Life's Pursuit {Book 2}

Chapter 26: Ellie's Epiphany

Fighting the exhaustion that burned in her eyes, Ellie worked on a laptop back at her apartment to defy the mission's termination. She didn't care if Hayward said it was over. She still had her own discoveries all to herself to which she did what she pleased. The simple recording saved from the Avengers facility displayed Natasha and Sam walking with Hope to a small room. That was all that could be uncovered during her stay in upstate New York, yet she was determined it would be enough.

One turn of the Hope's face was all she needed. On the paused scene, Ellie worked to clarify the profile of her face. It was now a self-proclaimed part of her mission to identify the woman, to see if she had any previous ties to S.W.O.R.D. The fast clicking of her keyboard and touchpad were evidence of Ellie's determination.

When the face finally cleared after the edit, she pondered her profile and downloaded a PDF to print. She would use the image to identify the Hope, although she wasn't confident in where she would do so. Involving her father again was still out of the question, especially with Rambeau out of commission and S.W.O.R.D. having banned her from access since the termination.

She stared at the image once printed and let the face of Hope burn itself into her mind. Confident that it wasn't a face she recognized from the past, finding a way to identify her was essential. The constant reminder that S.W.O.R.D. had taken most of her resources angered Ellie beyond words. Rambeau would have never done this to her.

Truthfully, whenever Rambeau also crossed her mind, she paused whatever she was doing to think about what might happen to her. The thought of Rambeau dying wasn't one she was ready to come to terms with. They needed her. Not just as a director; she was a friend, too. Connecting Maria's failing health to the mission at hand was hard. It wouldn't have happened if the Hopes never died. Whether that motivated her more or discouraged her from facing it was not something she was sure about. The only way was forward.

Taking some observation notes on the printed image and shutting down her laptop should have ended the night of work for her but Rambeau wouldn't leave her mind. The last thing she heard about her was that she was still in comatose with no sign of improvement. If only she could still talk to her now...

Ellie shoved the thought away with frustration. It was selfish to think of Rambeau helping her when her life was in the balance. Surely, there would be family and friends worried only about her surviving this and not once taking a moment to think about the work she left behind. As for Maria's daughter, Monica, how was she handling this? The empathy for them settled deep within Ellie.

The sleep deprivation gave way to emotion. Pushing Hope's picture away, she noticed how late it was and that the morning would need to be something different. She would visit the hospital where Maria was staying. It was the least she could do.

***

If Ellie thought she could have been prepared to see Rambeau in such a state, she was wrong. The tubes that connected to her mouth and the needles that pierced her veins barely covered the obvious frail figure that lay beneath them. She was hardly recognizable. As Ellie stood in the doorway, she couldn't speak a word.

Monica, having heard Ellie's footsteps, looked up and stood from her chair. The sigh of relief that escaped her lips was the loudest thing in the room. Seeing Ellie was a friendly face she didn't realize she needed.

"How are you doing?" Ellie spoke softly as they embraced.

Monica trembled but refused to cry. "I'm okay. Truly. We've had so much support during this time... I'm thankful."

Looking past Monica's shoulder to be haunted by the visual of a dying Rambeau, Ellie couldn't move. Monica broke the embrace. They walked further into the room and sat near the bed.