The Forgotten -Marvel 2-

Chapter 39

The events that followed the attack were a blur. Lydia didn't remember too much. The multiple injuries to her head proved to be enough. Truthfully, Lydia wasn't overly upset about it. She didn't want to remember what happened. She nearly lost Ned and MJ, her two best friends, because she went to help fight Spider-Man, someone she didn't even know.

It didn't matter now. Everyone was back in their respective universes, and both MJ and Ned were alive. True to her word, MJ forced Lydia to go to the hospital. Ned spent the entire time calling different police stations and jails to find Happy, only to discover he had been released hours ago with no pending charges. It gave Lydia enough peace of mind to allow the kind hospital woman to patch her up. MJ had been able to sweet-talk a nurse into helping them without admitting Lydia as a patient. There was an elaborate story involved about Lydia's father being an influential public figure, and she couldn't be seen injured because it would destroy his image. The woman took one look at Lydia and took pity on her.

In the end, she patched her shoulder, stitched two separate injuries to her face, which Lydia knew would scar, relocated her ankle again, and stitched multiple lacerations to her arms and legs. Lydia neglected to tell her about the whiplash.

Overall, the nurse was very concerned about what happened and handed Lydia the number to several women's shelters and her personal phone number in case she needed help again in the future. It was a very kind thing to do. The nurse, Malia, even gave her a change of clothes, not once questioning her outfit. Although Ned tried to explain that away by saying they were planning on going to a costume party, Lydia was going as Black Widow.

They left a few hours later. MJ and Ned were exhausted, as was Lydia. She took a cab to Ned's Lola's but didn't plan on staying. MJ begged and pleaded with her to join them, but Lydia couldn't. She wanted to return to Happy's. It was her home. The only place she knew.

Lydia assured them that once she found Happy, she would return. MJ made her promise, which she happily did. Then, she got back in the cab and went home. The cab driver was kind. They didn't talk much. She was thankful for that.

Once home, she paid. The man drove off, leaving Lydia standing in front of the destroyed building. There was yellow caution tape everywhere and a few police officers standing around the building. She pulled her hair into a bun, slipping the hospital beanie over her head. She wore black gym shorts and a stained red YMCA polo.

As she walked toward the building, one of the officers stopped her. "Ma'am, you can't go in there. It's a crime scene."

Lydia pursed her lips. "I know, but I live here." The man stared at her. "And I-" she stopped herself. "I need to get a few things. Please."

The man's eyes combed over her face. It was easy to assume that he believed she had been inside when the building came down. Other people were living in the building besides Happy. Lydia wondered if anyone other than May was killed.

"Okay," the man agreed. "Go through the back door. The elevators are down, but the stairs in the back are still standing."

Lydia smiled at him. "Thank you." All he did was nod.

No more was spoken between the two. Wordlessly, Lydia did as told. She walked around the building, entered from the side, and took the stairs. She ignored the evidence markers around the lobby. The indication that May's death was being investigated. Lydia understood why, and she also knew that Happy would be questioned, if he hadn't been already. Part of her feared what that meant for her. Happy once said that if anything happened, if people began to suspect, they would leave. No hesitations. No explanations. They would leave and start over somewhere new.

Lydia didn't want to start over. She had two friends who she adored. Her entire life, Lydia had always been left out. If it wasn't her age, it was her inexperience. It didn't matter how she met Ned and MJ, two entirely regular people Lydia magically befriended. All she knew was that she had them and wasn't planning on letting go.