The morning of Katiana's procedure came too quickly for her and too slowly for everyone who knew her. Even Wanda looked forward to being able to speak freely with the former First Daughter, curious about her thoughts from growing up with a political family. Sandra and Tiffany had visited every other day for almost two weeks, and Katiana had requested her mother drive her to the hospital as opposed to Stark's driver or one of the Avengers.
Steve had texted her relentlessly, asking if she needed anything and if she wanted him to come back to Manhattan. She assured him she was fine, and that she and Wanda were healing physically and emotionally after everything that had transpired. Katiana explained that she was enjoying spending time with her mother and best friend, and that she didn't need anything else. She was adamant that Steve give her the space she needed, because Katiana secretly wanted to be better when she saw Steve again, and she wasn't better yet.
However, as dawn broke over the city skyline, Steve Rogers drove his Harley four hours to reach New York so he could join Wanda, Tiffany, and Sandra in escorting Katiana to the doctor. He knew Stark would be there to pay the bill, and he wasn't about to let Tony see Katiana into surgery without him.
He parked in the garage and took the elevator up to the party deck, seeing it cleaned up for the first time since Ultron destroyed it. Steve sat on the leather couch and clasped his hands together, looking down as he stretched his back beneath his shield.
"I don't think you'll be needing that where we're going."
Steve looked up to see Katiana emerge from the stairwell, dressed in a loose fitting red dress and a black knit beanie. He jumped to his feet, but didn't approach her, using every bit of restraint he had to let her come to him on her own terms. As she got closer, he realized all her hair was gone, and his heart dropped.
Katiana saw his gaze land on her head and she adjusted the hat as she reached Steve, "I've been in correspondence with the doctor's office. They, uh, don't know who I am, but Tony said that it needed to stay hush hush, for obvious reasons." She gestured to her hat and shrugged, "They said they'd need to cut a chunk of hair out to reach the hippocampus. Said I could shave part of it or all of it, but it'll be easier to grow it out from scratch. It'll come in blonde again. Hopefully my other personality doesn't kill me for what I did to her body." Katiana chuckled and Steve smiled weakly, trying to hold himself back. "Steve?"
"Mmm?" He hummed, fiddling with the leather straps across his shoulders that held his shield.
"Thank you, for giving me time. I'm sure it was very difficult for you, but I just wanted you to know that it means a lot to me. I feel a lot better about everything that's going to happen, and that's because of you."
"I just don't want to push you. You wanted space, and I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you." Steve stammered as she reached out and grabbed his upper arms. Eventually one of her hands made its way to his cheek and he sighed as he leaned into her touch, "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, Steve. I really have. But it's been nice having time to sort through what little I remember. I've talked to my mom about a lot of stuff. She's worried about me, because of what they did to me at Hydra. Not just the brain chip, but, the other stuff..." She trailed off sadly, shifting her legs uncomfortably beneath her dress. Steve pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly until she laughed, "You're squeezing the nerves right out of me."
Steve chuckled and pressed his lips against the edge of her beanie, knowing Kayla would have a heart attack when she woke up to find herself bald. "Don't be nervous. I'll be there the whole time."
"Probably not in the operating room. Even you don't have that much authority." Katiana teased as she lifted her head to look up at Steve. She ran her fingers through his blonde strands, combing them back after riding his bike all the way from upstate. "Between you and me, I don't have to get up for another two hours, but I couldn't sleep. Wanda and Tiffany are upstairs in your room, but maybe we could go somewhere and hang out for a while?"
Steve nodded, immeasurably happy that Katiana wanted to spend time alone with him before her procedure. Steve knew Tony had spared no expense in finding her the best brain surgeon he could, but that didn't mean it would be smooth sailing. God forbid, if anything happened to her, Steve would be thankful to have some time before she went under the knife.
He led her up the stairs to the roof, using his shield to bash down the door and causing Katiana to giggle, "You're going to be in so much trouble when Stark finds out!"
"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." Steve answered lightly as he tugged her towards the edge of the roof. The area was small, but the view was phenomenal, and Steve's chest swelled at the impressed look on her face. "Come here." He sat on the edge with his feet dangling over and patted the spot beside him. When she stared at him in disbelief, Steve beamed at her, "I won't let you fall, I promise."
