||"I fall to pieces when I'm with you."||
Two slow weeks passed, with no word of Steve and Pietro returning.
There was no word of anyone stopping by to see her, actually.
And though she had Vera and Elijah with her every day—and on occasion, Nik—she still felt alone. Was she supposed to feel this way during her pregnancy? She'd seen movies of people who were expecting children. They went shopping and threw parties and ate out. They were surrounded by family, not by steel walls.
But what else was she supposed to do? It was clear that she was there, in this place, for a reason. She had to keep reminding herself that this was for the best and that all that mattered was that her baby was healthy and that she was getting the necessary treatment to keep things that way.
The door to Wanda's room opened, and Vera stepped inside, a beautiful smile on her face.
"Want to join me for a walk?" her nurse asked, and Wanda felt her shoulders relax with relief.
When they made their way down to the elevator, Wanda noticed that there were no guards that day, but she didn't question it. It'd been a while since she and Vera had walked around alone together without people following them.
"It's a beautiful day out," Vera said. "There's no reason to be held up inside all day."
The elevator brought them down to the first floor, and Wanda was surprised to see that it was empty. No one was walking around and there were no distant voices. It was all quiet. Almost like they were expecting her and were just hiding.
The thought saddened her.
"Are we supposed to be out here?" Wanda finally asked, shielding her eyes with her hand as they stepped outside, the sun shining bright in the sky. The fresh air was almost intoxicating. How long had it been since she'd appreciated the sun's warmth?
Not since Nik--
A headache began to form in her head again, and she groaned, grabbing a hold of Vera's hand to steady herself.
"Are you okay?" Vera asked. "Do you want to sit down?"
"No," Wanda shook her head, blinking away the red of her magic. "Let's just walk."
For a few minutes, Wanda stared down at the pebbled path beneath her feet, leaning toward Vera most of the time until she felt okay enough to raise her head and look forward.
That's when she noticed where they were. Or at least what surrounded them.
Water. Lots and lots of water.
It looked as though the facility was on an island, and miles away, she could see a glimpse of the shore. Where were they?
"The government finances this place," Vera began. "Before you showed up, it was a place where we'd conduct experiments and do research and take care of people who needed it. Mutants. Enhanced." They followed the pebbled path that circled the island, stopping a few times so that Wanda could take a breath or two.
"Why am I here?" she asked, releasing her nurse's hand.
"It was either here or the Raft, which I must say, is not a place a woman in your condition should be. So I'm very happy that you're here instead, where it's not crowded and not busy. It's also really close to the city. It's what your team agreed to."
Wanda sat down on the nearest bench, staring out at the water. "You didn't answer my question."
Vera sat down next to her, taking a breath before saying, "You know why you're here, Wanda. There is no hidden reason--nothing you don't already know. It's for your health. For you and for your child. That's all it is."
