Room AU

Chapter 06 - Hospital

"You'll be right in here Mrs. Odinson," a doctor said, escorting them into a large room. "I will come back to see you and your son in the morning. I will leave you all alone for the time being. We will have new clothes brought up for you in the morning as well. I had a nurse set up a cot."

"Thank you," Loki nods to him, her voice soft so she does not wake Fenrir. The doctor leaves.

"Can I help you, my love?" Frigga asks from behind her and it makes her jump. Somehow forgetting that there were other people with them.

"No, I want to put him to bed real fast. Then we can talk," Loki says, not looking at either her mother or brother who shut the door behind them. Loki crosses the room to the bed and strips back the covers. For a moment she pauses at how good they feel, her entire body just wanting to dive in. Loki disregards the cot. Fenrir slides easily into bed after she pries his fingers from her shirt. The hardest part is undressing him. She quickly tosses the clothes in the bin next to the bed and turns back to Fenrir, unable to take her eyes off of him. She brings the covers up to his chin and pets his hair.

"He is beautiful, my love," Frigga says, crossing the room to stand next to Loki. "He looks like you."

"He is my entire life. I didn't," Loki smiles and a hand goes to the bruises around her throat. She's so unbelievably tired and worn from the day. "I didn't think I would see him again."

Frigga's heart breaks. She turns her daughter to look at her, cupping her daughter's face in her hands; Loki leans into them as if she were a young girl again. Frigga mourns the loss of her daughter's innocence and the light she once carried with her. The 17-year-old she remembers is now replaced with a pale, hardened woman who has been through so much. She looks over every inch before her golden eyes settle to look into Loki's. "I never thought I would see you again, but we were both wrong. He found you, and in turn, brought you back to us. To me."

Loki can feel herself falter, lip quivering. She has cried so much today she isn't sure if there is anything left. Part of her wants to never let go of her mother, to make sure that this isn't a really shitty dream. All Loki can muster is, "I'm home, mum. I'm home."

"You are and I couldn't be happier," Frigga smiles and kisses Loki's forehead. "Thor and I will be back in the morning to check on you and bring you clothes. I have the number to the hospital, but I will leave mine on the notepad if you need anything. We are going to be in the hotel next door. Try to get some sleep, love."

Loki nods, wiping her face on her sleeve. Thor crosses the room now to give his sister a hug. "I am so glad to have you home, Loki. Do you need someone to stay with you?"

"No, I don't want to startle Fenrir if he wakes up to see someone he doesn't know. We will be fine for tonight. Thank you so much, Thor, for bringing Fenrir back to me."

"It was him, all I had to do was listen to what he had to say. He's such a good kid. Goodnight sister."

"Goodnight Thor."

With that, Frigga and Thor are gone. Loki takes a minute to gather herself. She switches all the lights off, but one and shuts the blinds before undressing. With a sigh, she climbs in bed next to Fenrir and for the first time she sleeps through the night.

The next morning, Fenrir wakes to a bright room. The cot bed, unused, has been pushed to the side. Fenrir is awake, but is content to lie close to Ma for a while - studying everything about the room. Ma is still asleep, her dark hair partially covering her face. Seeing Loki's face brings tears to his eyes, knowing that he was the cause. Fenrir sits up and pulls back the sheet. He can see more bruises littering her entire body, along with several cuts. He glances down at what he's wearing which is only a pair of underpants from Room which look wretched in this environment. He touches the part of the mattress he was lying on, it's damp. There are remains of toast on a plate next to a cup of tea on the side table. Fenrir sniffs at the food. He walks towards the window on the opposite wall and opens the blinds. The vast world below him amazes him and he doesn't understand.