Mastermind (Steve Rogers)

28

Lottie's POV

She can hear voices but they are too muffled and too far way, they sound kind of familiar but they hard to hear to be certain.
Everything is dark and she fights her hardest to get nearer to the voices, but it's no good she's too exhausted and weak.
She can feel herself sinking back into the nothingness.

This time when she hears the voices again she tries her hardest to focus on them. The first she recognises is her best friends Wanda and a sense of calm and peace washes over her.
As she refocuses to try and make out the other she soon realises it's Steve's and she can't believe that he came and she feels her heart beating a little faster.

But no matter how hard she tries to fight it she can't seem to escape the darkness to get closer to the voices.
She wants to tell them that she's okay but can't seem to find a way to wake and every time she fights her body becomes weak and she slips back to unconscious.

Something feels different this time, the voices in the room are those of her parents and when she fights to go towards the voices this time her body allows it.

Her eyes slowly begin to open before slamming shut again as the bright lights feel like they are burning her eyes.
"Take your time princess" she hears her dad say while gently stroking her forehead.

Slowly she begins to open her eyes allowing herself to adjust to the brightness and emotions well when she parents.
"Daddy" she croaks her throat feeling dryer than the Sahara desert.

"I'm gonna give you a drink okay but you need to take small slow sips" Tony says with a soothing tone.
He holds a bottle of water up to her lips with a straw and she slowly begins to drink, the water feeling so good as it goes down her throat.

She is so relieved to see her father because as much as she despises other people calling her the name she truly is daddy's little princess. Despite the ups and downs of their relationships and the disagreements they get into she loves her father more than anything. He's her idol not that she would ever admit that to him out right but she knows he knows deep down.

"We need to take her for some tests" the doctor says.
"S..Steve. W...Wanda" she manages to say before taking some more slow sips of the bottle that Tony is still holding up.

"Can she see them first then you can take her to do the tests?" Tony asks the doctor who nods.
"I will go get them princess" Tony says placing an ever so gentle kiss on her forehead, before walking out the room.
"I will be back in 10 minutes to take you for the tests and scans" the doctor nods before exiting the room as well.

Pepper is right there next to her taking her hand gently.
"You scared us there sweetheart, I'm so glad you're okay" then she too places a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Mom" Lottie tried her best to smile at her mum who she can tell looks tired.

"What happened?" Lottie asks as her memory of how she ended up here in what she assumes is a hospital is fuzzy.
"Don't worry about that right now okay" Pepper replies moving a bit of hair out of Lottie's face.

Her body feels funny but she can't quite put her finger on why, when she looks down she notices a cast on her left leg and wrist and bandages in other places.
Good drugs that's probably why she feels funny because right now she can't feel any pain from the injuries she's obviously sustained.

Before she can ask her mom any more questions she hears voices coming from outside the room.
In walks Steve and Wanda, they both look tired and the dark circles are heavy under their eyes.
The sight of them breaks her heart and she feels guilt for putting them through this even know logically she knows it wasn't something she could control.

"Hey" she offers them her voice still croaky hello and she manages to put a small smile on her face.

"Omg bitch don't scare me like that again" Wanda says going up to give her a careful hug.

"Don't plan on it" Lottie tries to laugh but ends up coughing and it takes a lot of energy up.
"Here" Steve dashes to get the glass of water with a straw and holds it up to her lips and her heart melts at such a simple gesture.

"Thanks" she says once she's taken a good amount of the cooling liquid.
"God I've missed you" Steve says placing a gentle kiss on her lips and it feels like coming home after so long apart.
"I've missed you too" she says trying to fight the tears threatening to fall.

God she missed him so much, way more than she's willing to admit.

"I'm going to be here every step of the way while you mend and once you're all healed we can live wherever you want. I don't care where that is as long as we are together. Because I love you Charlotte Rogers" Steve says kissing her again softly.

Holy fuck!
Did she hear him correctly?
Maybe it's the drugs and she's hallucinating but right now she doesn't care because she has three words she wants to say.

"I love you Steve Rogers" she replies feeling a small weight lifted off her chest at having said that out loud.

Steve's face splits into a smile that makes her heart beat faster, which is obviously picked up by the machines hooked up to her causing Steve to chuckle.

"Sorry to interrupt but we really must go do the scans and tests now" the doctor says coming back into the room with a couple of nurses.

"We will all be waiting" Steve kisses her lips again ever so gently and the others smile at her as she wheeled out by the nurses.

After some scans she's brought back into the room where like Steve said they are all still waiting.
"Okay get some rest and we will be back in a couple of hours to do a few tests" the doctor smiles before walking out.

"He's right you should rest" Steve says coming up beside her and gently taking her hand.
"I guess" Lottie replies wishing she could argue but her body is starting to feel tired despite not being awake long.
"You guys go rest too" she says looking at her loved ones.
"We will be back soon" Tony kisses her forehead.

A couple of hours later she feels slightly more rested and wakes to see Steve sitting next to her with his head resting on the bed.
She stares at him not wanting to wake him, he looks like he could use the rest, she can't help the smile on her face at the fact that he's here and they admitted they love each other.

Well at least she hoped they did because it could've been the drugs talking.
Speaking of drugs they are slowly fading and she's beginning to feel the pain of her injuries, groaning slightly she tries to move into a comfier position.

"Lottie you okay?" Steve asks as he sits bolt up right.
"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you I was trying to get comfy, I think the drugs are starting to wear off" she says using her one good hand to gently hold her ribs.

"Let me get the doctor" Steve barely finishes saying as he rushing out the room.
A few minutes later he walks back in with the doctor.

"Your husband says you're in pain?" The doctor says.
"Feels like I've been hit by a bus" she tries to joke but the look on Steve's face says it's not funny.

The doctor explains her injuries and how her left side took the worst of the impact in the car accident, and a nurse comes in to set up a IV drip of drugs that she can self administer for now.

Lottie knows it's going to take months to recover with some rehabilitation needed on parts of her body to help properly heal.
But as long as she has Steve by her side she can make it through anything and it's definitely going to be a lot of pain and hard work ahead.