Ch. 11
"There's no evidence of sexual assault nor is there any evidence of physical abuse besides the starvation and messy state he was found in," Bruce explained.
He, Ami, the other Avengers and Loki were all in a room with Fury, going over Steve's condition.
"Honestly, I'm not even sure that they starved him. He refuses to eat. We've been having to give him nutrients via IV."
Fury nodded then turned to Loki, who was still chained to Thor.
"And did you see any evidence of physical torture when you first went in?"
"No. They had it set up as if they were all living there. The Captain was being held in the basement. Of course, there were others there who we possibly could have interviewed, but they're dead now."
Natasha hit the table.
"Will you stop it? I'm getting really tired of hearing about this."
"I'll stop when you acknowledge what you've done," Loki shot back.
"Stop it, both of you!" Fury yelled, startling both of them. "We're here to discuss Captain Rogers, not listen to your bickering. Now, Bruce, Dr. Yeh, are the children that he was carrying alive?"
"They are," Ami answered, "Shocking as it is. If it were anyone else carrying them they'd be gone."
"I see. SHIELD has been covering for you all and for the Captain and will continue to do so. I assume that you both feel that Captain Roger's injuries are more psychological in nature?"
Ami and Bruce looked at each other.
"We believe that they are in large part psychological. Perhaps physical deprivation played a part in getting him to that point though," Ami replied.
"Alright. We have a psychologist at SHIELD that I'll have sent over. He's one of the most highly sought after in in the country. Maybe he can get to the bottom of what happened and what needs to be done to get the Captain back on his feet. Is that okay by you, Stark?"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever it takes."
"Good. I'll meet with you in two weeks from today. Contact me if there are any changes in the Captain's condition. Oh, and one last thing - what is he still doing here?" Fury motioned towards Loki.
"We've been back for less than a day," Tony said, "Thor just hasn't had time to return him to Asgard yet."
"Right. Well take him back soon. Let me know if he needs a reference or anything for Odin."
"A reference?" Thor asked.
"Yeah. Like if he needs some type of written proof that he did what he was supposed to do."
"My word will be enough to secure Loki the benefits he was promised."
"Okay, then." Fury moved towards the door. "I'll talk to you all soon."
00
Loki held Thor back as the others left the conference room.
"What is it? The director was right, I should take you back to Asgard soon."
"Yes, about that," Loki started, a grin spreading across his face, "I believe that I was also promised that the girl would be sent to live with relatives or to a good home. I've yet to see that happen."
Thor sighed. Of course Loki would make things difficult.
"I do not have to allow you to stay just because Stark promised you something."
Suddenly Loki's expression turned serious, then almost sad.
"I want to see it through," he finally admitted. "It means a lot to me."
Thor studied his brother for a moment, trying to gauge whether he was lying. It was extremely hard to tell with Loki, but hundreds of years of living with him had given Thor the ability to pick up on certain physical cues. He determined that Loki was likely telling the truth.
"...Fine," Thor agreed. "But you are to stay out of the way - no, you'll remain chained to me, just to be sure - and you're not to fight with the Widow!"
"But she's wrong! She killed an innocent!"
"And you destroyed innocent people too. You're both guilty. Your only choice is to either let it go or keep it to yourself, otherwise I'm taking you back immediately. So it is up to you which is more important, making your point or seeing out what was promised to you."
Loki frowned and crossed his arms.
"You drive a hard bargain."
"I have to, with the god of lies for a brother."
00
Lizzie had been asking to see Steve since he had first been brought back to the tower. Tony had refused her requests, feeling afraid to let her see the poor condition her father was in. But as the first day back came to an end and there was no improvement, Tony began to reconsider.
He had spent all afternoon with Steve, trying to get him to talk. Steve would rarely speak, answering questions with one-word answers if he even answered at all. Trying to get him to eat was an even more impossible task. The best Tony had been able to do was get him to take a few small sips of water.
Tony wondered if seeing Lizzie might snap Steve out of it. If he wasn't going to try to recover for himself, he might do it for his daughter.
At seven that evening, Tony brought her down to the medical center. She had Chess with her and some pictures that she had drawn for Steve while they had been looking for him.
"Remember, honey, daddy will look a little different than you remember him," Tony reminded her. He hoped she would not be too shocked by Steve's appearance. "Try not to point it out to him, okay?"
"Okay."
