Under your spell 🔞

Thirteen

A fee weeks of being in hospital and Stephen was getting frustrated. He was doing finger strength exercises, with an instructor but he wasn't getting very far.

He called a meeting with the board, and it surprised him that Dr Stark wasn't there. He had heard that she had been shut out, and he knew that she would've been on his side.

He had barely seen her over the few weeks, but when he did, he could see how exhausted, and withdrawn she had become. She would tell him that she was still searching and had tested out possible options, but they had failed, not one would help him with the nerve damage.

Hearing Weiss talking to him, trying to give him the spiel, to let him down gently, it was pissing him off. He had a few more surgeries, and was sitting with the instructor, with the wrist grip on, stretching his fingers. It was painful, and hard, but he wasn't giving up.

'You can do this..'.. The instructor tells him and Stephen pants from exertion.

'Alright, answer me this, bachelors degree. Have you ever known anyone with nerve damage, this severe to do this, and actually recover?..'.. He hisses out, stretching his fingers again.

'One guy, yeah. Factory accident, broke his back, paralysed, his leg wasted away. He had pain in his shoulder, from the wheelchair. He came in three times a week. Then one day he stopped coming..'.. The instructor leans forward, lowering his voice... 'I thought he was dead. A few years later, he walked past me on the street..'

'Walked?..'.. Stephen asked, forcing himself to work through the pain.

'Yeah, walked..'.. The instructor nodded at him.

'Bullshit. Show me his file..'.. He scoffed, looking over at the instructor.

'It'll take me a while to pull the files from the archive. But if it proves your arrogant ass wrong, worth it..'.. The instructor huffs, leaning back in his seat.

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Stephen thought it over, he didn't want to wait, but there was someone who could get him the file, now. He picked up his tablet, his hands shaking as he did, and sat down with it at the table, calling her via video call. A few seconds later, her face popped up. He could see she wasn't herself, and he wanted to know.

'Hey Strange, how you doing?..'... She gave him a genuine smile, and he couldn't help but smile back.

'I think I found something, but need a file from the archives..'.. He said, and she was instantly on alert.

'What file?..'..

'Johnathan Pangborn. Factory accident, broke his back and was left paralysed..'.. He could see she was typing and she smiled again.

'Give me a few hours and I'll be there with it..'..

'Whats going on with you? No offence but you look as terrible as me..'.. She chuckled at him and them her face dropped.

'You've not been watching the news?..'..

'Not really. Why?..'.. He asked, shifting to get comfortable.

'Media had been tearing me apart. They have been digging into everything about me. They know about the warnings at work, about Josh. Some people have come forward, saying they've slept with me, going into details, even though I've never met them. They just want some fame, money..'..