Saturday, October 7, the day Heather decides she's not going to sit around and wait for someone to save her family. She's going to save them herself (with the help of the Avengers, of course.) Check out the next chapters! I don't remember which are next, but I'm sure you'll see when it is at the next part.
And now, Heather's on her way to the Tower!
"Last weekend, Jacey dragged half of us to the zoo. She rambled the entire time, jumping from one animal to the next, going over everything she knew about them-"
'Four hours,' Heather thinks to herself.
"August didn't go with us. Neither did Nikki. She had a final test to study for-"
'It's been f-four hours,' Heather repeats shakily. She flinches at the turbulence that jerks her seat. She looks up from her lap at the pilot seat. Sam is seated there, his head peeking over the back of the chair. And Heather knows -because she checked one hour ago- that August is sitting in the co-pilot seat; has been since he boarded.
"-Finn had Jacey sit down a few times so he could get a sketch of a tiger in. It was sleeping by a tree and he didn't want to take a picture for- Heather?"
She looks to her immediate right, seeing Josh's brown eyes watching her.
She nods slowly. 'I'm listening,' she meant to say, before looking back at the floor between her and the other wall of the Quinjet. Josh is quiet for a solid minute before finding another trivial account for Heather to listen to. She didn't mind, Josh's voice is soothing.
She feels a hand on her wrist. She looks to her left and sees it is just Dr. Cho taking her pulse, again. "..Did you hear me ask?" Dr. Cho asks.
Heather shakes her head, then looks away.
"Anything you-"
Heather shakes her head quickly, not allowing the doctor to finish. Heather fidgets in her spot. She can't move much, and she hates it. Before they took off, Heather's leg was secured with straps to the seat, and another strap is between her chest and stomach, keeping her upright. But she can move her arms, and stretch her right leg. She didn't want to do much else.
Turbulence hits again, Heather whimpers. Someone stands up across from her. After an assuring wave from Josh, Steve sits down. He's kept most of his attention on Heather, and while he wants her to have an opportunity to connect with a friend, Steve's selfish impulses wanted to stay by her side the whole ride and let her lean on his shoulder.
'Friends are good,' he reminds himself.
"Friends are very good."
His laugh is small, soft, and wry. He shakes his head, then looks down the length of the Quinjet. The door to the few bunks they keep in the jet for long flights is closed. Heather would have been there, if she didn't protest about the small space and how much she didn't want to lay down. Her wheelchair is in the room, strapped down. And so is Natasha, who doesn't want to set Heather's panics off with her bright hair.
There's a bored sigh from Steve's left. He turns to the caretaker that used to be engrossed in her phone. But as of a half an hour ago, she must have lost interest in everything, staring at the ceiling exposing the structure of the hull.
Josh elbows Heather as gently as possible; she almost didn't react to it. He leans over and says, "She's just missing that one guard.. The one she makes batty lashes at." He smiles, but Heather doesn't. She just nods. She knows the guard. She can't recall his name, or all the times she's seen him. But whenever she did, it was always around Veronica.
"How much longer?" Veronica asks.
"ETA, twenty minutes," Sam says.
'Four hours,' this time it's Steve that thinks so, ' and Heather hasn't said a word.'
Steve watches Veronica push Heather's wheelchair up the ramp, silently grumbling if her expression said anything. She was ordered to go with Heather to New York City. Her whole face read, 'I'm not even part of SHIELD, I'm a volunteer! Director Fury can't tell me what to do.'
But Steve knew that she wouldn't ever say that to his face. Steve turns to look for the Evert boys, maybe to suggest one stays by Heather. But he sees Dr. Cho walking across the arid platform, a duffle hanging at her side with its straps tucked into her elbow.
"Dr. Cho," he starts to stay.
"Director Fury isn't my employer," Dr. Cho says, "you are, and Mr. Stark. I am going with Heather. She needs a doctor, and someone of my field that knows her condition."
Steve nods, not arguing any further. Then Dr. Cho has him turn back to her.
"I can tell you this, because I know her condition. She doesn't need a doctor for anything other than injuries that she may cause on herself, unintentionally," she adds.
"But.. Will she ever get better?" Steve asks, worried.
"As I said, she doesn't need a doctor, but lots of TLC. Something she wasn't getting enough at Oyster Ravine Medical." Dr. Cho smiles a little, "This is the right thing, bringing her away."
"She'll miss her family," Steve comments, reliving the teary goodbye, Heather having to close her eyes when she was wheeled away from her mom.
Dr. Cho puts a hand on his arm lightly, "She still has some nearby." Steve nods and Dr. Cho leaves to board the Quinjet.
August sees the Avengers Tower as they break the cloud cover. Sam relays that they are landing in three minutes. August hears someone stand up behind him and Veronica mutters, "Finally," under her breath. But August just watches the Tower grow until they are at the landing platform.
