Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own any of characters depicted below that you may recognize...they belong to forces higher then me, and I respect them and applaud them for their beautiful creations.
"Harper Kennedy?" The doctor, thankfully wearing a clean coat stepped forward, a clipboard in his hand.
Steve stood, Clint at his side. Everyone else had been sent home to debrief Fury and rest up, but Clint had insisted on staying. "Yes, Doctor?" Steve asked.
"First off; Harper is going to be fine." The doctor smiled when Steve sighed in relief. "We're lucky her biological father was here, so the blood transfusion could begin in a timely manner…it may be what saved her life." The doctor looked down at his clipboard. She's been stitched up and will probably be sore for a few weeks, and we'll want to keep her for at least a day or two, but then she should be good to go." The doctor nodded.
"So Detective Morris is really," Steve choked on his words. "He's actually Harper's-"
"Father?" The doctor finished. "Yes." He nodded. "We ran a DNA test while we were at it and Harper is definitely Detective Morris' daughter."
Steve nodded dumbly, and Clint patted his arm.
"When can we see her?" Clint asked for Steve.
"She's asleep, but you can step in and keep her company." The doctor led the way. "Morris is already there."
Steve grimaced. "Wonderful." He bit out.
Morris stood from Harper's bedside when Steve and Clint entered.
"I can explain." He began, but Steve shook his head and raised a hand, effectively silencing him. "Not yet," He ordered, moving to Harper's side.
Steve placed a hand on Harper's forehead, then scanned the rest of her body. The bandaging around her stomach was thick and easily visible through the thin blanket that covered Harper, and Steve covered one of her hands with his own. He sat down, watching Harper breathe for a few minutes. Then he sighed, leaned over, placed a kiss on Harper's forehead, and then stood.
Steve shot Clint a look, and he nodded and took Steve's seat. Steve then looked to Morris and jerked his head toward the hallway, marching out. Morris followed slowly.
The second Steve felt he was far enough away, he whirled to face Morris.
"Explain." He bit out. "Now."
Morris sighed. "I worked in the undercover unit when I first joined the force, and I was tasked to infiltrate a local mob bosses' gang. I may or may not have gotten a little friendly with the bosses' girlfriend, but I was found out and then reassigned before I even knew she was pregnant." Morris sighed heavily and paced back and forth in the empty hallway.
Steve stood frozen, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
"I found out a few years ago during the reopening of a murder case that went down while I was undercover that both the mob boss and the girlfriend had died a few months after the girlfriend had given birth. I did the math…" Morris huffed, "I knew there was a fair chance that the kid could've been mine, so I started digging."
"How was she in the system?" Steve asked.
"She was linked to a group of street kids who were picked up as witnesses to a robbery. All of the kids had their DNA taken and entered into the system, but no missing children's cases came up, and all of the kids disappeared from their foster homes less than three hours having been placed." Morris shrugged. "I've been looking for her for six years."
"How did you find her?" Steve's face didn't change, but if what Morris was saying were true…Harper had a real father….so where did that leave Steve?
"I have friends who have access to every person's DNA that's been run through the government system for any reason. Harper was checked over in order to establish her Manhattan Project a little over six months ago."
Morris shrugged. "Her picture was on file and I ran into her at the coffee shop purely by accident." He laughed harshly. "I thought it was fate, running into her there. But she didn't need me," Morris shot Steve a look. "Apparently, she had you."
Steve's lips tightened, but he said nothing.
Morris shrugged. "She was happy, and she wasn't alone, and I wanted to be a part of her life, but she already had a dad, so I would just be her mentor." He grimaced. "I wasn't even going to tell anyone."
Steve thought for a moment….then he straightened his shoulders. "That's not fair to Harper." He sighed. "She deserves to know who you are, and you have a right to be a part of her life."
Morris narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"You heard me." Steve bit out. "You're her father, and Harper deserves to know." Steve winced. "I don't feel like keeping anymore secrets from her than I already am."
Morris looked shocked. "You really care about her, don't you?"
Steve sighed. "I do." He admitted. "But, so, apparently, do you."
Morris shrugged. "She's just that kind of person." He agreed. "You can't help but care about her."
Steve huffed. "True."
Morris shoved his hands in his pocket. "But maybe not tell her right this second?" He asked timidly.