She took a seat beside Steve and he put his arm around her and pulled her close to his side, holding her tight so she'd feel secure one hundred stories above the ground. The sun sat firmly over New York Harbor and the pair felt the air begin to warm up around them on that cool May morning. Katiana turned to look up at Steve, seeing how content he looked gazing over Manhattan, "What'cha thinkin about?"
"You. And Me. And today." Steve leaned his head over to bump Katiana's as she shifted to scoot her legs to the side, leaning her weight against Steve's ribs. "I'm just thankful for this moment before everything changes. I'm excited for you to be whole again, and for you to remember me, but I'm scared you won't forgive me."
"Hey. I have a say in what happens too, ya know. I'll remember what you did to me, but I'll remember this moment now too. You were open about your mistakes, it isn't a big secret. I think you and I are gonna be okay." Katiana said softly, leaning her head back so her cheek was pressed against Steve's leather jacket. "I know that I love you. And when I remember how much I love you, I'll never let you go. I promise."
"It's also a risky procedure, I'm scared- God, I'm so scared, what if he can't remove the chip?" Steve asked sadly as he tilted his lips down to her head. "As long as you wake up, and you're okay, that's all that matters."
"And if I don't, I got to know my mom, and my best friend, and you." Katiana said softly, and Steve clamped his eyes closed, understanding why she'd wanted time and space to get to know Sandra and Tiffany. "Hey." He opened his eyes at the sound of her soft voice, looking down at her sadly as she smiled up at him, "Everything's going to turn out exactly how it's supposed to, Steve. It's okay."
He ducked his head just enough to reach her lips, kissing her quickly. She reached up and grabbed the back of Steve's head, holding him close as he pulled her back, allowing them to fall off the edge onto the rocks covering the roof. Steve grunted as he landed on his shield and Katiana laughed, rolling off of his chest to check on him, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Steve grumbled as he sat up and reached behind his back to grab his shield and set it to the side. He unclipped the straps that held it and discarded them next to the disk, then grabbed onto Katiana and pulled her to his chest as he fell back down onto his back, causing her to laugh loudly until he silenced her with a deep kiss. She hummed into him as he shoved his tongue down her throat like a horny teenager.
"So, some bad news." Katiana moaned as she pulled away for just a moment, but Steve pulled her back down to him before she could deliver her news, "The doctor says that I'll need to be on bed rest at least two weeks to a month, but it'll be two to three months of recovery. And that's just from the surgery, not even from the trauma of having my brain messed with."
"Why is that bad news? Sounds like lots of cuddling in our future." Steve purred into her ear as he began lacing her jaw with kisses.
Katiana huffed, holding him close to her face so she could feel his breath on her skin, "But no sex."
Steve pulled away and stuck out his lower lip in a pout as he looked up at her with big, blue puppy eyes. "That is bad news."
"You know, we have at least another hour... we could be quick." Katiana teased as she leaned down and bit at Steve's lower lip as his hand trailed down the fabric of her dress, pulling it up so he could run his fingers over her thigh. Katiana brushed back his hair and shook her head, "Steve... let's not treat this like an end, okay? I'm going to be okay. I'll be different, but you'll still love me, right?"
Steve grabbed Katiana by the shoulder and sat up so she was on her knees in front of him, "Of course I will. You know I will."
"Then we'll wait, and as soon as I'm up to it, and you've helped me figure out who the fuck I am, you can make love to me until I pass out from ecstasy."
"And you'll actually remember that it's happened before." Steve teased as Katiana blushed, looking down as she bit her lip. Steve leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek, "I'm in no hurry, Honey. I have everything sorted out, nobody will come looking for me for the next two months, I'm all yours for as long as you want me."
"Promise?"
"I promise." Steve said as he kissed her sweetly before pulling her onto his lap so he could wrap his arms around her and watch the city wake up over her shoulder.
"You ready for this?" Wanda asked as Katiana sat between her and Tiffany in her mother's car. Steve turned around and smiled at her from the passenger's seat as Sandra Ellis pulled into the Metro-General Hospital parking lot. The former First Lady parked her car as Tony Stark quickly jogged over to meet them.
"I didn't realize we were letting the press in on your daughter's procedure?" Tony asked as Sandra got out of the car, looking to Steve worriedly as Captain America faced his teammate.
"We didn't say anything to anybody," Sandra said as Tiffany joined her, looking around between Tony and Steve. "Tiff, did you alert the press?"
"No, absolutely not." She hissed as Katiana and Wanda emerged from the car, seeing the tension around them. Tiffany smiled grandly at Katiana, "Somebody told the press you were alive, it wasn't us, I swear."
