Finding Love in France (Alternate Version)

Part 10: Powers

After worrying that she had injured her patient, Mila managed to calm down. She took her seat and apologized. "Sorry, Captain Rogers, sometimes not being taken seriously gets the better of me..."

"I completely understand." He was still in shock, but knew better than anyone how it felt to be underestimated. "I spent the first 25 years of my life not being taken seriously...how else are we alike?"

She suddenly felt a fondness for this giant, knowing he was not always so physically capable. "Let's see...how's your vision?"

"20/20, much better than before." He had needed glasses as a kid, but couldn't afford them.

"And your hearing?" She dropped her voice to below a whisper and said "any noticeable changes there?"

"Absolutely! I heard the last part of what you said. Very, very noticeable changes." This was insane! He wasn't alone in this anymore.

"And your wounds, they heal much faster, yes?" She already knew the answer, but wanted him to know where it came from.

"Yeah, they do. And I don't bleed as much, either. What about you?" He was so curious.

"See this?" She pointed to a scar on her shoulder. "I was beaten with the muzzle of a gun upon my arrival at the concentration camp. Anyone else would have needed stitches and could have potentially bled out." She was starting to wonder how much he got of her abilities. "Have you noticed any other sensory changes? Smell? Taste? Touch?"

"No, but to be honest, I'm kinda glad I don't have super smelling, seeing as I work around a bunch of filthy guys..." he joked. "What about you?"

"I have the full array of enhanced senses, unfortunately." She laughed. "Makes farm life a little less pleasant sometimes." She took a breath. "There is something else, too..." she bit her lip and looked up into his eyes. "I can hear people's thoughts sometimes."

"That's how you knew about Bucky, huh?" He tried to hide his skepticism. "Please forgive me for asking, but what do you mean by sometimes?"

"Well, sometimes, people can block me out, though it usually takes some skill and practice." She sighed. "Other times, people just don't have anything worth reading."

He started laughing. "You mean, you can just tune out if someone is boring you?" He laughed harder. "Wow! I wish I could tune out half the folks who talk to me!"

She chuckled and clarified. "It's not actually as useful as that, I'm afraid. It's more like, they aren't really thinking about anything I can pick up on. Though I like your idea!" She laughed again. "So, Captain Rogers, how does it feel to know some of your power comes from a small German woman?"

"Honestly, Doctor, it's pretty great." He smiled at her. "Thank you for helping me be this new guy...and thank you for saving my life."