It took two weeks for Kayla to be released from that hospital in New Jersey. Her parents stayed in a hotel nearby, alerting the press that something in the infamous family was happening. With half the world's population back from the dead, the rumors of Kayla Ellis being alive spread like wildfire, especially when her parents spent every day in the ICU. She hadn't been hiding during those five years while everyone was gone, and it was only a matter of time before the internet put together all the dots.
Natasha slept in the hospital chair every night, repaying the debt she owed Kayla for bringing her back to the land of the living. When Kayla would wake up crying in the middle of the night, Natasha would wipe her tears with the grey sleeve of her favorite sweatshirt and talk with her until Kayla fell back asleep, never leaving her side until the dawn came.
After a few days, Tiffany went back to the Ellis homestead to check on Sam and Bucky. She found their bags packed by the door, and Bucky couldn't meet her eye. Sam told her he'd call her as soon as they got settled. The three men were moving out, and Steve took his son with them. Tiffany didn't bring this update to Kayla until three days later when she returned to the hospital with flowers sent from Sam. Kayla loved the white roses. Sam knew better than to give her red ones. That was Steve's thing for her.
Bruce checked in every day, either in person or through video chat to check on his protege. He'd often tell her bad jokes and stories and make her laugh, even though Natasha could see it was just Kayla acting polite. Bruce would often speak with the doctors about her condition, and every day he'd pass that information on to Natasha, who would, in turn, distribute it as necessary to the others.
Clint took Wanda back to his farm when he left, offering some rest and a home-cooked meal after everything she'd endured. Wanda thought of Clint as a surrogate father, and she happily accepted his invitation and spent weeks playing with Clint's children and helping Laura around the house.
Steve Rogers wasn't heard from. Sam kept tight-lipped about the soldier's activities. Tiffany didn't pry, and Sam didn't offer. They became two neutral parties in the middle of a bitter war. Once Kayla got out of the hospital, she'd want her son, and things would only get more complicated from there.
Especially when a hospital employee snapped a photo of the former First Daughter walking down the grey hallway and posted it online, captioning it, 'Kayla Ellis alive and in critical condition'.
Kayla Dawn Ellis had been notorious in life and infamous in death, and her resurrection shot her right back into the spotlight. The woman had a building fall on her, how on Earth did she survive? And to make matters more complicated, she was pregnant... meaning she'd been alive long enough to conceive a child. Who was the father?
When the day came for Kayla to leave the hospital, she dressed in a loose tank top and sweatpants and wore dark sunglasses that Tiffany had brought for her. Mathew and Sandra arrived in their dark car and Mathew waited outside with the servicemen who had escorted himself and his wife to the hospital to pick up their daughter. Sandra went into the hospital to check out her daughter. She signed paperwork at the front desk as Kayla pulled her long blonde hair up into a messy bun on top of her head, securing it with several scrunchies to keep it in place. Holding her arms up hurt like hell, but then again, didn't everything?
Tiffany smiled grimly as she stood at the hospital door, waiting for her friend patiently. She wore a grey pencil skirt and matching jacket while her hair was pulled into a professional bun in the back of her head. Dark lipstick painted her lips as she addressed her best friend and former boss, "Are you ready for this?"
"Never thought I'd have to be, but here we are." Kayla retorted bitterly, pulling down the fabric of her red tank top. Tiffany turned and strode toward the automatic doors, causing them to fly open the flashes to start as Sandra led Kayla to the car waiting for them at the drop off zone.
"Miss Ellis, how are you still alive?"
"Miss Ellis! Did you fake your own death?"
"Kayla, were you ever really in the Triskellion when it collapsed?"
"Was this all just an elaborate ruse to get out of the spotlight? Did your parents even know you were alive?"
"Miss Ellis! Is it true you're pregnant? Who's the father!"
"Kayla Ellis, there've been rumors circulating for weeks that you were married to Captain America, is this true?"