Tony led her towards the area where Steve was resting and knocked on the wall to get his attention.
"Darling, you have a visitor!"
Confused by the upbeat tone of Tony's voice, Steve slowly turned towards him. When he saw Lizzie, his eyes grew wider.
"Hi daddy!" Lizzie greeted him excitedly. "I've missed you so much!"
She ran over to his bedside and did her best to give him a hug.
"I made you pictures, daddy! And Chess is here to say hi too!"
She pushed the stuffed cat against Steve's face, pretending that Chess was giving him a kiss.
For the first time, Steve actually seemed like he wanted to speak.
"Hi, Elizabeth," he said, very softly. "I've missed you too."
"Every night I prayed for you, that you were okay and that we would find you. I missed you so much," she repeated.
Steve half smiled.
"I'm sorry that daddy doesn't look so good right now," he said.
Lizzie shrugged, "As long as you're back! Wow, your tummy got really big."
"Lizzie, what'd I tell you?" Tony warned her.
"Sorry, but it did."
Tony rolled his eyes. Since Steve had lost so much weight his stomach looked bigger than it usually would have at this stage.
Steve didn't take offense to it though. He didn't even get upset when Lizzie playfully stroked his face and reminded him that he needed to shave.
Eventually, Tony called Pepper down to take Lizzie back upstairs. It wasn't long before he and Steve were alone again.
"Not sure who she gets the brutal honesty from," Tony told him. "I mean, I certainly have more tact than that."
"No, she definitely gets it from you," Steve replied. "But I'm sure she'll find nicer ways to say it as she grows up."
"Eh, well, maybe she gets it from me. Maybe."
Instead of responding, Steve curled up once again.
"So, no more talking for tonight?" Tony asked.
He heard Steve sigh.
"It's okay. I won't push you. I'm just… worried. I wish I could help you. I want to help you, but I can't unless you tell me more about what happened and what you're feeling, and even then I probably wouldn't be good at it because I'm not good at emotional stuff, but at least I could try and you're not listening to me are you." The last part was more of a statement than a question.
When Steve again refused to answer, Tony shook his head.
"I'm trying. I really am. Go to sleep if you want, I'll be right here by your side if you need anything."
Tony sat down in the chair that he'd been using for most of the day and flicked off the light above Steve's bed. Before he got too comfortable, he did his best to pull the covers up around Steve's body. He still seemed to get chills a lot, even though the room was warm.
The billionaire had just sat back down when he heard it.
"Thank you," Steve whispered.
"Anytime," Tony replied.
00
Early the next morning, the SHIELD appointed psychologist arrived. Tony looked him over but couldn't get a clear impression. He decided to give the man the benefit of the doubt.
The therapist was short, maybe 5'3 at most, with a bald head and a goatee. He was stocky, had an earring in one ear and wore a pair of jeans and a button down black shirt. He dragged a black rolling briefcase behind him.
"I'm Anthony D'Amico," he said, holding out his hand to Tony.
Tony shook it.
"Tony Stark."
"It's great to meet you. Director Fury gave me a copy of Captain Roger's case file and I've looked it over. Has anything changed in the last day or so?" The therapist pulled a folder out, "It says that refuses to eat, bathe and speak more than a few words."
"Last night I took our daughter down to see him. It was the first time she had seen him since we got him back. It seemed to pull him out of it for a few minutes, like he was putting effort into talking to her, but then he got quiet again when she left. I was also able to get him to drink a little bit of water, but that was it. I'm...I'm honestly very worried about him. I understand that he's been traumatized but he's like a completely different person."
"The change in behavior with your daughter is with him is interesting. It gives me a place to start at least. Is he ready to see me?"
"About as ready as he'll ever be, I'm sure," Tony replied. "Come with me."
Tony led the doctor down the hall and towards the elevator, then took them both up to the floor that the medical center was on.
"I always warn visitors, he looks a lot different than he used to," Tony said, as they stood outside.
"Thanks for the head's up."
Tony nodded and opened the door. Bruce was inside, reading something on his computer.
"Bruce, meet Dr. D'Amico," Tony introduced them. "Dr. D'Amico, this is Bruce Banner."
Bruce walked over and shook the therapist's hand.
"SHIELD sent you?"
"Yes."
"Alright, then. Ami's just finishing giving him another exam."
"I read that you and Dr. Yeh are his regular physicians?"
