Love is For Fools // Loki Laufeyson

Part 19 - Shot

She nods as she reaches for the heart rate monitor.  "Attach these to her," she orders as she hands him the wires.

Loki quickly attaches the wires, praying he did it right as he has no idea what he's doing, and they turn to the heart rate monitor as Angela turns it on.

"Thank god," Angela sighs relievedly as the monitor registers Scarlett's heart rate.  She sighs as she turns to Scarlett's gunshot wound.  "Here comes the hard part."

Loki's eyes widen.  "There's more?"

"She still has a bullet inside of her and is bleeding!" Angela scoffs.  "Cut off her shirt where she was shot."  She runs over to grab a tray and gloves, slipping them on as Loki cuts off a section of Scarlett's shirt from her abdomen.

"What's the plan?" Loki asks as he reaches to touch where the bullet entered Scarlett.

Angela quickly slaps his hand away.  "What the hell do you think you're doing?  Don't touch anywhere near the bullet site unless you want it to get infected."

"You Midgardians die from infections?" Loki asks condescendingly.

Angela sighs and shakes her head.  "I don't know what Scarlett sees in you," she mutters under her breath.  She picks up the scalpel and turns back to Scarlett.  "Once I make this cut, we'll be finding out just how much we're getting into," she warns Loki.

Loki nods as he watches her bring the scalpel to Scarlett's skin.  "Do it."

Back to first-person pov

I wake up to the steady beeping of a heart rate monitor.  I slowly open my eyes, trying to find who the heart rate monitor is attached to. 

To my surprise, the heart rate monitor is right next to my bed, attached to me.  I look around to see that I am in my own bedroom, a whole setup of medical equipment besides my bed.  However, the most shocking thing is the sleeping Loki sitting in a chair beside my bed, his hand holding mine.

"You're awake!" Angela exclaims from the doorway.  "Oh, thank god, I was just coming up to check on you.  I was getting worried since it had been five hours since I'd finished your surgery-"

"How long has he been here?" I question.

Angela walks into the room, a smug smile spreading across her face.  "Ever since you came out of surgery.  He even insisted on staying in the exam room during your surgery, and he carried you up here after it was finished since he knew this would be a better recovery space.  I even offered to stay here with you while he showered and changed, but he refused."

I send Loki a small smile.  "I'm guessing I should wake him up then."

"Bitch, you'd better.  He's been worried sick."

I chuckle as I squeeze Loki's hand.  He stirs slightly, so I squeeze it harder.

His eyes open, and he looks down at his hand.  His gaze travels up my arm until it lands on my face, and he quickly sighs in relief.  "Oh, thank gods, I don't know what I would've done if you had died on me."

"It definitely would've been boring," I shrug.

He chuckles.  "Yes, but I don't think anything could be as boring as what this place would be like if I were gone."

"I think it would be slightly less dictator-y, I don't know," I mock.

He rolls his eyes endearingly as I turn my attention to Angela.  "Please tell me that you sutured me and didn't staple me."

"Of course I sutured you," she scoffs as she walks over to me.  "Don't even tell me that you want to see my work, because I'm already on it."

"You know me too well," I smile as she takes the blanket off of me.  She carefully lifts up the loose shirt that they must've changed me into and peels back the bandage covering my sutures.

"Hmm," I muse.  "No infection, well-packed, and the sutures are quite impeccable.  Somebody took their time."

"I knew there'd be hell to pay if you were left with bad scarring," she rolls her eyes.

"You do know me well."

Loki clears his throat.  "Listen, Scarlett, we both weren't sure about one thing; what recovery time are we looking at?"

I shrug.  "Meh, only a few days."

Angela crosses her arms.  "A few days?" she asks condescendingly.  "Not even the two of us would buy that bullshit."

I roll my eyes.  "Okay, but I bet I heal differently than other people.  I'll be back to fighting in no time."

Angela scoffs.  "Let's say that you hypothetically had a patient come in who had just recovered from surgery removing a bullet from their abdomen where they lost a severe amount of blood.  Oh, and the surgery was performed by somebody who doesn't know nearly as much about medicine as a nurse.  What prognosis would you give them?"

"Nothing sounds hypothetical about this," I protest.

"Just answer her honestly, Scarlett," Loki insists.

I sigh defeatedly.  "Two to three weeks."

"Perfect," Angela clasps her hands together.  "You will recover for the next few weeks.  I'll just assign somebody to help you during those two weeks-"

"I don't need help.  I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Could you put on a pair of socks right now?" Angela counters.

"Of course I could-" I reach down to demonstrate that I can touch my toes, but pain shoots through my abdomen and I gasp in pain.

Angela crosses her arms smugly.  "You were saying?"

"That's only temporary," I insist.

"Yes, and during that temporary period, you're going to need somebody to help you."

Loki quickly speaks up.  "I can help, if you don't mind."

I shoot him a glare.  "I do mind."

"I don't mind," Angela disagrees.  "Besides, it's more beneficial to the patient if their caretaker is somebody who they know."

"So why can't it be you?" I ask Angela.

"Somebody has to take over your duties," she rolls her eyes.  "And that person's going to have to be me."

"Come on, Scarlett," Loki insists.  "It's just for a few weeks.  Besides, you'll get lonely up here all alone."

"I doubt it."

"Okay, I know you're stubborn and will never settle on this, so I'm making you," Angela states.  "As the person who operated on you, I am ruling that Loki will look over you for at least the next two weeks while you recover.  No arguments."