Sam brings a smooth landing, one that Heather had felt a nonexistent bump somehow; she whimpers to herself. August dares to look behind him with one of the mirrors. Heather leans her head on Josh's shoulder. His arm is around her shoulders, talking quietly.
"Ramp descending," Sam tells everyone. August takes his seatbelt off. By the time he is standing, Veronica had already retrieved Heather's wheelchair. Josh and Steve help Heather, using their linked arms as a seat. August walks past them, headed for the landing pad. But his hearing stays with them.
"Are you comfortable?" Steve asks. August wants to turn around and see how Heather responded. But he stays on his course, with Dr. Cho close behind. "Jarvis, please direct Dr. Cho to her quarters," Steve orders.
"Of course, Captain Rogers," Jarvis answers. "…I apologize for scaring you, Ms. Morse," he continues in a softer volume. August turns, seeing Heather recovering from said scare. "And, may I say, welcome back."
"..Thank you, Jarvis," Heather says, quietly.
'The first thing she says and she's talking to a program,' August ponders. He turns to look at Josh, "We shouldn't stay long. Mother won't be happy if we are late."
"Yeah," Josh says, built into a sigh, "but let's at least see Heather to her room. Then we'll go."
August looks at Heather, who is leaning against the back of her chair, looking at the floor. She has reverted back to being mute. He looks back at his brother and nods once.
The five bodies move to the elevator. Veronica stays dutifully behind the wheelchair, and Steve keeps a hand on Heather's shoulder. Josh crouches next to Heather and offers his hand for when they are in the elevator itself. August sees her slowly take it. He takes his spot in the far right corner, a hand on the railing provided.
The doors open to Steve's level, with Heather's room the farthest away from the elevator. August steps out last and stays by the wall as Heather is brought to the door. Steve opens it and the other four disappear inside. August looks around, taking in the simple furnishings and large bookshelf with both books and movies stacked inside.
He looks over at the open door as Heather whimpers. He walks over briskly, but then stops before he's visible at the door. He reaches to his wrist. His fingers touch the sensitive panel under his glove. There's a soft beeping, then he, along with his clothing, fade to a faint outline of his form. He then peeks into the doorway.
Heather is being tucked into bed by Veronica. She goes about her chore with a no-nonsense attitude, making sure Heather is comfortable, but has no tender care in the action itself. Steve must have noticed as well, because he has a slight frown, but is trying to hide it as he parks the wheelchair in the corner.
Josh is sitting on one side of the bed, looking at Heather. She is looking at the ceiling.
August takes a brief look throughout the room, seeing how it is not chock full of trinkets and useless junk. There are a few personal books, Heather's textbooks for the classes at school, and a laptop. Her dresser has a mirror over it, and August can't see any make up containers or brushes.
'Not that I'm surprised,' he thinks.
The floor is carpet, unlike the wood of the main room. Her walls are painted with loose swirls and clusters of leaves.
His inspection is caught short when he sees Josh moving away from the bed. August backs up before he collides with his face. "Okay, August, now we can-" Josh realizes that his brother is no where in sight. "August?"
August sighs, "..Here," becoming visible. Josh is used to August's tendencies to use his panel at such times, so August himself is used to Josh not jumping whenever he does so. Steve and Veronica leave Heather's room. Steve takes Veronica aside and talks to her quietly. Josh looks through the movies they have, thinking to himself.
August himself turns to the open door. He looks at Heather, supine on her bed with the purple and green bedspread tucked loosely around her legs. The windows to his right have the shades pulled, but fragments of light break through and find themselves laying over the bed and walls. The bulky looking brace sticks out on the left side of her form, a cruel reminder to what's underneath.
He turns to leave, but then looks back. Heather's cheeks are shiny with tears, as they usually are. "Don't leave her alone," a voice says. It was in his head, but.. He didn't think it. August shakes his head, not wanting to think about the occurrence. But the voice was right. He shouldn't just leave.
"Do… Do you want the door open?" August asks. Heather registers his voice for a second, then nods her head. August then turns to leave.
"Shall I play some music to help you sleep, Ms. Morse?" Jarvis asks.
"…Thank you, Jarvis." Heather replies. August side steps so he can listen next to the door.
"Of course, Ms. Morse." The music is soft, with no words to it. It evokes a sadness in August, but at the same time, hope. The feeling that came with the strange thought in his head makes him want to stay, but he pushes away from the wall and heads for the elevator. Josh is waiting for him, an expression in his gaze that August can't quite measure.
Okay, I love feedback. So... I'd love it if people would answer a question if I put it down here. But if you don't have time, I understand. I am also a busy person.
I don't have an IAN for this chapter, because as I said- Oh who am I kidding-
IAN!
1. Back at the Tower!
2. Josh is trying his best to help Heather.
3. FLASH BACK!
4. Jarvis can be a shocking addition to the conversation, no?
5. Interesting development with August, don't you think?
Okay, that's all for today! See you later~!
~CtW
