Mako's Message: I really want to apologize for the delay on this one. I was struggling with some other projects, but once I realized just how long it'd been since the last update this went right to the top of the pile.
More after the chapter.
Waking up in the hospital sucks.
Waking up somewhere unexpected is bad enough, but when it's a hospital, you're wondering, "Oh fuck. What happened?" and you're most likely in pain or too doped up to remember anything.
So waking up in a hospital bed was unpleasant. It was nice to see Dave watching over me though. Except for when it clicked that he was in costume, and crouched on a chair, in a corner, facing the door with his batons out.
That almost made me panic. Well, at least until I realized my mask was on. I don't know how he convinced them to leave the mask and wig on, but thank god he did. The last thing I'd need after what happened is for my identity to be blown.
I don't really even remember what happened. I have bits and pieces of it. Like, I know I was out on patrol with Dave, and then this big guy tackled Dave, and two other guys grabbed me and carried me off and threw me in a van. After that I remember being tied to a chair and Chris taunting me, talking about how happy he was that I could make it, and that he had all sorts of fun activities for us to do. And how, actually, he was the only one who was going to be having fun.
Then I remember waking up on a couch in a...I dunno. A big box or tank or something. It was more like a tank, I guess, because it was see through on all sides, and it was about the size of a small living room. And it had a rug, a coffee table, a side table with a lamp, a chair, and the couch I was laying on.
Chris was sitting on the other side of the glass on his own couch with this big ass bowl of popcorn and a video camera. He looked at me and said, "What? I thought it'd be fun to watch. And I'll want to watch this over and over again." and he started laughing.
I had all my weapons on me, so I pulled a gun and tried to shoot him, which just made him laugh harder. He said, "You stupid bitch! Do you really think you'd have your guns if you could shoot through that?"
I shot it a couple more times just to be sure, then I started hitting it with stuff. My butterfly sword, knives, the furniture. The only thing I didn't try was my grenade, and that was because even if it broke the glass I didn't think the couch would be enough to protect me from the blast.
After that...I really don't remember much of anything. I remember gunfire at some point, and I thought I saw my Daddy but obviously I was dreaming, then Hospital. I woke up with an oxygen mask on my face, some monitors on my wrists and fingers, and my suit top had been unzipped, but otherwise I was still in full costume.
Dave was crouched in a chair next to me still in full combat mode, ready to kick the shit out of anyone who came into the room. He only relaxed a little when he saw I was awake. Okay, well, he relaxed a lot when I spoke to him, but it was more of a "Oh thank god you're alive" relaxing than relaxing his guard. He actually looked more serious after. Guess without worrying if I was gonna wake up or not, he was focused entirely on protecting me.
Normally, I wouldn't like the idea that anyone thought I needed to be protected, let alone stand guard over me, but aside from the fact that I still felt weak as shit and my chest hurt like hell whenever I tried to breathe, I liked seeing Dave all serious and being protective of me. I guess it's that little girl part of me that still likes the idea of the big strong man keeping me safe.
That and I just like seeing how much Dave cares about me.
Wish he'd let me thank him properly.
I wasn't in the hospital long. Dave called in a nurse after I woke up and she double checked my breathing, heart rate, basic vitals crap, and said that it looked like I was on the "up and up", and that a doctor would be in soon to give the final prognosis.
Before the doc showed up, Col. Stars, White Mage, and Dr. Gravity came in.
Then Dave REALLY relaxed. It was almost like he was a puppet and his strings were cut. He actually fell back into the chair and all the air rushed out of him in this big whoosh and he said, "I thought you guys were never gonna show up."
"Hey," Dr. Gravity said, "We don't all have our own super cars ya know. We had to meet up with the Colonel first so he could drive us here in the van.
He got up and pulled Dr. G and Stars into a hug while Alice came over to check on me. She said, "So you're mortal after all."
I said, "Ha ha" and even I was bothered by how weak it sounded. She checked my pulse and put her ear to my chest, which was kinda awkward but under the circumstances I didn't really object. And if I had, I don't think I could have stopped her at the time.
