Her Second Soulmate | Steve Rogers

Chapter Thirty Seven

~Noelle's POV~

"Shared floor or our floor?"

"Our floor please, I need the toilet."

Steve pressed the button in the lift, and we slowly travelled up to our floor. I was tired and uncomfortable after a week recovering in the hospital. We had endless streams of visitors, and Steve only left my side to do bed time with Angie. He would return to my bed with stories of Angie singing in the bath and dancing when she should be putting her pyjamas on.

He helped her brush her teeth, and tucked her up in bed and told her tales of Pirate Angie, now featuring her little brother Joey.

Joe was bundled in a blue blanket, with a small hat pulled over his head, as Steve held onto the handles of the wheelchair. I bent down and kissed his forehead, grateful that he was fast asleep and had been since we buckled him in his car seat. The doors slid open, and Steve carefully wheeled us out.

"Pass me Joe and I'll put him in his bouncy chair thing. Do you need a hand?"

I carefully handed Joe into his arms, making sure his head was still supported. Steve was patient, although I could tell he wanted to tell me I was being overprotective. He had held, fed, changed, and played with Joe a lot over the last week - he knew what he was doing.

But I worried, and he knew that if he let me double check then I would feel better.

"I'm okay, I won't be too long." I stood up, and slowly wobbled my way to the bathroom. It took a while, but I got there in the end.

I could hear Steve singing to Joe. His mother used to sing lullabies to him when he was young, in her Irish language. He sang them gently, adopting a slight accent as he did so.

I washed my hands, and wiped my fingers under my eyes, hoping the small circles there didn't grow any larger.

I met Steve at the door by the lifts, where he was still cradling Joe.

"I thought you were putting him in the bouncy thing." I mumbled.

"I know," his voice was so soft, so quiet, I could barely hear him. "But he's just so lovely."

My heart melted, and I leaned against his shoulder, "so lovely," I agreed.

"Shall we introduce him?" Steve suggested, "or do you need to eat something? Have a drink?"

I shook my head, "I'm okay. I've just taken some painkillers, and I'm fine. I might just have some grapes though." I opened the fridge door, expecting the small amount of food we left there a week ago, and froze. "Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Where did all this food come from?"

He walked over, bouncing the baby a little. "Oh that, Kristen made some lasagnes and pasta bake. Loki made some soup that he said was the closest to a healing broth used on Asgard, with the ingredients he could get on Earth." He squinted and moved a tray up, "and Bruce panic made chocolate mousse when he heard we were coming home today."

They made us food.

They cooked for us.

I began crying at just how kind they had been.

"Elle, come here." He moved Joe a little on his chest, and wrapped one arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him. "How about we go and thank them?"

"Okay," I wiped my eyes and stepped back.

"Do you need the chair?"

I looked at it, trying to figure out how tired I would be.