*Just to clear up any confusion - Dottie and Angie are not a thing (not in this fic). The last chapter was simply another scenario or another way Dottie could have gone about getting information on Peggy to eventually kill her - it wasn't a memory, and it wasn't any hidden desire. Just plain old school Dottie using sexuality and trying to have a little fun while she went about her business.*
Enjoy x
Peggy stared at Dottie who lay motionless in a private hospital bed the next morning. Edwin Jarvis had visited to find Dottie bleeding out in Peggy's arms as she and Angie kept trying to contain the bleeding. He had insisted on bringing her to this small hospital house, so here she was. She had been pronounced dead, before they got a faint pulse. Peggy had nearly collapsed with a mixture of sadness and then relief. It was lucky they got Dottie here when they had, minutes later and she really would have been dead.
The bullets had been removed, the wounds had been cleaned, stitched, and Dottie was bandaged up. She was alive for now, but she was still at risk of infection. Nurses came in to check her breathing and her heart rate, as well as updating her fluids if need be. Angie came in with a bouquet of flowers. Peggy felt a pang of sadness, the only flowers Dottie had received were from she and Angie; they were literally her only two friends in the whole world. Angie brought in sun flowers, and Peggy had brought in roses. Peggy began to wonder if Dottie had ever had people who truly loved her sit by her bedside waiting for her to wake up before. She almost cried when she thought about how during the war, there would have been nobody to alert of Dottie's death, had she died. Nobody would have cared and nobody would have mourned for her. How times change. She reached over and touched her peaceful sleeping face; it was free of makeup, pale in the white sunshine streaming through the window and warm to the touch. The natural highlights in her hair shone a light blonde; and Peggy thought she was beautiful, angelic, even like this. Had her blue eyes been open, Peggy was sure she would have seen the sky glowing through them. Angie gave Peggy a sad smile after putting the flowers into a vase of water.
"Angie, I haven't had a chance to thank you yet." Peggy began, looking up from Dottie to Angie. The actress shook her head, "There's nothin' to thank me for English. Both of you would've done the same for me. I'm just glad Dot taught me how to shoot a gun and throw a punch when she did." Peggy nodded, "Still, thank you." They weren't asked to leave due to Dottie's absence of any records containing her blood family, and the absence of a husband or children. So they stayed for as long as Jarvis would let them.
He took them back to the residence he and his wife were living in.
He let them in and then said, "Oh did I mention my wife is pregnant?" Both Angie and Peggy's eyes widened at him, and then at Ana Jarvis as she walked over, clearly showing. "O-oh my god, congratulations!" Peggy gasped as Ana hugged her. Edwin couldn't seem to stop smiling at the sight. Ana and Angie were introduced and Angie gave her congratulations too.
"I thought the doctors said-?" Peggy asked Ana and Edwin who were sitting on the sofa opposite. They were all sipping tea. Edwin smiled, "Well, Miss Carter, the doctors were wrong." Peggy smiled fully, "I'm so happy for you both, truly." Ana Jarvis had been shot last year and the doctors said that she might not be able to have children due to complications. However, they were all relieved to find out that the medical experts were wrong. Angie looked at Ana's belly, "So how far along are you?" Angie asked. Ana took a second to think about it, "Five months, last week." She replied, following Angie's line of sight down to her belly. "Mister Jarvis, you failed to mention this for five months?" Peggy asked, shocked. Ana laughed, "He has been here fussing over me the whole time Miss Carter." She replied. Edwin nodded, "Yes, besides, I thought you were rather busy. I came over to tell you, but found instead the tragedy of Miss Underwood." Peggy shook her head in disbelief, "Goodness, not busy enough to miss out on news like this!" She felt her heartstrings tug at the mention of her near-dead lover. Then her expression softened, "So, what are you guessing, a boy or a girl?" Ana shook her head, "I have a feeling she's a strong little girl, like yourself." Edwin Jarvis nodded, "Ana has suggested we name her after you, if she is indeed a strong little girl." Angie looked at Peggy, whose face lit up the whole room. Peggy felt her eyes prickle with tears, "Oh you mustn't-, really?" Ana nodded, a smile never leaving her face, "I insist, Miss Carter." Peggy was visibly flattered and very nearly began crying, "You're both darlings. Thank you." Angie and Peggy spent a little while longer there, eating scones which Edwin had baked earlier that day and drinking the tea he had made, and catching up.
