Coffee and Books 1

Chapter 24

Aunt Yvonne and Lisa come visit me, after Lars has told them I woke up. They help me change from the hospital gown into an old pyjama from Lisa.

"It was the only thing I could find that buttons down. I don't think you can get yourself in a T-shirt with that shoulder," Lisa says by way of an apology.

The pyjama is light blue with unicorns, but I don't care. It's way better than that hospital gown. They also brought a huge helium balloon, a flower with a smiley face. 'Get well soon' it says on the back. Lisa ties the balloon to the hospital bed and after they leave I watch it softly swaying back and forth.

According to the doctors, I have a mild concussion, five stitches and a sprained right shoulder. Other than that, it's just some scratches and bruises. I have to stay in the hospital for a few days, and then I can go home, to go lie in my own bed.
This is not how I thought I would spend the day after the gala.

My family has not told me much about the accident, their argument being I should rest. They did tell me the other passengers were better off than me, I took the big hit,probably because I wasn't in my seat when it happened. But they could not tell me any details. Or would not, as I'm getting the feeling they think I was in bad company when the accident happened. Like the Asgardians have done something to get a grenade launched at them.

My head still hurts a lot, so I try to get some sleep. Fortunately, they took away the beeping monitor after I woke up.

I wake up when a nurse comes in my room to ask me if I want dinner. I'm not really hungry, but she pushes me to eat something. I settle for a sandwich and some yogurt.
I am just trying to get yogurt on my spoon, which is rather difficult now I can only use my left hand, when someone knocks on the door.
"Can I come in?" Steve asks.

I'm glad to see him and motion him in with my spoon.

"Is your yogurt giving you a hard time?" Steve pulls up a seat to the bed.

"The cup keeps moving around," I tell him.

"I can help with that." Steve keeps the cup still, while I eat some yogurt.

"How are you feeling?" he asks me when I put the spoon down.

"Like I've been in a car accident... Can you please tell me how the others are? My family barely told me anything."

"As you can see, I'm alright," Steve says with a smile. "Heimdall sprained his wrist, probably from protecting Lady Eir during the crash. The rest of us got some minor cuts and bruises. We all got taken in to the hospital, but you're the only one who had to stay."

"I'm glad to hear the rest is ok." I really am relieved to hear this.
"Did someone really shoot a rocket at us?" I ask. "That sounds unreal!"

"It is real," Steve nods with a grave face. "We are lucky the driver had the wits to evade that thing at the last moment. If it were not for him, it would have been a direct hit."

At first Steve doesn't want to get into details, saying how he doesn't want to upset me now I have a head injury. But I insist. I want to know what happened last night. I can't remember much of it, it all happened so fast.

Steve finally gives in and explains how the rocket slammed in to the road, right next to the car. Because of the explosion and our sudden turn, the car shot sideways through the guard rail and landed on its roof in a ditch.

"You hit your head pretty bad and were unconscious for a while," Steve says.
I gingerly touch the bandage on my head. There's a cut on the right side of my head that needed a few stitches.

"And Thor and Loki?" I ask, feeling a knot in my stomach now I think about Loki.

"Their car hit the brakes in time. Thor and Tony took the helicopter down, Loki got us out of the limo."

Loki got us out of the car. I remember hearing him call my name, I thought I dreamed that part.
"Where is Loki?"

"Loki rode with you in the ambulance to the hospital. But your family did not allow him to stay," Steve says, a concerned look on his face.

"Why? He didn't do anything wrong!" I exclaim, immediately falling back in the cushions, my head pounding.

"Don't exert yourself, Ylva," Steve says, patting my hand. "You need rest." He takes a breath before he continues in a serious voice. "Listen Ylva, the attack last night was meant for Thor and Loki. S.H.I.E.L.D. discovered it was the work of a right wing extremist group who think Asgard is responsible for sending aliens to earth."

Well... they are not completely wrong.

"They appear to be working alone and we think we got them all locked up now," Steve continues. "So the threat should be gone. It was all over the news. The grenade was launched from a hijacked news helicopter. There were several in the area because of some high speed police chase and they recorded the whole thing."

At my persistent request, Steve shows me a video on his phone. I see an explosion and the black limo crashes to the side of the road. The cars behind the limo all slam the brakes, coming to a stop in disarray. A few cars hit others, but it doesn't look very bad.
As soon as the car of the Norse ambassador stops, three men pile out. I recognize Thor by his red cape and the next moment he lights up, actual lightning shooting from his arm to the sky. Iron man is there too, pursuing the helicopter in the air. The camera follows Thor and Iron Man, but I also see a man in black running towards the crashed limo. That must be Loki.

I'm exhausted after seeing and hearing everything. Steve helps to put the headrest of my bed down and turns off the lights when he goes.
"Steve?" I call after him.

"Yes?" he says, turning back in the doorway.

"Thanks for coming."

"Of course. Now get some sleep."

I sleep all night, at least, I try to. Because of my head injury I have to be woken up on regular intervals by the nurses who come to check on me. The video of the attack is on a loop in my dreams: a big explosion followed by Loki running towards the car.

Waking up the next morning, I only have one question: why has Loki not yet come to see me?

I do get a male visitor that morning. It's Thomas, who tells me my uncle and aunt will be visiting again this afternoon.
While Thomas takes a seat on the edge of the bed, a nurse walks in with a vase of sunflowers. The flowers turn out to be from the Asgardians, the card showing their names in a curly handwriting. Lady Eir's, I think. The nurse puts the flowers beside my bed, so I can look at them.

The pain medication is helping to keep the headache at a minimum, for which I am grateful. My shoulder is pretty sore, but as long as I keep my arm in the sling, it's manageable.
"I guess I won't be returning to work this week," I say to Thomas.

"No, I guess not. Waiting tables with that arm is not really going to work out. But don't worry, Emilia's older sister is filling in for you," Thomas says. "Remember Gabriela?"

I vaguely remember meeting her once at the coffee shop, and Thomas starts telling me how things are at work.
"Oh!" he suddenly says. "What happened to your dress? I saw some pictures online and you looked really great!"

"It's ruined. They had to cut me out of it," I tell him, feeling sad about it. Then my hand flies up to my neck. The necklace! It's not there.
"Thomas! My necklace! I had a necklace, it's not here anymore!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they didn't throw it out with the trash," he says soothingly. He starts looking through the drawers of my nightstand and in my closet.
From the bottom of my closet he picks up a plastic bag that contains my shoes, my purse and my phone. The screen of my phone is badly cracked and the battery is dead. But the necklace is nowhere to be found.
"Maybe your aunt and uncle have it?"

"I hope so. Loki gave it to me," I reply softly, swallowing away the tears.