Nightingale | An Avengers Tale

Flashback

"She's been quite despondent since she was brought in."

Lily let out a huff as she observed the stern doctor talking in hushed tones to a woman with bright red hair. As hard as she tried, she couldn't see the woman's face from her own perch on the lumpy hospital bed. As for the doctor, she has seen him and talked with him more times than she cared to count. They might as well just call him Quack and get it over with. He obviously didn't know what he was doing.

She shook her head and resumed coloring her picture of Minnie Mouse that the nurses had given her. Who cared what they were saying about her now? She had more important things to worry about. For starters, she wasn't sure when or how she had ended up at the hospital.

She had woken up several days ago only to find herself entangled in a plethora of plastic tubes, surrounded by the putrid smell of disinfectant, and dressed in a nightgown that seemed to be missing a few things.

The doctors had told her she had been in an explosion. As far as she was concerned that was stupid. She most certainly had not been in any explosions. If she had been, she should be dead or at the very least missing a few limbs.

But here she was, all in one peace and thoroughly annoyed at their orders to stay in bed. And now they were talking about her attitude with some strange woman. It was all absurd and completely pointless. The moment they had told her she couldn't have butterscotch pudding for dinner was a declaration of all at war in her mind.

Just because she couldn't remember anything other than her name was no reason for them to keep her here like a prisoner. She was perfectly confident in her abilities to handle everything capably on her own. After all, she was six, not stupid.

"Can I have a minute?" The red haired woman motioned towards the room.

"Of course." The doctor politely nodded before nervously skirting away.

Lily gritted her teeth before hastily returning her gaze to the mouse's hair bow. It should be purple.

"Do you remember who I am?" The woman quietly asked.

Lily barely glanced up at the agent. She simply nodded and resumed her task of painstakingly focusing on coloring in the lines. Maybe she would be an artist when she grew up.

"Do you remember how you got here?"

If the woman had bother listening to anything the doctor had told her, she would already know the answer to that. Seriously, why couldn't she just let her color in solitude?

"Lily." Natasha Romanoff again began. "I need you to tell me what happened after you left the S.H.I.E.L.D. base." She sighed when the girl made no effort to even acknowledge her presence. "We know Garrett was working for Hydra."

Her gaze bolted up in terror at the reference to Hydra. How did she even know about that? It was suppose to be a secret.

***

Natasha sat on the edge of the bed and gently placed a hand on the girl's wrist. "I want to help you, but I need you to help me." She smiled. "Can you do that?"

Lily slowly glanced up at her and then shrugged. The girl's gaze darted back down to focus on her picture.

"That's a very pretty picture." The agent began as she pointed at the crumpled coloring book. "Is purple your favorite color?"

"I don't remember." She barely whispered without lifting her gaze.

Natasha nodded. Unsure which question the girl had been answering. "The doctor said you're free to go with me." She quietly began. "How about we get you changed into some regular clothes and go get something to eat?" She paused. "I seem to remember you having quite the appetite."