Save Me

Chapter 25

Bruce's POV

I watch as all of the team make their way to the elevator. Maybe the whole 'family' thing was a bit too vague for them. Oh well.

I head towards my lab to study Sam's injuries, trying to find out the full extent of them. We did every scan and every test possible, so there's a lot to cover. I stay there for about an hour and a half, when I notice a small abnormality in the brain scan. Before I can get a closer look, FRIDAY alerts me that there is peculiar activity down in the med bay.

I run as quick as I can to the med bay to find out what's going on. When I get there, I see Peter on a table (just go with it) next to Sam's bed with a variation of lab equipment surrounding him, including a syringe. I can hear him mutter frustrated phrases at himself. "Pete, what are you doing?" I ask softly.

He spins around quickly and drops a test tube he was holding, "no, no, no!" I rush forward to help him when he begins to try and pick up the smashed glass with his bare fingers. I hold his hands down gently and give him an 'I've got this' look.

Once I've cleaned up the mess, I finally get a proper look at him. I see the tear stains on his cheeks, the red puffy eyes and cheeks, a slightly damp patch on Sam's bed. I look at him sadly and, although we are not very close, I pull him in for a hug. He seems surprised at first, but then relieved. I could tell he needed it. He starts sobbing into my chest so I try to soothe him. "It's okay. Shhh, let it all out. That's it. Shhh." After a while his breathing evens out and I pull him away from me.

He clearly knows I'm about to ask what he was doing, so he starts explaining. "I thought I might be able to find a way to wake her up - and I was so close too! - but then-," I shush him quickly.

"Look, Pete. I know you want her awake, trust me, we all do. But she has to wake up on her own, or she won't heal properly. Waking her up from a medically induced coma such as this one could cause long term or even permanent damage to the exact things we are trying to heal." I look down at him. "You understand?" He nods, still snivelling slightly. "C'mon, it's late. Let's get you to bed."

———Time skip 1 month——— (I'm sorry but I'm bad with fillers😬😔)

Sam's POV

My eyes flutter open slowly, as to not disturb this horrid headache that I have. The last thing I remember is- is- uh... HYDRA! Right, torture, extreme pain, bombs- or, something like that.

Once I manage to get my eyes fully open, I examine my surroundings. I hear someone fiddling with some sort of tools, maybe? I then see Bruce to my left, reading some papers. I groan as the pain in my lower back suddenly hits me like a train, on fire, filled with the heaviest object in the world, with a spike right where it hit me.

Bruce jumps up quickly and hurried towards me as I writhe in pain and discomfort. "Sam, you need to stay still. I know it hurts, but wriggling will make it worse," I groan again in protest when I notice a glass of water on the table next to the bed I am in. I try to grab it, so Bruce helps me out and hands it to me with a straw, allowing me to drink safely. "FRIDAY, alert the others that Sam is awake, but don't allow them to come down yet."

I put down my water and look at Bruce, confused. He sighs and goes back to where he was previously, picking a few of the many papers. "I think you might wanna here this alone." And now I'm nervous as well. Is it really that bad?

While I'm wondering what it might be, I start trying to feel pain anywhere throughout my body (apart from my lower back - that's already been established). That's when I suddenly notice, I can't feel my legs.

I frantically reach down to my legs, trying to feel they are there, ignoring the white hot pain shooting up my spine. Bruce notices my panic and immediately rushes to my side, trying to hold me down and getting me to take deep breaths. A couple minutes later, I'm calm enough for him to tell me what's wrong.

"The first thing you should know is that you have been asleep for a month," my head shoots up again, but I don't make an effort to move. "It's okay, you haven't missed much. But, your injuries have been- quite severe." I'm suddenly terrified again. "When you were at HYDRA, it appears you had hydrochloric acid dripped down your spine. Judging by the x-rays, we think that part of your spine has been- um... sev- severely damaged," he stutters. "We don't know the full extent, but we think you should prepare yourself for the worst, just in case." Tears gather in my eyes.

"What are you saying?" My voice is still raspy from not using it.

"Sam, there's a high chance that you might be paralysed." By this time tears have started falling from my eyes. "I'm so sorry."