The Ghost: Chapter Three
Sonata: Sooo... totally changing the story... (Oh, by the way, I have no idea what happens in surgical operations, so a lot of guess-work was involved in this chapter!)
Yami: Uh-huh.
Sonata: I swear, this'll be so much better than the previous one!
Bruce: Are you sure you can really improve your writing style?
Sonata: -huffs- Of course!
Natasha: Don't bite off more than you can chew.
Sonata: Oh-ho, so you doubt my abilities? -smirks challengingly-
Natasha: Of course. Must I remind you about your original -bleeeeeeepppp- fanfiction?
Sonata: Ha! I bleeped you out!
Natasha: -bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep-
Sonata: Note that she isn't saying anything bad, I'm just having fun being the author. XD
Natasha: -bleeepp- -bleep -bl- -bleeeeeeeeeppppp-
Sonata: Okaayy... that time she was cursing.
Yami: Final disclaimer- Sonata doesn't own anything affiliated to the Avengers or Marvel.
(Note: Huge changes!)
After I agreed to making dessert at Bruce's house we parted ways, and I went grocery shopping. I had trouble deciding what to make for the good doctor, mainly because I didn't know what he would like.
"Hm... Would he like chocolate? He seems like the kind of guy that enjoys a good chocolate... Or maybe a cake?" I wondered as I perused the baking section of the local convenience store. As I thought, the stench of cigarette smoke wafted inside. I pinched my nose, trying to keep the horrible smell from invading my sinuses any further. I looked to the front of the store and there were two guys standing outside, chatting and smoking. "Honestly, no matter where I go there's smokers."
The store was very small, and just barely had the things I would need for making any sort of dessert, no matter how basic. The section only had some low quality chocolate, a few containers of cocoa powder, a couple bags of flour and various other things that I couldn't do without. I had to be careful not to pick any recipes that would require things they didn't have. They didn't have baking soda, so I couldn't make any cookies or certain cake flavors. They were sold out of heavy whipping cream, so that ruled out most of my frostings.
"What can I do? My options are very limited... I have the last box of butter, so that means that I have four sticks. Hmm... They have brownie mix, but I'd prefer to make it from scratch." I sighed, finally realizing just how difficult baking in India is. "What can I make him that's cool, sweet, not too heavy, and is fast and easy? Oh! I know!" I suddenly had an idea. I dropped a couple bars of chocolate, a container of reddi whip, one vanilla bean, some vanilla extract, flour, sugar, and many other ingredients into my basket.
I walked up to the cash register and paid for my ingredients. The cashier was puzzled to see all the things in my basket.
"Hello miss, that's quite a lot of items you have there." He commented, abandoning his awestruck face.
"Yes, well, I'm making a dessert for two." I replied, pulling out my wallet.
"Ah, are you perhaps... making it for a man?" The man asked with a wide grin.
"Huh?" I was taken-aback by his assumption. I looked him in the eye and noticed something. Behind that grin, his eyes held some unreadable emotion. I couldn't place it, but it gave off an air of something... sinister, and dangerous. I had to get out of there.
"Oh, no, I'm visiting a friend tomorrow. I just wanted to make her something nice and sweet." I answered coolly.
"Oh really? I see." He then gave me my total and thanked me for my purchase. As I approached the door, he suddenly spoke again and said, "I hope Dr. Banner will enjoy his snack."
"Oh yes, I think he- wait." I turned back around, realizing what he said, and the cashier was grinning maliciously at me.
"Grab her." He said to seemingly no one, but I was wrong. The men who were smoking in front of the store were actually his lackeys. One came up from behind and grabbed me. He held my upper body in a choke hold, and laughed mirthlessly as I dangled helplessly.
"So... this is the young lady that the good doctor has softened up to, eh?" He grabbed my chin and began to examine my face, "You are rather lovely, little miss." He looked at the idle underling and said, "Tie her up, then call Dr. Banner and tell him that we have his girlfriend. Tell him that if he wants to see her again, he needs to come here- If not, we'll... well, let's not discuss this with a lady around." He began to laugh maniacally.
