Man Out of Time - A Captain America / Avengers Fanfiction

Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Steve hobbled into the room and stopped to smile.

"I thought you hated that thing?"

Bernice eased him over to 'that thing.' That thing being the enormous, king-sized bed with the red, white and blue comforter shaped with the single star of the Puerto Rican flag, which now came complete with a matching dust ruffle, shams and curtains. She had obviously gone back to the store where he had bought them to complete the set.

"It kind of grew on me while you were gone."

Steve nuzzled the top of her head with his nose, the only part of her he could reach since he had a crutch under one arm and Bernice under the other. It was good to be home. Especially as that home now included a beautiful wife to curl up to, even if he was too banged up to do anything except snuggle for the time being.

"You know you could let mehelp you with that," Doctor Banner interrupted.

"No."

"Let him help," Steve said.

"No."

"I'm too heavy for you."

"I said no."

Steve shot Banner a smile. The doctor grinned and rolled his eyes when Bernice wasn't looking. For the past five days she had hovered like a miniature dragon, snapping and snarling at Nick Fury, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of State, and the President, who had stopped by the Walter Reid Medical Center to present him with a Presidential Medal of Freedom for exposing the hidden location of the Chitauri mother ship and also a Purple Heart. Tony Stark had been grumpy that he hadn't gotten a purple heart since he had also been injured. Since Tony wasn't affiliated with any branch of the military, the best he could get was a civilian medal of honor. Banner, Thor and Clint had also received medals, although Clint had excused himself as soon as the ceremony was finished.

Steve's grin was short-lived as he was forced to bend in the middle to sit on the edge of the bed. If he stood or lay down, he was fine. But the minute he had to bend, his scrambled guts screamed in protest. The medicines they had in this modern era dulled his pain just enough that he was beginning to grow antsy. Bed rest, bed rest, and more bed rest! If it wasn't for the fact the room began to spin one minute after he stood up, he'd go … work out … or something. Or better yet, make love to his wife.

"See!" Bernice scolded, shifting to prevent him from tumbling forward onto his head. "You can barely walk!"

Bruce stepped closer. Bernice shot him her best impersonation of Nick Fury's hairy eyeball. Bruce stepped back. Steve laughed, then yelped as the movement of laughter tore at the scar where they'd just removed the stitches. Bernice made him lay down, her manner nervous as she ran down the checklist the hospital had given her for at-home recovery.

"I am a doctor, you know, Bernice" Bruce said.

"You're one of them," Bernice scolded.

She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it aside to check his dressings. There were a few spots where the recently-removed stitches still oozed a pinkish-clear substance, but overall it was looking pretty good. Bernice peeled off the gauze, apologizing profusely when she ripped off a bit of blood that had stuck to the gauze.

"Resistance is futile," Bruce said. "You will be assimilated."

Bernice had looked like she was going to faint the first time the nurses removed the bandages and showed her the two jagged gashes which had sliced him from pelvis to sternum. But she was determined to free him for the military's clutches. Unless there was somebody at home who knew what they were doing, the military would not release him. Bernice had pestered the nurses to teach her how to conduct wound care over and over again until the doctors had finally relented and agreed to let him come home.