When she picked her head up she smiled at me and said, "I think you'll be okay. You just need to recover."
I smirked and crocked out, "Thanks Doc."
She smiled and said, "See? You're getting better already."
Meanwhile, Col. Stars was trying to get Dave to get himself checked over since he was here.
Dave didn't want to leave, but Dr. G and Stars convinced him. And by "convinced him" I mean Dr. Gravity dragged him over to the door and yelled, "Hey! Can I get someone to give my boy here a look over?"
Dave was still stuttering out objections and Uncle John said, "Don't worry, nothin's gonna happen to her with the three of us here."
An overly eager nurse came over and led Dave off somewhere, and I must have actually said "whore" out loud because Alice just chuckled and said, "Even if she threw herself at him I don't think he'd take what she'd be offering."
Nobody said anything so hopefully when I thought, "Wish he'd take what I'm offering," I was only thinking it.
When the Doctor finally came in, he read through what I guess were the notes on me then gave me a more thorough exam, making me sit up so he could listen to me breathe front and back, which actually hurt. He checked my eyes too and then examined a burn on my neck I didn't even notice until he pulled the bandage away. He said I seemed to be recovering nicely so far, and that, "Under normal circumstances we'd want to keep you for a day just to make sure there are no complications, but I think, considering the risk to yourself and, no offense, the other patients and staff, that you should be discharged as soon as possible. Provided you have someplace where you can rest safely for at least the next twenty four hours."
He looks at me and I nod, then around the room and John and Alice nod as well, "Excellent. Well, as soon as she's ready to leave she'll be able to. I'll send a nurse in with the treatment papers. She can provide you with a wheelchair if you want it."
After he left, Alice held out a hand and said, "Can you stand?"
I said, "Of course I can stand" and swung my legs over the side to stand up, only to be hit by wave of dizziness and my legs giving out on me.
"Of course you can stand," Alice said back to me, as she caught me and helped me back on the bed.
Ya know, the number of people who I let get away with sassing me without getting hit is getting bigger than I'd like.
Anyway, I really didn't want to be seen leaving the hospital in a wheelchair. Hit Girl can NOT be allowed be seen as vulnerable. However many people knew about me being in the hospital in the first place was too many. I decided maybe we should wait a bit before I left. At the very least I wanted to wait for Dave to come back, and if I had to leave in a wheelchair we'd need some time to come up with a way to disguise me.
Obviously taking my costume off was not an option. Too many people in the hospital knew Hit Girl was in that room, and even a vague description of what I look like without the mask and wig was too detailed.
When Dave came back without more than a couple bandages on his arms and a bottle of painkillers they asked him for suggestions. The first thing he said was, "Hit Girl can't leave here in a wheelchair. She can't be seen as weak."
I like how we can be totally on the same wavelength.
Then he asked me to try standing again, and I was kinda able to, but I was really wobbly. He asked White Mage if an adrenalin shot would help, even if it was just long enough to get her to the van.
She thought about it for a bit then said, "Maybe. It's not something you should do lightly though."
"If it'll let her walk out of here on her own it'll be worth it."
Then she looked at me and said, "Are you sure you can't just let us wheel you out of here?"
I just looked right back at her and shook my head, "I can't look weak. Not in costume."
She sighed and said, "I think this is unnecessary but fine. I'll see what I can do."
A nurse came in to hand me all those papers they give you saying just what they treated you for, how they treated you, and all that other crap. I noticed they had me listed as "Jane Doe" so that's something at least. What also did me in was carbon monoxide poisoning. So, I guess that was Chris's plan. Gas me to death and watch me suffer.
She also gave me a portable oxygen tank, and said that once I was somewhere safe I should keep an oxygen mask on as much as possible for the next day, which was how long the tank should last. After it ran out she said I should probably be able to get another tank anywhere that sold diving equipment and that I should use it if I ever felt short of breath for the next week.
