girl ― saved by captain america

[twelve] soft

[Steve]

"She's awfully warm, Bruce," I say anxiously as I rest my hand gently against Girl's forehead. After settling her back down in her bed, I didn't hesitate to take a seat right next to her on the edge of the mattress, intent on studying the child's behavior and condition carefully. As he flips through some documents from a Hydra file, the doctor lets out a sigh, brushing a hand back through his thick, dark hair.

"Let's just get a read on it," he mumbles, fumbling through his equipment until he finds what he's looking for. When he turns to Girl with a thermometer in hand, removing the wand from the box and clicking a disposable tip onto the metal rod, the child's eyes widen with fear as she cowers away slightly. Letting my hand trail from her forehead to her hair, I stroke it down gently. "Here, Girl. We need to put this under your tongue so we can check you for a fever. Can you open your mouth for me?" Bruce asks patiently, well aware of her uneasiness.

Eyes wide with trepidation, Girl puffs out her bottom lip as her whole body begins to tremble. Offering her a sympathetic smile, I do my best to ease the little one's fears. "It's alright, it won't hurt you," I tell her softly. "It'll only take a few moments." I wish there was something more I could do to ease her anxiety, but know that as much as it sucks, this is just going to take time. Her body is still in full protective mode, and I don't blame her, not at all. I just hope that soon, she'll start to realize that we're really just trying to help her. That we're on her side.

"This little stick is gonna tell me how warm your body is," Bruce explains, tapping the wand against his hand. "It'll just sit right under your tongue, and it won't move anywhere else. It's covered with a soft pad, see? I promise, it won't hurt you."

When Girl's tear-filled eyes glance over at me anxiously, her mouth fumbling to form words, I realize that she's quite literally too afraid to speak. Shifting my body towards her so that we're facing one another, I take a deep breath, pausing only for a moment before wrapping my arms around the little girl carefully, lifting her almost completely off the bed. A frightened whimper sounds against my shoulder as I turn around, placing myself down where she was initially sitting, letting the boney child rest safely in my lap. After several moments of blinking and adjusting to her new position, Girl eases my worries by relaxing into me slightly, allowing me to let out a breath of relief that I was holding in. Wrapping my arms around her loosely, I trail a hand back up to brush back her hair, enjoying the feeling of holding the small girl so close.

"Can you open your mouth, sweetheart?" I ask her again, hoping she'll feel a bit safer now that I'm holding her.

Girl takes a few shaky breaths, her face still flushed with hesitation. But then, to my surprise, she gives in to my request, cautiously allowing her lips to part. This earns her a smile from Bruce, who gently reaches out and slips the thermometer inside. The child flinches as the wand makes contact with the inside of her mouth, her whole body still quivering as a few stray tears escape her eyes. "You're okay, Girl. We're almost done. You're doing great," Bruce praises.

A beep signals the end of the reading, causing Girl to jump as the wand is promptly removed. Bruce frowns down at the box as he shoots the cover into the trash bin beside the bed, giving away the verdict.

"Hundred-and-one," he reveals, "that's no good."

"S-sorry," Girl whimpers, her head hanging low as if she's a puppy who's been scolded.

"Hey, you don't have to be sorry; you can't help what your temperature is," I reassure her, rubbing my hands up and down her arms in an effort to soothe her.

"She could have a bug and it would be no big deal; I just worry that with all she's been through, she could've caught some sort of infection or something," Bruce thinks aloud. "How does your tummy feel?" he asks. Girl doesn't look up, which worries me.