[ 𝟏 ] 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 | 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐟𝐟

𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞.

[ NEW AVENGERS FACILITY, NEW YORK ]

My eyes slowly fluttered open at the persistent beeping, only to be met with the harsh glare of overhead lights. Attempting to rise and survey my surroundings, a sharp pain shot through various parts of my body. Emitting a pained grunt, I surrendered to the discomfort, reclining and shutting my eyes. The pain was a stark reminder—we were in Sokovia, battling Ultron, and Pietro was no more. A heartache now mirrored the physical anguish, making it challenging to discern which was more agonizing.

Tears welled up as the memories inundated my mind. I envisioned Pietro, riddled with over a dozen bullet wounds, collapsing as his eyes rolled back. I relived his final moments and recalled his heartfelt confession to me. I was the girl he had cared for and aimed to protect. Regret washed over me; if I hadn't planted that idea, he might still be alive. A choked sob escaped me, amplifying my sense of foolishness and guilt.

"She's awake!" a voice echoed from outside. The door swung open, revealing Clint, who shielded me from the harsh light.

"Clint, hey," I whispered, wiping away my tears.

"We were all so concerned about you. How are you feeling?" Clint inquired.

"Barton, give her some space. She's still recovering," a female voice intervened. Clint grumbled as he retreated, taking a seat beside my hospital bed. Following the sound of the voice, my gaze met Helen Cho's eyes.

"Dr. Cho!" My eyes widened. "You're okay?"

"You calling the ambulance saved my life," she smiled, administering more pain medicine to my arm. "Thank you."

"And now you're saving my life, so thank you."

Dr. Cho nodded before summoning a hologram that displayed an X-Ray of my body. The image revealed the few bullet wounds I had and a strain in my throat area. "Believe it or not, Stella, you've been unconscious for three days." My eyes widened, but she continued before I could start panicking. "It wasn't just the fact that you got shot. It was also because you heavily strained your vocal cords. HYDRA knows how to experiment, but not safely. I had Stark send me some extra equipment to fix your vocal cords while your bullet wounds healed. While you still retain your abilities, there will be much less chance of you straining your voice as you did in Sokovia. Therefore, you won't pass out if you need to deflect any bullets again." She handed me a mirror. "To make this even better, fixing all these things made your bruising disappear."

With my eyes still wide, I gazed into the mirror and observed that all the bruising on my neck had miraculously disappeared. Hesitant at first, I slowly touched my neck and felt no soreness. My skin was now soft instead of rough, and my throat no longer felt tight or abnormal. Every physical reminder left by HYDRA had vanished. "Wow. Thank you so much, Dr. Cho. You don't understand how much this means to me."

Suddenly, Steve and Natasha entered the room, expressions mirroring Clint's relief.

"Stella, I am so happy to see you're alright," Steve said.