Quiver | Pietro Maximoff ✔

Chapter Seven

~Eliza's POV~

Why hasn't he woken up?" I stared at Pietro's body, watching his chest slowly rise and fall under the light blanket that had been pulled over him. A few tubes had been injected into his arms, and were slowly pumping food and water into his body. The small mask over his mouth clouded with every breath he took.

"Eliza, we told you, he got hurt badly-" Bruce began, but I interrupted him.

"But it's been two days. It's been two days, Bruce. Why hasn't he woken up? You told me he has accelerated healing." My throat was burning, and my mind felt fuzzy. I hadn't slept since I'd first woken up, to find I'd hurt Pietro so badly that his body had slipped into a temporary coma.

"He'll recover much faster than the average human." Bruce settled himself into the chair next to me. "It will still take time, but instead of months, even years after a back injury like that, Pietro will only need a couple of days, maybe a week or two at most."

"But..." I was at a loss for words, the guilt gnawing at my chest, making my breathing falter. "This is my fault." I whispered.

I could hear Bruce's sigh, but instead of turning to look at him, I brought my knees up to my chest in my chair, and shielded my face in them. It was because of me that Pietro was struggling to recover from injuries I'd given him.

"It wasn't you, it was the Hulk-"

"Who is a part of me, right? We're connected, so whatever she does, I do too! I hurt him Bruce. I hurt him!" I snapped my head to the side, tears making the image of him become blurry. His silence was the only confirmation I needed that I was the one at wrong.

I pushed myself away from my chair, and stalked to the other side of the room. I needed to get out, and let off steam somewhere. The Hulk was being surprisingly quiet, but I could only feel my own raw, human anger growing at the situation I was in.

"Eliza, you need to-"

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" I screamed in a sudden outburst, waving my hands out. "I hurt him! Look at him! And that was an accident, I didn't mean to hurt him like this."

I was sobbing as Bruce stood up, but I couldn't take his sympathy right now. I couldn't face listening to his empathetic speeches about what he'd been through, I just needed to stop.

I was tired.

I backed into the door as he approached, and managed to fumble with the handle so it opened behind me. I left him in the room with Pietro, and began pacing the length of the corridors alone. I needed to scream, to yell, to punch out my frustrations with the world. I needed to find whoever had injected me, find out their motives, and take revenge on them for ruining my life.

If they hadn't hurt me, then I wouldn't have hurt him.

I could feel my pace speed up, and as I stormed round the corner I hit someone. Hard.

I stumbled back, sliding across the floor in my socks before managing to right myself. Bucky wasn't so lucky, and was sprawled on his back, groaning. "Nice to see you too Eliza."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, suddenly sheepish with how rude I was acting towards others, and offered him my hand.

He staggered to his feet, wiping his hands on his trousers before looking at me. His eyes focused on mine, eyebrows furrowing as his lips parted momentarily. "Are you about to cry?"

"What? No!" I protested, trying to swallow back the burn of my throat that had been living there since I'd first seen Pietro's state.

"Do you want to come to the gym?" He offered, gesturing back down the hall I'd just marched through. "Let off some steam." He tilted his head knowingly, reading my behaviour like it was written across my face. Which it probably was.