Just like you

You've got this

Katherine hadn't been able to meet up with Tony or Dr Banner at the Tower that week due to a few emergency therapy appointments. That had been alright because Stark had said he had a line on something important and he needed to head to wakanda for an unknown length of time. Unsure what exactly that meant Katherine had gone about her own life's difficulties. It seemed that for a while the more she talked about that day with her therapist the worse her nightmares and her overall bad days stacked up.

Dr Olivia Kent told her that was to be expected as she processed her trauma. That it almost always got worse before it got better. The good doctor had wanted to put her on medication to help her sleep, but Katherine refused; she didn't have anything against medication; it just didn't feel like the right choice for her. Soon semi sleepless nights became her new normal. Doctor Kent had been right, sort of. The bad dreams came less and less as the weeks went on, but they came back with the vengeance the closer to Christmas it got.

Tony had called two weeks before to let her know they had worked it all out, but there was a slight change in plans. Instead of having the surgery here in New York he needed her to go to Wakanda where the new King's sister and her team of doctors would perform the surgery. Nervous didn't even begin to cover what she felt at the idea of going so far away. How could a small farming nation not known for its scientific pursuits do better than what a team of doctors here in America could do?

He reassured her that everything would be okay and that having worked closely with Dr Banner and Princess Shuri he had every confidence it would all go off without a hitch. So here she was loaded up with Dr Banner on a quinjet on her way to Africa by herself. Thomas and the other guys had wanted to come, but they'd been put back into the field a little over a month ago and they wouldn't be available to come with. She didn't have any living or close family so essentially for this next step in her life she was on her own.

Feeling on the verge of a panic attack she popped a valium that Dr Kent had insisted she prescribe for her. "Just in case." Taking one Kat went to lay down on one of the small beds that came down from a section of seats in the back. Checking on her when he noticed how restless she was Bruce told her he would wake her up when they got close.

::::

"Katherine. Katherine, wake up. Hey there sleepy head. We're about ten minutes out." Bruce tells her after gently shaking her awake. Stretching out her surprisingly well-rested body she thanked him. "It's no problem, I'm just glad you were able to get some rest."

What he left unspoken was, 'Because you're going to need all the rest you can get'. Almost immediately after meeting with Princess Shuri she would head to the princess's lab for surgery. When her panic flared a bit the medication she'd taken earlier was thankfully still in her system and made it so it didn't overwhelm her. Running to the bathroom real quick she did her business before giving herself a silent pep talk in the mirror.

'I've got this. Tony will be there the whole time and Bruce. So technically I won't be fully alone and once I wake up I will have a new arm.'

Softly brushing her fingers over her right shoulder Katherine let out an emotionally shaky breath at the thought that she'd be whole again. Well sort of. Her new vibranium arm would balance her out, but it wouldn't really be the same, not like her left arm was. Her right would be made of metal, wires and circuit boards.

No, she was only going to think on the positive side of things. She didn't want to go under with any negative thoughts that could undermine the process of the surgery or her recovery. Katherine had read somewhere that what your mindset was going into something like this greatly affected how your body healed. Also with the minor chance that her body could reject the implant she could use all the positive thoughts she could get her hand on.