Found - Loki

Chapter 21

Loki's POV:

After days of waiting, Lucy was finally released. She wasn't allowed to walk yet, so they put her in what they call a wheelchair and I frown. Everything they make her do makes her look so frail. I hate it because I know she's not.

"Sir, do you have a vehicle accessible to wheelchairs?" a nurse asks as we head for the exit and I lift an eyebrow. What?

"No," Lucy answers for me. "The car we have is most likely still at the conference, unless it's been moved." She says and I look at her puzzled. Was I supposed to do something with the car?

"We can have someone drive you, or-"

"I'm perfectly capable of getting us home." I remark, cutting off the nurse and she shrinks down a little, nodding her head.

"Oh, okay. I mean, you can probably order an Uber or taxi, right?" she says and my eyebrows scrunch up.

"A what?"

"Uber?" She looks at me as if I should know what she's talking about. I have no idea what sort of Midgardian contraption she is mentioning, but it sounds absolutely idiotic.

"We will." Lucy answers quickly and the nurse nods her head, and leaves us by the door.

"What the hell is an Uber?" I ask her and she smiles.

"It's a car service organization. We'll have to use one to make it home." She says and I roll my eyes.

"No we won't." I say determined, grabbing the handles of her wheelchair and pushing her out the doors. "I'll get us home."

Lucy looks at me confused – and slightly doubtful – and I grin at her. "You forget who I am, darling." I say, wheeling her away from prying eyes.

"Loki where are we going?" her questioning gaze makes me want to laugh.

I stop wheeling her and walk around to face her. I make Lucy hold onto the bag of medicines the doctor gave us before I gently lift her out of the wheelchair.

"L-Loki!" Lucy gasps, baffled at my actions. I carry her gently in my arms, making sure to position myself so her back was supported but I wasn't touching her scar.

"Close your eyes." I command and Lucy looks at me for a moment before obeying, her eyes slipping closed and she leans up against me. "Now just be as still as possible. This may make you a little nauseous." I warn and I can feel her tense up.

I thought of our home together and closed my eyes, and teleported us away from that cursed hospital. I open my eyes and smile. We're on the front doorsteps of Lucy's beloved home.

"Open your eyes, darling." I whisper and Lucy does. Her face is pale and she looks amazed. I sit her on the porch and she suddenly vomits. My nose scrunches up in disgust.

"Okay, maybe it made you a little too nauseous."

I sit with Lucy and rub her upper back, feeling her body shake slightly as she vomits once more. It was vile, but it was also kind of my fault.

"I had too many drugs in my system for a trip like that." Lucy whispers weakly, wincing as she holds her stomach. My shoulders sag.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I didn't know it would cause you pain." She shakes her head and clears her throat.

"It's fine. We're home. I didn't think it'd be this bad either." I frown at her response, but she assures me that she'll be okay. I pick her up again, kicking open the door and going inside.

"You could've used the key." Lucy grumbles as I shut the door and I smile.

"Too much trouble." I take Lucy directly to her bed and prop her up on the pillows, and she adjusts to make herself comfortable.

"What were the doctor's orders?" she whispers, looking completely worn out and I gently stroke my hands across her face. Her eyelids were growing heavy. The little transportation method I used seemed to really wear her out.

"I have to check your bandages three times a day, you have to keep your back elevated at all times, and every six to eight hours you have to take medicine." I recite, annoyed with how well those instructions stayed in my head. He repeated them about twenty times as if we weren't going to remember anything.

Lucy frowns. "I need to wash my mouth out." Her voice cracks as she speaks and I nod.

It was a gentle process: lifting Lucy, taking her to the bathroom, and supporting her as she washed out her mouth and even brushed her teeth to get the vomit taste gone. Once she was done, I brought her back to her bed and laid her down. She looked completely wiped out.

"How about you rest now, darling." I say, kissing her forehead and she nods her head. Her eyes close almost instantly and she is asleep within the minute.

I go to the kitchen for a moment, trying to figure out what to make for Lucy. She had to eat in order to take her medicine, and I know she was sick of whatever abomination they were feeding her in the hospital. I take out some chicken and set it on the counter. It would thaw in a few hours.

I have no idea what I will do with it, but I'll figure something out. Lucy's been doing nothing but take care of me. I'll return the favor.

I recall a grand feast I had back in Asgard many years ago. The main feature of that feast was chicken, and it has some sort of savory sauce covering it. We had wondrous vegetables and fruits to go with it, but I doubt I'll find those here. I'll have to create my own version of that chicken, and I'll conjure as many vegetables as I can in order to let Lucy have a wondrous meal.

