Skye Stark's Daughter (Stark's Daughter 3)

Chapter 14

My body burns but the cool metal wakes me up.

"Hey Kiddo." My dad says.

He's dressed in his Iron Man suit and is carrying me in one arm and Hope in the other.

"Are you alright?" He asks through his mask.

"I feel sick." I moan.

"We're nearly out, you can go back to sleep if you want." He offers.

I don't need to be offered twice. The exhaustion takes over every part of my body.

*

I force my eyes open and see my dad sat on a plastic chair next me.

"Ugh! I hate hospitals!" I moan.

"I know. Do you remember when you was shot?"

"How couldn't I? It was the worse pain ever." I point out and he laughs.

"You tried to pull out your UV drip." He reminds me.

"Where's Hope? Has she got brain damage? Is she paralyzed?" I question.

"She's fine. Stop worrying." He says.

"Where's Zeke?" I ask.

"With Hope, i said it was for the best. What did you say to get her back?"

"I told her Zeke was doing anger management classes." I explain.

"We have to find out who is doing this."

"They've obviously copied your pill."

"Obviously?"

"Well, yeah. You only made one. They used one on Nancy Smith and one on Hope. They must have copied it." I explain.

I hear a knock at the door and Zeke walks in, holding Lucas in his arms.

"Hey." He says.

"Hi." I mumble. He walks over to me and kisses my forehead.

"You scared me." He admits.

"I told Hope you are taking anger management classes. That is what got her out of the mind control pill." I explain.

"You were so brave. Lucas missed you." He whispers, passing me Lucas.

His green eyes shining up at me and he smiles.

"Did you miss me?" I ask, stroking his cheek.

"I need to go ring Pepper, I'll be back in a minute." My dad says as he walks out.

"How's Hope?"

"She's fine, she's awake and doesn't remember anything." He explains.

"Thats good."

"Want to see her?"

"Yeah."

"Hold on." Zeke says, he steps outside and comes back with a wheelchair.

"Are you supposed to have that?" I asks. He puts it next to the bed and i wrap my free arm around his neck and he lifts me and Lucas into the wheelchair.

We arrive at Hope's room, she sits up and wakes at us.

"Hello sweetie." I say as Zeke wheels me to her side and i stroke her hair.

"Who's this?" She asks, pointing at Lucas.

"This is Lucas, your baby brother. He lost his mummy and i said we'd take him. Want to hold him?"

"Yes please!" She excitedly replies, putting her hands out.

I place Lucas in her arms and move her arms into the right place.

*

Two hours later and we're allowed home. I carry Lucas inside and Hope goes straight to bed, i feed Lucas and then put him in his bedroom, that used to be the spare room before we changed it.

Then i sit on the sofa and relax, rubbing cream on my lightly burnt hands.

"I'll do it." Zeke offers, taking the cream from me and rubbing it in.

"I know how to find out who is doing this." I admit.

"Yeah, how?"

"I have Hope's clothes that she was wearing, there's got to be some mud or stone dust on them. I scan it and trace it back."

"Good, you should tell your dad."

"Why?"

"I don't want you to go."

"Why not?"

"I don't want you to get hurt again." He whispers, putting the cream down and cuddling up next to me on the sofa.

"Okay." I reply. I pull out my phone and text my dad the idea.

"Stop worrying, everything is fine now." Zeke points out, kissing my nose.