Kayla ignored the questions with a tired wave of her right hand as one of the servicemen opened up the backseat door and allowed Kayla to slide in while Sandra slid in on the other side. Before the door closed, the photographers snapped photos of her spinning her wedding ring around, hiding the massive rock from suspecting eyes.
"Miss Ellis will not be taking any questions at this time. She asks that you please respect her privacy until an official statement is ready to be made." Tiffany explained loudly to the press as they continued to take pictures of Kayla through the tinted windows, catching a brief glimpse of her taking off her sunglasses as Tiffany moved around the car and got in the other side of the backseat before their driver whisked them all away.
Tiffany sighed loudly as she leaned into the backseat of the car, "Man, I do not miss this." She moaned as she turned her head to look at Kayla, "You doing alright?"
"I'm fine," Kayla answered shortly, not looking away from the window she stared out of.
"Well, now that the whole world is aware you are alive, we'd probably better start a press plan. Especially with people knowing you were married to Steve." Tiffany explained as she pulled a tablet out of her bag and began typing away, slipping back into her old persona as an assistant with ease.
"I did this. All of this. I'm right back where I started. Unhappy, pre-serum, and pining over Steve Rogers." Kayla uttered as she rested her jaw in her palm leaning against the window, puffing out her right cheek.
Tiffany looked from Kayla to Sandra, who just shook her head and shrugged as she looked back at the road. Tiffany looked back to Kayla, nudging her arm gently, "Hey, it's not all bad. You can be whoever you want now. Nobody expects anything from you. You can do good."
"Everyone expects me to pick up where I left off, but I'm not that girl anymore. I've become someone far worse." Kayla mumbled through her squished cheek.
Tiffany let out a low groan as she set down her blue tablet on her lap and turned to her friend, "Stop. Seriously. You recreated the fucking super-soldier serum that created Captain America, and you don't think you can use your talents for good? You aren't the President's Daughter anymore. You aren't twenty-four anymore. You can finally do what you've always wanted and maybe then Steve will see that you've changed. Steve always believed in you. And he loved you because you were confident and strong and if Sam hadn't given you the serum he would have loved you just the same. Be that girl again Kay. You are only worse because you've lost sight of who you wanted to be."
Kayla met Tiffany's eyes with a shocked expression, but her friend's words weren't lost on her. Before she could respond, Tiffany's cell phone began ringing in her bag and she turned her attention to the noise instead of Kayla. "Hello?... Yes, it was a shit show, we're aware... I know honey, you would have helped with the press but honestly, I think it would have only made everything worse... Why? Because where you go, you know who isn't far behind, and there's already enough rumors about the two of them... No, no we aren't releasing their marriage to the public, not now... I mean, yeah, people are going to realize she's pregnant, she can't really hide it... we'll just say she doesn't know. It wouldn't be the craziest rumor we've started." Kayla shot Tiffany a dirty look and Tiffany mouthed 'What?' at her friend as she listened to Sam on the other end. "Yeah, uh huh... okay baby. I'll see you soon. Love you."
As Tiffany hung up the phone, Kayla stared at her friend with a blank expression. Kayla wished Sam would talk about how Steve was doing, what he was thinking, what she could do to patch things up. Kayla didn't believe Tiffany knew anything, but Sam did. Tiffany assured Kayla that she was keeping Sam in the dark as well, but Kayla had a feeling Steve wasn't really asking about her.
"They saw the live steam?" Sandra asked nonchalantly from her seat across from Kayla.
"Yup. Said it looked like hell. He's not wrong, it was pretty awful, it's been a looong time since that many cameras were pointed at me." Tiffany joked, but Kayla didn't laugh, instead, she lowered her brows to give her friend an annoyed look, "He didn't mention Steve."
"Yeah, I'm sure Sam's the one who's worried about finding out my husband is Captain America." Kayla mocked, crossing her arms and leaning against the door to better face Tiffany.
"Yeah... about that..." Tiffany trailed off, and Kayla stared at her expectantly, wondering where the conversation was going. Sandra piqued her brow as she looked over to Tiffany curiously. "You- aren't married to Captain America anymore."
