The
lower hallways of the hospital were crowded with nurses and doctors rushing
around to tend to the wounded and sick. The complex was sprawling, taking up
five city blocks and housing hundreds of patient rooms, an enclosed outdoor
courtyard with a clean-air filtration system built into the glass dome
overhead, and even a pool for aquatic rehabilitation. It was an enormous asset
to the city, and heavily guarded at all times.
While the lower levels were an
orderly chaos, the upper levels were for recovering patients, and as such the
atmosphere was much more quiet and subdued. In one particular hallway, the
sound of high heels walking down the hall could be heard distinctive from the
room in which Natalie slept. She was healing, though at a painfully slow rate.
It had become apparent a few days ago that she would need some sort of
assistance in her recovery, but the doctors had done all they could do to help.
Desperate, Steve turned towards the GMA once again, who suggested calling in a
favor from a metahuman healer who went by the codename Cure.
Steve had only heard of Cure
before, so when she opened the door to room and walked in he was taken aback.
She was in her mid-thirties, wearing a knee-length white doctor’s coat and red
high heels. She wore glasses and had wavy black hair that was tied back into a
bun; her features seemed flawless, and her lips shown with bright red lipstick.
The coat seemed a bit too tight for normal wear, leaving very little to the
imagination in regards to her womanly figure. Steve stood up to greet her, but
found he could not stop staring. A wave of shame and embarrassment washed over
him as they shook hands, but Cure smiled warmly.
“It’s ok, Steve. I know what
you’re thinking, and it happens to everyone. My presence acts as an innate
mental boost. In order to heal your mind and cast off the shadow of grief and
sorrow, it seems I have drawn your attention to…other things.” Her voice
soothed Steve’s nerves, and since not a speck of blush appeared on her face,
Steve knew she was used to getting this reaction.
“I’m sorry; they didn’t brief me
fully on what you are capable of doing. Nor the reaction I would have.” His
face blushed, but it faded just as quickly when he thought back to his wife. “They
only told me you could help her.”
“And I will, trust me. It will
just take a little time; I have to first become accustomed to her body and the
nature of the wound. An afternoon’s work for that; the actual healing will only
take an hour or so. However I do need to concentrate, so if you would step
outside for the time, that would be greatly appreciated.”
Steve hesitated, not wanting to
leave his wife. He hadn’t left the room since she entered it over a week ago.
“Steve,” Cure said, putting her
hand on his arm, “I know it’s difficult. But I will bring her back to you
before the day is over, I promise.”
Steve nodded, and leaned over to
kiss Natalie’s forehead before leaving the room. Cure took a seat next to the
bed. “Love is a powerful thing,” she spoke in a low whisper as she pulled back
the covers and carefully took off the bandages over Natalie’s wound. Cure put
her hands on Natalie’s stomach, pressing gently as they started to glow an
emerald color. “Let’s return you to your loved ones, shall we?”
Tony was half-way through a
movie he thoroughly enjoyed when Marian walked into the recreation room and
turned off the T.V.
“Hey come on!” Tony yelled, but
his attitude completely changed when Marian pushed him back down on the couch
and straddled him. “What’s-”
But his words were cut off as
Marian planted her lips on his. They held the kiss for what seemed like a very
long time before Marian pulled back. Tony had a huge smile on his face, and
went to pull her closer. “What’s this for, babe?”
“I wanted to see something,”
Marian replied as she pushed off him and stood up. She turned her back to him
and stayed silent for a minute, leaving Tony very confused. Finally she spoke.
“I didn’t feel a thing, Tony.”
“What do you mean? I sure as
hell felt something.”
Marian shook her head. “There
was nothing for me. I thought there was, but I was wrong. Maybe there was
something before, but it’s gone.”
“Hold up, what the hell is going
on?” Tony got off the couch and walked over to Marian, but she backed away from
his reach.
“We’re not going to keep doing
this, Tony. I thought there was something between us, especially after that
incident with Snake and this whole thing with Natalie. I really thought a spark
was lit, but it wasn’t.” She looked up at Tony, her eyes shiny with tears. “I
know we were never really together, but at times it felt like it. But if we are
going to be together, I need us to actually be together. And right now, I don’t
think that’s what either of us wants.”
Tony looked at her, still not
sure where this came from or what to do. “You can’t tell me what I want or
don’t want.”
“Well then, do you want to be
with me or not? No half-ways, no ‘yes for the night’; if you want me, it’s
going to be a stable, steady relationship. Is that what you want?”
Tony hesitated. He liked Marian,
and he felt like his feelings for her were growing as of late. But he wasn’t
ready for that. He was young and in his prime; his instinct told him to live
his life to the fullest, but his heart told him otherwise.
Marian shook her head and
starting for the door. “The hesitation tells me everything, Tony.”
Tony watched her walk out of the
room without saying a word, and then sat back down. He didn’t bother turning
the movie back on. Ten minutes later, Francis walked in and found him still
sitting in the quiet room, staring ahead into space. Francis walked up silently
and was going to interrupt, but instead withdrew and left the room. He had seen
the tears on Tony’s face, and thought it best to leave him be for now.
“Marian,” Francis called after
her as she walked towards the garage with a duffel bag over her shoulder.
“Where are you off to now?”
Marian turned to face Francis,
trying to smile. “I can’t be here right now, Fran. Everything that’s happened
lately, I just need some time to cope with it all. And I don’t think I can do
that here. Steve’s taking care of Natalie, Tony is..I just can’t be here with
him right now.”
Francis nodded, understanding
what she was trying to say. “I understand, Marian. And I assume this is only
temporary?”
Marian came up and gave Francis
a hug. “Of course it’s temporary, Fran. You guys are my family, literally and
figuratively. I just need some me time to sort things out.”
“Very well, Marian. But when
Steve asks, where shall I tell him you went?”
Marian had started walking
towards the hanger part of the garage. From over her shoulder she called back,
“Tell my dad I went to explore the Eagle’s nest.”
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