Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while. Been busy with school, boyfriend drama, etc. Anyway, here's a new chapter, and I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome. Let me know if this is worth continuing.
Chapter Three
The room was silent for a full minute after this statement.
"I'm sorry, could you say that again?" Clint demanded.
"Captain. America. Is. A. Child." Tony enunciated. Clint gulped and leaned heavily against the wall, too shocked by this news to even get mad at Tony for acting like he was a baby.
"Can we see him?" Bruce asked. Doctor Gao was hesitant at first, but after a little persuasion from Natasha, in the form of glaring, he finally led them to Steve's room.
"He is asleep at the moment, so please try not to disturb him," Gao instructed, pausing for a brief moment in front of Steve's door. "If he does wake, please inform the nurse immediately." With these whispered instructions, Gao pushed open the door and allowed the Avengers to file in quietly.
Tony stopped short the instant he caught sight of the small, extremely fragile, underfed blonde child lying on the hospital bed. "Hey Doc, about how old would you say he is now?" He questioned delicately. Gao paused to make the calculations in his head before answering.
"Just looking at him, he appears to be about nine or ten years old, but from the information we have of his condition before the serum, in addition to new information gathered today, I would place him at approximately twelve, possibly thirteen."
"He' so…small," Thor observed. "I never imagined that Captain Rogers could become so childlike."
Bruce, ever the observant doctor, immediately noticed something weird. "Doctor, didn't you say before that he had been inured? Why are there no casts or bandages?"
"Ah, yes, another detail I forgot to mention," Gao cleared his throat hesitantly. "Captain Rogers was seriously hurt when he was found, but since that time, an unidentified chemical entered his system, causing him to… de-age, as it were, but in the process of transforming him into a child, the chemical also removed all his recent injuries, replacing them, it seems, with every physical condition he had at the time he was this age originally. Meaning, in short, he now suffers from asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, easy fatigability, blindness in both eyes, and much more. We are attempting-"
"Hold up, Cap is blind?" Tony nearly shouted the last word, which would have earned him a glare from Natasha if she wasn't just as concerned as he was about this startling news.
"Yes, as I said, we-"
"But he was blind as a kid? This isn't, like, a side-effect of that chemical or some shit like that?" Clint interrupted Gao.
"It-"
"Is it permanent? Will the Captain recover or will he be forced to live out the rest of his days in darkness?"
"Is there any way to treat him for any of these conditions?"
"Will he have to learn everything over again? Is-"
"Guys!" Natasha yelled suddenly over the river of questions. "Calm the hell down and let the poor man speak." Bruce and Clint hung their heads slightly, mildly abashed at their rush of questions, while Thor and Tony waited eagerly for Gao's answer, not at all embarrassed. Natasha motioned for the doctor to continue his explanation, and he nodded his head at her in appreciation.
"As I was trying to say, yes, Captain Rogers is blind in both eyes. Yes, it appears as though he was born with this condition, although there is no record anywhere indicating that it existed. We have no way of knowing whether or not this is permanent, but it seems as if it is. However, he was not blind when he applied multiple times for the army, nor when he received the Super-Soldier Serum. I do not know how it is that that is possible, but it's true. He did recover before, so there is a chance that he will do so again. Please visit as long as you like, but try not to disturb him, and remember, visiting hours end at eight o'clock. Good night." With a relieved sigh, Gao exited the room, leaving the five remaining Avengers alone with the smaller, sicklier version of the friend and leader.