Before my eyes fluttered open, my ears caught people talking in hush voices. They talk like they're afraid that I might hear something terrible and hard to swallow the truth. Well, do you want to know truth? The truth is, there barely anything in this world that hurts me.
I then opened my eyes. Slowly, but I was sure that I'm alive, not in a comatose anymore. I looked around the room and saw Mom sitting beside me while typing on my on-the-go laptop. Morgan was at the long sofa playing with her doll. I opened my mouth, felt my voice croaked as I called my mother, but nothing came out. It's like I'm mute and Mom was unaware that I awoke. I tried to move to attract Mom's attention, and even though I made my hospital bed noisy, she wouldn't turn and so was Morgan.
What am I, a ghost?
I cried. I cried so hard that I lost my breath. Then my heart monitor made that dangerous noise again and Mom panicked. She turned to me with her worried expression meanwhile Morgan froze at the sofa hugging her favorite doll as if her life depended on it. She called Mom but in the midst of our current situation, she was ignored.
Doctors came to attend me again and Mom and Morgan were asked to leave the room while the doctors attended me. How I wish this is over just as soon as it happened. I remember when Dad got in terrible accidents and he was fast to heal because of those amazing Shield doctors and medical equipment. While they tried hard to make me calm, I suddenly heard my hospital room doors open and closed. Strange enough that no one in the room seemed to notice.
Slowly, the person who just came in, appeared behind the doctors.
'Dad!' I cried. 'Dad, help me!'
Dad smiled. 'Wake up, honey,' his voice was soothing. 'Your mom and Morgan need you.'
'I don't know what's happening to me.'
'You've got complications from that accident.' Dad chuckled to himself. 'Still not bored of getting into trouble, are you? So much like you Dad, huh?' Dad pointed at himself and continued to smile. Something in that smile told me that he is proud with me for getting into so much trouble. But there's also something in his smile that I began to hate because, you see, I'm hurting and he's fine.
'What complications? Dad, don't leave me! Please!'
'Fight it, Terri. You're strong. Fight it. I can't protect you, your mom and Morgan now. It's your turn to protect yourself and them.'
What is he talking about? I'm hurt. I'm dying. How can I protect them?
'Dad, please. Make this stop. It hurts!' I cried my eyes out, but still. It was havoc in the hospital room and nobody still noticed Dad.
Dad didn't say anything else then. He just smiled and slowly disappeared into thin air.
***
Both of my hands are injured from the accident, but luckily the right one wasn't as severe as the left one so I can use it though slowly. I carefully move my hand as I eat, not comfortable to ask anyone to do it for me. And as I fill up my stomach, Happy stood at the end of my hospital bed with his arms crossed on his chest, watching me.
There were so many things Happy wanted to know, I can confirm that. I mean, who wouldn't? One moment I go to school fine, then the next moment I fell into comatose. I don't how long have I been asleep, but long enough to make Mom and Happy worry.
The night after I woke up, I asked Mom about Harley. She was pretty tense when I asked her about him. She stuttered to answer me, but I told her that I can handle if it's bad news. Mom trusted me so she told me the truth.
Harley's condition was pretty bad. When I go asleep, then wake up, then fell back into sleep, then wake up again the next few days, Harley hadn't waken up until today. He is still sleeping and God knows what he's dreaming.
I always dream about Dad, that sometimes it turned into a bad dream, like I got chased by Dad's suits; or Dad got mad at me for not protecting Morgan hard enough – this usually happens when Morgan and I fell into an argument. Sometimes, I dream of Dad getting killed by Thanos or, sometimes worser: I dream of myself killing him. Then I wake up with a jolt, with my heart pumped fast like it could explode. Sometimes, I can't even breathe. That's when I wish Dad install an AI inside the cabin so that I know if there's something wrong with me.
As I slurp the last bitter soup, Happy approached and brought the bowl aside. He let me drink a little before he opened his mouth.
'How's the soup?' he asked.
As if you haven't tasted hospital's soup before.
'Okay for a hungry stomach,' I answered, looking outside the window at the blue sky. How nice if I could go out right now.
'Are you ready for a negotiation?'
'What, are you a police now?'
'I promised your father that I'll protect you no matter what costs, Terri!' Happy said through his greeted teeth. 'No matter what costs. I can't let anything happen to you. I can't let anyone hurt you. And I broke that promise now. So tell me what actually happened and let me know if it's your fault, not mine, so that I won't feel guilty towards your deceased father.'
I gulped. 'Stop making me feel bad, Happy,' I said, continued to look outside.
'Oh, you feel bad now, huh? What about a few days ago when you invited Harley to your house? When you came home because Harley texted you that someone was breaking into your house?' Happy raised his voice at me. 'If something happens, you know you'll get alerted. If your phone didn't get an alarm, even if those thieves tried to enter your Dad's techs in the garage, means everything is fine. Look what happens now? They're looking for you, Terri! You are in danger!' Happy paused to take a breath. 'By the way, why was Harley at your house?'
