SHIFTER ─ marvel

XXVII. Anger And Pain

Two days later...

Chapter Twenty-Seven
Soroya

I open my eyes, confused for a moment. I feel a sinking feeling in my chest, worrying I'm back in Analiese's lab. But as I let my surroundings settle in, I realize I'm in Shuri's lab. I'm home.

I let out a sigh, filled with relief and happiness and every positive emotion out there. It feels good to be home, if it weren't for how tired I feel, I could jump up and cheer from my happiness. I turn my head to the right side of the table I'm laying on, finding Bucky starring at me.

He looks exhausted. There's a cloudiness in his eyes, his face looking slightly sunken in. I know he probably hasn't slept since I was taken. I feel the guilt of what I've put him through creeping up inside me. I remember what it felt like when he left me, when he died...

"Hey there, sweetheart." He murmurs.

I smile at him, just now noticing the IV in my arm and the bandages wrapped around my arms. I give him a confused look. "The last thing I remember is being in the ship...what happened after that?"

He leans forward, gripping my hand tightly. "Well you passed out while we were flying here. You lost a lot of blood. And with all the drugs in your system...if we had waited any longer you could've...so we brought you here immediately. Bruce and Shuri said the only way to get the drugs out was to flush it out with saline and let you vomit everything up."

I am glad I don't remember that part. "What else?"

"Well the restraints you had really dug into your skin, so Shuri gave you some medication for that because it got infected. All of the injection marks have left some bruising, and the cut on your leg had to be stitched up. You also had a pretty bad concussion. The blood loss gave all of us a scare, but Alex gave you a couple pints of blood."

I smile, absentmindedly touching the crease of my left arm, finding it to be bandaged. "He did?"

Bucky nods. "He left with Khari to get some coffee, they should be back any moment."

He's right; mere minutes later Alex and Khari both appear. A smile breaks over Khari's face as he sets his eyes on me, rushing over to me. He places the cups of coffee on the chair on the left side of the table, where I suspect he and Khari have been sitting by my side. He gently caresses my face, tears brimming his eyes.

Alex stands over towards the stairs, where an angry look comes across his face. He sets the coffees down on the same chair, taking a step back and clenching his fists.

Khari helps me sit up, which makes me feel rather sore, but otherwise fine. I give my brother a curious look, but the reason for his anger is answered before I can inquire about it.

"Are you insane? Do you have any idea what I've been through the last week? Any at all? I wake up to find my sister gone, and all she left behind is a goddamn note? A note. No goodbyes, just a note. God, Soroya. When I saw your broken necklace in Siberia, I thought you were dead. Part of me didn't even want to find you out of fear of finding my only family dead!"

His voice is growing louder, and his face more twisted with pain and anger. I feel tears form in my eyes. I hate seeing him so angry with me, hate seeing the betrayal in his eyes. "Innocent people were in danger, Alex. I couldn't let anyone else die because of me."