Persuasion »Quicksilver

After

Inside the hospital room, everything was deathly still. Pietro's skin was pale and almost translucent, except for a faint tint across his prominent cheekbones.  It would be so easy to mistake him for dead, I realized, with a sharp stab to my heart. His hand remains still in my own, as cold as ice.

After I, somehow, resuscitated him, the doctors did the rest, supervised by Helen Cho. Luckily she had recovered from Ultrons attack and the cradle was also intact. Pietro had a constant flow of medicine, blood and various other liquids pumped into him from his IV to help him recover. He had been in a steady condition for a while. He's been in a coma for 4 weeks.

A nurse had changed him straight away into a plain hospital gown so he's no longer wearing the torn and bloodied clothing he had on for the battle. But I can still see the bullets when I close my eyes.

Letting go of his hand, I stand up shakily and move towards the large window. Beneath me grass stretches out to the edge of a deep forest, a group of agents in black uniform run across the field, their footfalls synchronised. Usually I would be joining one of the training sessions, but Steve and Natasha had called an avengers meeting today, starting in half an hour.

The door to the hospital room clicked open, and I turned expecting a docter or a nurse to enter- to check him or to try to shoo me away again (they disapprove of my daily visits. It must seem pointless to them, sitting and talking to a man who probably can't even hear me.)

"Oh, Kat! I didn't realise.." Wanda blurts out, not entering the room but hovering on the threshold.

"It's alright, come in." I say, offering a small smile.

It's not like she was interrupting a deep conversation, I think sadly.

Gingerly she makes her way over to the bedside, pulling up a chair that makes a quiet screech. I know that Wanda comes as often as me to visit Pietro, but somehow we've never been at the same time. Until now. A heavy silence falls over the room like dust, the pair of us conscious of it's lingering but not really caring.  I tug on a strand of my hair nervously. I'm not quite sure why I'm nervous, I have no reason to be. 

I feel like we have a lot to say to each other, that we just can't put into words. Her brother has pulled us together, somehow. It's not like it's the first time we have been together after the battle, we have had a few training sessions together as our abilities are similar in ways and have hung out with her and others. But being in this room, with Pietro in a state of stupor, it's as if we are both raw and bleeding for each other to see. Guilt fills me as I think of the pain  and heartache she must be going through, not being able to help her twin who has been with her through everything- Because he saved me.

"I should go.." I say, shifting to leave.

"Please...please stay." Wanda says tearing her gaze from her twin to me, hastily wiping her eyes.

She is beautiful but the lack of sleep and worry is evident on her face. I wonder if my pain is as obvious too. 

"I'm sorry. It's my fault he's like this," I whisper, looking at my hands. "this is the second time he's saved my life, and he's paid for it and... You must hate me for this, and I don't disagree. Your brother, he is so brave and I'm eternally grateful  but I don't know how to say what I feel. I've never been good at expressing my feelings and-"

"Katie," Wanda interrupts, a small smile blossoming on her lips "you saved my brothers life."

She stands up, walking over to me, while I open and close my mouth silently, like a human fish. Suddenly Wanda pulls me into a tight hug.