My redemption

Chapter 11

I stood in my small apartment with the three Avengers by my side, I limped towards my thrashed room and bent down to remove the floorboard. 

I took out the file and put the wood back standing up with the file in my hand.

As I stood up, I could feel the weight of the file in my hand, a symbol of everything that had just happened. I looked up to see the three Avengers watching me intently, their eyes filled with a mix of concern and curiosity.

I handed the file over to Steve, who took it from me with a nod of thanks. He quickly flipped through the pages, scanning the information before looking back up at me.

"We owe you an apology," he said, his voice serious "We shouldn't have doubted you."

I just shrugged, not really in the mood for apologies. I just wanted to put this whole ordeal behind me and move on.

"No one deserves to be put through what you just went through." Tony quickly added 

"Ok I'm in no mood for apologies just get the hell out of here and I hope to never see your guy's faces again," I said, I placed a hand over my burning stomach and closed my eyes biting the inside of my cheek.

I know that the trauma of what happened would stay with me for a long time. The feeling of being powerless, the fear of not knowing what would happen next, it was all still fresh in my mind.

The three of them nodded and began walking out, I sat on my bed taking a minute to regain my breath. 

I began picking up stuff that had been thrown around the place and putting it back before the pain in my stomach became unbearable. 

I trudged to my bathroom unzipping my suit and staring at the slashes on my stomach, tears clouded my eyes as I began looking around for my first aid kit. 

I found the hydrogen peroxide and cotton balls and hesitantly held them up to my stomach, before breaking down and crying, the cotton ball falling from my hand and into the sink.

I tried to steady my breathing, but the pain was too much. I felt like I was reliving the torture all over again. I slid down the counter and onto the floor

My hands were shaking as I reached up for the painkillers on the counter, taking two and swallowing them dry.

I leaned against the sink, my eyes closing as the medication slowly kicked in, dulling the pain. I let out a deep sigh, my mind still racing with the memories of what had just happened.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the bathroom door. I froze, wondering who it could be. The already ajar door pushed fully open to reveal Tony standing there.

Unbeknownst to me, he had stayed and watched the whole ordeal with a heavy heart, from the brief cleaning to the breakdown.

"Mind if I come in?" he asked, his voice gentle.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I wanted anyone to see me in this vulnerable state, let alone him but then I nodded knowing I didn't have a lot of choices, and he stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

He turned to face me "Let me help you," he said softly.

I didn't say anything, just nodded, I straightened up to reveal the angry red cuts that lined my stomach. Tony winced at the sight, but then quickly got to work, cleaning the wounds and applying antiseptic.

As he worked, we didn't say anything, the only sounds in the room were my occasional gasps of pain but somehow, having Tony there with me, tending to my wounds, made me feel less alone.