Steve felt like he was going to barf. This was going to be his first time officially meeting Scottlyn and he had to admit he was pretty nervous. He didn't remember being this nervous since… Well, in quite a while.
Never had he ever allowed him the hope of Scottlyn waking up from her state. He had lost far too many before and it was the smallest sliver of hope that was the hardest to deal with if things didn't work out. The only time he felt a brief flicker of hope was when she moved the first time he was reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which of course became a regular occurrence, but the first time it happened was the hardest. He had thought that maybe she was waking up, that she was going to open her eyes and look at him and say, "I forgive you." He knew that he was hoping a little too much at the time, but he couldn't help it. After that, he had refused himself the hope. It was such a crushing thing to have to deal with if she had never woken up. But now she had, and here he was.
May had gone before him to ask Dr. Strange's permission, which May said he gave very reluctantly and only because Scottlyn insisted upon seeing him. Before he was allowed to go back, however, Dr. Strange had paid him a visit.
"Mr. Rogers, was it?" Dr. Strange said as he walked over to Steve who stood at the nurse's desk.
"It is, Dr. Strange." Steve answered back, his eyes flickering down to the doctor's hand. He was offering it for a handshake, and it took Steve a moment before he decided it was the best thing to do. He shook the man's and before looking back up at him. He had already asked May a lot of questions about when Scottie woke up (it had been yesterday, early in the morning when May had been opening the curtains) and her health. May had answered that Scottlyn was a bit roughed up, but for the most part she was okay. Still, he couldn't help but ask the doctor's opinion. "How is she?"
"She fairs quite nicely," Strange answered back, glancing where May Parker went into Scottlyn's room. He looked back at Steve with weary green eyes. "But… she has requested no visitors. I suspect because of her father, but she wouldn't say it for sure. When I asked her about you visiting, she was completely fine with it. I admit, I was a bit shocked. I personally don't think it's a good idea."
Steve was taken aback and slightly angry. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" He demanded.
"Because Scottlyn is in a frail state, mentally and physically. She didn't exactly come out of the fire unscathed," Strange responded with just as much authority in his voice. "She has burns all over her body, some that will always be there, and she had to be given a sedative because she was upset. She's calmed down a lot since then, but she was not okay before. I think she just needs to have a couple people attending to her, May and I, and not have any others interacting with her until we can get her completely relaxed."
Steve was silent for a moment, his gaze moving away from Strange's. "I… I won't go to see her if you don't think it's wise." He finally said, though he loathed every word coming out of his mouth.
"No, of course I don't think it wise, but I also don't think it's wise to tell the girl you're here then not have you show up. She threatened to call the governor and to get my medical license revoked when I started to tell her I wasn't going to allow it before." Strange said with a light chuckle before he turned serious again. "Room C302. Don't push her too hard, Mr. Rogers." He said before he walked away without another word.
Steve had watched Dr. Strange leave before he headed over to the room that he had been told. He stood in front of the door for a long time, thinking things over and what he would say as he tried to get himself under control. Finally, he brought his fist up to the door and tapped ever so slightly.
After he knocked on the door, he heard a soft "come in" so he did. He walked in, the corner at first blocking his view of the bed, but he saw May standing nearby. When he turned the corner his eyes found May's and she was smiling at him. Finally his eyes found the girl in the bed. Her beautiful, brown almond shaped eyes watched him with curiosity. Her brown hair was a bit frizzy and, in comparison to the bed, she seemed to be such a small thing; she looked so skinny and frail. Nonetheless, with her tan skin and soft eyes, she looked beautiful. He suddenly got the urge to turn and run out of the room, but he forced himself to stay put. He had come this far, now was not the time to back out.
"Hi," The girl spoke in a soft voice, a small smile showing up on her face. Her eyes lit up with recognition when she saw him. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
"He—" He cleared his throat, unable to get a word out. "Hello." He waved to her. He was extremely nervous, and not because she was beautiful (though she really was), but because he didn't know what to say to her. He couldn't save her before, and now she was in the hospital. He hadn't done enough to save her. "I got… flowers." He said as he held up the bouquet.
"I see that, thank you. Now why don't you come further in? I don't bite… Well, not too hard," Scottlyn teased with a soft smile to him. May chuckled and watched the two with a smile. He smiled nervously, glancing over at May, and took a few steps in.
"I will leave you two to talk," May said, patting Scottlyn's arm. "If you need anything, sweetheart, just press that button and I will be here in a moment's notice."
"Thank you, May. You are too kind."
"Oh, don't worry about it, sweetie." May smiled at her fondly before passing Steve on the way out, giving his arm a small squeeze before taking the bouquet of flowers. She sat them with the others before leaving. The only sound for the next couple of moments was the door closing behind May.
Steve wasn't sure where to look, and he didn't want to weird her out by staring at her, so he kept his gaze down. What was he supposed to say to her? He wanted to apologize for not being able to get her out of the fire sooner, but he was at a loss of words.
"Why don't you sit down?" She asked finally, her voice a bit cracked. He looked up at her to see she was gesturing to the chair beside the bed. "Sorry, my throat is sore."
"Uh, yeah. Thank you." Steve nodded as he walked over and sat down on the chair as she took a sip out of a glass of water. He looked up to see she was watching him with a bright smile. He stared at her with uncertainty. Where was her anger? Why hadn't she thrown him out already? "I'm… I'm Steve Rogers." He introduced himself, but was still unsure of what to do.
"My hero." She said as she sat up on the bed and turned to face him. She held her hand out to him, her expression still warm and friendly. Her brown eyes seemed to be lit up and it confused him further. What was up with this girl? "Well, my hero, my name is Scottlyn West, but I prefer to be called Scottie, if you don't mind."
