Tony's Secret Sister

Chapter Eleven

I come to with a thudding headache developing beneath my temples, the voices in my mind swarming together. My heart hammers in my chest, a constant buzzing in the back of my brain and a ringing in my ears. Closing my eyes and fighting off the nausea, I try, even through the pain, to remember what had happened. To remember what I did to cause me so much pain. That's when I notice the pristine white sheets that cover my frail body, the smell of blood and antiseptic hanging in the air, causing vomit to rise in my throat. Lifting my frail hand from on top of my bed and towards my face, I brush my fingers against my temples, blood sticking to the tips when I pull it away.

Raised voices from outside suddenly catch my attention, distracting me from my pain momentarily as my hand drops. "She's been out four days Tony!" screams a familiar voice outside my room, the outline of two figures just visible in the small window. Stephens voice echoes throughout the halls, the urgency in his voice evident even through the door.

"And who's fault is that?" snaps another voice, this one laced with guilt as their figure steps closer to the other. It's Tony. Once again having to sit and watch as his sister struggles to recover from the trauma of Hydra.

"Don't start this again." Stephen demands forcefully, stepping out of the window and further down the hall. "We've had this argument twice already." He snaps, the light outside my room and the one above me flickering slightly. This is getting out of hand.

Slowly, I pull myself into a sitting position, every cell in my body setting on fire and groaning as I do so. Spinning my legs around so that I'm sat on the edge of the hospital bed, I take a deep breath, closing my eyes momentarily against the pain. Using what strength my arms have, I lift myself from the bed so that I'm standing. My legs shake and threaten to give up but I manage to steady them as I head for the door.

"Third times a charm" mutters Tony as he pushes the door to my room open, his feet coming to a sudden halt when his eyes land on me. As soon as my own eyes land on him, panic settles in. Bags have formed under his eyes, now red and puffy. His skin is pale with no hint of his usual rosy glow whilst he carries a coffee mug in his shaking hand, splashing droplets onto the floor. His dark brown hair is messy and drenched in sweat as it falls into his face, the back of his hand wiping the sweat from his brow as he swallows loudly.

Then in walks Stephen. He too has bags under his eyes but they're not half as big as Tony's. His usually styled hair is now pointing out in all directions and as his eyes land on mine, I notice how red and swollen they are. As my eyes scan his body, they land on his creased, bloodstained clothes, the exact same ones he wore days ago.

"Abi? What are you doing?" whisper Tony, his voice laced with desperation as he rushes to my side. "You shouldn't be up and moving." His hands grasping my arm firmly and holding my upright, Tony slowly guides me back to the bed and lays me back down, gently pulling the pristine white covers back over my body.

"I'm fine, You two on the other hand..." I look at them both, raising my eyebrows and chuckling lightly as I do, " You both look like you haven't slept for days." I laugh but then quickly stop when I get a sharp pain in my chest. My hand flies to my ribs, my eyes closing against the pain as I gasp lightly.

"That's because we haven't." confesses Stephen who is still stood in the doorway, his eyes lingering on my frail body under the sheets. "We were both too worried about you."

As I look into his eyes, I see my reflection for the first time. My cheeks lack their usual pink glow and are covered in tiny scars, my matted hair sticking out in several different directions as it falls onto them. My arms are covered in bruises, reminding me of the torture I've endured over the past few weeks. A large purple bruise has formed around my left eye from when I'd attacked Johann, a scar slicing straight through it and over my eye. Sat here in this hospital bed, I look so fragile. Thanks to the little amount of food I've eaten over the past month, my bones are now visible beneath my skin. I look so small....completely broken.

"What happened to you Abi?" sighs Tony, sitting on the edge of my bed as taking my hand in his, gently rubbing it with his thumb soothingly.

"Johann happened." Looking down, my eyes land on the small red stain fixed on my clothes. Shaking, I pull my hand from Tony's grasp and pull back the fabric, revealing a small bandage wrapped around my waist. "I got my own back though, almost killed him." I chuckle, letting the fabric fall back down over my body as I look back up at Tony.

"What?!" Tony's eyes widen, concern washing over his face as he shuffles further onto my bed, leaning forwards and smiling like a little kid. "How did you manage that?"

"He thought some simple straps around my wrists could hold me down. He came a little too close and then threatened..." I pause looking up as my heart begins to pound loudly, the words trailing off as my eyes meet Tony and instinct kicks in. "Tony! Where is he? Did they get him?" I try to sit up only to be pushed back down by Tony, his arms firm against my shoulders.

"Who Abi?" he says as I fight against him, my hands clawing at his hands in an attempt to push him away. My legs kick against him, every muscle aching but I ignore them, my mind too focused on getting out of here. "Just calm down okay, it's okay."

"No it's not, they're going to hurt him," I cry out as I'm pushed down by Tony once again, my head hurting had against the bed underneath me and doing nothing for the headache I already had. "They'll hurt him like they did me."

"Okay, I'm getting a doctor, Strange come hold her down." Stephen moves to my bed side, quickly taking Tony's place as he leaves the room, gently closing the door behind him. My eyes look up at Stephen, my chest rising and falling rapidly as my breathing collapses in on itself. Pulling me into a sitting position, Stephen look me in the eyes, his hands gentle on my frail body.

"Please Stephen, you have to help me." I beg, my nose tingling as tears begin to stream from my eyes and onto the now creased bed sheets. My head falls forwards against Stephens chest, my hands hitting weakly against his chest until he grabs them, holding them tightly in his own as he rests his cheek against the top of my head. "They're going to get him if we don't protect him."

"I will help you. I promise but you just have to tell me who they're going to hurt. Okay?" Letting go of my hands which fall pathetically back down to the bed, he strokes my hair comfortingly. My body begins to shake even faster, my hands grasping Stephens shirt tightly and pulling him even closer to me. "Who are Hydra going to hurt Abi?"

"My son."

"They can't hurt him Abi, his family will protect him." he asssures me as he pulls me tighter into his body and forcing mine to stop shaking.

Shaking my head, I relax my muscles and gently tap Stephen on the chest, signaling for him to let me go. "They can't protect him anymore." I whisper, sitting up until my eyes are at his level. Gently, he reaches forwards and placed his hand on the back of my neck and pulling my head forwards. Placing my hand over his, I close my eyes and rest my forehead gently against his.

"They will Abi." he tries to assure me, not having a clue what he's talking about. Lifting his other hand to my face so that theirs one on either side, Stephen pulls me back slightly, his eyes focused on my face as I shake my head at him. "Why not?" he mumbles, slightly confused as he blinks a few times.

"They're dead."