The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

Ebony Maw

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

I don't remember much of what happened. It was all so muddled...

After I lost consciousness in the supply pantry, I was vaguely aware of being rushed to the infirmary by Loki, who was undoubtedly scared to death at that moment.

Following that, I heard muffled voices, and they all sounded frantic. There was a loud beeping noise in my ears that I later found out was the heart rate monitor flatlining.

And then, darkness.

Just darkness.

Darkness and someone's voice, asking, no, begging me to wake up.

I could feel my hands and feet, but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. Not even when I felt someone holding my hand in theirs.

"Catherine, please. Please, wake up."

Loki.

He was trying to reach out to me telepathically. Which meant he had tried to speak to me normally, but I hadn't been able to hear him.

There was a desperation in his voice that I didn't think I'd ever heard from him before. He sounded beyond scared.

I had to wake up. He had to know I was okay.

In actuality, I had no idea if I was okay. I mean, I was unconscious at the moment, and right before I blacked out, I was bleeding, and I couldn't feel the baby moving.

Not good.

I tried hard not to panic, but the thought that something might have happened to the baby was overwhelming.

She was fine. She had to be. Loki would've made sure of it.

This gave me renewed energy to try and claw my way out of the darkness that was seemingly swallowing me whole, but for some reason, no matter how hard I tried, I still couldn't open my eyes. It was like I was stuck, and my eyelids felt like they weighed two thousand pounds each.

I need to wake up. I need to wake up.

Wake up!

Surprisingly, my body obeyed.

The weight I felt on my eyes vanished, and I was finally able to open my eyes, just a crack, only to be met with the fluorescent lights of the infirmary that were blinding me.

Although I was very happy to be awake and not dead, I groaned, turning my head to the side, wanting nothing more than the comforting darkness back.

But that was when I felt a different form of comfort. A familiar, cold hand holding mine tightly.

With a small smile, I turned my head to the owner of said hand and saw Loki sleeping in the chair beside me.

I knew he must have been dead tired to have fallen asleep in the infirmary. He hated sleeping in situations that could make him vulnerable. It was part of his PTSD from when he was mind-controlled by the Mind Stone. He had to be aware of his surroundings at all times.

That's why him sleeping came as quite a shock.

"He must be absolutely exhausted..." I murmured, keeping my hand interlocked with his.

"It's no surprise. He hasn't slept in well over forty-eight hours." A familiar British accent commented from the other side of the room.

"Jemma?" I moved my head to look at her, unaware of her presence until that moment. "What do you mean he hasn't slept?" Worry washed over me like a tidal wave, ignoring what she said about me being unconscious for two days.