The steady beeping of the heart monitor woke her up with a start. Her eyes snapped open so fast that she got dizzy from the action. Christine blinked a few times to clear away the dry feeling in her eyes. The different sensations making her moan in pain and uncomfortability. When she got the chance to look to her side, she spotted the source of the annoying noise. Her eyes followed the green's line movement. The repetitive movement of the green line was mesmerizing. Taking a deep breathe in, Christine groaned when she felt the gauze wrapped around her waist reject the movement. The itchy material motivated Christine to move her head around the room to get a better look at the hospital she was at. White floors and glass windows surrounded the small room with medical supplies. Christine looked around noticing all the monitors and tables surrounding her.
On the floor, Christine could see her uniform abandoned along with all her weapons. From here, she could see the blood that dripped from her clothes onto the table. The table, devoid of anything, must have been cleaned up while she was unconscious. Christine could feel where her newly formed skin was mending into the other flesh surrounding it. Dr. Cho must have been feeling good enough to repair her skin when she was brought in. The last time they had seen the doctor felt so much longer than a couple of days ago. Moving her head to the other side, she noticed that IV hanging. A much smaller morphine drip was hanging next to it, waiting for Christine to press the button.
Christine looked next to her hand and she noticed the trigger. She wrapped her hand around It and brought it closer to her face. Her vision was still adjusting, so she couldn't see things very clearly at a distance. That action alone caused her head to pound and the white noise in her ears to become deafening. Christine reached up and rubbed her temple to find some relief. Pushing the morphine drip became more and more tempting now that she was starting to feel more pain. Slight shuffling caused Christine to jump. Her head whipped towards the noise. Steve sat in the chair, head leaned into his palm, asleep. While he was resting, Christine took the time to admire him. He had changed out of his uniform. His hair was wet, presumably from the shower, and he was cleanly shaven. His White T-shirt and Sweatpants was an indicator that he planned to stay here if she was in here. His too large frame filled the chair and she could tell that he was uncomfortable. Christine's corner of her lips tilted upwards. She moved to lay on her side facing him. She watched his chest rise and fall underneath his t-shirt. She watched him for a few more seconds before calling him.
"Steve"
She watched as his eyebrows pinched together and he shifted in his seat. She called him again, a little louder this time. "Steve"
Christine though she would have to speak in a normal volume to wake him up when he blinked his eyes open. His eyes met hers quickly and he furrowed his brows for a second before registering what had cause him to wake up. Steve gave her a small smile before stretching while he stood. His socked feet padded against the linoleum floor as he made his way over. He squatted beside her and placed a hand on her hand. His gentle touch on her making her stomach flutter.
"Hey, how're you feeling?"
She dodged the question."How long have you been here?"
He rolled his eyes and gave a small chuckle. "You're not getting out of that one. Answer the question"
Christine shrugged her shoulders. "I'm in pain, but it isn't anything that I haven't experienced before."
Steve raised his eyebrow. "You've had three broken ribs and a collapsed lung before?" He said in a sarcastic tone.
"Not at the same time." She replied.
"Not to mention the glass in your shoulder, bruises, and a gunshot wound."
She shrugged once more. Steve rolled his eyes in response and stood from his crouched position. Christine then attempted to sit up to meet his new height. Steve noticed her struggling and reached for the remote beside her. Where he pressed the elevate button, within seconds she was in a seated position. She used her upper strength to lift herself up from the bed and scoot to the left, leaving enough room for another person. She patted the space next to her as she looked at him. Steve looked like he was contemplating her invitation before he made up his mind. The pair shuffled into the bed together, both on their sides facing one another. With their combined warmth, Christine did not feel nearly as cold as she was with the blankets over her body.
"You don't get to avoid my question either" she said. He lifted an eyebrow. "How long have you been here?"
"We got back a couple of hours ago, after we got everyone to safety we took the wounded to the nearest hospital. After they stabilized you, we transported you here."
"That' not answering my question, Steve Rogers"
"A couple hours"
"I'm glad you at least showered."
"I am too." He chuckled.
Silence filled the space between them. Christine's mind drifted off to the feeling of his lips against her own. He must have read her mind because he eventually broke the silence. "Did Clint and Nat grill you after?"
"They wanted to, but I didn't say anything. You?"
"Got the third degree."
"Nat told me that we will be "talking" later. Whatever that means."
