The aftermath reminded Issac far too much of his childhood and it was making him incredibly uncomfortable. However, partially being to blame for the destruction the city suffered from, he stayed and helped with the clean up until they gave him the all clear to leave. He returned to the helicarrier, showered, patched up any injuries before making an attempt to rest and recover from everything. Loki and Thor returned to Asgard with the Tesseract while the others went their separate ways for the time being. Tony returned to Stark Tower, which would be renovated and renamed the Avengers Tower, along with Bruce. Steve would begin to slowly transition back into the world once again, having been shut away for so long after awakening from a seventy year nap. Natasha, Clint, and himself would continue working for S.H.I.E.L.D for the time being until they were needed again. This wasn't an if scenario, but a when.
Issac tried to rest, he really did, but after a day of recovery he found himself pulling up in front of John Hopkins, heading inside to the main lobby. Hearing his request, the receptionist initially declined before he sighed, reluctantly showing her his ID badge. When she realized that he wasn't just some random person, nor was he a possible threat but a colleague, and an Avenger, she let him in almost immediately. He wondered if it was because of his position within S.H.I.E.L.D, or if it was because his interview was currently playing on the news, that she let him in so easily after recognizing him.
He didn't like the publicity, hated it even. He felt far too vulnerable and out in the open for his liking. It made him uncomfortable and constantly had him looking over his shoulder for reporters, or something worse. He would probably lay low for a bit until everything blew over before going out his normal civilian life until he was needed by S.H.I.E.L.D again.
He stepped off the elevator, making his way towards the nurse's station in the ICU. He put on a polite smile, waiting for the woman at the desk to notice him.
"I'm here to visit Phil Coulson." He said, folding his hands neatly on the counter as she frowned. His heart rate picked up and his palms began to sweat as she rummaged through a chart off to her right, automatically assuming the worst.
"Ah, he was actually transferred to the intermediate care unit downstairs. Room 134." She smiled sweetly at him.
Issac furrowed his eyebrows.
"Intermediate care unit...?" he repeated, slightly confused as to what that meant.
"His condition improved drastically after he made it through the first night. His doctor saw no reason to keep him here so she transferred him to a less intense ward until he's ready to be discharged." She explained, patient and polite.
Issac relaxed, exhaling slowly before offering her a shaky smile. He mumbled a quick thank you, following the directions she gave him before stepping off the elevator once again on the correct floor. This ward was much bigger than the ICU, however it was far less solemn, more bustling and alive with activity from patients who weren't in commas or attached to machines and ventilators keeping them alive. He followed the numbers along the wall until he reached 134, knocking twice before slowly pushing the door open.
Coulson was sitting up, eyebrows pinched and frowning as he stared at the laptop resting on the tray table in front of him. His left arm was wrapped tightly in a cast, resting in a sling around his shoulder. There was a gash that had been stitched together on his cheekbone, bruising around it as it healed. He couldn't see the remaining injuries under the blanket and hospital gown, but Coulson was alive and that was what mattered right now.
"You're seriously working a week after you almost died?" He gaped at the man in front him, but he wasn't surprised considering how the man was.
Coulson's eyes snapped towards Issac, a small smile spreading across his face. He looked relieved to see that the younger male was alright, more or less unscathed both physically and mentally from what he could see.
"I'm behind on so many reports already thanks to you guys. If I wait until I get discharged to start them I'll never finish." Coulson spoke, but he pushed his laptop aside regardless in order to give his attention to Issac.
Issac hesitated in the doorway for a moment before slowly walking inside, taking a seat on the chair near the side of the bed.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, leaning back slightly. He was still sore in several places and it took him a bit of moving around until he found a comfortable position to sit in.
"I'll live." Coulson spoke softly, reassuring him as if he could hear the whittling thoughts in his mind. Coulson knew him better than probably anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D, and in return there were some things Issac knew about Coulson that his fellow agents didn't. He wasn't entirely sure how to describe their bond, perhaps mentor-student, maybe a little more than that. Coulson was his superior, sure, the man in charge of bringing him into S.H.I.E.L.D all those years ago, but he was also the closest friend he had within the organization. Perhaps it was closer to the bond of an older and younger sibling. They often found themselves looking out for each other, Issac had a tendency to gravitate towards Coulson when things became too much. Coulson was more than happy to offer an ear to listen to his rants or just listen to the aggressive thoughts running through his brain. If Coulson hadn't survived this, he wasn't entirely sure what he would have done.
Issac sighed, smiling softly over at Coulson with a slight shake of the head.
"Be careful, you don't heal like you used to old man." He teased him in return.
Issac visited him regularly until he was discharged. The major injuries were internal and resided mostly in his back. Several vertebrae had been broken from the force of the impact, and it was a miracle his spinal column had gone untouched and he was even walking around right now. Regardless, it would definitely take some time and a lot of physical therapy appointments before he was fully recovered. His ulnar and radius in his left arm had been broken in two places, bent painfully in a way that took two surgeries and the placement of several screws in order to heal properly. He would need another surgery later down the road to have them removed, but otherwise, he'd make a near full recovery. Even his doctor said it was miraculous that he managed to survive, let alone walk away with barely any lingering issues as well.
Issac eventually returned to his apartment back in Boston, more than happy to be in his own home again. Per usual, S.H.I.E.L.D would call him in when they needed him, he just hoped he'd get at least two weeks of lounging around doing nothing before that happened.
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coulson lives!!!
listen, they wound up bringing him back to life anyway. - 3-
YOU ARE READING
On The Edge. | Steve Rogers.
Fanfiction"I grew up in an orphanage, in the middle of a war. Loneliness and solitude is all I've known." "You should have called for help." "My idea of 'help' is a sniper on the roof, Rogers." Steve Rogers x male oc.
