He looks so young and almost innocent in his sleep. She has never seen his face so calm. There is no pensive frown between his eyebrows, or a smirk curving his lips, no flashing dimples or blue eyes winking at her.
"Don't you dare die on me, Jack." She hates feeling this useless and this afraid. There is nothing she can do but sit here and wait. "You're the most stubborn, pig-headed man that I know, and that's saying something."
"Now, Marge, don't get so sentimental, I might cry."
"Jack! You're awake." He tries to sit up and she hurries to stop him. "Don't move. I'll get the nurse."
"I'm okay."
"You got shot and you almost died, you're not okay."
"Oh, that's nothing. I was once trapped with half a battalion behind the German line by a blizzard and we were pinned down by a HYDRA blockade for months. Then I was sent to Iwo Jima and then Okinawa. There's a good possibility I might be immortal, Marge."
"God saves us all."
And there it is. That smirk with the cute dimples and those baby blue eyes full of mischief. She clears her throat and tampers down the smile tugging at her lips. "Who shot you, Jack?"
"Wish I knew." He groans when he moves a little. "I would love to return the favour." His eyebrows came together in a pensive frown. "Was there something taken from my room?"
"I was wondering the same thing, so I had your things brought over here. I thought you might want to check when you were done with your nap."
There is another flash of dimples at that. "Well, bring them over here, Agent. We have work to do."
"Of course, Chief."
He chuckles. "If there were any justice or logic in this world, I would be calling you chief." That stops her in her tracks.
"Whatever happen with the 'natural order of the universe' and 'no man will ever consider you his equal'?"
"Oh, well. It's okay to be wrong from time to time."
"So I have been told." She bites the inside of her cheek and brings him over his things. He looks trough his things with her help.
"Wait. There is a file missing."
"Which file?"
"One that took from Vernon things. Most of it was blacked out though."
"What was the file on?"
"M. Carter."
"Michael Carter?" She swallows a breath.
"He was only referred to as M. Carter. Who is he?"
"Was." She looks away and tries to compose herself. "My brother. What did the file say?"
"I only glanced at it. I was planning on reading it on the plane. Like I said, most of it was blacked out." His hand goes to her arm and squeezes it reassuringly. "Get some pencil and paper. I will tell you what I remember."
"You said you only glanced at it."
"I did, but I do have a photographic memory. It's how I got through uni."
"Okay."