"Wasn't the Avengers." Tony said as he threw his hands up to show his innocence.
"Maybe it was that fire guy we stole the plane from? He knew you." Wanda suggested and Katiana looked to Tiffany as the small woman narrowed her eyes.
"Fire... guy? You stole a plane from-" Tiffany's mouth dropped in a laugh, "Oh shit, you stole the Fantastic Four's jet, didn't you? I heard something about that on the news. Didn't realize you were involved."
"It's whatever. Let's go. I'll deal with it once I remember how." Katiana grumbled as she pulled her beanie further over her head. Steve threw his arm around her shoulders and held her tightly as Tony sighed, turning and leading the group out of the garage toward the lobby of the hotel. Pepper Potts was waiting at the door with Happy as Sandra nodded to tell them they were ready.
Katiana looked up at Steve nervously, and he just smiled down at her, "I'll be right there until they kick me out. Even then I'll put up a fight to stay."
The doors to the hospital opened and reporters stormed forward with their cameras flashing wildly. Pepper, Tiffany, and Happy tried to keep them at bay as Tony just lifted his hands up in greeting, allowing Steve to sneak by with Katiana as they yelled their questions at her.
"Miss Ellis, where have you been all this time?"
"Miss Ellis! Kayla, rumors say you've been brainwashed, is this true?"
"Kayla, are you and Captain America still dating?"
"What are your odds of having successful surgery this afternoon?"
"Kayla Ellis, Johnny Storm says you stole his plane and explained you had no memories. Why did you need to steal a plane?"
Tiffany yelled over the crowd, placing her hands up to get everyone's attention, "As everyone's aware, Miss Ellis was kidnapped by the Winter Soldier last summer and long thought to be dead. The Avengers found her and brought her home. Her time in Seoul was due to some complications involving the robot Ultron and his attempt to destroy humanity. Today we hope to undo the damage that Hydra did to her mind. You all will know more when we do. Thank you."
Her announcement did little to quiet their questions as Tiffany followed behind Sandra and Wanda past security to follow Steve and Tony into the elevator with the quivering woman getting all the attention.
"That was fucking terrifying." Katiana murmured as they rose to the floor they were sent to. "Is it always like that?"
"Pretty much." Steve muttered and Katiana shivered, holding him a little tighter, "It's okay. You're going to be just fine, and when you wake up, this'll seem normal again."
"I kinda hate that." Katiana growled and Steve shrugged, "Listen, if you want to step out of the spotlight, I'll be more than happy to join you."
Katiana smirked up at Steve and he rubbed her lower back, keeping his eyes up as she gazed at him.
"Alright, love birds, look alive." Tony said as the doors opened and the hoard of people moved into the neurological wing of the hospital. He led the way to the check in counter where a woman approached them with a clip board.
"Mr. Stark?" The woman asked and Tony raised his brow questioningly, as if wondering why she needed to ask. Her expression fell and she sighed, "Of course. I'm Christine Palmer. Come with me."
Tony fell in step with the woman, looking her up and down as she guided them toward an employee breakroom and closed the door. Tony snorted as he turned to the woman, "What? Are we in trouble?"
"This changes things." The tall, lanky doctor said as he swept into the room from the opposite door. He looked over his patient with judgmental eyes, then back to Tony Stark to size him up as well, "Doctor Strange."
"You know who I am." Tony answered with a grin, gesturing over to Katiana, "You know her, you know Captain America, I assume? First Lady Ellis?"
"I'm not risking my career on a surgery that has such a low likelihood of success."
Katiana swallowed hard and Steve tightened his grip on her, causing her to mewl in pain. "Steve, too hard." She whimpered and he loosened his grip, instead clenching his free hand into a fist instead as Sandra pressed her hand to Katiana's shoulder.
"Tony, I thought you said this guy was the best there is?" Steve snarled as he stood from the chair he'd barely sat in, stomping forward to look the surgeon in the eyes.
Doctor Strange just grinned at Captain America without fear, "I am the best there is, but because of the high profile of the patient, the lack of information you've given me, the intricacy of the procedure, and the ramifications of what a botched surgery would do to my sterling reputation, I'm going to need an extra hundred thousand." Strange looked over Steve's shoulder to Tony, seeing the billionaire simmering, but he didn't argue. "Listen, if this has any chance of working, it's going to be me doing it. Take the offer, or leave it."
