Invisible String (Elizabeth Olsen x Fem Reader)

Repercussions

(A/N: This chapter contains brief mentions of violence and mentions of knives! Please read at your own discretion!)

Y/N POV

The first thing that my brain manages to focus on is the smell of disinfectant, just barely there under the heavy fog that feels like a blanket draped over me.

The second thing is the bright fluorescent lights on the other side of my eyelids, a stark contrast to what I last remember- the dim, hazy lights of the parking garage and moments that are fuzzy, like I can't fully recall them
Fighting against whatever or whoever was restraining me. Feeling panicked. A sharp pain across my face. The lights reflecting off the blade of a knife. Lucas.

With a gasp, my eyes force open as everything suddenly comes back full force, like one continuous nightmare. Everything feels heavy, like I'm not fully in control of my own body. My lungs feel like they're on fire, and my entire body aches. But I have to move, I have to get away from him.

I involuntarily flinch at the feeling of hands cupping my face, but when I try to move away there's a stabbing pain in my upper abdomen and side that causes me to fall back against the soft surface underneath me with a whimper.

The hands on my face are soft, not the rough texture I was expecting, and it takes me a few moments of shallow breathing through my nose to realize there's a familiar, muffled voice that I can just barely make out through the foggy haze of pain and confusion.

"Y/N, baby. It's okay, you're okay. You're safe."

I try and force my eyes back open, blinking a few times as Lizzie's blurry face comes into view. It's a welcomed sight, calming me almost instantly. "L-Liz?"

My voice is rough and scratchy, like it hasn't been used in ages and my mouth is dry and feels like it's been stuffed with cotton. I automatically clear my throat, wincing again when the pain flares up again. Lizzie's face is getting clearer by the second, and when her green eyes are fully visible I suddenly realize she's crying.

My limbs, much like the rest of my body, still feels weird and heavy, but I make the effort to at least bring my hand closest to her up and loosely wrap around her wrist. "Why...why are you crying?"

Lizzie lets out a wet laugh, her thumbs rubbing over my cheekbones soothingly, tears tracking down her own. "You scared the shit out of me, you asshole."

Confused, because I don't understand where we are or what's going on, I don't respond right away. I feel like it's taking twice the normal amount of effort and energy to keep myself from being pulled back down into the darkness of unconsciousness. "M'sorry."

"It's okay, baby. You can sleep. I'll be here when you wake up again."

I don't remember falling back asleep, but it seems like seconds later when my eyes are fluttering back open. My body feels less heavier, and there's no longer a cloud of fog covering everything. That also means that I'm more aware of the pain my body is in.

Glancing around me, I take in what appears to be a hospital room. I'd originally been looking for Lizzie, since I vaguely remember her presence earlier, but I get sidetracked by the various machines around me and the fact that I'm apparently connected to them.

Now that I have full mobility of my limbs I lift my hand to my face, letting out a hiss when my fingers brush over something prickly along my left brow. The area burns, and if I move my face a certain way I can feel the skin stretching, like it's been pulled together. I've seen my fair share of stitches over the years, so I leave them alone and move on to take count of any other injuries.

My chest aches, and I can't lift my right arm very high without feeling the same pulling sensation as I did with my face. The hospital gown is keeping me from actually seeing the wound (or wounds) themselves, so I decide to drop that course of action and go back to looking around the room. It's just my luck that right as I look up the hospital room's door opens and my mother walks in, looking extremely tired and disheveled. She barely takes two steps into the room before she notices me, letting out a slight sigh. "Oh thank god you're awake."