Captain America: The Phoenix

12. Conference

"Smoke inhalation, a mild concussion and they wheeled you in here with quite an abnormally high heart rate. However, I've been informed by Captain Rogers here as to why that was," the soft-spoken male doctor with graying hair and crows feet beside his bright green eyes listed her injuries to her.

Quinn glanced over at Steve who only gave her a comforting glance as he stood by her hospital bed.

"But now, your heart rate is back to normal and you're good to go home, Miss Rivera."Quinn stayed quiet only giving a curt nod to the doctor before looking away. She'd been knocked out cold for three hours. The memory of what she'd seen right before she passed out made her want to scream. Steve politely thanked the doctor, shaking his hand firmly and watching him leave the room."The police want a briefing with you when you're ready to—"

"—the casualty report."

She interrupted him, her voice low and husky.

"What?" He asked."The casualty report, Rogers. Number of casualties." She pierced into him with her eyes. "I know Hill gets that kind of information. Just tell me."

He looked at her and then sighed, sitting down in the chair beside her hospital bed. His face was downcast, eyes glued to the ground as it pained him to tell her.

"Two hundred seventeen."

She shut her eyes, "oh my god." Her hands, covered in purple bruises, went up to hide her ashamed face.

He looked down, knowing how she felt. He felt that way every now and again.

"All third to fifth grade students," he uttered, his voice thin as a whisper. She knew it was bad just by hearing him.

"No," she uttered, muffled by her hands. "He was there."

He was unsure of who she was referring to at first. Then he remembered the conversation they had on the quinjet.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn." He sincerely said to her.

"He said I was a hero, Rogers," she raised her voice as she looked at him, baring her watery eyes and bruise-splotched face. "He believed I was a hero and—" she paused, her voice growing quiet once more, "—I couldn't even save him."

"You did all that you could. That number could've been a lot bigger if it weren't for you." She shook her head, bowing it once more, trying to hide the single tear that fell from her eye. Steve felt for her, looking away because he could tell she didn't want him to see her cry. He could see her quickly wipe her face in his peripheral.

He then grabbed the bag of her clothing from behind him, placing it at the foot of her bed. He then made his way out her door.

"Do the police want to arrest me?" She asked, stopping him in his tracks, her voice back to its steady beat. Her eyes, however, red and sad, avoided him. 

"I don't know," he turned back. "But if they do, I won't let them."

He gave her a small sympathetic expression before turning for the door.Quinn stood, changing into the leggings, black v-neck long sleeve and black combat boots that had been in the bag for her. She then looked at herself in the mirror, seeing her face staring back at her, eyes sunken in and hair an absolute mess. She ran her fingers through it and then hooked it behind her ears.Walking out of her room, she saw doctors and nurses going in and out of doors. There were children, covered in smoke and minor injuries, still coughing as they were tended to by nurses. It seemed the ratio of patients to nurses was heavily imbalanced on that day. An ache entered her chest, heavy enough to bring her to her knees as she saw worried parents running into the crowded emergency room, searching for their children.