Maria walked over to Jane and wrapped her arm around the laboring woman's shoulders to be of some comfort. "Come on, let's get you settled."

"No, it's fine." Jane didn't want to leave Loki's side. She was worried for him and scared to be alone. "I can wait." She was trying to sound reassuring but it failed.

"I don't think so." Maria warmly teased. "You're not going to wait because she's not going to wait."

"Pepper, I can-" Jane tried to defend herself but was promptly cut off.

"Nope. Listen to Maria. There's a private room already set up in the back for you, anyway."

"Let's go." Maria took Jane's arm and began leading her from the room.

Jane reluctantly let go of Loki's hand and watched it drop limply to his side on the table.

"He's going to be okay." Maria tried to convince Jane while they left the room together.

As Pepper continued to gently clean the dried blood and dead, burned flesh from the injury on Loki's chest; his hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. He began panting heavily, as if he couldn't catch his breath and his grip on Pepper's wrist slowly began to tighten with his mounting distress. She watched as his face and knuckles began to pale before her eyes.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., can you tell me what's going on? Can he breathe?" She put her free hand on top of his.

'Vital signs indicate an elevation in heart rate, respiration and blood pressure due to increasing pain as the initial shock induced by the injury has faded.'

"I already gave him some pain medication, can I give him anymore?"

'Negative. Any additional pain medication could result in respiratory arrest.'

"Then what can I do?"

'Supportive treatment to the external injuries.'

"Right..." Pepper was beginning to get nervous, her legs shaking with fear. She patted Loki's hand. "You're going to be fine."

"Relax, you're in good hands." Maria had helped Jane get settled in the next room. Jane was trying to calm herself but couldn't tear her mind from Loki.

While Maria continued to prepare the room for the inevitable delivery, Jane leaned back on her bed and took in deep, calming breaths. "You look like you know what you're doing." She watched as Maria remained perfectly focused and worked at an almost professional pace.

"I do." Maria answered with a bright smile.

"You have kids?" She looked at Maria surprised.

"I have two nieces and a nephew. I helped deliver all three."

"Really?" Jane arched her eyebrow at the revelation.

"Yeah, my sister is a bit of a hippie and hates hospitals." She shrugged her shoulders casually as she picked up a clipboard. "Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s emergency medical training classes cover everything from asthma attacks to heart attacks to childbirth to strokes."

"Oh." Jane began to laugh a little at the comment before she winced in obvious pain once again.

Maria noticed Jane's discomfort and looked down at her watch. "Wow, about eight minutes apart. She's in a hurry."

Thor slowly began to push himself up from the snow, his arms trembling with exhaustion. His eyes were closed tight from the mysterious pain that ravaged through every fiber of his body. Pushing himself upright Thor remained in a kneeling position and took in a deep breath. The storm above had completely petered away and now only a gentle breeze moved across the icy landscape.

"Thor?" Bruce tried to communicate. "Can you hear me?"

Opening his blue eyes slowly Thor's blurry vision cleared and he focused on the faces of Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. Both men were eyeing him curiously and seemed to be on guard. Though he felt in his gut that he knew these two men he could not place their names or their allegiance. The confusion was evident on Thor's face as his gaze switched back and forth between Bruce and Tony.

Tony addressed the dazed man jokingly. "You must go to the Degobah System."

Bruce gave Tony an odd look and hid his smile behind a raised hand as he adjusted his glasses.

"What?" Tony was trying feign innocence. "This place is equivalent to 'Hoth'. I had to say it."

Ignoring Tony's poorly timed humor Bruce continued trying to reach Thor. "Do you remember anything? Do you remember us?"

It was a chore for Thor to find his voice. He took in another breath and swallowed anxiously as he attempted to answer Bruce. "I am..." He paused, his voice cracking with the strained effort. "I am... on Midgard?"

Bruce smiled and nodded. "Yes, you're on Midgard."