"No, not at all." Steve said as he reached out and shook her hand. Her skin was scarred, he could feel some of the burns closer to her wrists. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." He said, giving her a smile. It made her smile grow even wider.
"You also, sir." Scottie laughed and they held onto each other's hand for a moment. They stared at each other, both studying the other and admiring the other... Or that was what Scottie was doing (and she had to say he was quite good-looking). They let their hands go at the same time and Steve couldn't help the slight blush he got. Scottie brushed her hair behind her ears. "You don't have to call me ma'am. I find it incredibly sweet and endearing, but you saved my life. If anything, I should be the one respectful to you, Mr. Rogers."
"You can call me Steve," He responded quickly then nervously laughed. He looked down at his hands for a moment. "I don't mind, but, uh, I didn't quite save you. You fell through the floor and then got hit in the head before I got to you."
Scottie gave him a serious look, confusion and a frown marring her face. "Thank you, Steve, but you did save me. I would have died twice without you and for that I am going to be in your debt for the rest of my life," Scottie said as she looked down at her arms. Burn marks from the fire were still there. Steve's eyes caught them but he didn't comment on them. She looked as if she had just been through hell, if he were honest. Instead of pale skin, she still had a tan tone to her skin, making him believe she had naturally tan skin.
"I did what any person would have." He said as he looked back up to her face.
Scottie looked over at him. "Steve, would any person have gone back in when it seemed hopeless? I don't even know if I could've made my way through the flames like you did. It's like you're a superhero." She gave him a sweet smile that made him actually believe her words.
Steve chuckled nervously once again. Only if she knew… or did she? May could have told her… Then again, May was good with keeping the secret. "I couldn't save you completely, though. You still were in a coma and your skin…" He trailed off as his eyes went to her arms.
"Yeah, but I'm still alive," Scottie responded as she ran her hands over the skin. "Dr. Strange said I could get skin grafts… To make it the way it was before…" She sighed and looked over at him. "But they say scar remind us that our past is real. A part of me feels like they're a good reminder. Plus, skin grafting is costy."
She wasn't acting mad at him, and that's what confused Steve the most. She was grateful, but shouldn't she blame him for her burns? He was completely caught off guard and didn't know what to think. Why was she asking for his advice?
"I think that's a good idea, there's nothing wrong with it." Steve said, then he dropped his head down. "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner, maybe if I had—"
"Don't apologize for any of this, Steve. None of it was your fault. Trust me, I do not blame you in any sense and am completely grateful for what you've done for me," Scottie said and he looked up when he felt her hand on his. She still had that sweet smile on her face, then her eyes went down to the book in his hands. Her eyes brightened as well as her smile. "May said you read to me while I was in a coma. She also said you visited and brought all of these flowers for me." She looked around the room that was filled with all the flowers he had brought.
"Yeah, May told me when I first started visiting that sometimes coma patients can hear while in a coma. I hoped maybe it could help you." Steve said as he held up the novel.
"Well, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of my favorites, so I think it definitely helped me find my way back here. Thank you, Steve." Scottie looked around the room before her gaze came to the sunflowers on the bedside. She ran her fingers over one of the flowers and pulled it out from the vase. She brought it up to her nose and smelled it. "Sunflowers are my favorite flowers."
"Really?" Steve asked as he glanced around the room, now sort of wishing he had gotten all sunflowers. But, then again, all the flowers were nicely arranged and were diversified. He had brought flowers twice a week, not want to seem weird. There were eight bouquets around the room which let him know that no one else had sent her flowers, which he was a little perturbed at. He didn't expect it from her father, but didn't she have other people that cared for her? He hadn't even had a real interaction with her and had gotten her a different kind every day because he wasn't sure what kind she liked.
"Really. There's something so natural and unique about their beauty." Scottie got a thoughtful look on her face for a moment before she looked at him, holding the sunflower out to him. "I realize that this was yours originally, don't judge me, but will you accept it as a token of my thanks? Unless you want the pudding cup that comes with my lunch. You could have that if you wanted." She said with an amused expression.
Steve chuckled and took the sunflower. "The flower is fine. Thank you, Scottie." The name fit her, he decided. He wasn't sure why, but he liked seeing her as a Scottie more than a Scottlyn.
"You called me Scottie." She said, her smile broadening. She looked down at her lap sheepishly, tucking a few pieces of hair behind her ear. "Sorry, it just feels surreal. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before and…" She cleared her throat, shaking her head. "Anyways–" She turned to face him again. "–is there any way I could convince you to still read to me? To at least finish out the book? I mean, you don't have to, by any means. You don't owe me anything; if anything it's me that owes you, but I just thought maybe… I'm going to shut up now." She laughed nervously and moved her eyes away from his.
"I'd love to read it to you." Steve said as he opened the book to where he had left off. "It's been years since I read it." He thought back to the years he had lost. Seventy years, all of them spent frozen. He swallowed and exhaled. He should be happy, Scottie was awake. This was what he wanted and he was not going to spoil it by thinking of bad memories from the past.
"Thank you, Steve." He looked up at her to see she was watching him with a sad smile. She had settled back into her bed, but put herself at an angle where she could still see him. "I would have died if not for you and I don't think I would've woken up if not for you." He smiled back at her before he looked down and began reading to her.
What he didn't know was she was in her own turmoil as well. Scottie's thoughts were on a certain Norse God and the fate that had befallen him. She knew that had to have been real, everything that she had gone through in the past couple of weeks. It was just all too lifelike not to be… But now that she was back on Earth, a part of her was scared that maybe it was all a dream. She had been in a coma, it was feasible…