Whispered promises

Chapter 1

"You should be proud of yourself, Lincoln," I said, sitting beside his hospital bed as I looked at the photo of his kid and fiancée. The room was filled with a somber atmosphere, as the weight of the moment pressed upon us. Lincoln, my dear friend, was battling with his own mortality, his body weakened by illness.

"I have lived a life," he responded, glancing at me with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "My only regret is that you didn't get to live yours," he said, his voice filled with a mix of remorse and concern. I took a deep breath, struggling to find the right words to express the turmoil within me. "For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what was right. I guess I'm not quite sure what that is anymore. And I thought I could throw myself back in and follow orders, serve. But it's just not the same," I explained, my voice tinged with uncertainty.

Lincoln let out a weak laugh, his illness evident in the frailty of his body. "You're always so dramatic," he said, making me scoff in response. "Look, you saved the world. Even after everything that you have been through and has happened to you, you still chose to save it. We, on the other hand, rather mucked it up," he said, his tone laced with regret.

"You didn't," I responded firmly, my voice carrying the weight of my conviction. "Knowing that you helped found S.H.I.E.L.D is half the reason I stayed," I explained, my voice filled with a mix of gratitude and admiration.
As Lincoln took my hand into his, a fragile connection in the face of his deteriorating health, he looked at me with a profound sincerity. "Hey, the world has changed, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best. And sometimes, the best that we can do is start over," he said, his words resonating deep within me. Starting over didn't seem like bad plan to me , but it wasn't as easy as it was said .

I grew worried as Lincoln started coughing, his frail body succumbing to the relentless grip of sickness. I quickly passed him the glass of water, hoping to alleviate his discomfort. As I witnessed the change in his face, the momentary confusion that accompanied the onset of forgetfulness, my heart ached.

"Katrina " he said, his voice filled with surprise and joy, as if seeing me for the first time in years. It was the cruel reality of his frontal temporal dementia, the disease mercilessly eating away at his memories. "Yeah," I responded softly, my voice filled with tenderness. "You're... you're alive. You came back..." he said, his eyes lighting up with a flicker of hope and joy.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I held back my emotions, determined to be strong for him. "Yeah, Linc, I came back," I said, gripping his hand tightly, offering him comfort in that fleeting moment. "It's been so long. So long," he said, his voice filled with a poignant mix of joy and sadness.

"We'll, I couldn't leave my best guy. Not when he still owes me a dance," I said, a bittersweet smile gracing my lips. In that moment, as Lincoln smiled genuinely, the weight of the world seemed to fade away.

••••••••••••••••••

Katrina stepped into the hospital elevator, her mind still reeling from the encounter with Lincoln. The sight of him had brought back a rush of emotions, memories resurfacing like a storm. She leaned against the elevator wall, her heart pounding in her chest, hoping that the confined space would provide a momentary respite from the chaos of her thoughts.

In a second more, Katrina rummaged in her pockets for her cigarettes and lighter. Once she retrieved them,Katrina put a cigarette between her lips and lit it as the doors began to close. Katrina caught a glimpse of a tall figure stepping into the elevator. She looked up and found herself face to face with a man she had never met before. His piercing forest green eyes met her piercing blue ones.

Derek Hale, still recovering from the shock of seeing his uncle Peter Hale in such a vulnerable state, couldn't help but be captivated by Katrina's beauty. Her presence was like a beacon of light in the dimly lit elevator, casting a spell on him that he couldn't break free from. He took a moment to gather himself, realizing that he was staring, and offered her a small smile. "Hi," he said, his voice a soft, gravelly whisper. "I think smoking in hospitals isn't allowed."he told her .