They soon made their way home. Walking through the front door made Peggy shiver slightly, "I feel terrible." She commented as they walked in. The blood had since been cleaned off of the floors, and Vladislav's dead body removed, along with his companions. Angie sort of understood why, but she asked anyway. Peggy sat down in the lounge, and Angie sat beside her, "Because we've had such a nice night, and Dottie is in that hospital alone." The brunette stated. Angie pursed her lips, nodding, "I figured that was why. Don't worry about it too much, English. I think we both needed a little distraction and rest. We'll go back in the morning and visit her then; it ain't like she's goin' anywhere." Peggy nodded, leaning on Angie's shoulder and shutting her eyes, "You're right." She replied. Angie let Peggy rest there before she heard Peggy's breathing level out. She looked down, her eyes were still shut, and Peggy had fallen asleep. Angie tutted fondly and moved away, gently laying Peggy down on the couch. Once she did that, she walked to one of the bedrooms to retrieve a blanket before coming back and pulling it over the agent. Angie smiled, satisfied and headed into the kitchen to listen to some late night radio.
Peggy woke up a couple of hours later and trudged to her room. It had been a long couple of days. She was immensely grateful for everyone's support, Angie's certainly. She knew the younger woman had been hurting too and oh that little actress, if it hadn't been for the small signs, Peggy wouldn't have even known.
Once she was undressed, cleaned, and set her hair in pins, Peggy crawled into bed. She shut her eyes and opened them again. She smiled, Dottie Underwood lay beside her. "Where have you been, Pegs?" Dottie asked, almost playfully. Peggy shuffled closer and buried her head into the crook of Dottie's long neck, wrapping her arms around her tight and pressing their bodies together. She felt Dottie slide her arms around her, and Peggy felt better instantly, "Don't do that ever again. Don't you leave me like that Dorothy." She said firmly. Then she felt Dottie's chest move as the blonde laughed, "Dorothy? Are we doing full names, Margaret? Gosh you don't have to be so serious Peg, I'm here. As certain as the sun rising in the east." Peggy squeezed her eyes shut, holding Dottie tighter, "You had better be."
To her dismay, Dottie wasn't, and Peggy woke up in the morning, still on the sofa she had fallen asleep on. She tried desperately to clutch onto Dottie, to keep her there, but the space in her arms slowly emptied as she awoke. Her heart sank, loneliness tugged at her core, and she burst into quiet tears.
She and Angie visited every day for another painful week. It was tiring for Peggy, who despite the reassurance of the nurses, Angie, and everyone else, was still worried that Dottie might suddenly die once and for all. It was silly really, Dottie was in good hands, and Peggy knew that. But there was always that level of irrationality in the back of her mind, causing her to feel insecure. Sometimes even Angie faltered in her good spirits too, but she was quick to correct that. Peggy admired her.
One morning Peggy and Angie headed to the hospital. They saw Daniel Sousa exiting it, putting on a pair of sunglasses. Peggy frowned and approached him, "Daniel?" He looked slightly embarrassed, "Peggy." He said with a nod. She gave him a questioning glance, "What brings you here?" He looked away and shuffled on his crutch, "Well, I felt bad. So I brought Dottie some flowers. I'm... trying to say I'm sorry." Peggy smiled slightly, "Well it's a nice thought, thank you, Daniel. I don't quite forgive you yet though." Daniel nodded, "Yeah, that's alright, I don't expect you to. Dottie doesn't yet, she said something along the lines of 'If I could move, I would throw you out of that damn window, Sousa.' I took the hint and left." He looked over his shoulder at her window before looking back at Peggy, slightly amused. Peggy's jaw dropped, "She's awake?" He nodded, "Oh yeah, wide." Peggy grabbed Angie's wrist and they ran inside, up the stairs and to Dottie's room. They opened the door and hurried in, both smiling.
Dorothy Underwood was sitting up in her bed, reading the newspaper, as though she had never been gone. She looked up and grinned, "Why hello you two. Did you miss me? I see I've been gone just over a week." she closed the newspaper and both women ran over and hugged her tight. Dottie winced a little, her wounds were still tender, "I take that as a yes." She laughed lightly, hugging them back. When they pulled back and she looked at Angie and her cheeks blossomed faintly; it would take a little while for her to get that dream of kissing her out of her head.
