Beyond Her Eyes

Chapter Nine

YN groaned, lifting her hand to her head as she awoke. She felt someone grab her hand, holding it in their own.

"Hey, don't touch." A familiar voice chastised.

"Steve?" She whispered, trying to open her eyes but not succeeding. "What's on my face? What's going on?"

Steve sighed, squeezing YN's hand before lifting it to her head where she felt a bandage wrapped around her head. "They had to operate behind your eyes, YN. You had too much pressure built up behind them." YN gasped, choking on her breath.

"What? What does that mean?" Steve sighed again. "Steve?"

"We won't know what it means until they're healed." YN gulped, letting out a shaky breath.

"I could be blind?" She muttered in horror. "I might not be able to see again?" Steve closed his own eyes, sinking into his chair. "No, no, no." YN chanted, lifting her hands to her face to grip at the bandages.

"YN, stop! What are you doing?" Steve shouted, grabbing at her hands to stop their movements. YN sobbed, struggling in Steve's grip.

"I can't be blind." She cried, slumping in her bed. "Steve, please. Get these off of me." The door to her right opened, someone walking in and gasping.

"YN?" Tony called, setting down his things, and moving to the crying womans side.

"Tony." YN cried, still trying to get her hands out of Steve's grip. "I can't be... no, no. Please, I'm sorry."

"What's going on?" Tony asked Steve, who grimaced. "You told her?"

"Of course I told her, Stark. What was I meant to do, lie?" Tony grunted, taking YN's hands from Steve's.

"YN, listen to me. The doctors are doing everything they can to make sure you can see again. You hear me?" YN choked, nodding slowly. "So, take a deep breath. I'm right here." YN nodded again, following Tony's instructions. Steve furrowed his brow as he watched the two converse lowly, Tony planted on the side of YN's bed.

Jealousy flowered in his stomach, unrightfully so. He knew it wasn't the right time for him to be focused on a possible love interest. He was still mourning the loss of his best friend as well as his short-lasting relationship with Peggy Carter. Steve looked back up to the two on the bed, Tony's hand was gripped in YN's, his other running through her hair slowly, calming her down.

"Steve?" YN whispered, making the blonde perk up to his name.

"Yeah, YN?"

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare you." Steve smiled, leaning over to grab her other hand.

"It's okay, YN. You just took me by surprise. I should have been more careful with my words." Steve responded.

"No, I'm glad you told me." She said, squeezing his hand. "I guess we survived then, huh?" She chuckled, lifting herself into a sitting position with the help of Tony. "Looks like I owe you a story." Tony cleared his throat, moving off the side of her bed.

"I might go and grab some food, you guys want anything?" Steve shook his head, not taking his eyes off of YN.

"A cheeseburger, please." YN sighed.

"A girl after my own heart." Tony chuckled, making YN blush and Steve glower. "One cheeseburger, coming right up." Once he'd left, Steve got up from his seat and sat on the edge of the bed, gripping YN's hands.

"You don't owe me anything, YN. If you don't-" YN shook her head.

"No, it's alright. I trust you." Steve's cheeks reddened, the blonde man relieved YN was unable to see in that moment. "When I discovered I could... use my eyes to cause pain... I hated it. I felt like a freak, but high school was tough you know? And for someone who forced themselves to be alone all of the time, it was hell. I was bullied, hit, pranked. It was a living nightmare. One day a boy went too far, he ripped my skirt until there was basically nothing left and started taking photos." Steve gasped, squeezing the woman's hands.