bruce banner, LIFELINE

the aftermath.

Parker tried to tear herself from the grip the machine had on her arm. She hated getting her blood pressure taken. But Dr Elba had insisted as he seemed to be the only one caring for Parker's health and wellbeing at the moment.

He was worried for his coworker even if they didn't share the same surgery and barely saw each other. The last time the pair had sought his assistance was with a serious brain surgery so Dr Elba knew he was a last resort.

"It's just taking your blood pressure, calm down Parker." He told her as he put the instrument away, the reading was too high. He then placed a hand on her forehead, pulled up her eyelid and shone a small torch at her. Her eyes watered, Dr Elba noticed it looked like she hadn't properly slept in days.

"I'm fine. Always have been always will be." Parker lied. She has never truly been 'fine' since her childhood, her blood pressure and anxiety have slowly been increasing every single time she smoked a cigarette or felt a shot of adrenaline. Ironically it was only when she came to India that the number stopped growing.

"How can you be fine? If you're fine after almost getting impaled by arrows and persuaded through the streets then I need to call a physiatrist." Dr Elba wasn't joking despite the tone of his voice.

Parker had managed to loose her rogue archer and the first thing she did was find Elba, it was the closest and the furthest thing from Bruce she could get. She then told him everything she reasoned it wouldn't help anyone to keep it a secret, but Bruce's own "personal investigation" on his coffee table was left out from the story. That wasn't her secret to share.

"I'm fine." Parker snapped, something she normally never did. It shook herself and and she brought her knees up to her chin and sat on the bed like that. It reminded her of the old days, sat like this after being brought home by the wrong sort of friends.

"No you're not." Dr Elba had a calming voice, a voice that knew he was right.

"I said I'm fine!" Parker lost her temper in a second and shouted in the mans face. He didn't flinch at all, he had been the subject of friends and patients rages too many times to count that it no longer affected him, "Crap, I'm sorry." Parker turned away and undid her self to stand up and pace around the room.  She wiped her hand over her forehead, she was ashamed of her actions and her short fuse.

"You don't have to be fine all the time." If Dr Elba was just Mr Elba then he would have made a great Agony Aunt.

Parker didn't know how to respond, her feet almost sent her in the direction of the window instead of staying in the centre of the space. She wanted nothing more than to lean out and smoke a cigarette, she touched her lips and went the other way.

"Just help me out Elba." She asked turning to face his huge muscular frame, one that wouldn't look out of place on a superhero.

"I've searched all I can for Banner. There's no trace of him anywhere." He had searched and trekked everywhere since his disappearance, just as hell bent on finding him as Parker. SHIELD had covered their tracks well, as was expected.

The closest he had gotten to the truth was the house that Bruce met Natasha in or, rather, what was left of it. It was suspicious and the Doctor had used all his skill in trying to deduce why Bruce had been there in the first place but he was rewarded with a blank slate.

The blonde bit her lip and looked away. It was the news she had been hoping was wrong but secretly knew it was the truth. Bruce was gone. Yet somehow that didn't make what she was going to do any easier.