The acidic taste of bile rose in the back of her throat and stung her eyes. She had long since rid herself of any food, her stomach now simply rejecting its own bile in a desperate attempt to get whatever it was out. Knuckles rapped lightly on the other side of the door, the concerned voice of Natasha filtering in through the cracks.
Why is it whenever she talks to me lately its always concern?
"Evie? You okay?" She wanted to answer, she did, but between her raw throat and heaving breaths all she managed was a pathetic croak.
"Talk to me girl."
'I'm trying' Evie thought angrily. She slumped down, resting her flushed cheek against the cool, flat surface the wall as she gathered her wits.
"Natasha, give her a minute." Wanda's gentle voice broke through the tense silence as if she had heard her thoughts, which Evie didn't doubt she did. She could feel the concern coming off the two of them in waves.
She rallied what remained of her strength, pushing herself off the wall with a grunt and grasping the edge of the sink to keep herself from collapsing. Pulling herself up with trembling arms, she shrank away from the sight in the mirror. Dark bags hung under bloodshot hazel eyes. Wild honey-colored strands released themselves from her hair tie and stuck up around her face in all directions, some plastered to the sweat of her neck and forehead.
When did I get so pale?
She fought off a wave of dizziness, squeezing her eyes shut as she ground her heels into the floor and the palms of her hands into the hard surface of the sink edge.
Deep breaths.
After several deep, grounding gulps of sweet, sweet oxygen, the dizziness subsided and the churning in her stomach lessened, allowing her to open her eyes. Skipping another haunting glance in the mirror, she wrenched the cold water on, dousing her face and neck and rinsing the bile out of her mouth. Steeling herself, she slowly opened the door and tried not to wince when Natasha took in her appearance.
The red-head gave her a hard once-over, looking as if she wanted to say something but kept her lips tightly closed in a scowl. She moved wordlessly to take one of Evie's limp arms, slipping a supportive hand to the small of her back.
"You alright lady?" Her attempt at keeping a light tone failed miserably.
Evie gave as much of a nod as she could without the ground slipping out from underneath her.
Natasha didn't look convinced, but didn't push.
"Her blood sugar levels are dangerously low." Three months ago, the even voice of the floating red man in a polo would have startled her.
When did my life get so weird?
Nat silenced him with a withering glare, rubbing her hand on the smaller woman's back in soothing circles.
"Think you could keep some food down?"
No.
"I'll try." Evie rasped, attempting a smile.
With a nod and a tight smile of her own, Nat helped her hobble over to the couch where she crumpled into the cushions with a huff. Wanda appeared at her side with a bowl of sliced watermelon and a bottle of water. Setting the bowl aside, she twisted off the cap to the bottle and tipped it to Evie's lips.
"Drink, sestra. Please, just a sip." Evie conceded, mostly because it was just too much damn effort to argue, lifting her head off the back of the couch just enough to allow the cool liquid to slip into her mouth and sooth her ragged throat. Her strength left her and she slumped back into the pillows, eyes slipping closed.
"Please eat something." Wanda begged. She was using that voice again. The one she had unconsciously taken to using lately when talking to her. The one that made her sound like she was trying to calm a wounded animal.
Evie's face curled into a grimace, eyes cracking open to glare at her through her eyelashes, but pushed herself up all the same. Wanda held a piece of fruit up to her lips, encouraging her to take a bite and Evie reminisced back to a time when her favorite food didn't remind her of projectile vomit. It was all her stomach could handle lately, and Tony was sure to keep plenty on hand.
Nat had been pacing the length of the common area floor during the entire exchange, gaze locked on Evie's lethargic form spread across the couch. Her caramel eyes were positively feral, the leather of her suit stretching across her biceps as she crossed her arms.
"Nat, sit down. You're making me dizzy." Evie said through a bite of watermelon.
If the prowling lioness heard her she didn't act like it.
"He's pushing you too hard." She hissed through clenched teeth.
Wanda shot her a warning glance as she pressed a cool washcloth to Evie's forehead.
"Nat-" Evie sighed, gently swatting Wanda's worrying hands away.
"No. Don't start that again. Don't defend him" She finally halted her steps, punctuating her words with a pointed finger.
"He knows what he's doing." Evie swore she heard a growl escape Nat's throat.
Dropping the piece of watermelon back into the bowl while ignoring Mother Hen's protests, Evie locked eyes with the assassin for the first time that night.
"I trust him." Despite hours of retching, her voice never faltered.
Nat's eyes bored back into hers, a flicker of a different, softer emotion passing briefly before she spoke.
"That's what I'm afraid of.