Unexpected Valor

24

Val woke to a quiet and dimly lit room. She could see the bright light from the hallway leaking in under the crack under the door. She heard light talking and noises as the nurses and visitors made their way through the hallways. She gingerly felt along her face and the back of her head. She felt the lumps under her hair and on her face. Stinging tears came to her eyes. She carefully sat up with a groan and shifted her legs to the side of the bed. She steadied herself as stood and waited to not feel dizzy. She shuffled towards the bathroom and turned on the harsh fluorescent light. She squinted her eyes as she sat down and did her business. She winced in pain before she stood up. After she washed her hands she looked into the mirror. She gasped when she saw how purple her eye was and how swollen her face was also. She wasn't a vain person by any means, but to see the results of such violence inflicted on her was shocking. She didn't even remember. She couldn't remember. She felt her stiff hospital gown and started to lift it up. She held it up with shaking hands while she inspected the bruising on her left side. It was tender to the touch. She looked down at her thighs and saw bruising on the insides, near her groin. Her heart sank. The nurse was telling the truth. She let her gown fall back down and she turned to go back to her bed. When she stepped out into the room Brock was just stepping in with a drink in his hand. He set his drink down hurriedly and came over to her, putting his arm around her waist. "What are you doing out of bed? How are you feeling?" He walked her over the bed and helped her to lay back and then brought the blankets up to cover her.

"I had to pee." Val shrugged and looked away from him.

"Do you want anything to eat? I can go get you something," Brock offered.

"No, no thanks. I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure? I don't think you've eaten in a few days."

Val jerked her head towards Brock and said, "I said no thanks!"

He was taken back by her outburst. She wasn't one to snap at him. "I'm just trying to help you."

Val closed her eyes and sighed. She opened them again and said, "I'm sorry for snapping. When do I get to go home?"

"Your house is still a crime scene right now. You can stay at my place for a while. I already picked up Frank and he's at my place."

"Thank you," she whispered.

The next few days were torture. She ended up staying at Brock's house since he lived close by. Valentina didn't want to sleep since she would get nightmares. But she was so tired and wanted to sleep. She tried sleeping with Brock but her nightmares kept him from sleep. She took sleeping pills and would sleep in his guest bedroom so he wasn't tired for work. Loud noises made her flinch and she would check the locks repeatedly. She was a different person. She still didn't remember what had happened. Anytime she would try to think about that night she would get a headache that would make her nauseous. Brock did all he could for her. He wanted to hold her hand or hug her, but she would flinch at his touch. It killed him to see her so afraid of every shadow and random noise. Val's house had finally been cleared for her to return but she didn't want to. The favor he had called in ended up not helping at all. He asked a forensics team from SHIELD to come and look over her apartment. They didn't find anything other than to conclude the intruder was looking for information related to her work. She was still on medical leave for work but she still had a few more days until she was cleared. She had to talk to a counselor but what could she talk about since she didn't and couldn't remember that night? Val tried to keep busy by cooking and cleaning Brock's place even though she cleaned it every day. She had her work laptop and tried to work remotely but looking at the screen for more than an hour gave her a headache. Her concussion was pretty severe and affecting her personality and concentration. Val felt like a prisoner in her own mind. She felt like she was a victim again, being battered and bruised inside her mind.