"And you, are friends?" Thor asked hesitantly. It was also evident that his vocabulary had been compromised due to the bizarre trauma he had endured.

"Yes." Bruce acknowledged happily. "We are your friends and allies. What do you remember? Can you tell us?"

"Loki..." He trailed off.

"What about Loki?" Bruce questioned enthusiastically.

"He's... He is my Brother."

"Good, that's right! What else?"

Thor looked down at the snow as he struggled to sift through his memories and uncover reality from dream. "I remember..." He stopped as his memory was still fuzzy and unclear. "I remember... a woman. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Beautiful."

Tony pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled a picture of Jane up on the display. He held before Thor. "Is this her?"

Thor's eyes widened and he grabbed the phone. "I know her." As the memories slowly began pouring back he looked back to Bruce fearfully. "Is she safe?! Is she alright?!"

"Yes! Yes! She's fine!" Bruce did his best to sound confident but he still very nervous being around Thor. "She's safe."

"Where... Where is she? Where is... Jane! Her name is Jane! Where is she?" His voice was shaking with emotional turmoil.

Tony took back his phone to get Thor's attention and to see if Thor would lash out or not. "She's back in the Tower. MY Tower, she's safe. We promise."

Thor smiled and laughed a little. "And... What of the little one?"

Tony gave Bruce a look of amazement. "You remember that Jane is..."

"Carrying my child." Thor finished. "Please, tell me."

Bruce interjected. "Uh, well, she's still with child, but is very close to delivery."

"What?!" Thor's smile faded instantly. "How is this... possible?"

Tony felt sorry for Thor as he listened to the great God of Thunder stumble as he searched for the proper words. His sorrow turned to pity as he realized that he would have to explain to the revived God that he had been dead for eight months and the first thing he did when he came back to life was try to kill his own little Brother.

"It's uh..." Tony rubbed at the back of his neck nonchalantly. "Complicated."

"THOR!" Loki screamed at he sat up from the bed. His eyes glazed over and unfocused, his fast breaths becoming shallower with each effort to breathe.

Pepper gently 'hushed' Loki as she pressed on his chest and shoulders, forcing him to lay back down on the exam table. "Take it easy."

She had to keep her arms on his shoulders as Loki began to twitch and writhe on the table. His hands would weakly grip at Pepper's arms or hands while his legs weakly kicked and flexed.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., he needs to lay still or I can't help him." She began pleading with the A.I. for assistance. "Help me out here!"

'I have highlighted an approved sedative on the display screen. With the calculated dosage properly administered it should allow proper medical attention without causing an adverse reaction.'

"Thank you." Pepper sounded more irritated than relieved. She found the recommended medication vial in the medicine cabinet. "Where is Bruce when I need him?"

'Still in the arctic.' J.A.R.V.I.S. answered even though Pepper was talking out loud to herself.

"Great. Just great." She filled a clean syringe with the sedative and lifted Loki's arm. She held his forearm against her ribs, using her own arm to hold his steady. She managed to effectively inject the medication into Loki's arm without much difficulty.

She watched as Loki's body began to calm and still. His eyes closing and his breathing, though still shallow, became regular. Pepper felt Loki's arm fall limp beneath her grip. "Good. At least he can't feel the pain anymore." She gently placed his arm back down on the table.

"Talk to me J.A.R.V.I.S., walk me through the next step."

"This is terrible!" Jane was in great pain physically and emotionally. "I don't want to do this alone!"

"You're not alone." Maria soothed. She used a cool cloth to wipe the building sweat from Jane's face. "I'm here. Pepper is here. Loki is here..."

"And he's hurt. He's hurt and I don't know why!" Jane wiped away her tears of frustration.

"Don't worry about Loki, worry about yourself and the baby."

"Beyla." Jane mumbled in response.

"'Beyla'?" Maria repeated. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know, it's what Loki calls the baby." She took in a deep breath and stared at the ceiling. "I never asked."