I go back to the bedroom and sit beside Lucy, making sure she doesn't accidentally shift in her sleep. I conjure a book to my hands and begin reading, waiting for her to wake up.

***

It's been two weeks since Lucy's been home. I've stayed by her side constantly. She's hardly able to walk at all, but she can limp around if I assist her. But she has enjoyed the meals I've made her: mostly meals I remember eating back in Asgard. Lucy also enjoys me reading books to her and telling her old stories of Asgard and me growing up with Thor, and we occasionally play games when she has enough energy. She hasn't had too much of an appetite, but her eating has been getting better with each meal. She was actually able to finish the chicken we had yesterday.

She lays on the bed with no shirt on (much to my liking) and I put my hand over her scar, taking in a deep breath. I could feel the heat it radiated from the stitches and I focus my energy on that heat.

A soft glow emits from my hand and Lucy lets out a sigh of relief. I'm slowly being able to affect how the wound is healing. Lucy looks at me with a smile. She's been able to do that a lot more, and they're real.

"Thank you, Loki. I feel the difference. It doesn't hurt every waking moment now." She says and I smile back at her. The fact that I could help her heal, especially when this was my fault, made me feel so much better.

"I just need you to get better, alright? That's all that matters." I say and she nods. After a few more seconds I withdraw my hand.

"I'll go get lunch set up. It's ready."

I leave Lucy and walk to the kitchen, standing beside the counter and letting out a large sigh. I've used a multitude of magic in the past three days. Not only have I been healing Lucy day in and day out, I use it to make our meals since I don't have all the ingredients in this house – I make them. I also have not slept. Every night I stay by Lucy's bedside and watch over her to ensure she does not roll to her side or hurt herself.

While gods do have a better system of being able to stay awake, I have not willingly stayed awake for two weeks to care for another being. Especially using as much magic as I am.

This is what she deserves though. Someone to stay by her side no matter what. I have no doubt she would do the same for me.

A knock at the door makes me stiffen. "Here to finish what was left incomplete?" I growl under my breath, slipping a knife into my hand as I approach the door. I open the door quickly and have to hide the knife immediately.

Anna stands in the door, surprised to see me looking so murderously at her. She holds a bag in her hands.

"Umm, hi." She says and I make the knife disappear as I let her come inside, thanking Odin I didn't accidentally stab Lucy's best friend in the skull. That would have been extremely hard to explain.

"Are you here for Lucy?" I ask and she gives me a nod, setting her bag down in the living room.

"Lucy texted me what happened and after nearly having a heart attack, I decided I would come here to help take care of her. At least for a few days. It'll give you a break too." She says with a kind smile and I frown.

"I'm perfectly fine."

Anna rolls her eyes. "Yeah, okay macho. I can see bags under your eyes. I don't think you'd normally allow your perfect face to look so tired." She teases and I give her a glare.

"I still look perfect regardless."

Anna laughs at my comment and shakes her head. "True enough, I suppose. Where's Lucy?" she asks and I gesture to the bedroom.

"Waiting for me to get her for lunch. I'm about to set the table. I can make you a seat too. There will be plenty of food." I say, motioning to the table and Anna nods, pleasantly surprised. She sits down and I put the homemade rolls of sushi I had made down on the table. Lucy had seemed to like them so much that I duplicated what I had tasted that day and made it for lunch. I also seared a large fish for us too as prep for dinner, but it doesn't seem like it'll make two meals since Anna is here too.

Anna looks shocked yet happy at the meal before her.

"If I'd known Lucy was eating like some sort of queen, I'd have come over sooner." The compliment makes me smile.

"I do enjoy giving her luxury." I say, not realizing this sushi was considered of royal caliber. No wonder she was so excited to try it on the street.

I leave Anna sitting in the kitchen and go to Lucy's bedroom, smiling as I see her attempting to sit up.

"Don't be too impatient, darling." I say, striding over to her. She chuckles, scooting to the end of the bed and I help her stand. As she straightens up she winces. The doctor had said she would be very stiff trying to stand up.

Lucy takes a few steps before her leg gives out on her and I quickly catch her, steadying her as she lets out a sigh. I put most of her weight on me and stand her up straight again.

"Easy there, Lucy. Don't overdo it." I warn, more nervous for her safety than anything.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to. My legs are just so stiff because I lay in bed all day." She complains and I chuckle.

"We'll start you walking some more. We can go wherever you like and take a nice easy stroll. I'll stay with you the entire time. If you ever get tired, you can lean on me. Or I'll carry you." I offer and she gives me a bright smile. I think she really likes that idea.

