The super soldier blushed profusely, realizing he'd been a bit blunt. He should probably have broken that fact to her gently, but to her credit she was taking it well. She blinked those pretty eyes a few times before looking up at him and nodding, mouth set in a grim line. And just like that, she had accepted her battle wounds. It confounded Steve, how could she be so calm? The man he presumed had been her father had come in here and torn her to shreds minutes after waking up from major surgery, then he had told her out right that she'd been shot twice, and she just...blinked and nodded. He watched her small hands tug at the neck of her hospital gown and pull it down slightly to reveal gauze and bandages covering the majority of her right collar bone and the top of her chest.

"Was it- you know, bad?" she asked, more curious than frightened. Once again, the tone of the question more than the question itself threw Steve, but he recovered quickly. "Uh, I was just speaking to a nurse outside before I came in. She said one hit closer to your shoulder, and one just under your collar bone, more towards the middle" He started, before coming to take a seat near her head. She looked fascinated as he continued; "the one in your shoulder went right through and came out the other side, very little damage done. But while the other one missed all the major organs and arteries, it wasn't a through and through, and you lost quite a lot of blood". He looked down at his hands, clasped in his lap as he finished, his voice much smaller than it had been when he started. Guilt boiled low and sour at the pit of his stomach for letting her get shot. He had been right there, and he was responsible- he should have protected her better.

He jumped in surprise as he felt her hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see her having half climbed out of bed. Her feet were just touching the ground (it being a high bed, and her being a little on the shorter side), and she appeared to be trying to wiggle herself fully onto the floor, but struggling due to the wires that were attached to the other side of the bed. She had one hand on his shoulder, and the other was braced on the bed so she could keep some semblance of balance His eyes widened in shock and he stood abruptly, his hands flying to her waist to steady her.

"Ma'am wha-" He started in a panic, but was cut off by a rather grumpy voice; "My name is Grace, not Ma'am, and I'm fine. The bullet wounds are not in my legs, so I can stand. Now lets address the next issue shall we?" And really what could Steve do when she placed her other hand on his other shoulder and turned him to face her fully, looking into his eyes and demanding his full attention?

"This" she said, glancing down to her chest briefly, "Was not your fault. A war flattened half of New York and friggin' aliens were running around with guns and pointy sticks. You saved thousands of lives, including mine. You think I would have gotten out of that shop alive if you hadn't showed up?"

Oh, she wanted an answer apparently. The stunned man could only shake his head. She was tiny, she was injured and she was talking to him like he was a child that needed to be taught a lesson. Where did this dame come form?

"Exactly. So stop looking sad, and keeping your head down. You- Captain America- saved my life. And this is the weirdest thank you I could give to you" She finished, panting a little at the effort. Evidently being shot in the chest twice, or more specifically the drugs to dull the pain of those shots- did affect her legs. He could only smile and shake his head as he gently lifted back into the bed (against quiet protest that she was alright).

"I'm sorry Ma'am- uh Grace" He corrected with a sheepish smile, "I haven't properly introduced myself." He cleared his throat and held out his large and warm hand for her to shake. "Captain Steven Grant Rogers, at your service". Both of them blushed from head to toe as their hands wrapped around each others and they held on for entirely too long. "Grace Flint, coffee shop owner and barista who owes you a bevridge on the house" She shot back with a smile. They both gave a little laugh and broke into a comfortable silence under the florescent lights and consistent beep of the heart monitor. Steve could only marvel at the girl before him, so brave and confident now. He had seen hundreds of soldiers, with years of training and experience of war be broken by bullets. Seeing things that ripped apart their minds and feeling things that ripped apart their bodies. Grace had no buffer of training, and Steve guessed from her admission that she owned a coffee shop that she had no experience of a war zone. Yet here she was, battle wounds and all, smiling and laughing with him.

A thought struck him suddenly then, and he felt compelled to share it with her. "You know, you remind me of someone", he uttered into the quiet air, gently grabbing her attention again. She looked surprised, her eyebrows hiking up her forehead. "Who?" Steve chuckled at her facial expression, and answered with another question. "How much do you know about Captain America's history?".