"Must be an Asgardian term."

"Yeah..."

Maria had been meticulously taking notes and keeping track of Jane's progress. She knew it wouldn't be too long before Jane would have to deliver.

"How did you know I was having a girl?" Jane asked, trying to filling the silence.

"I don't know, I just did." She smiled oddly at the though. "Guess it comes from experience."

Before Jane could respond she let out a sudden gasp of pain and breathed through her latest contraction. As it finally ebbed away she found her voice. "That one was really strong!"

"I know." Maria held Jane's hand tightly. "It's going to be over before you know it."

The hauntingly familiar sound of a beeping heart monitor filled the room.

The medical bay really was equipped with everything anyone could ever need in a medical emergency. With the heart monitor hooked up to Loki's chest and an oxygen mask over his pale face, Pepper began the tedious task of cleaning and tending to the painful injuries that marred Loki's broken body.

Pepper had finished cleaning out the injury on Loki's chest. All the tattered bits of leather and dead skin had been removed. The skin that had once been charred black had been cleaned, revealing the natural pale flesh beneath. It also revealed the large scar in the center of his chest that had been the end result of his final battle with the Kursed.

It seemed so odd to see the battle scars from a battle that no one else on Earth even knew happened. This scar was a medal of honor reflecting the enormity of Loki's redemption. His desire to avenge his Mother's assassination and to save his Brother's life in the process.

"Okay," Peppered addressed J.A.R.V.I.S. again. "I have the wound cleaned. Now what?"

'Sterile dressing needs to be applied to the affected areas. A gauze bandage should suffice until Dr. Banner returns. It is also recommended that all other injures be cleaned and covered as well.'

"I can do that." Pepper was more than happy to simply cover the wound with gauze, she didn't want to have to try and stitch the injury herself. "Hang in there, Loki. Jane still needs you."

Loki remained asleep, blissfully unaware of what was happening to himself, happening to Jane or happening to Thor. He didn't react to Pepper's gentle touch, to the gauze or even to the cold compress that was replaced to his forehead and applied to his badly damaged eye.

Pepper finished bandaging the cuts and covering the scraps that covered his shoulders, biceps, chest and abdomen. It was then Pepper felt the broken ribs give way beneath her fingers.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., I think his ribs are broken."

'Affirmative. His sixth and seventh rib on the left side of the ribcage are broken. Scanners also indicate hairline fractures in the fifth rib as well as the sternum.'

"What about his eye?" She lifted the compress to check on the swelling.

'The right orbit has been fractured.' There was a brief pause as J.A.R.V.I.S. finished scanning over Loki's body. 'His lower extremities seems to have been damaged as well.'

"Anything broken?" Pepper retracted her hands worried that she might cause more harm by touching his legs.

'Negative. The injuries are focused on the epidermal layers.'

"How do I...?" Despite everything Pepper still had modesty and didn't want to try and take his pants off.

'There are medical shears in the drawer beneath the medical cabinet.'

"Perfect!" Pepper quickly found a pair of small stainless steel scissors and began the time consuming process of cutting through the leather trousers.

As the leather was cut away Pepper could see the painful red swelling of acidic burns that started at Loki's shins and stopped just above his knees. Using great care Pepper lightly touched the burns to see how bad the swelling had become. "These looks like..." She had been around Tony long enough to see her fair share of unusual injuries. "...acid burns!"

Retrieving the burn salve from the vast array of ointments in the medical cabinet, Pepper began applying the cool gel to the affected areas. As she finished wrapping the burns in gauze she noticed Loki's head begin to loll from one side to the other.

Pepper removed her gloves and draped a clean green blanket over Loki's body. She placed her hand on Loki's forehead and gently began running thumb through his dark hair. "What happened to you?"

...to be continued...

Author's Note: Yes, I referenced Star Wars. Sorry if that seems lame or lazy, but I couldn't resist! :)