Steve turned to look at Tony, and he just laughed, "Three hundred thousand dollars? Oh, wait a minute. I'm Tony Stark! Brain surgeries for everybody! Miss Jones, brain surgery? You might need it since you think marrying Sam is a good idea."
"Tony..." Steve growled, finally releasing his clenched fist as the pressure moved to his sharp jaw. He looked to Katiana, and seeing how scared she looked, he knelt in front of her. "You don't have to do this. We'll all understand if you don't want to go through with it. We'll all support you no matter what."
Katiana looked to Sandra, who just nodded despite the tears forming in her eyes, then to Tiffany who agreed quietly, but unhappily. Katiana turned back to Steve and grabbed his cheeks, "No. I want to try. If it's alright with Mr. Stark?"
Tony grinned and clasped his hands together, turning back to Doctor Strange, "Would you prefer cash or check?"
"Christine, escort Mr. Stark to the desk and get my payment set up. Tell Billy to get the operating room ready. One hour." Strange turned to Katiana and warned, "Maybe you should get your affairs in order, just in case."
"Cool. Great. Gives me a lot of confidence in my doctor." Katiana mumbled as she stood next to Steve and turned to Tiffany and Wanda, "Listen, if things go wrong-"
"Don't talk about it. Don't think about it." Tiffany croaked as she shook her head to stop Katiana from speaking. "Don't."
"You'll be fine." Wanda assured Katiana, but she held Tiffany's hand tightly, showing she wasn't so sure.
Katiana sighed, "If anything happens to me, take care of each other. Promise?"
"We promise." Tiffany said as she swallowed her tears, standing and pulling Wanda toward the open door, "We'll head to the waiting room. Give you guys a few minutes alone."
Sandra pulled her daughter into a hug and kissed her head lovingly as she swayed them back and forth, "You're going to be okay. If Tony Stark says this man is the best, he's the best. He's paying a lot of money, the doctor will do his very best. I have faith."
"Will you stay with me until I go under?" Katiana asked, not letting Sandra go.
"Of course, Honey. Whatever you need." Sandra promised as she looked up at Steve. "How about I give you two some time to talk. I'll wait for you outside, okay?"
"Thanks Mom." Katiana whispered as she wiped tears from beneath her eyes. She looked to Steve and he looked like his knees could give out at any moment, and his fear reminded Katiana how much he cared about her. "I love you."
"I love you too." Steve answered quickly, "You don't have to do this."
"I want to."
"Are you sure? We could run away right now..." Steve offered as he wrapped his strong arms around Katiana, but she just shook her head.
"No, Steve. Remembering you is worth the risk."
"I'm not so sure it is."
"Well, it isn't your choice, it's mine." Katiana argued as she placed her hands on his chest, "If the worst happens, know that I died happy, thinking about you."
Steve kissed her deeply, holding her body flush against his to memorize the feeling of her. She pulled away to gasp for air, grinning up at Steve, "I'll see you on the other side."
"One way or another."
"Exactly." Katiana agreed as she grabbed his hand and led him out the door to join her mother and prepare for surgery.
Within an hour, Katiana was dressed in a hospital gown and laid down on a table as Doctor Strange inserted a syringe into her arm and placed an oxygen mask over her mouth as he prepared the administer the anesthesia. Steve held her left hand tightly, staying by her side as Sandra stroked her cheek.
"You'll be okay, Sweetheart. We'll see you soon, okay?" Sandra said through her mask as Katiana's eyes fluttered closed. Sandra looked to Steve, giving him a nod to tell him she was under, but he didn't budge. "Steve."
"I want to stay."
"You can't stay, I'm going to operate on her brain. Get out." Stephen Strange barked at Steve as he pulled on gloves to prepare. "Seriously, you need to go."
"Come on Steve. There's nothing else you can do." Sandra prodded as she reached across her daughter to place her hand on Steve's forearm. "She's gonna be okay."
"I just-" Steve stammered as he watched her, "I promised I wouldn't leave her."
"You won't. You'll be in the next room with the rest of us. As soon as she's out of surgery, you can come see her, okay?" Sandra told the man, tightening her grip. "You should get some rest, relax a little bit. That way when she wakes up, you'll be at your best for her."
Steve couldn't disagree with that, so he finally left Katiana's side to follow Sandra out of the operating room as Doctor Strange stared at him in frustration. Steve paused in the doorway to gaze at her one more time, praying nothing would go wrong, before he left.