'I don't know.' I shook my head.
'See. You don't even know that kid yet you invited him to Tony's garage. He's a suspect now, you see.'
'Dad trusted him, Happy. He helped Dad.'
'Haven't Tony told you anything about his old so-called friends betraying him?'
Yes, Dad have and I know everything about it. I remember, every second I take my breath, but I now Harley is not one of the others who is going to betray Dad. He's not.
Happy stared at me for a few seconds before closing his eyes, taking a deep a breath to calm himself down. He pinched the bridge of his nose like how I remembered Dad would do when he's pissed at me. Then, his phone got a notification. 'Shield agents will arrive in two minutes. Prepare youself.' Happy shook his head before leaving me.
I sighed, heavily sighed. When will my bad luck in life end? I can't continue living like this: whatever I do always become trouble even when I do something good. I can't live a life guiltily, knowing that I've messed up Happy's promise to Dad. How to live a life when I too care and couldn't care less about people? There were no in-between.
Not long after that, I heard a double and soft knock. My heart pumped in my chest. Shield agents. It's been a long time since I saw one of them, and even if I did before now, it was nothing to do with my accident. Dad dealt with my accidents, not the Shield agents. But things changed. I guess, this is the start of getting negotiated by Shield agents in things I've done wrong.
Two men entered my hopital room. Both of them wearing familiar Shield uniform. I heard Nick got lost. I believe if he wasn't, within those five years, he would make a change to their uniform.
'Good afternoon, Miss Stark,' one of them greeted me while the other stood beside him, watching me. 'I am Special Agent Kim and this is my partner Special Agent Lee. We're here for a netotiation on your recent accident happened at your territory.'
I stared at them both. I was tongue-tied, but not because I'm nevous to be negotiated by two Shield's special agents. I wasn't even surprised that Shield decided to send special enforcers for me since I'm a Stark and they expected me to be hard like Dad. What made me thinking was how these two have Asian names yet none of them look Asian.
Must be their nicknames they use from time to time for missions. I know sometimes they only name codes or somethinf like that.
I nodded my head when I realise I've stared at them too long to be professional. Agent Kim took out his note book and a pen meanwile Agent Lee took out a voice recorder and set it on the portable table at the end of my bed. They asked me to introduce myself first. From my name, to my birthdate, to my parents name and my school. They started the negotiation by asking how I am feeling.
Their trick was working, though. That question, even though they probably didn't care much, I quickly answered how I've been doing and I told them like I'm talking to my friends instead of professional Shield agents. Dad used to tell me not to show my emotions to strangers because it would betray myself. Dad wasn't wrong, but not at this moment. And he's not here to blame me, is he?
I have nothing to hide so I told them from the start of how I knew Harley. 'Harley was Dad's friend.'
Both of them raised their eyebrows. 'That young boy?' Special Agent Lee asked.
I nodded my head. 'It was 2013. Dad was ambushed at our house in Malibu. He escaped then ran away then he got lost in Alaska.'
'Then your father met that Harley boy?' Special Agent Kim asked.
'Yes. Well,' I shrugged, 'I don't excatly know how they met, but yes. Dad took shelter for a few days at Harley's house to recharge. Something happen there, but– yeap. That's how I knew Harley.'
'Harley didn't have his parents with him at that time?' Special Agent Kim has wrinkles on his forehead as he tried to understand my story.
'You have to ask Harley himself for that one. I will only tell you Dad's side of the story since, you know, Dad is....'
Special Agent Kim and Special Agent Lee glanced at each other. Then, Special Agent Kim continued asking me questions. 'How long have you and Harley been friends?'
'We weren't friends before. I've heard alot about him, but the first time I met Harley was at Dad' funeral. Few months after that I met him at Starbucks. He studies here now, working part-time at Starbucks.'
'You must be happy to meet him again,' stated Special Agent Lee. I'm not sure what he means, but I tried not to over-think.
I chuckled. 'As a friend, yeah. He's pretty much like a younger brother to me. I was trapped somewhere for five years. If I didn't, I'd be 21 now. When we met at Starbucks, we talked then I invited him to my house since, aside from Dad, he's the only person who knows about technologies that I know of. Dad had asked me to supervise Morgan whenever we let her enter the garage. We can't let Morgan plays alone in the garage so I decided to let Harley supervise and teach Morgan some things.'
'Did he take anything from the garage?'
I shook my head no.
'How do you know?' Special Agent Lee asked.
'I just know.'
Both of the agents nodded their head, not wanting to argue with me. Maybe just yet. I don't believe that they make this negotiation easy because I am somehow Tony Stark's daughter. They just want me to rest. Wait until I am discharge.
'That's all for now, Miss Stark. Thank you for your cooperation. We will arrange a date for your next negotiation.'
I nodded my head. 'Okay.'
They left. By heart, I know that if Harley's awake, they'd got for Harley next.