Steve rolled his eyes, but agreed. "That's probably a good idea." He admitted.
"Yo….Harper's awake." Clint smiled at Steve and glared at Morris as the two hurried back to Harper's side.
"Yo, guys!" Harper smiled weakly. "How is it that I'm always getting shot in the stomach?"
"Somebody just wants you to have some really wicked scars." Clint joked, and Harper snickered.
"Right, because that's the REAL reason." Harper joked. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Uh, hey Morry. What are you doing here?"
Morris grinned a little tightly. "I was given the case." He explained. "Caught the video surveillance and saw a certain someone approaching a perp holding a gun."
Harper grimaced. "Now who would do something stupid like that?" She teased.
"I dunno, you tell me." Steve dead-panned, and Harper's face fell.
"He had my journal, pops." She complained. "I don't even know how he got it, but he had it, and I wanted it back. ALSO," Harper sat up slowly, grimacing, "It was COLBY. I didn't think he was a threat, but apparently he's a bad guy?" Harper shrugged. "Who knew?!"
Steve and Clint shared a look, and Morris frowned. Before Morris could speak though, a tall young man, in ash-covered overalls with dirt on his cheeks, and panicked green eyes burst into the room.
"Harper Gray, do NOT tell me you're running around getting shot when I'm not around!" The man demanded, and Harper grimaced, shooting Steve a nervous glance. Steve narrowed his eyes and turned to the young man, who paid the other inhabitants in the room no heed, moving straight to the clipboard at the end of Harper's bed.
"Of course not!" Harper conceded slowly. "Only sometimes."
The man shot her a look, and Harper shrugged. "I can't help it if my life is dangerous." She complained. "Blame him." Harper pointed to Steve, and the young man turned.
"Oh!" The young man brightened. "Hello!" He held out a hand. "It's nice to officially meet you." He smiled brightly. "Harper speaks very highly of you."
Steve shook the boy's hand slowly. "That's nice…I guess." He shot Harper a look. "Who are you?"
The man's smile dimmed. "You don't…?" He tilted his head, then turned slowly to Harper.
"You didn't tell him?" He asked slowly.
"Dad…" Harper grimaced, "Meet Declan. My boyfriend."
Steve, who'd been expecting this, still felt like he'd been shot. "Your what?" He whispered.
Harper bit her lip.
"You heard me."
Declan turned back towards Steve. "Declan Staten." He further introduced. "I've been working at Station Six as a cadet firefighter for the last ten months." He smiled. "I live about six blocks from the Avengers Tower with my younger sister, whom is currently my legal responsibility. When I'm not working I'm with my sister or volunteering with the Manhattan Project."
He paused, and Harper smiled sheepishly. "Doesn't he sound SO nice, Dad?"
Steve shot her a look, and she went silent.
"I thought you knew." Declan added slowly. "And now I look like a douche."
"He's not." Harper input. "I am." She winced, and a nurse came in.
"Why are there so many people in here?" She asked sharply. "Miss Kennedy needs her rest, two of you need to leave."
"I've got to get back to work." Morris spoke up. He smiled warmly at Harper, his daughter, Steve's mind supplied. "Don't come in for at least a week." He ordered, and with a grimace, Harper nodded in agreement. He shot Steve a slow nod, and then left the room.
Declan sighed as well. "I have to get back to work too." He said regretfully. "I just wanted to make sure you were still breathing." He looked at Harper and she grinned brightly.
"How'd you even know?" She asked.
"You were on the news." Declan answered dryly, and she nodded in understanding.
"Ah. Got it. See you later?" Declan pointed a finger at her.
"Maybe." He shot Steve a smile. "I'd love to have you over for dinner, anytime." He proposed. "To get to know each other better."
Steve, despite himself, liked the confident, respectful young firefighter in front of him. He nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." He agreed, and Declan shook his hand before sending Harper a wink and leaving the room.
Steve moved to one side of Harper's bed, and Clint sat on the other side. "You alright if I leave for a while?" He asked, brushing Harper's hair away from her face." She rolled her eyes and nodded.
"I'm sure I'll be fine." She agreed.
"Of course she will. I'll be here to keep her company." Clint teased. Harper groaned, but Steve nodded in thanks and Clint shrugged in understanding.
"Get outta here, Cap." He smiled. "I have a bone to pick with red Hawk over here."
