A Fighting Chance

Lost and Found

When I look over at you again now, it hardly seems real that I almost lost you. It also hardly seems fair that I may lose you again, not that you know that yet. Your face is, as it always is, peaceful when you sleep. Your escape from the stresses of the day. Safe in the knowledge that we have tomorrow and the next day and the next. Can I be the one to take that feeling away? I'm not so sure. But I digress, this is our story my love and it is far from told.

As it turned out, that last 'episode' was, fortunately, just my body deciding to re-set itself. I had quite literally shut down. When I eventually woke, a couple of days later, I found I was now in a side room, Diana and my own Mum sitting together, chatting quietly. As I started to speak, I found I'd been eating cotton wool so it was hard to form the words.

"M-m - mum?" I muttered and both women looked round instinctively. "that you?"

My mum grabbed my hand and burst into tears, mainly of relief but mostly of regret. Regret she had been unable to protect me - much in the way Tom now felt. Diana stroked my head briefly then discretely left us to it, saying she was away to phone Tom.

"Mum - can I have a drink please?" I felt 5 years old again, in bed with a cold. She smiled at me through her tears.

"Of course Pet, hold on" she reached across and got a cup of water from the locker next to me. "careful, sit up if you can" I inched my way more upright and sipped. It tasted like nectar to my parched mouth.

"What - how - did you?" I started to say and she gently smiled.

"I got a call from a worried Asgardian!" she was every bit as up to speed on Tom and his career as me, after all, she'd heard my fangirling for long enough. I blushed a little and she laughed. "Don't worry dear, if there was anyone in this world I could have chosen to give me bad news, it was him. That voice!" she winked at me and I smiled.

"He's mine, keep your paws off you Cougar" I joked and she waved a hand

"Doesn't know what he's missing " we laughed together, with me trying to avoid the elephant in the room for a bit. It didn't last.

"Mum," I began, "there's something I have to tell you..." she nodded and patted my hand.

"It's ok sweetheart, Tom told me everything when he came up to collect me"

"He did - and he DID? All the way?" I was shocked both that he had opened up to her and that he had made the journey.

"Yes, drove through the night and brought me straight down, He's at home sleeping - we made him - otherwise he would be here now." she looked at me steadily. "He loves you very much you know. I can see it in the way he talks about you, looks at you and the fact he just drove an 800 mile round trip through the night for you." I lay back and closed my eyes, the shame of how I treated him washing over me again. "He also doesn't blame you for anything" could she read my mind? Suddenly, hearing the words from my own mother, I felt a weight lifted. If she could see the positive then so could I.

"thanks Mum " I reached out and she bent over and hugged me "for everything" we held each other for a moment. then I said "how long can you stay?" now she looked sad.

"Only a few days, I have to get back for the animals. you know how it is" she worked at an animal refuge, a small charity with few helpers and too many animals. It was almost as important to her as I was, almost. I was overwhelmed by her unending love, a mother's love. Sadly something I would know nothing about. At that moment, my surrogate Mum came into the room, bearing gifts of tea and biscuits for them and orange squash for me. I could have killed for a biscuit but with now two mum's in the room I had to behave.

"So, are you done with giving us the fright of our lives Missy?" she asked placing the cups down and bending to kiss my cheek. "Poor Angela and I have had quite the time of it haven't we?" she turned to my Mum and they both looked at me with a 'Mum' expression. I instinctively shrank into the bed like a naughty child.

"Yes" I said meekly "at least I hope so" and the three of us laughed.

The doctor appeared not long after, since Diana had alerted him when she went to make her phone call. He checked me over and pronounced that I could get out of bed if I wanted but NOT to go anywhere other than in a wheelchair for at least 24hours. My body had pretty much taken as much as it could and if I was a battery, I would be a flat one. Just enough juice to keep running everything but nothing in reserve to make the wheels move. With that he said he would be back later since I seemed to be well looked after and he left.

"So, walk in the garden then?" Diana said looking at Mum then me. I nodded enthusiastically and Mum smiled. "I'll get a chair and a porter to take us out. We can wheel it when we're outside"

I slowly pulled the covers back, aware of what I was exposing and I watched my Mum's face as she saw the marks. It darkened into something I had only seen once before and the comment was identical.

"I. Will. Kill. Him."

"oh Mum, it's ok really " she looked at me with a confused expression as if I had lost my mind but I continued "evidently, there will be a line for that" and we both smiled. Another reason to love him cemented.

Diana returned with a chair and a porter and I was soon settled in the chair, a large blanket covering me up and keeping me warm. A few minutes later, we sat together at a table in a lovely little patio area, the sun shining and the birds singing. Feeling the sun on my face and the gentle breeze, it was hard to believe that I was even really that unwell. We talked and talked, just the usual family stuff and I think it helped mum to relax, knowing that when she went home, I would be well cared for. There was never any question where that would be. We had just decided to go for a walk around the grounds when I looked up and there he was. Standing with the sun behind him, he was merely a silhouette but an unmistakable one.

"Hello you" the silhouette said

"hello back" I replied.

"going somewhere?"

"not without my favourite Asgardian"

"sorry, Thor is busy, will I do?"

"s'pose" I smirked and with that he knelt at my side. As I turned, there it was, that face, those eyes, that smile. I felt myself, weak though I was, melt. "hi" I whispered, smiling like an idiot "missed you"

"missed you more" and for a second he just looked at me, then, not caring our mothers were standing not 2 feet away, we kissed. Slowly, his lips warm and soft on mine, his tongue running gently along my lip, hinting at a passion yet to come. Our first proper kiss, my head reeled and my stomach flipped. We parted and he rested his forehead on mine, holding my hand. "don't leave me like that again please? I'm not sure my poor heart can take it!" he smiled softly and I nodded

"not planning to"

"glad to hear it , now let's go"