The Sorcerer's Apprentice {Stephen Strange}

Sixteen

Shining Star by Earth, Wind & Fire

"Uh, good morning," Emerson awkwardly tells the doctor as he waits in the gym for her. After the events of the past couple of days, Emerson has been reluctantly waiting for her physical therapy session with her superior. Stephen Strange stands in front of the bars with a book resting in his palms. At the sight of him, Emerson's heartbeat picks up as she's slightly nervous to see him.

Emerson cannot stop thinking about Wong's words: "The berry solely brought to light any feelings that were already present". After spending the rest of the day locked in her room, her feelings towards Doctor Strange came to light. She relaxed in bed, pondering over her feelings. The doctor is very attractive—sexy even—and his personality is quite humorous and flirtatious. Of course Emerson would develop some sort of feelings for him, considering he's picking up the broken pieces of her life and slowly putting them back together. He's teaching her the mystic arts all while helping her become strong enough to walk again. In addition, Emerson doesn't have many friends or people she's close to, so she'd like to think she could confide in Strange if she needed to.

As soon as he hears her soft voice, Strange looks up from one of his many books on spells. Ever since Emerson tried using the Eye of Agamotto, the sorcerer has made an active effort to search harder for more healing type spells. He's found a few that could possibly work but there's always a catch. His eyes lock on Emerson as she sheepishly wheels herself into the room. Her brunette hair is slicked back into a ponytail; it's how she does her hair every day. Maybe that's a habit the sergeant acquired from the army. She wears sweatpants and a simple t-shirt, showing off a tattoo on her forearm that Strange hasn't noticed before.

"Good morning," he says in response, trying to think of something to break the ice. Last night left him laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and thinking about Emerson. "Ready to start the day?" He awkwardly asks making Emerson giggle.

"Sure thing, doc," she says in response as she strolls up to the support bars. Without his help, she slowly lifts his legs out of the chair and places them in the ground. Placing her hands on the bars, she uses her arm strength to push herself up. Her arms shake under the weight of her body and Strange steps forward in an attempt to help. "I've got it," the sergeant snaps, not wanting his assistance. She doesn't need his help or his pity.

"Alright," he nods his head as he puts his hands up to surrender. He'd hate to make her feel more uncomfortable after what happened yesterday.

Emerson slowly lets go of the bars, hovering them merely inches above the metal in case she needs to support herself. Her legs wobble beneath her as she manages to stand without any assistance.

"Great job," Strange tells her, genuinely impressed with her improvements. "How does it feel? Any pain?"

"No pain, but it's exhausting," Emerson explains, placing her hands back on the bars as her legs begin to tire.

"Okay, this is good. How about we work on moving our legs today without any weight-bearing," Strange suggests.

"Can you-" Emerson starts, asking Strange for help. Before she can finish her sentence, the cloak is wrapped around her, carrying her to the yoga mats. She gives the sorcerer a small, thankful smile as the cloak sets her down. She bends forward to move her legs as Strange sits on the mat beside her.

"To start, I want you to push against my hand with as much strength as you can muster," he says and places the palm of his hands under her clothed toes. As weird as it sounds, Emerson obliges knowing it will show how much control of her feet she has. She pushes against his hand with her toes and her foot moves as well. She feels both of her ankles bend as she pushes against him.