Author's Note: Here we are with another chapter, dear readers. Oh, yes… Loki. Here he is. Thank you so much for all the recent, kind reviews that you've been leaving.

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing but the hospital staff, the Bowery Mission staff, random lowlifes, and Charlie at this point. The other characters belong to the lucky people at Marvel.


Chapter 6: Missed Calls

During the weekend, Steve fell into a different routine than he was accustomed to; he woke, and while he still went to Stark Tower to join the team in their exercise, he'd excuse himself directly afterward to venture into the city and do things on his own.

Tony, while giving him good-natured grief about not joining the rest of them for lunch in front of the group, always gave him a smile and an acknowledging nod before he left, clearly glad that Steve was actually taking his advice and taking time to himself.

Steve took the first days as opportunity to explore Manhattan; and while the crowds of people still overwhelmed him, he found himself wandering the main streets of the city once his initial nervousness at being out without any other purpose than to try to have a good time had ebbed, he began exploring the shops, even ducking into a couple restaurants to try something different for lunch.

In the late afternoon he returned to the hospital, and after brief conversation with whatever nurse happened to be at the ICU level station, he'd venture into Charlie's room first for a while, talking quietly to the boy about everything from the things he'd enjoyed to do in his youth, to his time in the army, or even about his day. Afterward, he went to Loki's room, taking a seat and picking up where he'd left off in the Victor Hugo novel and reading for lengths at a time.

When he'd finished his span of reading to Loki on Sunday, he closed the book and set it aside, sighing.

"This next week'll be a little different; the team's got a mission to do. Somebody trying to bring weapons into the country, so I won't be here as much. It's Christmas in five days too, though from what I've heard from Thor, that doesn't mean anything to you guys." When there was, as usual, nothing but silence in response, he continued. "I'll still stop by when I can. The doctor I spoke with in the hall yesterday said Charlie's doing better, even if he hasn't woken up yet. They're going to move him up to a different floor on Monday now that he's stabilized and started to heal the way they wanted. It's going to be a while before they move you, though."

Steve fell quiet, looking the other man over. While Charlie had improved a little more every day, it seemed that there was no change in Loki.

The same doctor he'd spoken to about the boy had confided that, with all the unknown injuries that Mr. Barnes seemed to have met with before the attack, there was simply no way of accurately knowing how well or if he would recover. "He might never wake up, that's unfortunately a possibility. Or he might wake up tomorrow with conditions that he will need to learn to adapt to for the rest of his life, or with none at all."

"Keep fighting, okay?" Steve rose and pulled the covers up a little higher over Loki's chest. "If you survived the Hulk smashing you around, this is nothing, right?"


"Anything I need to know before I go on shift, Cap?"

Steve pushed the cowl of his uniform back and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head wearily. "Nothing. I haven't seen any of the men or women in question come through the main terminal, and nothing's come up via the monitors that Fury has the other agents on."

They'd been taking their patrols in shifts for the past three days, Tony coming on for six hours while Steve took time to eat and sleep in one of the small rooms that Homeland Security had designated for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s use at JFK International, then Steve going back on for six hours while Tony rested.

It was grueling work, albeit nowhere near as physical as they were used to doing; they had to stay alert and aware of the swarms of people passing through the terminal, to the information the agents were sending them via the discreet ear-coms they wore, and each six-hour period ended with a quick report of what they had and hadn't seen before they could relax and take time to gear up for the next shift. While Tony had the added advantage of shift of his suit's scanning capabilities, Steve was finding himself mentally wiped out after sixty-six hours into their patrols.

"Barton and Natasha haven't had any luck down at Grand Central either, from the sounds of it. Haven't heard anything from Thor or Bruce yet." Tony patted him on the back. "Go get some food, some rest. Hopefully this is the shift we find what we're looking for."

As if some answer to Tony's words, it was two hours later that the message came from S.H.I.E.L.D; a shipment of bombs had been intercepted at the harbor by Thor and the Hulk, and the team was recalled back to headquarters.

"Good work, team," Fury congratulated them as they gathered around the conference table, each of them looking tired but relieved that they'd been successful. "I knew this would be next to nothing for the six of you. You've done S.H.I.E.L.D. proud tonight, and the country."

"We still don't know who's behind the shipments," Bruce interjected, "So I doubt this is the last we'll see of these weapons."

Fury nodded. "You're right, it isn't Intelligence is still tracking our list of suspects for any further activity that might point to another shipment. If it comes, we'll do the same as we did this time; prepare and be ready for it. For now, you'll all dismissed until next Monday, unless something comes up."

"You mean we actually get to have Christmas off?" Tony was the first to leave his seat. "This calls for a drink."

"I said dismissed unless something comes up, Stark." Fury gave Tony a pointed look. "If something comes up, and it might, you'll want to be sober enough to deal with it."

