I think they're scared of you. I would be." He looks up at me. I finally realize how horrible he looks. His eyes are sunken in. Steve's once beautiful pink skin is dark and shabby. He looks as if he has not shaved for a few days. What has happened to this man that I truly care for?
"Who all has come to visit me?" I ask, raging with curiousity.
"Just The Avengers. Sam tried to but the SHIELD agents wouldn't give him clearance. I've been here every day."
But before I can say anything, Tony, Natasha, Clint and Bruce are scrambling into my room. "Skylar!" They all say in unison.
"Hey, guys!" I say happily, watching them all circle around my bed.
"It's so great to know you're okay," Natasha gushes, wrapping her arms around me for a hug. "I've missed you so much."
"I wish I could say I missed you too but I didn't know I was in a coma," I giggle weakly.
"Glad to see you're awake," Tony says, smiling slightly.
"Well, I'm glad to be awake," I answer, nodding.
"Hey!" Clint exclaims. "I just realized something! You're both Sleeping Beauties now." He gestures to Steve and I. "You slept for 70 years and you slept for 6 months! I guess you guys are perfect for each other." He smiles proud, that he figured this out all himself and puts his hands on his hips.
Natasha slaps Clint on the arm and gives him a scolding look. "Stop it, Clint! The woman just woke up from a coma! She doesn't need any of your bullshit right now!"
"No, it's okay, Nat," I laugh. "It's funny. Right, Steve?" I tap his hand and look over at him. He has a deathly glare on his face as he stares out into space. He looks as if his heart was just smashed into a million pieces. "Steve?" I ask, puzzled at his current state. "Steve, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he says. Everyone watches as he storms out of the room in a huff, not saying a word.
"What's his problem?" I ask, looking at my friends.
"I have no idea. He was here with you every waking moment," Tony mutters, clearly hiding his annoyance for Steve's dedication.
"Really?" My eyes widen. I guess I really shouldn't be that surprised.
"Yup. He even slept at your bedside. He would have stayed here 24/7 if it weren't for us. We had to yank him away. And when he wasn't here, all he talked about was you," Tony continues.
"Wow..." I whisper, looking toward the door.
"But enough talk about Mr. Grumpy!" Natasha says loudly, breaking the awkward silence. "Let's go do something!"
"Whoa, whoa, hey now," Bruce says, holding his hands up. "Skylar needs rest for at least a couple days before she can do anything. I still need to run tests on her."
"Aww," Clint whines, stomping his foot like a small child.
"Well, then we can just hang here then. Right, Skylar?" Natasha asks. But I don't answer. My mind is still wondering about Steve. "Skylar!" She yells at me.
"Wha-what?" I mumble, snapping out of my trance.
"I said, we can just hang out here, right?" She smiles innocently at me.
"Sure," I say, smiling weakly. "But um, where's Thor?"
"He had to go back to Asgard," Tony explains. "They're having their own issues there. He is scheduled to be back in a couple days though. He loves it here."
"Good, I can't wait to see him." I look back over at the door, still pondering Steve's outburst.
5/23/13