Old Soul (Captain America/Steve Rogers)

4

I  weakly opened my eyes, but I could feel the soreness in my side even before I awakened. Slowly, the bright light overhead seeped in, making me cringe. But once the light mellowed out, I realized many things all together. 

One: that was the first night in a while that I've had a dreamless sleep and didn't travel to any particular time period. It was nice.

Two: the sheets I was sleeping on weren't the same sheets I put on the day I moved in.

Third: that's because I wasn't sleeping in my bed.

Fourth: I wasn't in my apartment.

And lastly: I was shot last night.

As soon as my mind pieced those things together, I shot up in bed. When I moved, the pinch in my side became a stab, and I loudly cried out.

"Easy, Avalie," I hear a deep, concerned voice say. Then I feel a pair of warm, large hands, gently pushing me back down onto the bed that wasn't mine.

"Steve?" I croak. His name was the last thing I said before I had blacked out the night before. I was so confused and dazed with blood loss, and his blue eyes were the only thing that seemed clear. 

As he stared down at me now, I again found that clarity in his steady gaze. "Yeah," he says softly. "I'm here."

"Here is where, exactly?" I ask, still hung up on the fact that I wasn't in my apartment and I had no idea what had happened the night before.

"A recovery room," Steve says casually, but I mentally started to panic. How long have I been asleep? What happened last night? Where did the gunfire come from? How did you save me, Steve? "Don't worry. You're safe," he tried assured me to no prevail.

"What's going on, Steve?" I demand, scooting myself up into a sitting position with all of my strength. My limbs wanted to move frantically, but I had to force myself to stay calm.

Steve sighs. "I don't think I should be the one to tell you this."

"Just tell me something!" I plead. I catch a glimpse of the hospital gown I was wearing. There was a fresh red spot from where my wound was still bleeding.

"Well," Steve starts, uncomfortably shifting in his chair. "You were attacked last night. Gunfire was involved."

"Yeah, no shit," I cursed, bitter. How could this of happened? Why is Steve acting like he deals with this kind of stuff everyday? I was shot, for Gods sake! What in Hell is going on?! I sigh, shaking my head to try and get rid of the pressing ache against my scalp. "Why was I attacked? Was this some sort of terrorist thing?"

Steve shakes his head. "Like I said, I shouldn't be the one to tell you. I'm going to go get Dr. Banner. Sit tight."

He pats my leg and then leaves the room. And I stare after him, utterly confused. How did Steve, completely unharmed, get past the gunmen? Does my mom know that I was shot? Does Landon? Oh man, if Landon knew, he wouldn't be able to sleep until he knew I was ok. All of my life, Landon was always my protector. He was the big brother I never had.

There was a knock on the door, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Come in," I awkwardly called, not knowing what to expect. I hoped it was someone who could explain everything that happened, like this Banner man Steve mentioned. But I also hoped it was someone who could comfort me, someone familiar, like my family or my best friend.

The door opened and a man with ruffled brown hair and light stubble walks in, followed by a bald African American man wearing an eye patch and black cape. The man with the hair was wearing a lab coat, glasses pressed up on the ridge of his nose. Remembering what Steve said, I assumed he was Dr. Banner. I sat up straighter.