Unexpected

Interrogation

"She seemed nice." Janine said after Natasha had left. "Is she a friend of yours?"

I shrugged, "In a way I suppose." Closing a portal to the other side of space together could be the start of a very strange friendship.

Janine's eyes fell on my hardly touched meal, "Did you not like the parmesan chicken?"

"I guess my stomach wasn't quite ready for a meal." What I really wasn't ready for was the news about Loki.

"Would you like to try something else? Oatmeal? Toast? A Jell-O cup?"

"No thank you." I mumbled, my mouth opening in a wide yawn, "Really, I'm just tired. I think I'd like to sleep."

"Okay then," Janine smiled. "How's your side?"

"Um, kind of stingy."

"Before you turn in for the night, though, can I check your side to see how everything's healing?"

I nodded and Janine stepped out, returning with some topical creams, some clothes, and some gauze and bandage tape. Moving my blankets and hospital shift away, she carefully worked the bandage off from over my side. I turned my head to look the other way. I remembered what it had looked like during the battle, I didn't need to see it now, infected and scabby and whatnot.

"It's looking much better!" Janine's tone was encouraging, "I'm going to clean it down then coat it with a topical disinfectant."

"Okay." I said quietly, flinching as soon as I felt something cold touch against the damaged flesh. Whatever she was cleaning my wound out with felt like it burned and any pressure added to the pain. I clamped my mouth shut so as not to cry out, but I couldn't help taking in loud, sharp intakes of breath whenever the stinging increased. Then came the ointment which was soothingly cool, but by now my wound was tender and even the movement caused by breathing was a discomfort. Carefully Janine re-bandaged me up, saying she was going to fetch me a painkiller. She also asked if I wanted something to help me sleep. I hesitated a moment, then decided that, yes, yes I would like anything to help me get through this night. I was incredibly tired now, but I also knew that I was a light sleeper and that my mind would refuse to let me rest with all the information I got today swirling around inside my skull, not to mention the literal pain in my side.

Once I was given my pills, Janine bid me goodnight and said that if I needed anything, just press the 'call' button and someone would be with me in a flash before leaving me in the dark. The sleeping medication acted quickly with my exhausted mind and I was soon dead asleep.

I finally woke up around ten in the morning by the sounds of someone moving around my hospital room. Opening my eyes I found a new nurse, a short, chunky woman with short salt and pepper hair holding my clipboard.

"Good morning." Her voice was cheerful when she noticed I was awake, "How're you feeling?"

Turns out this new nurse's name was Merri and the woman spoke really fast. She jabbered pleasantly at me as she looked over my clipboard before offering me food. I agreed to try some oatmeal and fruit and within an hour I had eaten, brushed my teeth, and had brushed my hair which I tied clumsily into two braided pigtails. Also during this time, to my great surprise, Merri waved in three delivery men, all of whom carried tall bouquets of red, purple, yellow, and white flowers. They left and came back a minute later with two more vases of flowers and a large brown stuffed bear that had a large yellow bow around his neck with a little note attached. Bewildered as I accepted the bear from the delivery man, I thanked them and as soon as they left I opened the note to find that it simply read, "For Blondie".