Avengers: The Recruits (On Hold)

Chapter 14

Two days later,the 22nd of December...
Victor finally woke up. I found this out by taking the elevator down to the infirmary,after breakfast, to relieve Darin of his duties to watch over Victor. I ran my fingers through my hair and I then smoothed out my dark blue shirt with sleeves that stop at my elbows as the elevator descended. A sigh slips out between my lips as I lazily turn my gaze to watch the blue numbers change on the level monitor. My chest feels heavy as I recall the memory of my friends and I returning from the mission to have Mr.Stark yelling at me for letting this happen. This is my fault and his words proved it to be true.
I was curled up on my bed crying a little when I heard a knock on my door. Quietly,I got up and opened it to find Mr.Stark looking tired and stressed. "I came to apologize," he said to me "I shouldn't have blamed you for my son getting...injured."
"You don't have to apologize,"I responded quietly as I turned my heavy gaze to the floor "it is my fault. I should have been more aware of my surrounds and that cost us greatly."
"Don't blame yourself kid,"Mr.Stark said with a sudden soft express on his face "you were doing your job and I'm guessing my son didn't want to lose a friend."
I nodded without looking at him,not listening to a word he says. He then walked off and I shut my door. I made my way over to my window and wrapped my arms across my chest as if to keep myself from breaking into a million pieces. "You were doing your job,"I sadly quoted Mr.Stark and then added "clearly I wasn't,I ended up getting a team member shot."
"Level 30,"the female robotic voice of the elevator says,bringing me back to reality. The elevator comes to a gentle halt and retracts the silver doors,revealing the hospital floor in front of me. Slowly I make my way to the room in which Victor is being kept in. Turning the handle of the door as quietly as possible,I then carefully open it and stop in my tracks as my heart rate speeds up from the scene before me.
Victor,he's awake! He is quietly sitting on the side of his bed,looking out the window, facing away from a sleeping Darin. Quietly closing the door behind me,I then make my way to Victor with my feet softly hitting the floor.
"Hey,"I whisper as I stand beside him as he stares out the window.
"He-y,"he quietly croaks as he slowly turns to look at me as I move to the nightstand beside his bed and open up a water bottle for him.
"How are you feeling,"I ask quietly once he finished drinking some water.
"Good but sore,"he says and then adds with a slight smirk "better than dead."
"Mhmm,"I hum back as my face falls blank. I then carefully sit down beside him after putting the water bottle back on the nightstand. We sit there in silence until I whisper "I'm sorry...for getting you shot. I should have been more aware of my surr-"
"Harley,"he interrupts me gently as he places his hand on top of mine "it's not your fault. Quit blaming yourself,I was the one who jumped in front of the gun. I made a choice,my own decision, to take a bullet for you."
I find his dark eyes gazing at me as mine begin to water. I don't say anything because I don't trust if my voice could be steady at the moment,so I just nod my head and turn my gaze away from him. "Want me to tell the others that you're awake?" I asked quietly as I watched the early rays of the sun shine onto the skyscrapers,turning them into beautiful shades of soft orange.
"No,I don't want to ruin this moment,"he says as he wraps his fingers around mine.
"Sooo..."I begin carefully as I raise an eyebrow at him "are we dating?"
"Yeah,"he says as I watch a smile stretch across his lips slightly from the corner of my eye.
A smile of my own begins to form as we watch the sun cast different colors onto the shiny buildings.

An hour later...
Darin finally woke up with a stir and pulled out his phone to text the others that Victor is awake. Us three have a casual conversation until a wave of our energetic friends run into the room saying things like "welcome back to the world," or "oh my gosh you scared us," or "well well well,look who finally woke up". Smiles spread throughout the room as Victor laughs carefully at our crazy friends.
"Hey guys,"he says as we help move him back into a laying position on the bed.
After a while, a nurse comes in along with Mr.Stark. "Kids can we have the room for a moment,"Mr.Stark asks as he clears his throat.
Without saying anything we get up and leave the room,but not without me turning to get a last look at Victor with a small smile on my face.
   After 30 long minutes of my friends and I sitting outside of Victor's hospital room,the door finally opens and the nurse and Mr.Stark walk out. The nurse pushes her black glasses up her nose and moves a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. "Be careful not to make him laugh too hard and DO NOT touch or examine his wound,"the nurse says as she grips her clipboard tightly. "He will be able to go back up to the penthouse in a couple of days,depending on how he is feeling."
   "Thanks Sadi,"Mr.Stark says and she gives him a curt nod before walking off down the hall. "You heard her kids,take it easy around him."
   We all nod and then calmly enter the room.
   "You guys want to watch tv?" Victor asks as he waves a tv remote in his right hand,with the arm that wasn't shot.
"Sure,"Darin and John reply as we all pile in chairs around Victor.