My eyes flashed with hatred and anger. "What a cold-blooded, cruel man!" I couldn't stand people like this, preying on the weak (though I wasn't quite weak), and using them to get what they want. I wanted to wipe people like him off the face of the earth! He noticed my irritation and simply laughed some more.
I drew a breath, calmed down, and gathered my thoughts for an exit strategy. "I have to make sure they can't get to Bruce. In order to do that, I have to incapacitate them. This man his holding me up, but a head-butt isn't an option. I can't kick him either- not enough leverage. That leaves the stomach. Now, what about that one?" I thought as I looked at the one grabbing the rope. "His back is still turned, so if I act fast I can catch him off-guard." I looked at the leader, "He could be armed, but I know for sure his underlings are armed, so I have to take them out first. I have to move quickly."
I took a breath and put my plan into action by elbowing the man holding me in his stomach. He let out a gasp and I took that opportunity to grab his arm and flip him over me (he was rather heavy so I had to rely on gravity as I fell to pull him down). I turned to the other one with the rope and threw an uppercut at his jaw, and did a round-house kick on the back of his neck. I turned to the last one who didn't seem phased at all. He pointed a gun at me and I was about to kick it out of his hand, but a bullet grazed my arm.
"Gyaaah!" I yelled out in pain. My arm burned- it felt as though I was being stabbed repeatedly with a hot spike. I grit my teeth at the sensation. He was about to laugh again, but before he could utter another sound I punched him in the face, thus breaking his nose. Before he could yell out in pain, I high-kicked him so hard he fell to the ground, knocked out.
I let out a huff and said, "That's the last time I go grocery shopping alone in India." I examined my arm. It looked like the bullet went deeper than expected. It may have even been stuck. "I guess it wasn't a graze." I commented, realizing that the adrenaline must have made it hurt less. I had to get home before it wore off. I picked up my basket and ran to my hotel room. I left it in my room, and looked around the medicine cabinet, trying to find some things to patch up my wound. "No good. I can't go to the hospital. If I do I'll have to give my real identity, which I can't. I have to get his help." I quickly tied a shirt around my arm and ran out of my room to Bruce's home.
I was losing blood quickly, and my vision was beginning to blur. "I have to make it..." I thought determinedly. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, and I was really feeling the pain. "Agh!" I yelped when I first felt it.
I soon neared Bruce's house, and it was only a matter of time until I got to his door. I pounded on his door and gasped, "Bruce! It's me! Please, open the door! I need your help!"
There was no answer.
"Please, Bruce! Please! Open the door!"
There was still no answer.
"Please... Bruce... please..." My vision went black.
(Bruce's POV)
I was going on my usual run attending to patients. I had just treated a man with a mild case of the flu before I decided it was time to go home. I walked home, not expecting the sight that awaited me on my front door.
"Rei." I said breathlessly. There she was, sitting in front of my house with blood running down her arm. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and my feet were carrying me to her before I realized it. "Rei!" I crouched down and examined her arm. There was a shirt tied around it, so I assumed she tried to stop the bleeding temporarily. I untied it and saw a bullet-hole. "Who did this to her!?" I began to stress out, but soon calmed down. Turning into the 'other guy' wouldn't help her. I picked her up, carried her inside and lay her down on my couch.
"Come on, Rei, please wake up." I grasped her face, hoping she would wake up. But it was to no avail.
I gathered my thoughts and opened my bag, grabbing my supplies. I examined her arm again, realizing that the bullet didn't get through - it got stuck in her bone. I would have to open her up. I sanitized her arm and cut her forearm open. I found the bullet and the stray shrapnel and extracted them all. I finished the job and sewed her back up. I found some gauze and wrapped it around her arm, and once I was done I elevated her arm.
I sighed once the job was done. I sat there for a moment, then went to clean off my tools. Afterwards, I went to sit by Rei. Her hair was damp with sweat, and her face as pale as a sheet. I realized that she had been in a lot of pain while she waited for me. I instantly felt a stab of guilt for not being home sooner. "Rei... I shouldn't have taken so long..."
