Pietro tried to kick out with his feet to get closer to the red star. He could hear voices now. He could not make out word´s though. It was more like a melody floating to him from that source of light. It felt gentle and friendly. Pietro wanted to hear more of it. He felt calmness spread through his being and began to relax.
Wanda cleared her throat and drank some water. Her voice started to sound a bit hoarse. She had been reading to her brother for hours now and she didn´t really want to stop, because she had the feeling he was in a way listening, but she knew her voice needed a rest and besides that she was really hungry.
The girl put the book down and stood up from the chair. Her thump stroking Pietro´s cheek she told him:"I´ll be back in half an hour, brother."
She left the room, but just as she closed the door she was stopped by the sound of an irate heart-monitor. Pietro´s heart was suddenly racing.
Pietro started to panic. The light was gone. The voice was gone. It was so cold and silent. He felt alone. He needed the light. He didn´t want to be alone. He put all effort in getting to where the light had been. He had to find it again... he had to...
Pietro instantly relaxed when the light returned, sending out warmth and the melody.
Wanda stood at Pietro´s side, her right hand placed over his heart and the left on his forehead. "All is well, Pietro," she whispered. "I am here. You don´t need to be afraid. I am here. All is well."
With her touch Pietro´s heart-rate had slowed down again and he seemed fine. But Wanda was facing a dilemma now. She did not want to leave his side again, but she was still hungry.
With a sigh she plopped down on the chair, when Steve´s words echoed in her mind. "If you need something, anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"Friday?"
"Yes, Ms. Maximoff? What can I do for you?" the friendly computer voice asked.
"Is Steve nearby?"
"Captain Rogers is in the training area. Would you like to send him a message?"
Wanda hesitated for just one moment. "Yes. I... could you tell him that... I need his assistance here?"
"Of course Ms. Maximoff."
"Thank you."
Not even 5 minutes passed and Steve stood in the doorway, a smile on his face and a question mark in his eyes.
"How can I be off help Wanda? Is everything alright?"
"Thank you for coming so quickly. It´s...I need to leave for a few minutes, but I can´t. Pietro gets scared when I do."
"He does?" Steve looked at the speedster and grinned. "That is great Wanda!"
The girl looked perplexed. "It is great that my brother gets scared?"
Steve placed both hands on the girl´s shoulders. "Well, not that he is scared, but that he can sense if you are there or not and that he is reacting to it. He is coming back to you, Wanda!"
Wanda clapped her hand over her mouth and tears started to spill from her eyes. Overwhelmed by a feeling of relief she embraced the Captain. "He is coming back to me! He truly is!"
Wanda looked up at Steve happily, but her face changed to one of embarrassment when her stomach chose this moment in time to growl very, very loudly.
Steve chuckled. "How about some food?" he asked. "I can bring it here, if you´d rather not leave your brother."
A few days later Pietro took another big step forward. He opened his eyes. Wanda felt like dancing and anxiously waited for Dr. Cho to finish examining her brother.
"He is not in a coma any longer," she concluded at last and Wanda felt her heart take a joyous leap. "However, he still has a long way to go. His brain was without oxygen for several minutes."
"He is awake, isn´t he? He has his eyes open!" Wanda exclaimed. "Now he will be better!"
"That is what we all hope, dear. Your brother however is not what we would call awake..."
"But just said he is not in a ..."
"Please, listen. Yes, I said he is not in a coma any longer. He is now in what we call a vegetative state. He will have his eyes open sometimes and will sleep at other times, but he is not conscious...not truly."
Dr. Cho saw the pain return to Wanda´s eyes and quickly she continued. "However, this is the next state of progression. And that is a big step up. Do not lose hope, my dear. This cannot be rushed. It takes time."
Wanda sighed. "I just thought... I hoped... I..." She stared into the unfocused eyes of her brother. They were as blue as they had always been, but there was no life in them. They looked empty. Wanda couldn´t help it. Tears were silently rolling down her cheeks. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Steve´s compassionate face.
The darkness was not as dark anymore. Pietro could not point out exactly what had changed, but it seemed to him as if sometimes different colors would weave itself through his night. They came and they went, came and went. Who was making them, he wondered. And there were other things he wondered about. Sometimes there was this pain in him. It spread out everywhere and then it was gone again. But it came back regularly and it was unpleasant. Right now he already could feel it creeping up again. He wanted to tell the red star and put all his strength into achieving his goal.
"Ahhhmm".
Wanda turned around in shock and nearly dropped the syringe that she had been filling with the liquid that served as Pietro´s food.
"Ahhmm," he "spoke" again and his arms and legs moved restlessly under his white blanket.
Wanda was at his side in an instant. "Pietro? Can you hear me? Pietro? I am here."
Pietro just continued to move and moan, his eyes searching through the room, without seeing anything.
"What is it, brother? What is wrong?"
Wanda felt panic arise in her. Was he in pain? She reached out to him with her mind.
"Oh...you are hungry, aren´t you? Shame on me! I am a little late today with your feeding, but give me just one more second."
She connected the syringe with the tube that let into her brother´s stomach and slowly emptied it. Pietro stilled down, seemingly content now. His searching eyes came to a stop.
"Wanda", Pietro thought. Pictures were whirling in his mind. A girl was running down the street. Her long hair was flowing behind her and the sunshine let it sparkle red. She turned around. She was laughing. "Pietro! Catch me!" she called.
Wanda clapped her hands over her mouth. In her brothers eyes had been life again. Just for a short moment, but there all the same. He had looked at her. Pictures of happy days long past reached Wanda´s mind. Pietro´s memories.
"Pietro! Catch me!" Wanda called and turned around again to run as fast as she could. She knew Pietro would catch her, because he was faster than her. He always caught her and then he tickled her mercilessly and made her say: "Pietro is the best brother in the world and he is older than me!"
Wanda ran and ran and jumped over some puddles that were in the way, left over from a summer thunderstorm in the morning. She giggled when she heard Pietro coming up beside her, but instead of the expecting "Got you!" she heard a big splash and got covered in water droplets.
Wanda turned around to see Pietro lying face first in a big mud puddle.
"Pietro!" she called in fear. "Are you hurt?"
She bent down, turned the boy around and saw a grin on his face. Suddenly arms wrapped around her shoulders and before she could react, she was laying in the puddle herself, her very muddy brother sitting on top of her.
Wanda screeched. "Pietro! You sly...". She could not finish her sentences though, because the master-tickler had started his work.
"You know what you have to say!" he called in glee. "Never!" Wanda laughed. "Say it!" Pietro tickled the spot that he knew was his sister´s most ticklish spot. "Say it or I´ll never stop!"
Wanda smiled at this memory. She bent down to her brother and whispered into his ear. "You are the best brother in the world and you are older than me!"
AN: I am no expert on coma, so I have no idea, if what I write is medically correct. However I know there are different stages. So in this part we see three stages: Coma, Vegetative Stage and Minimally Conscious State. Of course we see a little more, because of Wanda being able to read Pietro´s mind... no idea if in reality someone in a Minimally Conscious State could already remember things like this, even though he/she cannot communicate it yet.