"It's good to see you again, Dot." Angie said, as Peggy sat down in the seat beside Dottie's bed. Dottie smiled, "You too, Martini." Angie gave her a playful glare and shook her head, "Do you want something to drink?" Dottie nodded, "Yes please, just a glass of water." Angie bounced out of the room. Peggy was watching Dottie intensely, "You haven't said a word." Dottie commented, "Are you alright?" she asked. Peggy nodded, a smile forming on her face, "I'm better now you're awake." She leaned in and kissed Dottie on the lips. Dottie shut her eyes and kissed her back. When the kiss broke, Dottie licked her lips, "What a nice surprise." she said with a large white smile. Peggy gently pushed a lock of Dottie's hair behind her ear, smiling back. Neither had to say what they were thinking. The loving gaze said enough. Then Peggy leaned back into her seat and Angie returned with a glass of water. "So I saw Daniel came to visit." Peggy commented, amused. Dottie rolled her eyes, "Yes. He brought the carnations." Angie handed her the glass, "Thank you." She began drinking, gingerly, aware of the pain coming from her stomach whenever it clenched. Then she frowned, putting the glass down on the bedside table, "So did I miss much?" Dottie asked.
"Well," Angie and Peggy glanced at each other, "Mrs. Jarvis is pregnant." Angie told her. Dottie's jaw dropped slightly, "Really?" Her blue eyes were wide, and for a moment she looked like the Dottie Underwood both women had met back at The Griffith. Naïve and innocent looking. Peggy and Angie nodded in unison. Nobody she knew ever got pregnant. Dottie smiled to herself, and she wasn't particularly fond of children, but it was nice, she knew how much it meant to Ana and Edwin. Personally, the closest she had ever gotten to parenthood was when she pushed her canister of deadly gas disguised as a baby girl in a stroller into the cinema before poisoning everyone in the room. She felt a slight sense of dread remembering the ordeal. Her thoughts were interrupted by Angie talking to her, she shook her head, "Sorry, what? I was miles away." Dottie said, blinking. Peggy rolled her eyes at Angie, "Ignore her, Dottie." Angie burst out laughing, "No c'mon, I was just kidding, English." Dottie frowned with a smile, "What did she say?" Peggy shook her head, "Nothing."
Dottie wasn't going to be discharged for another night.
"Peg, it's late, go home, you have a very nice queen sized bed waiting for you." Dottie said gently, holding Peggy's hand. Angie had already left; she had an audition in the morning. "It isn't quite the same without you in it, darling." Peggy replied, staring at Dottie's hand in hers.
"What did Angie say, earlier?" Dottie asked. Peggy looked at her and appeared a little embarrassed, "Oh, she was joking. She asked when we would be having children." Dottie felt a pang of sadness, she had never thought about Peggy perhaps wanting to start a family. If she did, Dottie couldn't even give her that, not properly. Peggy caught the look on Dottie's face and immediately reassured her, "I don't have any plans, Dottie. Don't worry. U-unless you're upset because-?" Dottie shook her head, "I'm not. Do you want that? And don't say no just because we can't." Peggy paused for a moment, "I hadn't really... I hadn't really thought about it. Not properly. My line of work doesn't leave much room to think about children, in between the gunfights and espionage. No, I don't think so. Do you?" Dottie shrugged, "No, I mean, it doesn't really matter. Even if I did, we couldn't." Peggy looked relieved, "So that's that. Nothing to worry about." Dottie studied her, "But what if you change your mind? What if you do someday?" annoyingly, she sounded as insecure as she felt. Peggy smiled gently, "My clock is already ticking, I don't think I'm going to change my mind anytime soon." Dottie looked unconvinced.
A nurse came in and the two quickly separated their hands. She smiled at Dottie, "You're still awake. I thought you'd be asleep by now!" Dottie shook her head, and the nurse raised her eyebrows slightly, "Maybe you should. I don't want you feeling tired when we discharge you tomorrow." Then she looked at Peggy, "Why don't you come back in the morning? Miss Underwood will still be here when you get back, I promise." Her voice was comforting, but Peggy hadn't seen her here before. She noted Peggy's suspicious gaze, "I work nights." She told her. Peggy nodded, "Oh. Sorry, I'm just a little on edge with people after what happened to my friend here." The nurse smiled kindly, "I understand." Peggy stood up and looked at Dottie, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow morning, Dottie." They shared a quick hug. "I love you, Peg." Dottie called as Peggy exited the room. Peggy smiled, "I love you too, Dottie."
Dottie looked at the nurse and said cheerily, "Just gals being pals, huh?" The nurse nodded, "Oh, I do the same thing with my girl friends."
Dottie doubted that.