The Man My Father Always Talked About • A CAPTAIN AMERICA STORY

12

~12~

Steve started to sit up in his bed, but groaned in pain. Clara leaned forward quickly and placed a hand on his arm to stop him from moving. "Don't push yourself Steve," Clara said, her voice warm and gentle as she whispered in the hospital room.

"When did you get here?" He asked, his voice tired and weak given the circumstances.

"Earlier today," she answered, her thumb rubbing Steve's arm gently, almost as if she didn't then Steve would forget she was there.

"You didn't have to come all the way from California just to see me." Clara remembered she hadn't talked to Steve since her and her brother were attacked. Steve had been so busy with his back to back missions with SHIELD, sending him to different countries, that he never heard of any attack against the Starks.

"New York, actually. It wasn't a bad trip." She chuckled softly. Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"When did you move to New York?" Steve asked, shifting under the white blanket.

"A few months ago, Tony and I..." she stopped herself, feeling that if Steve didn't know what happened yet, then it was best he didn't know at all. "We had some business to take care of and thought it would be easier to move back. The company was there, the tower was there, it just seemed like the better choice." Clara's brown eyes roamed over his body again, seeing the scars and bruises that put Steve in the hospital in the first place. "I see Washington hasn't been treating you well."

Steve chuckled softly. "It hasn't been too bad until now. Well, other than the fact that Fury likes to keep me busy. I mean, I did get to see an old friend..." he hesitated before finishing. "...Peggy." Clara's eyes softened at the name of father's old friend. She had met Peggy when she was younger and she still believed she was one of the nicest people she had ever met. "I found out my neighbor was really a SHIELD spy while also finding out that SHIELD was compromised by Hydra."

"Sam told me," Clara said sadly. "Its a shame, seeing the organization my father invested so much of his life into be the enemy they tried to destroy." She sighed before her lips turned into a sad smirk. "He didn't do a lot for me and Tony, but he did try to do a lot for the world. Now look at it..."

"There was no way of knowing back then," Steve tried to reassure her, but Clara shook her head.

"It was destined to happened one of these days." Clara said, her voice low and quiet. The two stayed silent as they let the truth sink in. Steve looked at her, seeing her eyes staring straight at the white blanket without a sign of emotion.

"Nice bracelets," He said, weakly lifting up his finger to point at them as he tried to change the subject.

"My newest creation," she said. "Iron blasters. I would activate one, but I wouldn't want to risk hurting you even more." Steve chuckled as Clara tossed her feet back up onto the bed and leaned into her chair. "So...Marvin Gaye, Troubled Man soundtrack." Sam had left it on when he left earlier.

"Oh yeah," Steve said, glancing at the paused iPod on the table beside him. "It's not that bad."

She glanced at the clock on the wall, reading 3:49. "You should probably get some rest."

"I've rested long enough, trust me. You're the one that needs to sleep."

"I'm fine," Clara yawned. Steve raised an eyebrow as she proved herself wrong. "Maybe a few minutes wouldn't hurt." She crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes, feeling the weight of the world leave her shoulders as she rested in the uncomfortable waiting room chair. As she lay with her head down, Steve caught himself staring. He truly admired her. Not only did her eyes the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, he loved how smart she was, how loving she was, and how loyal she was. He loved her humor and how she could stand up for herself. "Whatcha lookin at Steve?" Clara asked, one eye open as she caught the captain staring.

"Nothing," he smiled, not phased by the fact that he was caught staring. "I'm just glad your here."

Clara smiled before whispering, "so am I." Minutes later, the sound of soft snores could be heard coming from the sleeping Brunette. Steve's eyes began to feel heavy, and before he fell asleep, her stared at her. He tried to notice every last detail of her for when she left. He noticed the freckles she had on her cheeks and the tiny white scar on her neck that she gained from her Malibu house exploding. Steve slowly drifted to sleep that night, and he got the best sleep he had in a while, knowing that Clara was with him and wouldn't be leaving him any time soon.