Atlas | Avatar!OC x Bucky Barnes

26 - Recovery

Sunday, June 28th, 9:27 am

Atlas sat up from her hospital bed as quickly as she could with her ribs. Just a few moments ago, a doctor confirmed that she had fractured her bottom two ribs - similar to what she had predicted. There wasn't much that could be done for them; the normal protocol for broken ribs was bed rest and painkillers. But when the doctor left, Atlas quickly used the cup of water left on a table by her bed to heal herself. She didn't care about the other cuts and bruises that she had sustained during the fight. All she needed to do was to see how everyone else was doing.

"Woah woah woah. What are you doing?" Tony asked as Atlas stepped outside her hospital room.

"I'm going to check on everyone else," Atlas said nonchalantly, moving away from Tony and looking down the halls for the other Avengers.

"Your ribs are fractured," Tony stated, putting an arm in front of Atlas, blocking her path.

"They're better now."

"How?"

"I can heal people, including myself, with my waterbending. Which is why I need to find Nat," Atlas said, pushing her way through Tony's hold.

"You think you can heal her burns," Tony assumed.

"Yup. It should only take a few minutes."

"I need to see this," Tony said. "C'mon. She's this way."

Atlas and Tony quietly entered the room to see Wanda and Nat talking. They both turned their heads towards the door. "Hey," Atlas said quietly. "How are you guys?"

"Not bad," Nat said from her bed. The Black Widow's arm was wrapped with gauze to prevent infection. She had other bandages on her other wounds, and she looked tired. "Atlas, how are you?"

"That's kinda what I'm here about. I was kinda banged up before - a couple of broken ribs. But I healed it. And I was hoping you'd let me heal your burns," Atlas proposed.

"If you do, will I still be able to use my hand?" Natasha asked. Atlas understood her doubt; Nat's whole hand had been burned, and there was already nerve damage all over her arm. She was at risk of having to retire from being the Black Widow. But Atlas had heard of waterbenders so skilled that they were able to heal broken backs, and her waterbending was only getting stronger as time went on.

"Yeah. I'm sure," Atlas said.

"We'll wait for Dr. Cho if it doesn't work. I'm just thinking we can save her a trip," Tony said.

Natasha took a moment to think about it. She wasn't one to depend on someone so quickly; she loved Atlas, but she was still learning to trust her. But at this point, she wasn't surprised at the extent of Atlas's power, and she wouldn't be shocked if there were any other abilities that Atlas would soon discover. "Okay. Let's do it," Natasha said.

Tony walked over to a cabinet in Natasha's room and pulled out a pair of scissors while Atlas went to a sink to grab a large glass of water. As Atlas filled the cup, Tony carefully cut through the layers of gauze on Nat's arm. It wasn't hard to tell that the assassin wanted to cry out in pain, but she did her best to remain calm. Her whole arm, shoulder, and the base of her neck were now exposed, revealing nasty second and third-degree burns all along her arm.

Atlas walked over to Nat's right side, where the burn was, and got started right away. "Tell me if you want me to stop," Atlas said, looking Nat straight in the eyes, meaning she was serious.

"Okay," she said, looking a little nervous. It was a sight Atlas never thought she would see, but there was a hint of fear in Nat's eyes.

Atlas bent the water from the cup to Nat's arm and started at her bicep. The water started to glow a bright blue as Atlas extended the chi from her body to the water. It took a few minutes, but Atlas could feel the chi from Natasha's body pushing back against her own, meaning the area that the water covered was healed. Atlas removed the water and bent it back into the glass.