I help her to the kitchen and she looks at Anna mildly surprised. "Anna! I didn't think you were going to be here until tomorrow." Lucy says and Anna shrugs.

"I told my office a family emergency came up. So I'm here." Lucy smiles gratefully as I help her sit, putting a pillow behind her back to soften the feel of the wooden chair.

"I appreciate it, truly." She responds before looking at the food in front of her. She looks at me in shock. "When did you learn how to make this?!" she asks incredulously and I smile.

"Created it from memory. I recalled when we ate it in the streets that one day." I say and she smiles, obviously impressed.

"That's incredible. And it even looks the same." She says excitedly and I feel smug about this accomplishment. Lucy genuinely seemed excited to eat her lunch today.

Once we split up the sushi, we each get some fish to add to our plates before we begin eating. Anna looks at me surprised.

"Oh my gosh, Loki. This is so good! Where did you learn to cook?" she gushes and I cannot help the proud smile on my face. Ahh yes, this is why I wanted to take over Earth so many years ago: humans are simple to please and their praise is so easy to obtain.

"My mother taught me and my brother when we were young. I was the only one to actually remember her teachings. Plus I have a really good memory."

Lucy looks at me sadly and I try not to frown. I had told her about Frigga. She was devastated to know what happened to my mother. But life still goes on, I suppose. I still do the things she taught me.

"Well you're a really good cook." Anna compliments and I grin.

"Thank you."  We continue to eat and I keep an eye on Lucy. Her eyes aren't as droopy and she looks more alert. Her and Anna converse for a little while until Anna's question brings me from my thoughts.

"So what exactly happened, Lucy?"

I look over at Lucy, who now looks down at her plate.

"You only told me that you had been attacked and you were home for about two weeks before you told me. Who attacked you and where are they? What happened that day at the conference?" Anna's persistence makes me stiffen. She was a little more of a pest than I would like.

"I was presenting and someone came up behind me and stabbed me. Well, more like impaled me." Lucy mutters and Anna looks at her friend in shock. I look from Lucy to Anna, debating on if I should say anything. From what I can tell, Lucy's kept it quiet about who attacked her or why she was targeted.

"What? Why would some random guy just come up and do that to you?!" Anna exclaims and Lucy stiffens. She wasn't prepared to answer these questions, I can tell.

"We're still figuring that out," I say, turning Anna's attention to me. "But we will not be able to ask why he did it. The one who attacked Lucy is dead." I say lowly and Anna frowns a little.

"So there was no warning? Lucy, were you getting calls or messages from anyone? What was this guy's name? You must know since he's dead."

"Anna, it's all just-" "Just a bad memory now. Lucy's survived this attack on her and it does not matter who it was. He's dead and knowing his name isn't going to change any of that." I take over once more, and Lucy gives me a grateful smile.

Anna gives me a glare.

"How about you let Lucy answer for herself?" she snaps and I grin.

"How about you stop bringing up such a painful experience that she very obviously doesn't want to discuss?" I retort and she goes to say something but stops, letting out a huff and crossing her arms.

"I'm just curious to know what happened to her. Not knowing my best friend nearly died and then getting a text all at once was overwhelming. So sorry if I am too persistent." She grumbles and Lucy sighs.

"Anna I am sorry I didn't get in contact with you sooner. Everything happened so fast and I've had Loki here taking care of me. I've hardly been able to think." Lucy apologizes and Anna gives her a small smile.

"I know, I know. I was just so worried about you." I don't roll my eyes at her because I do understand how she feels. I was terrified for Lucy and I was there with her. And I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of bad news when you had no idea what had happened.

Anna looks at me and chuckles. "I shouldn't be snappy with you. You've helped her so much. So thank you. You only want what's best for her," she says and I smile. "Besides, I don't blame Lucy for not telling me. She seems to be in great hands right now."

"Thank you, Anna. I do only want what is best for her." I reply and she nods.

Anna actually helps clean up after lunch and I get Lucy to stand, slowly leading her back to her room. When she gets to her bed and sits down, she takes in a deep breath and releases it, seeming content.

"Thank you for covering for me. I am a terrible liar." She whispers and I chuckle.

"Always, darling."

The rest of the day Lucy spends either resting or talking with Anna and I. We played a game called 'Monopoly' and once I figured out what I was supposed to do, I easily won.
A game of manipulation and getting money? Please. Child's play.

Night comes sooner than we liked, and I help Lucy back to her room once more for her to go to bed for the night. Once she's tucked into the sheets and properly supported, I give her a loving smile.

"Goodnight darling," I whisper and she smiles back at me. I lean in and kiss her, her lips as sweet as ever and I force myself to pull away. "Too bad you aren't sore for another reason." I wink and Lucy's face turns red.

