Breaking The Unbroken

Chapter 14

Steve's POV

I watched as Lyric slept in the infirmary bed, a bruise sitting on the chestnut skin of her cheek.

"Man, we really need to get a neurologist around here." Bruce muttered, looking at the scans from Lyric's MRI.

"What do you see? Anything?" Bucky asked hopefully.

"Everything here is normal, but Tony's called in a psychologist. Should be here anytime now." Bruce left and Bucky looked over at me.

"Clint found the bodies. 3 men, apparently apart of a gang. What she did to them...it was terrible Steve." Bucky explained.

"What the hell did that Harry kid do to her? Dammit, we should've never let them be together. She wasn't ready!"

"Steve, she'd never be ready until it happened. This...this is something else entirely. Somehow she tapped back into her training and that's what killed those men. We didn't do anything wrong." Bucky's words did little to ease my worry. She should've never been able to tap back into her training.

Lyric's eyes fluttered open after about 10 minutes of Bucky and I sitting next to her bed. Her tired eyes met my own and I smiled.

"Hey Darlin'. You gave us quite a scare there." I said as cheerily as I could. She gave no response, she just looked.

"Doll, you want anything, water, jello?" Bucky offered. She gave him the same reaction she gave me: silence.

"Lyric, can you answer us please?" I asked, frantically scanning her body for any obvious injury that was missed.

"Lyr, it doesn't even have to be words. Maybe a simple nod yes or no. Can you speak?" Bucky tried. No answer.

~*~

Selective muteness. The psychologist diagnosed her with that about 2 months ago. A week after the diagnosis came the nightmares. That's the only time anyone heard her voice at all. She wouldn't eat unless fed, shower unless reminded, nor leave the room unless brought out.

"Steve, any change?" Tony asked hopefully. I didn't have the heart to answer him. I just shook my head no. "Where's Bucky? He with her now?"

"Yeah, he took her to therapy today, I just didn't have it in me." Tony pulled me into a hug and let me just collapse in him.

"She's working with the best Steve. She will talk again, we will get her back to normal again." He vowed, but I was tired of the empty promises from me and everyone else. I promised I would take care of her.

I failed.

"Just try to keep it together. If we stay together, everything will come together." Yeah, I didn't believe that not one bit. Today was just another day I failed my daughter.

~*~

122 days, 23 hours and 22 minutes since Lyric spoke. In all that time she hadn't said a single word and I was a wreck. Missions came and went and I just had to get through them.

I had to do anything just to get through the day. Wake up, run for an hour, eat breakfast, train, mission reports, lunch, more training, more mission reports, and then sleep. The occasional mission was sprinkled in here and there and of course I had to get Lyric out of bed sometimes, make her food, and do her hair for her. I don't know how I did things before Lyric, but now everything feels...less.

"Steve, it's getting late and you haven't eaten all day today." Natasha sighed. Well, some days sticking to the schedule was harder than others.

"I just...you gotta let me finish this Tasha. Lyric already asleep?" I said tiredly.

"Yeah, Tony and Pepper just got her to go to sleep. She was good today. Ate everything, washed her hair with no problem, and even drank all the water we gave her."

"But still no talking." Nat gave me a weak smile and rubbed my shoulder.

"It's the small victories Steve. You can't win every battle and you know that." I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"I don't feel like I've been winning many battles nowadays."

"Get something to eat and go to bed. I'll be back in an hour to check on you." Natasha left me and I went back to work. It was nearly an hour later when I heard footsteps enter the kitchen again.

"Nat, I'm just about done, alright?"

"Papa?" I dropped the pen and froze with my eyes open wide. The voice was scraggly and scratchy, but there was no mistaking the owner. I slowly turned to see Lyric watching me, her hair in the purple satin bonnet Bucky bought her, and her body in Tony's Led Zeppelin T-shirt shirt and my sweatpants. She looked so small standing in front of me, almost like a spirit. It couldn't be her.

"H-hey Darlin." I stuttered.

"Why're you up?" I quickly wiped the falling tear from my eye and smiled.

"Just couldn't sleep. Didn't Tony and Pepper watch you go to sleep?" I asked.

"Tricked 'em." Lyric walked closer to me and gave me a crooked smile. Her eyes were rimmed red and I could tell she was crying before. "Sorry I was quiet for so long." At this, I openly began to sob as I pulled her into my arms.

"That's okay, all that matters is that you're talking now and you're safe here." I assured her, kissing her forehead.

"I love you."

She was quiet for 123 days, but today she told me she loved me. Today she spoke.