"I'm so sorry, Rei." I apologized. I brushed some of her hair out of her face and left my hand there for a moment.
"Hmm?" I heard her mumble as her eyes slowly opened. I let out a sigh of relief.
"Bruce?" She asked, about to sit up.
"Wait!" I tried to warn her.
"Itte!" She yelled out in what I guessed was her native language.
I laid her back down and said, "You shouldn't sit up or move your right arm at all. I just patched you up, so I wouldn't want you to undo the stitching."
She smiled apologetically and said, "Sorry, and... thank you."
Her expression was a stab to my heart. It hurt to see her eyes so downcast, so helpless instead of shining cheerfully. "You're welcome, but I should be the one who's sorry. I should have been home sooner. If I were, then your wound wouldn't have been so bad and-"
"Bruce." Rei cut me off. "You don't need to apologize. You had no way of knowing that I was injured, so you really shouldn't blame yourself."
The fire in her eyes returned, and I couldn't help but smile at her (at least mental) recovery. "Thank you." I thanked her. We sat in comfortable silence, until I asked the important question. "How did this happen to you?"
Her eyes flashed with anger, and her eyebrows drew together in frustration before she replied, "I was almost... raped..." she gulped, and her eyes started to moisten. "These three guys, they... the cornered me..." I felt the rage boiling up inside me. "I kept fighting back, so they tried to silence me by shooting me, but they had horrible aim so I managed to make it out alive."
"When did this happen?" I asked her, barely keeping the 'other guy' back. "How could anyone do this to her?" What she told me angered me to no end, so it was a miracle 'that guy' didn't come out at all. That didn't change the fact that I wanted to beat those men to a bloody pulp. Rei wasn't going anywhere at night alone anymore.
"After I went grocery shopping for ingredients for tomorrow..." She admitted quietly, interrupting my thought process.
I immediately felt guilt hit me like a wave. I should've been there with her, and I said so. "I'm so, so sorry. I should have stayed with you and made sure you made it back safely." I apologized.
"No, Bruce. You had patients to attend to. You also had no clue this sort of thing would happen. Now stop apologizing before I really get angry." She told me with a frown. Somehow, lying down on my couch, she still managed to look intimidating.
"Okay, sorr-" I began, but she cut me off with a hard expression. "Nevermind." I smiled apologetically.
She rolled her eyes."So, um... how am I going to get home if I can't move?" She asked, her eyes once again knit together, but this time forming a frown with her mouth.
I laughed at her expression. She looked rather adorable. "I'm afraid... you can't." I told her with a grimace.
"Wait, what?" She asked, clearly surprised.
"Well... um, you sort of have to stay there until you recover." I scratched my neck nervously. "After you rest for a bit you should be able move around and do normal, everyday activities."
She sighed defeatedly and said, "Bruce, could you do me a favor?"
"What is it?" I asked.
She reached into her pants pocket with her good arm and dug out her wallet. She opened it up and grabbed a card. She then tossed it to me. I caught it and saw that it was her room key. "Could you go and get me some of my clothes and stick the ingredients I bought in the fridge?" She asked.
"Wait, huh?" I blinked.
"I have a fridge in my hotel room, and the majority of the ingredients need to be refrigerated." She said in an obvious tone.
"No, not that, it's just..." I trailed of. She had one eyebrow raised and her mouth frowning again, looking confused. "Nevermind."
"So can you?" She asked, her eyes so innocent.
"Uh... sure." I agreed reluctantly. "But we should probably bring the ingredients here since I'm already coming back." She nodded her agreement and I left.
There was nothing different from the norm as I walked to her hotel, but I wanted to be cautious in case Rei's attackers were still lingering about. I got to her hotel room and unlocked the door. I stepped in and saw that it was a simple room with a queen-sized bed, a small TV, a mini fridge, wardrobe and a small table and chair. "Perfect size for her." I thought, rather amused. Rei was rather... short for her age after all. Whenever we stood next to each other she just barely reached my shoulder.
