FINE [P. PARKER X OC]

chapter twelve

November 13th, 2016
13:01
Avengers Tower, Manhattan, NY
United States of America
Planet C53; Earth

BLAKE AWKOKE TO the constant beep beep beep beep of a heart rate monitor. With each sound, it seemed, her head grew more and more heavy. It rang with the high pitched intervals, én sync.

The monitor's screen revealed a faint glow in the room, which overall appeared to be empty. Other than the tiled walls and the bed which Blake had still lay in.

She, of course, was safe. This was a given, seeing the fact that she lay on a bed with actual cushions on it. And the fact that she has a cup of water resting besides her, as well as a sleepy assassin in the chair, who's feet were propped onto said bed.

But... if she was safe, where? Back with the Avengers? With Steve?! Or... or maybe not. Maybe it was a hospital, instead.

Blake shuttered at the thought, she hated hospitals with a passion. She always has.

No, Blake figured. She couldn't be in a hospital. The doctors wouldn't be able to help someone like her, right? Yeah, but still...

Well, never mind. Nat noticed Blake, and when she spoke, the poor girl nearly jumped out of her skin.

Her ribs throbbed, along with everything else in her body. They pierced through her, it seemed, both fire and ice.

Natasha chuckled, "Sorry," She said. Blake could just barely make out her smirk in the dark as she continued to say, "How are you feeling?"

Blake, in return, opened her mouth to speak, but got caught in her throat. She then coughed, instead, and the pain around her multiplied by thousands. Maybe even hundreds of thousands.

"Yeah, they got you good," Natasha said. She reached forward, to Blake's side, and took out a clipboard. After ruffling some papers, she listed off Blake's injuries in a mumble, "Broken ribs, minor concussion, shattered foot, dislocated knee, second degree burns..." Etcetera, ectetera. Until finally, "Whoo, Kid. You're lucky to be alive."

"No," Blake wanted to say. "I am not and I wish I was dead."

But she didn't.

And Nat saw this, so...

"Are you hungry?" Natasha asked in her obliviousness.

Blake gritted her teeth as she shook her head, but her body betrayed her, of course, and Natasha laughed again. Karma, maybe. But Blake never believed in Karma, so...