Allie
~~~
My eyes are glued on the view of the empty sidewalk and everything else is starting to feel so far away.
The shock of the situation feels far away, reality feels far away.
"Allie? Allie?"
I barely register Steve saying my name or when he places his hand on my shoulder gently. Focus has escaped me and so I try blinking and blinking to bring the world back to clarity but to no avail.
I don't feel like I'm here right now.
Steve steps in front of me and looks into my blinking eyes, a frown on his face.
"Allie? Are you alright?" He pauses and then follows up with, "We will find Gabie, I promise you."
"I'm-uh," the words are escaping me, just floating away. "Sorry, I can't- uhm- no words..."
"Hey hey, it's alright," he soothes and holds his hands up, waiting for permission from me. I manage a nod and he envelops me in a safe and shielding hug. "You don't have to say anything."
"But we have to-we have to-" I'm not making any sense and I know I'm not so I groan in frustration.
"We do have to get back to the apartment and coordinate with SHIELD the next steps," he says for me and I nod in agreement. "We'll go back and I can do all the talking." I nod and he takes my hand, guiding me back.
~~~
I hate hospitals. It's not the building I despise but everything in it. I hate hospital beds, heart monitors, IV's, wheelchairs, crutches, bright lights, cold tile, and most of all the sad people that wander the halls.
Standing in front of the glass window into Fury's operating room, however, is the most chilling thing I've experienced in a hospital. His blood is still on my hands and clothes along with my own; I haven't had time to change or clean up.
Gabie and the assassin disappeared without a single trace or even the barest hint of a clue as to where they might have gone. The bond between Gabie and I is still shut but I can feel she is still alive.
Everything after Steve and I raced back to his apartment passed in a blur of Shield agents, flashing lights, and red stains.
None of it feels real, I don't feel real. Steve is standing next to me and he is squeezing my hand rhythmically but the sensation feels far away.
This state is familiar to me, somewhat, I've dissociated before but never this severely and for this long. I used to struggle with dissociation back in high school but the episodes never lasted very long. The last time I completely dissociated was during my time with him.
Remembering the grounding techniques I picked up I start squeezing Steve's hand back and kick my shoes off to press my feet against the cold ground. The sensations help.
Behind us the doors fly open and Natasha rushes in, worry evident on her face. She comes to a screeching halt when her eyes land on Fury.
"Is he gonna make it?" Natasha asks stiffly, trying to hold her strong and icy composure.
"I don't know," Steve replies.
YOU ARE READING
Target Acquired (3) (Siren and Quiver Series)
Fanfiction"The Siren is dead, the villain Killian murdered her in cold blood," she taunts and I flinch. "The people call you Phoenix now." "Siren isn't dead, I'm not dead," I growl and clench my hands. I'm furious, I hate that I was renamed, hate that Siren...