"Oh great, he divorced me without me knowing? How the hell did he do that?" Kayla yelped, throwing her arms in the air dramatically.
"No, you are still married to Steve, he's just not Cap anymore." Tiffany edged forward, trying to hide the grin in her cheeks.
This caught Kayla's interested and she narrowed her eyes at Tiff, "Go on."
"He gave his shield to Sam," Tiffany replied with a proud smile. "Now I'm dating Captain America." She beamed, tugging out a long necklace chain from her blouse to reveal a little Captain America shield pendant. "Sam got this for me to celebrate. I found out the night before last. I'm really excited for him, but terrified. Like, I was scared before, but now it's even worse. Is this how you've always felt?"
"Yes." Kayla deadpanned, but even she was smiling now, "I'm really happy for Sam. He deserves this."
"I know, I can't believe Steve thought to pass the shield on to Sam..." Tiffany pondered as Kayla snorted.
It's because it was my idea.
"Alright ladies, now that the cat's out of the bag, I think we better talk about your plans for the future. As much as we love the company, we'd prefer you and your Avenger friends don't live with us forever." Mathew chuckled as he leaned toward the girls, placing his hands on his knees expectantly.
"Nat said she's looking into places in New York right now. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a couple of roommates." Kayla offered Tiffany, but Tiffany shrunk into her seat a bit at the suggestion.
"Buuuut, the boys are looking for an apartment in D.C." She admitted sheepishly, "I know how much you love NYC, but wouldn't you rather be closer to home? Maybe Nat can move in with us there?"
Kayla's brow popped up and she twisted her lips thoughtfully, "I think we have conflicting interests here, Tiff. You want to live closer to the man who broke my heart and destroyed my life. I want to stay as far away as possible."
"He has your son. Don't you want to be close?"
"Of course I want to be close to my son, that's why I'm going to get him back." Kayla shot back and Tiffany closed her mouth quickly. Kayla noticed her sudden silence and called her out on it, "What?"
"Steve's not going to be happy if you kidnap James."
"I wasn't planning on kidnapping him. I was planning on... coming up with an arrangement where he can live with me until Steve gets over himself." Kayla defended, crossing her right leg over her left thigh, "We won't be apart for forever. We'll be one big happy family again before you know it. Just you wait and see."
"Hmm, yeah, okay. Whatever you say. He's really mad at you. And now you're famous again and he doesn't really like that either." Tiffany added indifferently.
"Ah ha! I knew you knew more than you let on! What else has Steve been saying?" Kayla pointed a finger accusingly at her friend as she smiled, happy that Tiffany could give her the information she craved.
"All I know is he's frustrated with all the media coverage you're getting and all the rumors that you two are married. It goes against the normal life he was hoping to have." Tiffany answered defensively, leaning into the door to get farther away from her eccentric friend. "So, D.C.?"
"I don't like D.C. Traumatic memories there." Kayla moaned, then Tiffany watched her expression change to one of excitement as the lightbulb went off in her blonde head. "You could get them to move to New York."
"And why would I do that? I've never lived in the city. Only upstate." Tiffany asked, crossing her arms as she tilted her chin down, watching Kayla with curious dark eyes.
"Because Steve loves Brooklyn and once this is all sorted out we'll raise our family there as we planned. Plus, they have better food." Kayla justified flippantly with a wave of her hand. "C'mon Tiff. I don't want to move back to D.C. Let's go to the Big Apple. Tell them they can have Brooklyn and we'll take Manhattan."
"We aren't buying New York, Kay..." Tiffany trailed off as she saw Kayla's vision come together in her mind.
"No, but it could work. We'll be close, and I'll prove to Steve that I've changed and we can share James and eventually get back together and live happily ever after. It'll be wonderful." Kayla droned on and Tiffany knew she didn't stand a chance against her obnoxious friend.
"Fine. I'll call Sam when we get home. Make the suggestion. See if they agree to your terms." Tiffany agreed as Kayla's bright green eyes began imagining her life again, the way it could have been.