White Mage followed her out, and while we waited I figured I might as well put the mask back on until we were ready to leave. Even if I was on my way to a full recovery and the doctors weren't yelling at me to put the mask back on I still wanted this out of my system as fast as possible. I've actually gotten so used to it that I'll forget about the damn thing until I do something to remind me. Like, walk away without the tank. Or just twist or reach and get my arm caught in the tube.
Alice came back with a small bottle and syringe and gave me a shot that perked me right the hell up and suddenly I couldn't sit still. I hopped off the bed and I felt a little dizzy but it didn't really matter. I was ready to go go go.
Having that stuff shot into you instead of working yourself up to it is WEIRD.
So I zipped up my top, and Dave and Dr. Gravity got on either side of me, ready to catch me if I started to fall, Col. Stars lead us out, and White Mage brought up the rear carrying the tank.
Being in the van sucked because I kept swinging from being woozy as fuck to bouncing off the damn walls.
It wore off by the time we got to Headquarters where I spent an hour or so recovering and getting some food in me. It was way past when we'd normally be out until and over seven hours since I'd eaten so I was starving. Dave took the time to go get his Dad's car and a change of clothes for me.
Marcus was waiting up for me because of course he heard that I'd been captured. He hugged me hard enough to hurt even if my chest wasn't sore. I asked if I could just go to bed and we could talk about it in the morning.
He said, "Of course. Of course you need your rest."
When I went up the stairs though, I could hear him and Dave talking. I didn't bother listening since I had a good idea what they were talking about and after the night I'd had I really wanted to get to sleep.
When I woke up it was afternoon, and there was a box on my desk with a note from Marcus, "Came to check on you during lunch but you were still asleep and I didn't want to wake you. Brought you soup from that deli you like. It's in the fridge when you want it. Otherwise please stay in bed."
The box was a set of really sweet headphones. They're white, black, and pink and they have the best sound of any headphones I've ever owned. Not that that's hard since I only got the cheap ones before. They also have a mic so I can use them to talk on the phone.
That was all probably part of Marcus's devious plan to keep me in bed.
I plugged them into my phone and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in bed with my laptop, listening to Pandora, looking into the murder cases connected to the guy who'd been killing people and stealing their hearts and the disappearances they were trying to connect him to as well, and also trying to find a place to set up my new training center. I think I've got a couple places that'll work. I'll just have to arrange to go see them now.
Maybe Dave or Uncle John could go and take pictures so I don't have to go in person. It'd be nice to be able to split it up. It'd save a lot of time.
Mako Reccomends: I like a good fanfic. And I like the fanfics I like to do well. So, I'm going to list some fics that I don't think are getting the attention they deserve. Some are new so you may have just not seen them yet. Others are older so you may have missed them. Some just need a little love. They're all good.
A Fledgling Chance by KrRcksMySx: The only "Big Daddy lives" fic I've seen. Takes place days after the first film's climax.
No One Takes Out Hit Girl But Hit Girl by Carathay: New champion for "Most Awkward Title". Hit Girl has an accident and ends up with Dave taking care of her, much to her displeasure. Follows the second film.
Just A Thought by The Fallen Sky: Mindy finds herself thinking about Dave more and more often. Set during the second film.
Trip Like I Do by Marx810: An expansion/spin-off of Toxic, which is a spin off of this fic from Ch51
The Secrets We Keep by KrRcksMySx: When she leaves New York at the end of the second film, Mindy hides with Marcus's family in Texas. And learns rodeo.
Damaged by Marx810: Dave and Mindy are reunited after several years almost by chance. Turns out, they both have a lot of issues. But maybe they can put each other back together again. Comic-verse.
When The Addiction Kicks In You'd Better Run by MaybeItsTheVodka: Previous holder of the "Most Awkward Title" award. A Chrave fic. WAIT. Before you write it off, consider that fact that I, of all people, am recommending it.
Everything else I considered recomending is either popular enough on it's own, dead/dying/comatose, or just not quite good enough for me push. Have to be careful or my recommendation won't be worth much after all, even if I'm enjoying it myself.
