PLEASE READ AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END.
Chapter 21: Visits
~~~~~~~~~~~{Third Person}~~~~~~~~~~~
Three days and counting, that's how long Agent Noel Barton has been lying in the hospital bed with her arms by her side like a solider and a blank, peaceful look on her face.
Every day, Tony Stark came in at six AM, when no one was around so they were alone and without interruption, and held her hand, willing her to wake up. Sometimes he thought that if he kissed her, she would wake up, just like in Sleeping Beauty, but he could never work up the courage to do so.
Him and Bruce were trying to find a cure for her disease but everything they'd tried so far was a dead end. But he wasn't going to give up.
When Tony reluctantly left at seven thirty AM, Clint Barton took his spot and read from Noel's favourite book; Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. He read chapter after chapter until the nurses asked him to leave so they could start the testing for the day.
At twelve fifteen, when the testing was done, Steve Rogers appeared in the doorway and edged towards her bedside. He was always wary in walking to the chair next to the bed, he didn't know why, but he was. When he finally sat, he did just that. He just sat and stayed quiet, wondering if this was how Peggy felt when he was in the ice.
Had she felt alone? Had she felt cold?
All that waiting, she must have eventually snapped and started hating him for not turning up to the Stork Club at eight o'clock -sharp- with the band playing something slow so he didn't step on her toes...
When Bruce Banner visited, Steve left and no one ever saw him until dinner that night. Bruce's visits were more about the fact that he wanted to help her instead of mourning her because he knew she'd pull through. He checked her vitals and made sure her wound wasn't getting infected.
Besides being in a coma, there was something strange about Noel. Her wound wasn't closing, it jut stayed open with the bandage over it, and when you took it off, it just stared at you like a black hole in her side.
Natasha Romanoff always visited with Noel's iPod and docking station in hand, before plugging it into the wall and playing a playlist of Noel's favourite songs, hoping that she'd be able to hear and that she'd wake up with a smile on her face and start air guitaring with her.
But she never did.
But perhaps the most special visit Noel ever got throughout the days were Nick Fury's. No one ever saw Director Fury during the day because he was often in his room, sleeping. Fury stayed with Noel during the night, like a father would if he were trying to keep the monsters in his daughter's closet away.
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Authors Note: I'm in class so I gotta make this quick!
Aww, everyone loves Noel! But why is she in a coma?!?!
How'd you like this chapter? It's really short, and pretty much all the chapters from now on will be but I can happy announce that *drum roll please!* the first chapter for the 'Metallic Charms' short story (called 'A Star Spangled Heart') will be uploaded on the 4th of August (this Saturday)!!!
Again, I'll ask the question I asked last chapter just in case some people didn't see it: If you could ask Noel Barton anything, what would it be?
Until next upload! Comment, vote, like!
*huggles* arielleblack