"Hey, maybe I meant eggnog." Tony rolled his eyes as the team exited, then whispered to Steve as they headed down to the locker rooms, "Rum goes great with eggnog."

The group was decidedly in better spirits as they all changed out of uniform and gathered their personal belongings up to leave, though Clint bemoaning his failed attempts to talk Natasha into joining him for dinner. "Just when I think I've got a handle on women, bam. I don't."

"Women should be handled with great care, my friend," Thor said, trying to be helpful.

Clint gave him a look. "Thor, this is Tasha we're talking about. She can kick each of our asses if she wanted to; I don't think 'handle with great care' applies in the traditional sense."

"Maybe if you'd make yourself more of a challenge, instead of chasing after her like a puppy all the time," Tony said, throwing a towel at Clint's head, "She'd be more interested. You know, try the dark and mysterious route instead of the 'Hey, I'm right here, all the time, look at me!' routine."

"Hey, I'm nothing like a puppy!"

"Woof, woof, Barton. Keep it up and you'll be stuck with that bone of yours forev-"

Steve shook his head as the conversation in the locker room devolved into a show of bravado, Clint and Tony launching into an impromptu wrestling match, though both were grinning and Thor's laughter echoed around them. Bruce had moved off to the side and was shaking his head, giving Steve a 'can you believe these guys?' look. Steve shrugged, closing his locker and pulling his coat on.

The small vibration in his coat pocket caused Steve to pause and pull the cell phone out, a frown coming over him as he saw the notification for several missed calls and messages. Stepping out into the hall he selected the messages function and listened, the voicemail informing him of two messages, then kicking into the first. Background noise, then nurse Patrice's voice filled Steve's ear, her words hurried, almost breathless.

"Captain, this is Patrice from St. Luke's. I thought you should be the first to know, Mr. Barnes is awake, he…"

Steve didn't listen to the remainder of the message, breaking into a sprint to get across town to the hospital, ignoring the sound of Tony calling after him.


Nurse Gloria was the one that met him at the ICU doors, her expression etched with worry. "Captain, I'm glad you're here. He woke up late last night, shortly before we tried contacting you."

"How is he? Is he… did he say anything?"

Gloria pulled him aside in the hall, keeping hold of his arm. "You need to know, he's been sedated. He panicked when he woke, demanded to know where he was, what was happening. He's disoriented, doesn't remember his own name it seems."

Steve grimaced, feeling more than a little guilty at having added an element of confusion for Loki to wake up to. "What else happened?"

"Well, when nurse Patrice told him that she was going to contact you, that's when the most trouble started. He tried to get out of the bed. That's why we had to sedate him; he was in a terrible state, tried to pull the IV lines out, bit one of the other nurses when he tried to hold him down. I'm sure Mr. Barnes will be bruised and sore for a few days after a struggle like that."

"… Can I go in and see him, or…" Steve trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Yes, you can go in. Like I said, Captain, he's been sedated. He's conscious, but he's still not in the best of moods. He's not going anywhere as the doctor had him strapped down too, until we can be sure he's not going to do himself or anyone else any harm. He's not well, though, keeping that in mind take some care with him."

Steve nodded and thanked her, then headed down the hall toward the room. He paused, glancing in at the room Charlie had been in, and seeing a different, unfamiliar patient there, opened the door opposite to Loki's room and stepped inside.

Loki lay in the bed as he had been all the times prior, but thick, padded straps held his arms to the bed rails at the wrists and elbows. He turned his head slowly when Steve entered, blinking, and then eyes narrowing.

"Captain." His voice was a low hiss, the sound thin and rougher than Steve remember it being years prior. Loki continued to regard him with obvious distaste and anger. "Come to… take me away, have you?"

Steve hesitated, then shook his head and stepped closer, pulling his chair from the wall and taking his usual seat at the bedside. The action drew a confused look from Loki.

"No, actually," Steve admitted. "I just came to see how you were doing. The hospital called to let me know you'd woken up. You've been here a while, a little over three weeks."

"And then, after you've made this terribly convenient call on my well-being, I'll be es… escorted to whatever place you have prepared, will you not?" Loki turned his head to look up at the ceiling, sighing and closing his eyes. Steve waited, seeing that it was taking the man a lot of effort to try to gather enough strength and focus to speak. "So be it. No doubt, the All-Father had hoped this would happen. Did my… did Thor tell you of my whereabouts?..."

"No. No, no one told us where you were. Thor doesn't know you're here, no one does except for me."

Steve's words earned a small, breathless laugh from Loki, who shook his head once, then fell still again. "And they say… I am the Liesmith."

"It's the truth. No one else knows. I haven't told anyone. I didn't know you were here, I found you by accident."

Steve recounted the events to Loki, how he'd run the errand for Tony and how it had led to discovering him in the hospital. Loki, whose attention returned to him as he spoke, continued to watch him with mistrust.