"Loki." She whines and I can't help but laugh, kissing her once more.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll behave." I tease and she gives me a small grin.

"You literally never behave."

I put my hands up defensively and smile. "What can I say?" Lucy giggles and adjusts herself slightly and I wish I could show her just how much I loved her.

"You know I would do absolutely anything for you, right?" My words make her look up at me and I see a smile on her face. She doesn't shy away from my statement this time. All she does is nod her head, and she takes one of my hands in both of hers.

"I do. And I cannot express how much that means to me." She answers and I kiss her forehead.

"I love you, Lucy." My hand reaches out to move her hair away from her face, and it slips to the back of her neck and I lift her up slightly.

"I love you too Loki." Her words make it all the more easier to kiss her. When I pull away I gently lay her head on the pillow and stand up straight.

"Goodnight Loki."

I move away from her bed and towards the door, but stand and wait until I can hear her breathing slow. I know she's asleep, but I keep watch to make sure she doesn't try to shift again.

I stand in the doorway, leaning against the frame and watch as she finally settles in for the night, sleeping deeply and not moving as of now.

"She's got you quite smitten, huh?" Anna's voice behind me makes me chuckle. She joins me by my side and I nod my head.

"I love her." I say honestly and Anna looks at me with a smile.

"It's pretty obvious. But I'm glad. Lucy needs someone to protect her and watch out for her." Anna's sincere words make me nod my head.

"I will always protect her. Nothing will ever stop me from doing so."

Anna looks from me to Lucy, crossing her arms. "Maybe you can tell me what exactly happened to him? He died, right? Did he get shot?" Her voice is low. I can tell she desperately desires to know what happened to the man who hurt her friend. In a way I understand: I was filled with rage when my mother died and killed the ones responsible...I also killed the guy who hurt Lucy. I suppose she deserved to know the truth.

"I killed him." I admit and Anna looks at me incredulously.

"What?!" she hisses and a small smirk comes to my face as I look down at her.

"Do you not believe me?"

She falters a little and stares at me, her eyes searching mine as she tries to determine if I'm telling the truth or not. Finally, Anna takes in a breath and I can see a little bit of fear cross her eyes.

"You did kill him," she says and I chuckle, looking away from the shocked human. "How? Why?" she questions and I shrug.

"Doesn't matter how, he's dead. And as I stated earlier, nothing will stop me from protecting Lucy." I say and Anna lets out a little sigh.

"You killed a man." She whispers and I feel like laughing.

"Not the first, not the last." I joke to myself and Anna looks at me horrified. I forget this isn't a normal thing to joke about.

"Obviously a joke." I lie and Anna relaxes a little and I hide my amusement. She should not believe me. But for some reason she does.

"Will you be charged for a crime?" Anna asks a little worried and I roll my eyes. She sure does have a lot of questions.

"No."

"Do you think Lucy is going to recover alright?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe killing that man was the best option?"
"Yes."

"Have you ever killed anyone else?"

"...no." I look at her strangely for a second. Who asks that?

"Have you ever thought about killing other people?"

"It varies from moment to moment."

Anna looks up at me and I see a little concern in her eyes. "You know, Loki, you're really cool and all, but you're kind of scary, too."

I laugh under my breath and look at Anna amused.

"Scary?" I ask and she nods her head.

"I mean you literally killed someone for hurting Lucy. It makes me wonder what else you'd do." She mutters and I think of a way to appease her curiosity and suspicion.

"I killed that man because he was a threat. He wouldn't have stopped with just Lucy. Of course, I was angry and went after him because of her, but he would have only continued to hurt people until he was stopped. Someone had to do it." I explain and Anna nods her head and I can see the understanding of my explanation in her eyes.

"That actually does make sense. You're right."

I hold in the huff I want to let out and look over at Anna. She no longer seems tense. My explanation seemed to have calmed her down exponentially.

"Thank you for being here for Lucy." She says, finally changing the topic off of my murderous behavior.

"Of course." I reply and she gives me a sideways glance. She looks like she's about to say something but doesn't, and closes her mouth again.

"You should get some rest," I say before she can ask anything else and she nods. I let her stay in the guest room and she looks at me quizzically.

"Where are you sleeping?"

I give her a smile.

"I'm going to be making sure Lucy doesn't hurt herself or need anything overnight. I'll stay in her room." Anna nods her head to me and bids me goodnight.

I go back to Lucy's room and take my usual position in the chair I've set up next to her bed.

I quietly pull out a book, casually reading the night away as I stood guard over Lucy.

I hope you like this chapter! Please let me know what you think!!