She sheepishly confessed that she didn't know a lot about him, other than the fact that he was a hero in World War II, and that somehow he had come to be in the 21st century as well. "I had enlisted a half a dozen times in the army before someone accepted me, because I was underweight and severely asthmatic. 90 lbs soaking wet" He began, ignoring her disbelieving look at the words 90 lbs. He smiled and kept going; "Then I was put into training and given a serum to change my body. I got bigger and stronger quickly, and with that came accelerated healing and stuff like that. You remind me of me pre-serum. Yesterday you pushed me out of the way of an airborne spear and tried to beat an armed alien with a lead pipe. You didn't have any powers or armor, but you were still helping and fighting. Back then that was all I could do" he finished, eyes filled with nostalgia as footage of his life flitted past his mind's eye. She smiled big and bright, cheeks flushed pink and eyes sparkling.

"I believe that that was the most sincere and genuine compliment I've ever had. Thank you".

The hulking super soldier smiled right back, and they began to chat amicably about themselves. She found out he liked sketching, and liked finding out about new technology (contrary to popular belief, he could work his phone and laptop just fine thank you). She explained to him about "Grace's Home Comforts" and was mid-through an explanation of why he had to come and meet Elizabeth when the nurse knocked on the door and came in. She was a friendly looking woman, with graying hair and crinkly eyes, but she was a stark reminder that Grace was in hospital- a fact that had tumbled to the back of her mind long ago. She shot them a smile as she checked on her chart, re-arranged her sheets and checked her dressings. All the while Grace tried not to giggle and Steve tried to control the blush on his face, which he couldn't explain.

"I'm sorry to have to say visiting hours were over 20 minutes ago. I gave you as much time as I could but you have to go home sometime" She said kindly patting him on the shoulder. The blush intensified. He cleared his throat an stood, shuffling awkwardly past the nice nurse towards the door, but he stopped before he left. The nurse turned around and poured some water, and pretended she wasn't listening to the conversation like she had been fr the last twenty minutes through the door. She had to get her kicks somewhere.

"I really enjoyed talking to you today Grace" He said, not quite knowing what to do with his hands. She smiled and nodded her agreement.

He half turned around, then turned back, blush at maximum capacity. "W-would you mind if I came back tomorrow?"He asked, far more uncertain than he was sure a world renound super hero should be. She let out a little giggle and the nurse inwardly squealed; she totally shipped it. "I wouldn't have it any other way Captain". He smiled and scooted out the door, the tips of his ears a teaming crimson colour, but happier than he'd felt in a while.

It was later than he'd expected when he finally got home at around 8 O'clock. He had walked for a bit then taken the subway, getting weird looks off of women the whole way. He sometimes thought that they looked terrifying when they gave him what Tony had informed him was called 'bedroom eyes'. They fluttered their heavily made up eyes and pouted their big painted lips and it was all made more obvious by their gleaming orange fake tan... the thoughts brought shudders to his spine. As he threw his keys on the side table and made his way to the kitchen, his thoughts drifted to Grace and her perfectly plain eyes. He'd seen her today after surgery, with no makeup on and her hair was definitely doing a 'thing'. But her greeny browny hazel eyes had been pretty on their own, and her lips...

He was snapped from his train of thought as the scalding hot coffee he's been pouring himself trickled onto his hand. He stared at it a moment and laughed before cleaning it up. He looked forward to tomorrow as he sat down to drink his coffee and watch some TV, thoughts of Grace still lingering in his mind.

COMPETITION- There will be a pet introduced in the next chapter and he needs a name! Please PM me ideas, the winner gets a mention and a virtual cookie :)

SO yes another chapter! I don't know what happened, there was so much blushing! That nurse is actually my favorite character; she ships it and Steve and Grace are her OTP! And Steve is so impressed by Grace attempting to take down an alien with a pipe, it sooo cute! More to come soon.

HawaiianChick12: I laughed more than I shoud've at that...

CrazyCountryGirl12:I love it when you review, I get all the fuzzies 'bout my writing :3

WXCKEDisgood: aww thanks Doll :) I appreciate it!

As always I hope you enjoyed, and that you review! Constructive criticism is good, but I'm not gunna lie- I looooove the praise as well!

Thanks for reading! xxx