"She's licensed, I just have medical knowledge."
"Okay."
Right then, Ami walked by.
"You must be the SHIELD therapist. I'm Dr. Yeh," she extended her hand. "Steve is ready to see you."
Tony led Dr. D'Amico back towards Steve's bed. He wasn't surprised to see that Steve was curled up yet again, staring at the wall.
"Steve, Dr. D'Amico is here," Tony called out.
Nothing.
"He's the psychologist that SHIELD sent over to talk to you," Tony tried again.
There was no response.
"Is he sleeping?" Dr. D'Amico asked, unsure if his patient was even hearing what was going on.
"Not sleeping," Steve replied.
Tony sighed.
"Can you at least turn around and look at Dr. D'Amico? Come on, Steve, you usually have more respect than that."
For a few seconds, Steve didn't move. Then he slowly pushed himself over so that he was lying on his back. He reached toward the side of the bed, trying to find the button that would let him raise it up so he was sitting.
"Here," Tony found the button and pressed it. Soon enough Steve was sitting straight up.
"I'll leave you guys alone," Tony said, "Just call JARVIS if you need anything. He's everywhere so just… Just ask for me or Bruce or Ami and we'll be right over."
"Thank you," the psychologist replied.
Tony forced a smile and walked away.
00
Once Tony was gone, Dr. D'Amico began talking.
"Thank you for sitting up, but next time you can lie down if you prefer it. I want you to be comfortable when we have our sessions."
Steve stared at him, but didn't reply.
"So, a little about me. My name is Anthony D'Amico. You may call me Anthony, if you like, or Dr. D'Amico. Whichever you prefer. I have a PhD in psychology and my specialty is trauma, like the one that you've experienced." The doctor pulled a notepad and a pen out of his bag, "Can you tell me about yourself?"
Steve rolled his eyes.
"Everyone knows," he whispered.
"Everyone knows what? About who you are?"
Steve nodded.
"Okay, well, I don't know that much about you other than the basics. Tell me something I don't know. What about your daughter - what's her name?"
"Lizzie," Steve said, softly. "Elizabeth."
"Uh huh, and how old is Lizzie?"
"Four."
"And now you're pregnant again."
"Obviously," Steve replied, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.
The doctor stayed quiet for a moment, trying to assess the situation. He took out his cell phone and took a photo of Steve.
"Look at this," he said, handing the phone over. "Look at yourself."
Steve stared at the photo. He looked nothing like he remembered. His hair was long and matted and he had begun to grow a beard. There were bags under his eyes and his cheekbones jutted out in a disturbing fashion. His face almost looked like a skull with hair.
The sight was too much. A tear ran down Steve's cheek, followed by several more. He handed the phone back to the therapist and continued to cry.
"It's awful," he whispered, looking at the doctor. The tears made his vision blurry and made it hard to talk without sobbing.
"You can recover, though. You needed to see that. Now we can start."
00
Dr. D'Amico emerged from the medical center close to two hours later. He was greeted by Tony.
"How'd it go?" He asked nervously.
"The main thing I got from it was that he felt hopeless, and I don't think that's something he's ever experienced before."
"Never?"
"Think about it. When he was younger he must have held some hope of joining the military, otherwise he wouldn't have kept trying to get in. He held out hope of finding his friend Bucky, according to his files, and did locate and free him. Even when Loki attacked, he felt that together you could win. When he was locked up he had no means of escape, and even he could've gotten out, there was the matter of the other children there. He mentioned the names Kara and Holly."
"We believe that Holly was also being held captive in the same building. Her father was being used by Klineschmidt to do research. Our main objective was to get Steve and the Klineschmidt's daughter Kara out, we didn't plan for anyone else. Holly and her father were lost in the explosion."
"Has anyone told Captain Rogers this?"
Tony shook his head.
"No. We were all afraid it might depress him further. He seemed bad off enough as it was."
"Probably for the best. I'd like to see him again at the end of the week to hopefully get a clearer picture. For now, I'd say bring Lizzie to see him every other day. Try to get him to take small steps - for instance, see if you can get him to eat an apple or a piece of toast. Don't push him past that, but reward him if he does. Tell him that he did a good job and so on."
"Alright. We'll see you soon, then. Thanks."
"No problem at all," the doctor replied. "It's the least I can do, considering all he's done for us."