Ultron Aftermath

Chapter 55

Time:Home Time🥳
Place:The Avengers Compound

As soon as the Avengers landed back at the compound, Steve was immediately rushed from the jet and into the hospital wing, where he was quickly taken into surgery. The surgeons were well prepared, ready to treat him, but the severity of his condition was evident and nobody knew how long it would take before they heard any updates on Steve.

Tommy and Wanda had also been dragged to the medical wing, despite their protests that they were fine. Bucky still wanted them to have checkups, to be certain that they were properly taken care of. As Wanda stepped out of the lift and onto the floor of the hospital wing, it was like she was experiencing a strange sense of Deja Vu as her mind was pulled back to her very first time here, the last time she had walked these halls, back to the start of her journey with the Avengers during their battle against Ultron she remembered the uncertainty she felt back then. It was wild to think that in a few months it would have been a year since then, and yet she was now back to square one, the same wave of uncertainty building inside her with every passing second.

Most of the nurses and doctors were busy tending to Steve at this moment, so the two teens were relegated to waiting just a bit longer until they could be seen by the medical staff. This wasn't great for either teen's anxiety or stress levels, given their pasts with Hydra and of course the red room, Being around a bunch of needles, testing machinery, lab coats, and other equipment were sure to make them feel immensely unnerved, both had spent a great deal of their lives being subjected to terrible experiments in places like this lab.

"Honestly I'm fine. There's not even a scratch on me" Tommy jumped out of his chair trying to show the man he was fine yet Buck was having none of it.

"Thomas sit your ass back down,
You're both getting a check up wether you like it or not" Bucky warned.

"I don't know why he's you favorite Uncle. He's so mean" Tommy mumbled as he sat back in his seat beside Wanda dramatically crossing his arms over his chest.

"Uncle Buck,Tommy's right we're both fine this really isn't necessary" Wanda agreed with Tommy, she didn't want to be here either.

Bucky stared at Wanda In disbelief,
"Your Ankle literally snapped Wanda"

Wanda shrugged, "so? I fixed it with my powers, I could of helped Dad if you let me"

"Wanda a broken ankle is different to a bullet to the chest" Buck sighed, the team knew that when she was at her best, Wanda would be strong enough to heal anyone with her powers, but right now she was in no shape of form to do so. Not to mention the risk it would be.

"I'm strong enough" Wanda argued back clearly frustrated that they hadn't let her try.

"Wands I'm not saying you aren't but it's not worth the risk, you're not well enough physically or mentally to either. You know that"

Wanda nodded, she knew what Bucky was saying was true as much as she hated to admit it. "Uncle Buck?"

"Yeah kiddo?"

Wanda didn't say a word, her throat too choked up and her voice too broken. She jumped up from her seat and rushed straight into Bucky's arms, wrapping hers around him. She began to sob as her emotions came pouring forth, unable to contain them any longer. She felt so much, so much hurt, so much worry,so much pain yet so much relief at the same time.Bucky stood there, holding her tightly and comforting her, despite the tears he himself had welled up in his eyes. He didn't need to ask, he already understood what was wrong."You can let it all out kiddo, I'm here i promise" he spoke gently.

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Although she had tried her best to hold back the tears and put on a brave face, it had taken less than an hour for AJ to crack. Tony did his best to calm his niece, but he was completely helpless, nothing he could say would erase the trauma that had come from the Red Room. It was Alexei who finally came to the rescue, a weak spot for the man despite his rough exterior. He hated when children cried, and when Natasha and Yelena had done so as kids, it had always broke his heart, Natasha's daughter was no exception to this in-fact that mans heart broke more hearing her cry. For the remaining time of their journey, Alexei kept AJ as distracted as he could, sharing stories about her mother and aunt when they were younger. It was a welcomed break from the sadness and sorrow that was currently looming over everyone, Tony, Vic and Lyza even gathering round to listen in on the funny stories Alexei shared of Natasha and Yelena.It provided a moment of levity and comfort during the difficult hours ahead.

"Landing in one minute" Melina voiced to the group as she prepared for landing.

Alexei's stories were nothing more than a temporary distraction during this time of pain. As Melina brought the jet to a gentle landing, the harsh reality of the situation dawned on AJ again, causing her once more to break down and start crying uncontrollably.

"I can't do it uncle Tony. I can't see any of them. It's my fault! They're gonna hate me"
The guilt was consuming AJ whole, her stomach turning on her with a wave of nausea and uneasiness.

"AJ they don't hate you sweetheart, it's not your fault"

AJ felt overwhelmed with a surge of anger, furious with everyone trying to convince her that it wasn't her fault. She couldn't understand how nobody blamed her or hated her for what had happened, when she herself did. She blamed herself for everything, and even though people tried to reassure her that she wasn't responsible, she refused to listen. She felt responsible, and she hated herself for it, for not being able to do more. "It is my fault. I pulled the trigger"

"That's not fair Avs! You didn't have control,
Jonah was playing with your mind" Lyza
Spoke up hating the fact AJ was blaming her self.

"I could of fought harder against his control but I didn't. I was too weak and now Steve's gonna die because I wasn't strong enough. So yes it is my fault"

————-

"I don't know what to do" Natasha admitted as she looked over at her best friend and sister. Natasha was lost, when she imagined finding the girls and getting them home she hadn't picture it to be in such distraught and overbearing circumstances. She knew the girls would have endured hell that place and it would take a while to help them heal. But In her head getting the girls home meant they got to be a family again, her, Steve and their daughters. Today was meant to be a happier day yet it hadn't been at all.

"If the roles were reversed, if hadn't been Steve and it had been you to be the one that was shot and fighting for your life. What would you want Steve to do?" Clint asked.

Natasha shrugged,she hadn't thought about that. "I don't know. I guess I'd want him to prioritize the girls, I know he would be worried about me and he would be upset but I'd want him to stay strong for the girls and for himself. The girls are vulnerable, they'd need him more then ever"

"So that's what you do" Yelena pointed out.

"She's right Tasha, what you'd want Steve to do is the same thing he'd want you to do. You need to be there for your daughters and I'm not saying you can't be upset about Steve's condition right now, you don't have to push them emotions aside because you have every right to feel them, you love him and it's understandable that you're upset. But them girls need you Natasha, they need you to hold them while they cry and tell them that everything's going to be okay.
Wanda and AJ have gone through so much and they need help to move past it all"Clint's words sunk deep inside of Natasha, his words of wisdom cutting straight to the heart of the matter. He was absolutely right, she needed to be there for her daughters, for her own sake as well as for theirs. She needed to make amends with Wanda and help her heal, and she needed to help her girls move on from the terrible things they had endured at the Red Room. She simply needed to do better for them.
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A/N: Lots of tears🥲 but sometimes a good cry is needed.

Thank you for reading🫡