No Second Guesses, No Regrets (A Captain America/Avengers Fan Fiction)

Chapter 15 - Recovery

Later that night, after visiting hours were long over, Steve went to see Taryn in the medical wing. He stood in the doorway watching her sleep. She was lovely when she slept. She was beautiful awake... he was just so thankful that she was alive.

Taryn's eyes fluttered open and she smiled. "What are you doing here? It's late..."

He stepped into the room. "I couldn't sleep. I wanted to check on you."

She extended her good arm, inviting him in. She took his hand and he sat on the edge of the bed. "Thanks. My hero."

He chuckled a little cynically. "Some hero. You're in the hospital because of me."

"Bah. You still came after me, and you killed that bastard. Hero in my book."

Steve smiled softly. "What did I do to deserve you?'

"Hmm... I'm not really sure," she joked. He feigned shock, and she laughed. "Ow... it hurts to laugh... Seriously though, I'm just glad that psycho is dead, and we're both alive. But I think I'm going to have to take some time off, don't you?"

Her arm was in a sling, her ankle in a cast. Her eye was still black and blue and she had three stitches on her lip. "Man I must be a sight."

Steve leaned closer. "A very lovely one," he said kissing her nose lightly. "Well I should let you sleep..."

"Steve, will you stay?"

The hospital bed was big enough for two if you were very cozy, so he removed his shoes and climbed in next to her. He settled in and held her close all night long and it was the most relieved he'd felt in a long time.

Steve woke up before Taryn, to the sun streaming into the hospital room. She was sleeping soundly and he stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. He finally felt content that she was safe and in his arms again. He wondered if any other torture happened to her off camera and he hoped she would talk about it to him in time. He didn't want to push it...

He heard someone walk into the room and saw the doctor standing in the doorway. She raised a brow at him. "Captain Rogers...Good morning..."

"Ah... good morning, Dr. Foster. I was just... she asked me to..."

Dr. Foster chuckled. "It's alright, Captain. She needs comfort and who better to provide that than you." Obviously the entire staff knew of their relationship.

He gently rose from the bed, hoping not to wake her. "Is she going to be OK?"

The doctor reviewed the chart again. "She'll be fine in time. She has a lot of recovery to do, as her body has been through a lot of trauma. I would say it would be at least 6 to 8 weeks before she's back in action."

"Talking about me behind my back?" Taryn joked.

"Yes," said the doctor. "The Captain was inquiring about your health."

"Will I live?" she joked.

The doctor went to examine her gunshot wounds and saw they were looking well. "It would take some time for them to completely heal. The ankle may take a bit longer, but it wasn't as shattered as I expected it would be. Will you be staying here to recuperate, or heading to your cabin?"

Taryn shifted in bed a bit. "Most likely here. It has the exercise equipment I can rehab on. That way if I drop over, I'm closer to the med wing."

Dr. Foster raised a brow, not appreciating the humor. "I'll check on you again tomorrow and we'll see about discharging you." She nodded to the both of them, placed the chart back on the door and left them in peace.