Forever

72

In the middle of the night, Bree wakes to an uncomfortable feeling in her chest. She pushes herself up and looks at Pietro for a moment while he stays fast asleep before she turns forward with her hand over her heart as it races in her chest. The feeling gets worse as she stands and as soon as the tingley sensation in her jaw starts, she stumbles into the bathroom to hit her knees in front of the toilet.

Pietro wakes to the sound of coughing and his head jolts up in a matter of seconds. Seeing the empty bed beside him causes him to immediately assume the worst and he throws himself out of bed to take a hold of her hair, so she can grip onto the seat with her arm over her stomach.

"I can-can't breathe." She gasps while shaking and crying.

"Okay, hold on."

He leaves and comes back moments later with a bottle of water and she spits out her first drink to rinse off her mouth and takes another for herself. He helps her to sit back against the cupboards and wipes the tears from under her eyes.

"What was that about?" He coos.

"I don't know." She sighs with a sniffle.

"I didn't even see you drink last night." He states and she shakes her head, knowing she didn't touch one drink. "Alright." He sighs. "Come on."

He guides her back to bed and has her sit back against the headboard. He gets her a large bowl from the kitchen and sits across from her with a foot on the floor and pushes her hair out of her face.

"Fun wake up call." He jokes and she chuckles tiredly.

"Sorry."

"All good, Anjel." He shakes his head. "Laydown."

She places the bowl on the bedside table and does as told to pull the blanket up to her chest while he moves to the other side. Figuring this won't be a one time thing, Pietro pulls on a pair of shorts and a hoodie before lying back down.

-

Pietro's paranoia had been right. The two have been up for hours since the sun rose and Bree can barely move, her body is so tired. When she stands, her legs feel like jello and every once in a while, she has to throw the balnket off of her body from the heat flashes. The more she moves, the worse she feels and the nausea won't go away.

He has also had to bug her about not forcing the cough that's stuck in throat, so that she doesn't damage her vocal cords. Now, she's hunched over the toilet bowl once again, involuntarily letting it all out.

"It hurts so bad." She cries and Pietro sighs.

"I know." He pushes his hand under her sweatshirt. "I'm taking you to the lab."

Which is exactly what he does when she's done spewing her guts out. He places her on the bed and runs to the common room to get Bruce.

"Bree needs help in the lab." He points.

"What's wrong?" Tony's brows furrow.

"Very sick." He shakes his head, not sure what else to say.

Bruce nods and moves around the couch for Pietro to race him to the lab. The other's look at each other before they all collectively decide to follow.

"So, what's going on?" Bruce asks Bree as she hangs her head and rubs his face.

"I really don't feel good." She sighs.

"Puking, cold one minute, hot the next." Pietro explains further, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Tired."

"Would you say it's more exhaustion?" He asks and she nods.

"My whole body."

"I'm guessing you've got a cough?" He makes her hold a Thermometer under her tongue and Pietro answers for her.

Bruce checks her heartrate and breathing and asks for a real cough to hear how bad it sounds, which it does sound bad, moments before the protective group makes it into the room and Bree sighs while pulling up her sleeves.

"You guys didn't all have to come, I'm okay." She nods softly.

"No, you're not." Pietro denies in monotone.

"It's probably just a bad cold or something." She shrugs quietly.

"Or something." Bruce nods. "Kid, you've got pneumonia."

"Oh." All, but Pietro, Steve, Bucky, and Thor back up for fear of the non-contagious sickness, making Bree grin a bit.

"I'll get over it." She waves them off. "Even though I can barely stand, I'll be fine." She jokes lightly and Pietro shakes his head with a small smile, though he tries to stay serious.

"Yeah, well, you'll be down for some time, now it's your choice as to which bed." Bruce turns to her. "This one or yours."

"Mine." She nods surely.

"Pietro, you can take care of her?" He raises a brow and he nods. "Good." He turns back to the computer. "I'll give you a list of what you need to do, so you don't have to keep checking with us."

"That's all I ask." He nods a lot as Bree pulls him over.

He sits beside her on the bed and lays his arm over her shoulders, to pull her head to his chest.

"You're gonna get sick too." Clint backs up even more with a few others.

"The speed healing prevents it." He shakes his head while playing with her hair.

"Too quick for it to catch." Bree grins tiredly.

"Oh, she's a faker." Sam accuses and points. "You can't joke when you're sick." He states and she smiles with a few chuckles around the room.

"My guess is you got this from the fact that you were isolated for so long," Bruce brings them back to the problem at hand, "your body and immune system couldn't handle all the sudden human interaction and the germs flying around through the winter. And, last night, you pretty much just through all that at yourself." He adds and she nods.

"We were also standing out in the cold for a while last night." Pietro motions.

"Tsk tsk." Clint shakes his head and Bree smiles a bit, doing her best to breathe through her mouth, because her nose isn't working.

"Yeah, you have a fever and cough, your heartrate is abnormally fast, but it will slow over time, and your breathing is off as well." Bruce nods. "This is all normal systems of pneumonia. So is the nausia, fatigue, sweating and heat flashes, and coughing."

"Okay." She nods while pulling her sleeves down and crossing her arms.

"Really you just need to take it easy until it passes."

"You know, people die from pneumonia." Sam teases and she smiles as a few turn to him in disbelief. "What?" He shrugs. "She found it funny."

"Your case is not that severe." Bruce assures and she nods as Pietro shakes his head. "Oh, but I don't recommend running her again." He points. "She could hurl."

"Another point for Pietro." Clint grins and he rolls his eyes with an agape smile.

"Will avoid." He nods to Bruce.

"I'm not walking." She closes her eyes while nuzzling her head into Pietro's chest.

"We figured." Tony smirks.

"I can't." She shrugs. "My legs feel numb."

"The exhaustion." Bruce nods.

"Yeah." She turns away from Pietro to cough into her arm.

"That sounds so nice." Bucky grimaces in monotone.

She groans while laying her head in her crossed arms on the bed and Pietro smiles sadly.

"I'm going to take her back." He stands and Bruce nods as she sits back up.

She pushes her hair behind her ear and puts her arms out for him to lift her onto his hips while she hugs his neck.

"Big baby." Sam teases as they leave the lab and she flips him off on Pietro's back, making them all smile.