I remembered what I was there for, and saw a bag full of things I didn't know the names of sitting on her bed. Then, there was the next thing. I approached the wardrobe hesitantly, but eventually opened it. I saw several t-shirts hanging and grabbed a blue one. Some pajama shorts and shirts were sitting, folded neatly at the bottom and I took one of each. I saw a duffle bag sitting by the table and I put everything in there. All that was left was the hard part. Finding the rest of her clothes. I debated for a bit, trying to figure out which drawer to open first.
"She might keep her unmentionables in the top drawer, so the second one should have her shorts. But which should I do first? The hard one, or the easy one?" I soon decided to get the hard part over with and I opened the top drawer. I saw quite a few pairs of socks and I put one in the bag. All that was left was, well... everything else. I grabbed a bra and some underwear without looking and quickly put those in the bag as well.
"That wasn't so difficult." I let out a sigh of relief.
I opened the remaining drawer and pulled out a pair of shorts and put that in the bag with everything else. I took the bags and left the hotel.
(Yami's POV)
After Bruce left to get my things, I laid there, thinking. "Director Fury will probably be pissed at me for not calling in for three days... Oh, who cares? I certainly don't." I smirked.
I looked at my wrapped arm and thought, "Bruce... He's really too nice." I smiled, but soon realized something, "Wait... I asked him to get my clothes for me. He probably knows that I got blood at least on my bra, so does that mean...? He's getting me my clean underwear!? Oh, no! What have I done!? That's why he was so hesitant!" I felt my face heat up profusely. I mean, who wouldn't when you know someone of the opposite sex was about to see your underwear?
To take my mind off of the impending dilemma, I decided to look around. There was a side table against the couch I was lying on. There were a few picture frames on top, and one was turned downwards. The rest though, were of a few people who seemed college-aged. "They must be old classmates." I smiled. I noticed a few more things littered about the house. I saw the little origami crane that I gave him awhile ago, a bracelet that a little girl he treated gave him, and various other little knick-knacks from people that were grateful to him.
"I wish I didn't have to take him away from all these people who need him..." I frowned at the thought of what could happen. "I could probably give Fury a talking to, but most likely he won't even listen." I frowned, thinking about all the collateral damage that was often caused by SHIELD's mistakes, and how they just cover it up with false news reports and money. As much as I didn't like what happened, I still couldn't get away just for that reason. SHIELD kept me safe.
The door opened and Bruce came in. "Hi..." He greeted me awkwardly with a slight blush. "You should be able to sit up by now."
I nodded and sat up with a wince. "Yikes." I commented.
"Here." He set my duffle bag next to me, and handed me some pain-killers with a glass of water.
"Oh, thanks." I smiled and took the medicine. Afterwards, I opened up my bag and found some pajamas with a set of regular clothes. Beneath everything I found my underwear. Then came the question before I could stop my mouth from moving. "Bruce... Did you get my underwear?" I asked him.
"Uh... It-uh, it was already in there." He lied. I blushed profusely and I could've sworn that it went all the way to the tips of my ears. I looked up briefly and saw that Bruce had a heavy blush as well.
"W-well, um, thank you." I thanked him awkwardly. "I should be able to move my arm, right?" I asked hopefully.
"Um... maybe not for a few days." He answered, while shifting on his feet nervously.
"Will I be able to stand up?" I asked, trying to grasp at every straw possible.
"Uhm, yeah." We were stuck in awkward silence again.
"Bruce?" I began nervously.
"Yeah?" He gulped, knowing what question was coming next.
"How am I going to change?"
Sonata: -yaaaaaawwwwnnnnn- Sorry that the majority of my chapters is dialogue.
Yami: Well, you've certainly gotten more daring with your chapters.
Tony: I'll say.
Sonata: Sorry that this may seem like a sleepy chapter towards the end... -yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwnnnnnn-