Steve smirked and shook his head when Harper made a face.
"Bird nicknames were cute when I was five, Birdbrain." Harper argued. "But you my friend, are foolishly mistaken if you think I will answer to them now, in my old age."
"Right, because you're so old, Bluebird."
Steve shook his head as he exited, outright laughing when he heard Harper's final words.
"I've never been so disrespected in my life."
"I do not know if I should feel sorry for the poor man who can't seem to lose himself to the oblivion of alcohol, or for the bartender, who is most certainly going to run out of drink if you continue to try."
Steve huffed, and raised a hand for another beer. "It's not like I'm not paying for it." He argued bitterly, and with a chuckle, Thor took a seat next to him.
"Captain….does this have anything to do with the man who mysteriously appeared at the hospital with a legal claim to YOUR child?" Thor asked wisely, and Steve snorted.
"Why yes, oh wise one, it does." Steve snorted. "Who does he think he is?" Steve raged, gesturing wildly with his hands. "Just showing up and claiming her like that, out of the blue! And..And how dare he be such a decent…good guy!" Steve's random burst of outrage seeped out of him as quickly as it had come, and he slumped against the counter. "Why couldn't he be old and mean…and fat?" Steve complained, and Thor hid a smile, sympathetically patting Steve on the back.
"He is a good man, then?" Thor asked. "And has a valid reason for not seeking Harper out until now?"
"He's a great man." Steve sighed. "He's a detective, and he didn't even know he had a daughter until about six years ago. He's been looking for her ever since."
"Why is she still unaware of his presence, then?" Thor asked slowly.
"He hasn't told her the truth," Steve sighed, "Because he saw that she was happy with me, and he didn't want to interfere somewhere where he wasn't needed."
"He does not want to take her from you then?" Thor inferred, and Steve nodded.
"He just wants her to be happy and to be a part of her life." Steve agreed.
"Then why so upset?"
Steve rolled his eyes. "Because that's all he wants RIGHT NOW. But soon enough he'll get to know her better and he'll want more, and he has BLOOD on his side, and what if Harper doesn't want me anymore because he's the real deal?"
"Captain," Thor began, "You are an idiot."
"Hey!" Steve jerked upright, but Thor waved a hand.
"You are." He said again. "You need to have more faith in Harper then that. You and her have a bond superceding blood. You two are the missing pieces of a puzzle, and somehow complete each other. There's no way she'll abandon you,."
Steve sighed. "You're right."
"And doesn't she also deserve the right to know where she came from?" Thor added, and Steve shot her a dark look.
"I don't know why people treat you like you're stupid." He said randomly. "You're like…Ghandi." Steve furrowed his brows. "Or Dumbledore."
Thor grinned. "But better-looking." He agreed, and Steve laughed.
"Of course!" He nodded. "And then he slumped. "But Morris doesn't want to tell her who he is yet."
"Another secret?" Thor frowned. "You are keeping too much from her. She will not be happy when she finds out."
"I know." Steve wilted. "But!" He straightened. "She kept things from me as well, so she can't be TOO butt-hurt about it!"
Thor made a face at the word butt-hurt, but tilted his head. "What secret?" He prodded.
"Some pretty boy she met at her Manhattan Project thing." Steve muttered, and Thor stiffened.
"Really?" He asked lightly. "What about him?"
"She's dating him." Steve grumbled, and Thor choked.
"What?!" He asked, aghast.
"Yeah!" Steve waved his hands around once more. "And he's actually a nice guy, has a kid sister and is a firefighter," Thor's look of shock relaxed into one of relief at that news. "But it's another person who is trying to steal her from me!"
Thor chuckled, and Steve shot him a dark look.
"Come, friend." Thor clapped Steve on the back. "I can't help with that problem, but I do have a way for you to forget all your woes."
Steve stood. "Some kind of asgardian secret?" He asked hopefully.
"Better." Thor promised.
And as the two left the bar after Steve paid his outrageous tab, the bar tender heaved a sigh of relief.
He'd still have SOMETHING to serve his customers that night.
Steve trying to get drunk and not being able to is one of my absolute favorite things, haha.
Why was Thor so freaked by the thought of Harper dating someone from her Manhattan Project? Does he know something we don't?
...Yeah, Probably!
Next chapter up in a mo!
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~CLC~
