Dog Days

Chapter 62

The following morning, Hela's banging around in the kitchen wakes me. I still can't seem to pull myself off the the ground, but every little sound she makes bangs through my skull.

I groan, before calling out "Hela, what the fuck?"

She sighs "I'm making you breakfast."

As I grip the bottle in my hand, I declare "I'm not hungry."

She steps over to me and declares "I don't care, Thor. I'm going to make you breakfast, and you're going to eat it."

She reaches down and snatches the bottle out of my hands "You can't survive off whiskey."

I pull it back down, despite her trying to keep hold of it. As I unscrew the cap, she sighs "Thor, you know you're not supposed to drink on your meds."

I look up at her and declare "Fuck the meds." As I turn to the television and turn on the news to find it's exactly the same as last night, I declare "I can't just nap all day."

She motions towards my phone behind me "Your therapist has been blowing up your phone, along with someone named Rogers."

I sigh, before declaring "The last time I heard from Steve, he left me a note saying that I was discharged and he had no idea what happened. It's not like he's actually doing anything about it."

She gives me a short nod, before declaring "I actually spoke with him, this morning. He's getting on a plane back to DC. He'll be here by tonight."

I sigh, before leaning my head back on the couch to look at her "He's coming here?"

She furrows her brow and declares "He's coming here, because he hasn't seen you since you got blown up, and now your boyfriend is blasted on the news. Did you really think that he just didn't care if you lived or died?"

I raise the bottom to my lips as I declare "I don't want a lecture."

As I take a drink, she sighs "What do you want, Thor?" She sits on the armchair closest to me and gives me a disappointed look, as she asks "Are you really just going to sit here and watch this? Are you really going to watch the news, obsessing over this? Do you feel comforted by this?"

I set my jaw as tears come to my eye. I look as the pain surfaces in my chest "It's the only thing I can do." She gives me a confused look and I declare "I knew something like this was happening to him, and now I finally see it, and I can't look away." She sighs and I declare "I know so little about him, but I want to know everything. I can't forgive myself if he dies."

She sits there for a moment, before asking "You think it will make a difference?"

I sit there and just stare at the ground, before she stands up and shoves me back as she stands over me. I hiss "What the fuck is your problem?"

She grabs the collar of my shirt and hisses in my face "You are my fucking brother! I will not watch you kill yourself over this!"

I give her an annoyed look, before I reach up and grab her shoulder. I twist her around and plop her onto the couch, before I declare "I'm not killing myself over this, Hela. I'm in pain. Just because I'm not okay, doesn't mean I want to die."

She sighs, before asking "Why are you torturing yourself?"

I set my jaw and remark "No matter how hard I am on myself, it's nothing compared to what he's going through."

She sits there for a moment, before she sighs "What will you eat?"

I set my jaw and take a long swig from the bottle "Toast and coffee."

She stands and walks around the back of the couch to get to the kitchen "What kind of jelly? We have strawberries, pear, apple, grape-"

I groan to shut her up "Grape is fine! I don't need to hear about every single preserve we sell at the shop!"