not like you → c . barton

[4]

When I finally woke up, I was at home, in my bed. I tried to sit up, but the pounding in my head made me do otherwise. No one else was in my room, so I settled back down and tried to ignore the throbbing in my temples. I shut my eyes and tried not to think, or concentrate, which was hard for me and my ever buzzing brain. As my bedroom door creaked open, I groaned and squeezed my already shut eyes shut.

"Alex, I'm sorry," came the gentle voice of my father. I slowly opened my eyes and struggled to sit up, but he hurried to my side and carefully pushed me back down. I slowly opened my eyes, and I looked up to my dad. He was stroking my hair, and I tried to not concentrate on the feeling.

"Dad, what happened?" I asked, and I heard him take a deep breath.

"After Ryan hit you, you fell off of the curb and hit your head on the street. Luckily, your mother and I were on our way to get you, since we saw you and your friends biking off towards town. We're lucky we got there in time, otherwise, we could've lost you. You hit your head just right, and you almost slipped into a coma. That's why your mother kept yelling for you to stay awake. I don't know what I would've done to those boys if we lost you," he whispered, and I knew he was serious. He sounded genuinely scared, or worried, since I was still here.

"Hey dad, you don't have to worry. I'm right here, see? I'm not dead, or in a coma," I said softly, and he leaned down to press a kiss to my head. Something about the whole exchange seemed cryptic, so I looked up at my dad and winced.

"Dad, something about this doesn't seem right," I said softly, and he looked down, and away from me. I reached for his hand, and he gaze it a gentle squeeze.

"I always knew you could tell what was bothering me. Those piercing blue eyes are more than just for show," he chuckled, and I raised an eyebrow. Even though my parents both had brown eyes, I had somehow gotten bright blue eyes. I asked my science teacher about it, since we're in the genetics unit, and he explained that someone in my family was a carrier for the blue eyes gene, and I was on the receiving end of said gene.

"You tell me that all the time. Now, what's going on?" I asked, my headache dripping away. I wanted to get to the bottom of this, and no pain of mine was keeping me from it.

"Alex, I didn't want to tell you. But, it would be worse if you just found out randomly. I've been assigned a mission. Across the country. It's a H.Y.D.R.A base out in Washington, near Seattle. I've gotta go, along with Wan- Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, and Falcon, along with a few agents. Your brother and sister don't know, and I'd like to keep it that way. And Cap will be stopping by to give reports to your mother, okay?" he said softly, and I suddenly felt numb inside. My 'piercing blue eyes' filled with hot tears, and I looked away from him.

"So you're leaving. Again," I stated, and with a soft sigh, he stood from my bed.

"I am, but not for long. I'll be back before you can say 'Avengers Assemble'," he ruffled my hair, and he left my room, his shoes thumping against the hardwood floors. As soon as he had gone, I stood and walked to my door, shutting it gently. I pressed the lock in, and I slumped against it, the hot tears from not too long ago dripping down my cheeks.

"I almost lose my dad in a battle with evil robots controlled by an evil AI, and now he has to leave. Again," I sniffled, wiping my eyes. With a small amount of effort, I stood from the door and walked to the window sill. Outside, I could see mom and dad, playing with my siblings, and I envied them. Cooper and Lila were so much younger and so naive, and all they knew was 'daddy's going on a business trip and he won't be back for a week.'

"So not fair," I mumbled, listening to the laughter from outside. Fighting back tears once again, I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. I shut my eyes, and I tried my hardest to go back to sleep, but Nathaniel's sudden outburst had my eyes snap open. I climbed up from bed and left my room to go to his room, like a good big sister should. As I peered down at my brother in his crib, I realized how small he really was. I swear his head was like the size of Thor's bicep. Gently, I lifted my baby brother out of the crib and began to rock him, like mom did when he cried. I hummed his, I'm guessing, favorite lullabye, and my eyes focused in on the rocking chair. I went to sit in it, and I rocked us back and forth, keeping a firm hold on him. Nathaniel sorta leaned into me, and it was in that moment that I realized that, as his big sister, I needed to protect him at all costs. This little guy needed a role model, and I wanted to be it. As I held him, I felt my eyelids drooping, but I didn't want to let him go. So, I shifted my baby brother in my arms, and I held him close as he fell back asleep, and I soon followed him, never letting him go, I hope.