Christine's gaze went from his eyes to his lips. As if he knew that she was watching them, he licked them. His lips drew her in and that was all that was occupying her mind. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, the way he gripped her waist, the feeling of his hair tickling her fingertips. Without further thought she leaned towards him. Steve met her halfway and their lips collided once again. Christine could not describe the feeling that was in her chest, but now she understood what people meant by feeling fireworks. One of his arms snaked around her waist and he gently brought her closer. Christine sighed when her chest met his and she brought her hand to his cheek.
Like earlier, she felt his thumb rubbing circles into her waist as they kissed. Steve gently moved his lips against hers and she followed his lead. Bringing his face closer with the free hand that she had, Steve took the lead once more and leaned further into her. Christine moaned and hitched her leg up on his hip. Steve pulled away from her after the action. He looked down at the leg on his hip and then back at her. His hooked his hand behind her knee and then leaned back down to resume the kiss. Once his lips came down on her she smiled into his kiss. Wrapping her arms around his torso, Christine pulled him impossibly closer. His grip on her knee soon became her thigh and she moaned at the new sensations.
"Is this what you wanted?"
Christine's eyes snapped open and she looked at Steve, but he was too engrossed in her neck that it couldn't have been him. Slightly leaning to the side, she realized that there had to be someone else in the room.
"You think you want him because he's the hero of the story? Makes you feel good to be with him?" The mystery person said in a mocking tone.
"You think you're a better person because you joined them? Believe me, sis. It does nothing."
Christine watched as Amilla appeared from the dark corner of the room. Her breathe caught in her throat as she examined the woman in front of her starting from her bare feet on the tile. Judging from the color of her feet, she had either started decomposing or she had walked in mud. She shuffled her feet and Christine could see the distinct footprint left on Tony's pristine tile. She could imagine that once Tony saw the footprints that he would have a conniption. She was still as lean as she remembered, she would tower over everyone around her when she was alive. She recognized the outfit as the same uniform that Christine and her used to adorn when they were active members of S.H.I.E.L.D. One could barely see the emblem on the right side of her chest as it was covered with something that vaguely looked like blood. Christine's heart began to race as she continued her examination of the figment of her imagination.
Lips grazed hers once again and she was briefly distracted by Steve. His lips met hers fully and she allowed herself to relax against him. She raised her hand to touch his cheek. He smiled into the kiss and moaned lightly before moving back to her neck. When she opened her eyes, she was met with Amilla's gruesome face. Like Christine thought, she had started decomposing. Christine opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Amilla laughed and brought her face within inches of hers. Christine was forced to truly examine her face. Gone were her freckles on her face, instead it was replaced by rotting, thin flesh. Her skin was stretched so thin that the bone underneath threatened to spilt the skin. Her taupe skin took on a slightly green color and she had splotches of dirt on her skin. Her hair fell forward and that was when she noticed the amount of dirt in her hair. Unbeknownst to her conscious, Christine reached up attempted to touch her. Not believing her eyes.
Ever since Amilla and Christine were kids, Amilla was always the first to receive compliments. Christine was always given the secondhand compliment. She was always considered the more "unique" looking child. With her grey eyes that she was not sure where she got them and her dark skin. Society deemed Amilla as the more beautiful one while Christine was pretty for a dark girl. She never blamed Amilla though. She never liked the attention anyway, having too many people around her would cause her powers to go into sensory overdrive. As Christine stroked Amilla's face, she didn't realize how much she missed her sibling.
While she was reminiscing, she hadn't noticed that her hands had wrapped around her throat. Christine gasped and clawed at the hand around her neck. She tried to fight against Amilla's hold, but she was still weak from her injuries. She could feel her conscious slipping away and she begged Amilla to stop. Her pleading eyes were met with a cold stare.Christine used her legs to create space between them, granting herself enough time to gasp for air. Amilla crawled back onto the bed and began violently shaking Christine. She dug her fingers into the fresh wound on her shoulder and Christine screamed in agony. Amilla growled and proceeded her assault. Attempting to use her legs again, Amilla caught on and straddled her sister. As Christine's head slammed against the pillow, her head injury started to worsen. The darkness began to creep into the corners of her eyes and she could feel herself losing consciousness. Christine attempted to move away from her sister, but she was succumbing to her injuries, the black screen took over her vision as she drifted back into unconsciousness.