"If what you say is true," Loki ventured, once Steve had finished, "If you've not come to take me to another glass prison as you and your friends did once before, why am I shackled in this manner?"

"Because you tried to pull out your own IVs and leave. In case you haven't noticed, you're kind of in a bad way. You're in a hospital, where people go when they're sick or injured." Steve reached out to touch one of the restraint straps and Loki tensed. "It's okay, I was just… I'm not going to hurt you. I was going to say, if you promise not to hurt yourself or try to run away again, I'll get these off for you."

The silence stretched between them for a long moment, and Steve was about to give up when Loki nodded, focusing his gaze up at the ceiling again and away from him.

Steve loosened one strap, then another, and Loki slipped his arm free. Rising from the chair Steve moved around the bed and unfastened the other two straps, then took a step back, watching as Loki touched tentative fingers to the bandages around his left bicep and shoulder.

"Your arm was broken, when… you know. When you were attacked."

Loki glanced at him, then back down at the bandage. "Who said that I was attacked?"

"The nurses and the doctors that have been taking care of you the last few weeks, and Mr. Higdon down at Bowery Mission." Steve continued, even as surprise registered on Loki's face at his words. "I know you got beaten up while you were down there, apparently homeless. You want to tell me how you ended up in New York, how any of this happened?"

"What makes you think that I've any wish to speak of anything to you?"

"I think you'll tell me because you'll want to know how Charlie is."

Loki's head snapped up at that, the sudden reaction causing him to wince in pain. Steve reached out and adjusted a pillow, trying to help keep Loki's head and neck supported.

"Careful. You don't want to hurt yourself anymore. Looks like you've had enough of that already."

"What do you know of Charlie, or of pain?" Loki closed his eyes again, falling silent for a minute before finally asking, quietly, "How is he?"

"He's still in a coma, like you were. His doctor had him moved up to another floor about three days ago because everything else is going fine. His healing, there haven't been any more complications after they got rid of the infection he had..." Steve trailed off, watching the mixture of relief and worry on Loki's face. "That kid really must mean something to you."

"He is of no concern to you. Leave him be, Captain. It is… it is me you are after, are you not?"

"I already told you, I'm not here to hurt you. I haven't told anyone you're here and I'm not going to take you anywhere. Not like this, not unless you give me a reason to need to take you to S.H.I.E.L.D." Steve moved back to the chair and sat down again, leaning forward and keeping his voice as even and gentle as he could manage. For as frustrating as the other man was being, he really couldn't blame him for his suspicion. "I know you don't trust me, and I can understand that, but I promise you, I'm not lying to you."

Loki watched him for a while, and Steve remained where he was, letting him think about whatever was going on inside of his head, green eyes scanning over him the entire time. At last, Loki spoke again.

"Why… do the people here insist on calling me by a name… a name that is not my own?"

Steve laughed a little, embarrassed. "It was a name I gave them when I saw you here. They said they had you listed as a John Doe, same as at the Mission. It's a generic name we use here on earth for somebody we don't know."

"How strange..."

"It is, now that you mention it."

"How did you choose the name?"

Steve grew more serious at that. "The name of a friend, long dead and gone."

"You gave me this friend's name for what purpose?"

"For anonymity. To keep your real identity a secret."

Loki stared hard at him a moment more, then closed his eyes again. "You truly mean what you are saying to me, don't you? You've… not lied."

"No, no I haven't. I said what I meant, I haven't told anyone you're here and I don't plan to, not yet. Maybe not at all."

"Why 'maybe not at all', Captain?"

"I've got a lot of questions, for one, and depending on what those answers are there may not be a reason to take you in to S.H.I.E.L.D."

Loki made a soft, derisive sound. "A curious way to treat an enemy."

"Is that what you are?"

His eyes still closed, Loki made a face. "Even if I wished to be, in my present state it would be an impossibility."

"Injured?"

"… Mortal." Loki opened one eye and glanced at Steve. "Surely Thor has not hesitated to tell his friends of what befell his misbegotten 'brother'."

"He hasn't, no, not everything. Only that you were thrown out of Asgard to who knows where."

"How do you know that there is more?"

"Those scars and burns you've got, for one."

Loki's eye narrowed, and then closed again. "I'm quite weary, Captain. If you don't mind, I would find rest a welcome respite from further conversation.

"Sure, for now, but when you wake up again, we'll talk more."

"What makes you believe I shall be here when you return?"

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you wake up. It isn't like you can overpower me when you do, either, not if you're telling the truth about being mortal."

"It is the truth." Loki's voice was softer at that, his tone betraying a hint of sadness. "For once, I am not lying, no matter how I might wish otherwise."

"Get some rest." Steve leaned back in the chair, watching as the former god fell quiet again, his breathing eventually evening out and slowing. After a while he reached over and picked up the copy of The Flowers Of Evil, thumbing slowly through the pages and reading while he waited patiently for Loki to wake up again so they could continue talking.