Higher Further Faster (Universe 13,400,063)

Chapter 88

"How is he doing?" Maria wondered. 

"Good. He's still in a coma though." Carol responded. 

"It must be tough."

"It is, but I'll manage."

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you want."

"Thank you Maria. I don't know what I would do without you as a friend."

"It's the least I could do for my best friend. You've been through a lot lately."

"Other than Thor and his family, you're the only other family I got."

"Monica really enjoys when you're here."

"I'm her favorite."

"That's betrayal right there."

Carol smiled at her, and continued to talk. She told her about Thor's family and Loki's visit. 

"They seem like great people." Maria smiled. 

"Thor gets jealous every time I say his brother is better than him." Carol chuckled. 

"I get jealous when you say you're Monica's favorite."

"It's true."

"I refuse to believe it."

"Whatever you say."

"You're a pain in the butt you know that?"

"It wouldn't be the first time I've heard that."

"Who else said that?"

"A handful of people."

"Like who?"

"Fury, Thor, and few other people I know."

"Of course Fury would say that."

"He hates when I fly low and fast."

"What about Thor? Does he hate when you do that?"

"No. He enjoys it as much as I do. Last time we flew, he even did it himself. I had never seen Fury so mad in my life."

Carol seemed happy talking about Thor, and Maria let her go on about him. It was a good thirty minutes before she stopped. They both laughed at a few stories she told, including the one with Rumlow.

"I'm going back to California. Do you want to come with me?" Carol looked at her best friend. 

"I'm good. Plus I have to watch Monica." Maria shook her head. 

"You'll be missing out."

"How? You're only going back to California to check up on him."

"I want to be there when he wakes up."

"I'm being replaced by him."

"You're still my best friend. He's a tiny bit more important though."

"You haven't changed much."

Carol smiled before leaving the house. She enjoyed hanging out with her best friend every once in a while, but she missed leaving Thor all the way back in Pasadena. She wanted to be there when he woke up, which could be anytime. It was a bit stressful every time she left him, but Rhodey promised to watch him while she was gone. Her phone went off, and she picked it up. 

"Are you coming back anytime soon?" Rhodey asked. 

"Yup. How's Thor?" Carol wondered. 

"Still sleeping. Yesterday we almost thought he would wake up but it was a false alarm."

"You should've told me."

"It was a false alarm."

"And? What if it wasn't?"

"Calm it down."

"Sorry. I'm stressed about all of this."

"You'll be fine. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always available."

"Thanks for the offer. I'm fine for now."

"You should get back up in the skies. It'll clear your mind a bit."

"I made a promise with Thor. I won't fly without him."

"Since when did you refuse to fly?"

"I know it doesn't sound like something I would say but I'm dead serious."

"You're usually the one who always wants to fly no matter what time of the day it is. Even if there's a tornado, you don't care."

"I won't break my promise."

"I know you won't. The Avengers are missing their best pilots in the air."

"You sound desperate."

"Maybe I am or maybe I'm not."

"Who do I need to beat?"

"Depends on if you're up for it."

"Tell me Rhodey."

"It's a race. Those pilots I told you about a couple months ago are back."

"They are going to have to wait."

"That's not how that works."

"Until Thor wakes up, I am postponing the race. I will make sure they wait."

"They're not going to like that."

"Then they will deal with me."

"I'd rather wait."

"You scared of me?"

"Depends on the day. You sound threatening right now."

"I was being sarcastic."

"It's hard to tell with you."