A Tale of Mischief and Mutants part 2

Twig Snaps and Bilgesnipes

—-Loki—-

I'm startled quite a bit when the door opens and a very thin layer of frost forms over the clothes I'm wearing. Luckily it's harmless to Thor and Sam and is halfway melted already but it's still startling to see it there. I quickly wipe partially frozen tears off my face as I slightly look up. I attempt to keep my face downcast so whoever's here sees less of it.

It's Birger the healer that I'd woken up to the last time I was in the hospital here he looks me over with a subtle expression of horror and curiosity. He's wheeled in a cart with various tools on it. I feel Sam shift next to me her body becoming rigid with tension as she looks over the cart. On the cart lie a syringe, suture needle, medical grade thread, a needle driver, scissors, and tissue forceps.

Without a word she intertwines her fingers with mine. Birger takes a step closer and Sam flinches back slightly. I know precisely why. A lot of the times when she was in captivity and needed stitches they'd just tie her down and do them without much care for the pain they were causing. The only care she received from them was strictly for her physical health, nothing else mattered to them.

How she got into the position of needing the stitches to begin with was also always traumatizing. It was often the doing of one of her abusers whilst in the process of violating her. Then the process of actually receiving the stitches was always made to be long, drawn out, and painful with no regard for her comfort.

In fact from her description of events I think they took some sort of twisted pleasure in causing her unnecessary pain. She's still woken up from nightmares about all this to this day. Birger speaks to Sam but his eyes are still locked onto me as he does so as if he's afraid if I'm not in his sights something terrible will happen.

"Princess Samantha, I'm meant to stitch up your wound."

Sam grimaces and tears are welling up in her eyes. Unaware of Sam's trauma Birger steps closer. Sam reacts viscerally to this in a surprisingly defensive and violent manner. It's clear she's been pushed to the breaking point of her anxiety over my absence and this is simply the twig snap that alerted the Bilgesnipe so to speak.

She stands up and grabs the arm Birger had nearest to her and quickly maneuvers it behind his back. Birger lets out a shocked gasp and even Thor reels back in surprise at Sam's sudden attack on the healer. Sam's shaking now and her expression is both filled with pain from putting weight on her injured leg and a kind of blank confusion.

She wears an expression of confusion that implores me to believe she doesn't even know how she ended up doing what she's currently doing. It's as if a subconscious part of her just took over her body in the moment. Yet still her hands tightly grasp Birger's wrist twisting it painfully behind his back. I weakly stand up.

Thor doesn't object to this, still too dumbstruck by Sam to protest. I walk up to her as calmly as I can ignoring the dull pain of the IV wires I'm attached to pulling on my veins as I stretch them to their limit. Birger looks at me in fear as I get closer. I'm filled with shame and sadness seeing the healer that I'd become friendly with now looking at me in this way.

"Darling, mortal, it's okay. You're okay."

I reach Sam and put my hand over the one holding Birger's wrist in a death grip.

"You're safe, he's not here to hurt you. I need you to let him go okay? I promise he's safe. He helped me remember?"

Sam looks at me in confusion for a second but then realization slowly fades into her expression. She begins to cry and loosens her grip on Birger slowly letting him go. Instead turning her iron grip to me as she takes my hand again. Birger turns to look at me in even greater surprise both afraid to be so close to me in this form and relieved by my intervention all at once.

This expression doesn't cut me quite as deeply as the one he wore before. I stoop to pick Sam up but am stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I look to see Thor who shakes his head at me and tilts his head towards the bed having finally come out of his stupefaction long enough to take action.

I nod ever so slightly understanding I shouldn't be pushing my body so hard after everything yet still wanting to take care of Sam myself. I comply with his unspoken request and let go of Sam and return to the bed. Thor picks her up relieving the weight from her agonizing injury and sets her back down in the space beside me before taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. Sam finally collects herself enough to speak tears running down her face.

"I... I'm so sorry. I-I don't know what happened I... I'm sorry."

Birger responds surprisingly calmly. Though he still steals nervous glances at me.

"Princess? ...so the rumors you've been mistreated here on Midgard are true?"

Sam nods at Birger's understatement.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"-It's alright... I'll assume they did a similar procedure on you but incorrectly?"

She nods again looking almost ashamed of herself as another tear makes it's way from her eyes.

"I... I-I didn't hurt you did I?"

He inspects his wrist looking a little impressed by its red coloration. Probably surprised to have been even remotely injured by a mortal. Sometimes even I forget how her strength is being slowly yet surely enhanced to something comprable to Asgardian strength through Mjölnir. It's only recently becoming even remotely noticeable.

She also doesn't look like she should be that strong but each time she uses the hammer she grows a fraction of a percentage stronger. It's unclear how potent this aspect of her abilities will turn out to be as the enchantment on Mjolnir is extremely experimental she might rise to the strength level of Thor eventually or she might top out at strength levels similar to that of Barnes or Rodgers. He attempts a smile obviously wanting to ease Sam's overwhelming anxiety.

"I will live Princess."

She nods still looking regretful and scared of the situation at hand.

"You... you still have to do it."

She shakily props her leg up on the bed and rolls up her pant leg revealing the wound to him. She's still really shaken up tears still escape her eyes even now.

"I- I'll try not to freak out on you a-again."

I don't think it's a good idea for him to continue with this with how much anxiety this is causing Sam but she seems to think she'll be okay. If she's willing to try I won't stop her but I want to make sure she realizes she doesn't have to do this immediately if she needs a moment. I lean close and whisper.

"He could come back later he doesn't have to do this right now if you're not comfortable with this."

She shakes her head.

"If I wait that'll just make this harder for me."

I nod slightly. I situate myself so I'm right next to Sam and she leans against me taking my hand as she melts into my hold. Birger looks from her to me in a silent question. Unsure if he should attempt to approach Sam again. I nod slightly and he once again steps forward.