Avengers: Reader Inserts

Tomorrow Part 10 ~ Steve Rogers x Reader

Your arms were shaky, tired, and sore as your hands gripped tightly to the bars on either side of you. It had been five weeks since your knee surgery and one week since you had been allowed to start physical therapy. You knew that physical therapy wasn't going to be easy, that getting your knew knee to work with you wasn't going to be easy. But you were slowly growing frustrated with yourself.

"Okay, Y/N," your physical therapist began, "try again."

"I'm tired," you complained. "We've been at this for hours and have gotten nowhere, can we please just stop for the day?"

"Come on, sweetheart," Steve encouraged from his spot at the end of the bars next to the physical therapist. "You got this, just one more time."

The only real reason you were able to give any effort lately was Steve. He had decided to sit out of missions until he felt good about leaving you, inside he was leading and planning from the Tower. He let you help occasionally which helped with your bored mind. Steve never worked during your long, daily physical therapy appointments. Everyone knew to not pull him from the appointment (Clint learned that first hand). He found a permanent spot at the end of the bars, always smiling and encouraging you.

But you were growing tired and irritated at yourself. All you wanted to do was take more than a few steps. You wanted to get to the end of the bars, which you hadn't even gotten close to doing yet. Getting one more look at Steve's encouraging smile, you took a deep breath and moved your bad leg forward. You hesitantly put weight on your leg, inhaling sharply at the weird feeling. Quickly, you took a step with your good leg and put your weight into it.

"Great job, sweetheart!" Steve cheered. "Keep going!"

You looked back up at Steve only for your eyes to be pulled to the observers behind him. Tony, Bucky, and Natasha were watching on the other side of the training room's wall of windows. Natasha and Bucky were clearly worried, but better at hiding it, whereas Tony was nervously biting his nails. Your eyes met Bucky's and he shot you a slight smile and a thumbs up. You looked back down at your feet and moved your bad leg again. This time you were less quick to take another step, allowing your healing leg to feel the weight longer.

By the fourth step, you were feeling more confident and almost halfway through the bars. You could feel the pride radiating off of Steve and your other observers, who had now slipped into the room but gave you the needed space. You took the fifth step and smiled widely up at Steve, tears pricking your eyes.

"You're doing it, honey," Steve grinned, tears mirroring yours.

"I'm doing it," you repeated happily.

Your arms were still shaky and sore, and sweat was collecting along the top of your forehead, but you didn't care. This was the best you had done and you were going to keep going. You were focused on Steve when you took the next step. That's where the mistake was made. You weren't focused enough on the knee that the leg gave out beneath you and you crumbled to the floor, hitting the side of your head on the bars on the way down.

"Y/N!" Voices throughout the room exclaimed as they raced toward you.

You stayed crumbled on the floor, crying. Steve was the first to you.

"Y/N, sweetheart, are you okay?" He wondered as he carefully pulled you to him. His heart broke at the sight of the tears pouring down your face. "What hurts?"

"My head," you cried, hurrying yourself into Steve's chest. "My arms..."

"I'll think we'll call it for the day," the physical therapist said, crouching down near you and Steve. "You did really well today, Y/N. Made great progress."