UNKNOWN GUEST

#47 Those Brown Eyes

I laughed as I listened to Cooper and Lila ramble about their new pet squirrel. "Really? It's too fast, guys. Be careful around it. And you two need to take care of it, alright? Just like Mom takes care of you—how she feeds you, how she makes you sleep, everything."

They chimed in with a cheerful, "Yes!"

"Okay, bye. See you soon," I said, hanging up and handing the phone back to Uncle Clint. 

He took it and casually tossed it onto the bed. We were sitting in my room, facing each other. He sighed and then suggested, "Why don't you move to the farmhouse? It must be hard for you to do everything on your own."

I rolled my eyes. "Uncle, I have nothing here that I need help with. Jarvis orders food whenever I want, the bill is on the tower, and all I do is roam around a little bit, try walking a few steps now and then. That's all."

He sighed with a nod. "Alright. Laura was a bit worried."

We shared a smile, and then he added, "Speaking of Laura, she's pregnant."

I couldn't hold back my grin. "That's amazing news. How far along?"

He shrugged. "Five weeks, probably?"

I smiled. "Well, congratulations, Uncle, on your third child."

He sighed dramatically. "As per your story, it'll be a boy, huh? I wanted another girl."

We laughed together, but then a thought hit me. Aunt Laura is pregnant, which means—Ultron events are coming. A threat that no one has predicted.

Uncle Clint must have noticed my sudden silence because he asked, "You okay?"

I shook my head, trying to push down the thoughts of Ultron. I couldn't reveal anything about it. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't stop it from happening. The Avengers need Vision—the supreme being that would only be born through Ultron. I couldn't do anything that might mess with that process. So, instead, I shifted the conversation and said, "Nothing. Just... Mom came to see me the day she left. She said you could give me her coordinates if I ever want to contact her."

He nodded, then explained, "We use some old-school methods. Like walkie-talkie signals. When we get the signal, we use payphones to contact."

I raised an eyebrow. "Payphones? Those things still exist?"

He nodded again. "They do. Mostly in motels. You know, motels are often used as emergency shelters, so they still have payphones."

I sighed, feeling the weight of uncertainty. "Any idea where she could be?"

He shook his head, looking a bit unsure himself. "Not really. My guess? Maybe around Italy, or Germany, or France. Don't know for sure."

I nodded, and we sat in silence for a few more minutes, the weight of the unknown hanging between us. Eventually, Uncle Clint got up to leave, giving me a reassuring pat on the shoulder before heading out. The room felt a little emptier without him, and I was left alone with my thoughts—thoughts I couldn't share with anyone.

I sighed, gathering every ounce of courage before pushing myself out of the robo-chair and onto my own two feet. "Jarvis, can you operate the chair?"

The AI responded smoothly, "Yes, Mr. Little Red. What can I assist you with?"

I shook my head with a small, amused smile. "I need you to move the chair behind me wherever I go. I'll try walking on my own."

"Don't worry, Mr. Roberts. I've got your back," Jarvis responded.

I shook my head, amused by how human Jarvis could sound sometimes. It was hard to believe he was just an AI and not a real person. The dude was weirdly supportive. Taking a deep breath, I started walking, putting my left foot forward. It stung, but it was bearable. Then I took the next step with my right foot, and the moment all the pressure shifted to my left leg, a jolt of pain shot through every vein. I quickly grabbed the robo-chair beside me, steadying myself.

"Are you okay, Mr. Roberts?" Jarvis asked, his tone concerned—well, as concerned as an AI could be.

"I'm fine," I muttered, though the pain was written all over my face.

I let go of the chair and tried standing on my own again, but my left leg was trembling uncontrollably. Up until now, I had been trying to walk with the support of the chair, but this—doing it without any help—was way more painful than I had imagined.

"Dr. Cho is in the tower," Jarvis informed me.

I nodded, acknowledging the information. "Okay."

I took another step to the side, and as the weight shifted back to my left leg, the pain was sharper than before—so sharp that it wasn't bearable anymore. My hand reached out for the chair, but it slipped, and I knew I was going to hit the ground. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the fall, accepting it. But... it didn't happen.

I didn't hit the ground. Instead, I felt as if I was suspended in mid-air. A pair of hands—one on my back, the other on my waist—were holding me up, keeping me from falling. I opened my eyes and found myself staring into two brown eyes. Eyes I'd never seen before.  I didn't recognize them, but they were close, too close.

"You alright?" The voice broke my trance, and I blinked, clearing my vision to see Dr. Cho holding me like a man would hold his date at a ball dance. Her hand was firm on my waist, the other steadying me by the back.

Without thinking, I blurted out, "You alright?" The irony of the question hit me a second later.

She chuckled, her giggle light and warm, just inches above me. Then she carefully set me down on the chair behind me. I sat down, trying to catch my breath, but I knew I wasn't breathing. I was in deep trouble. Those brown eyes... damn those brown eyes.

I cleared my throat, trying to steady my racing thoughts as I looked away for a moment. It felt like the oxygen in the room had dropped below the usual 21%, making it just a bit harder to breathe. After gathering myself, I sighed and met her gaze, "Hello, Dr. Cho. I didn't know you'd be here."

But just as I started to regain a semblance of composure, Jarvis chimed in with his usual impeccable timing, "I informed you of Dr. Cho's presence earlier, Mr. Roberts."

I closed my eyes and let out a resigned sigh, "Okay, Jarvis, keep quiet." My voice carried the weariness of someone who knew they'd just been thrown under the bus by an AI.

Dr. Cho smirked, shaking her head slightly, as if amused by the entire exchange. "The upper layer still needs another week or so to become resistant to nerve pain, Mr. Roberts. You can't force it."

I shook my head, trying to downplay the situation, "I've always tried walking with the support of this chair. Today, I just... wanted to try walking on my own."

She smiled, a warm and slightly teasing expression that only deepened my embarrassment. "A round of applause for your effort, but it's not right to strain it."

I nodded, accepting her advice with a bit of reluctance. "Got it."

As we started moving toward my room, the air felt lighter, though my heart was still pounding a bit too fast. Dr. Cho cleared her throat, breaking the silence with a playful tone, "You know, I've always wished to recreate this pose I saw in a movie, where the male lead holds the female lead by her waist. And today, it was fulfilled... just in the other way around. Wish I could have this picture."

I sighed in deep embarrassment, my face heating up as if I'd been caught doing something utterly ridiculous. And, of course, Jarvis couldn't resist chiming in, "You can have access to the footage through Mr. Stark."

I gasped, feeling the embarrassment triple in intensity, "Jarvis!"

Dr. Cho laughed, the sound light and genuinely amused, "Why? Embarrassed, Mr. Roberts?"

I shook my head, trying to salvage what little dignity I had left, "You don't have to say it out loud."

She just kept laughing, clearly enjoying the situation as she began readying the machines for my checkup.