Love and Medicine

eighteen

The next few weeks, you only ran into Steve in the elevator. It was always full of tension, full of longing. He would try to talk to you but you would always ignore him. You thought it was better that way. It had to be. Every time you saw Steve, you wanted to jump his bones still. Even after all that he did to you.

The elevator dinged open, revealing Steve to be the only one in the elevator you were about to get on. He was leaning on the back wall, looking down. Steve looked up and saw you, staying silent. You gulped as you walked in and turned around so that you wouldn't have to face him. The doors shut and the tension enveloped you both.

"I..." You tried softly. "I miss you."

Steve perked up slightly at your words. He stood slowly from his position against the wall and walked right behind you, smelling your hair. You closed your eyes, relishing in his closeness. Steve pulled back slightly, only to rest his head against yours briefly. He moved so that his mouth was against your ear.

"I wish I could," he whispered. His voice giving you goose bumps. "But I can't."

Then the elevator doors opened and Steve rushed out. Leaving you in the elevator. Alone.

~~~

A few days later, Steve and Peggy were heading from his place in New Jersey to work. They had been sitting in awkward silence for a majority of the car ride until Peggy decided to break it.

"So... um... I was thinking that we could... have sex tonight," Peggy stammered. Steve half chuckled at the idea. "Look, I know we're both gonna feel weird about it. It's the first time-"

"Since Mark," Steve cut in.

"And Y/N... I have the day off tomorrow. Do you have the day off? We could just stay in bed-"

"I'm planning on stopping by the medical center tomorrow. I'll still have patients I need to check on."

"Well, I made a reservation at a nice restaurant tonight."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I was thinking we could have sex tonight. Just rip the stitches. Get it over with."

"No anesthesia?"

"Right... what do you think?"

"Remember med school? We never had to schedule sex. Not once."

"Steve, I wanna get through this. I do. I want things to be normal again, like it used to be. So will you meet me for dinner?"

"Yeah, okay," he sighed.

~~~

Majority of the interns had the day off, but yourself. You and Gamora were currently in the ER. Nurse Laura had paged the both of you there. She was standing next to a comatose guy, chart in hand.

"Benjamin Parker brought in from Highland Nursing Home," Laura told the two of you.

"Highland?" Gamora questioned as she took the chart from Laura. "He's in the garden?"

"Garden?" You repeated.

"Vegetable."

"Yeah, his chart says he fell into a persistent vegetative state 16 years ago," Laura explained.

"He was a firefighter," you said, reading the chart over Gamora's shoulder. "Injured by falling debris in the line of duty."

"What brings him here today?" Gamora asked.

"Fell from his bed while being turned by the orderlies," Laura responded. "Insurance says he has to be checked out."

"Y/N, it's all you."