Meant to Be

“This really isn’t necessary,” Chick insisted flatly.

“Stop talking,” she heard Tony scold over the speaker inside the full-body X-ray. She could barely make out his voice over the loud whirring. “And stop moving.” Chick couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering, and she rapidly tried to blink the sweat away from her eyes. She ground her teeth together and shut her eyes, trying to focus on her movements. This was already the third time they tried to get a clear image, but each one had been blurred by her movements.

“This would be easier with some morphine,” she whispered.

“Shh!” Tony hissed sharply. Chick clenched her jaw again. “This wouldn’t have been necessary if it wasn’t for the morphine.”

“Debatable.”

“Yep, look at that,” Tony interjected, ignoring her remark. “You have a hairline fracture on your radius and you fractured your right thumb. If I hadn’t stopped you you’d be in much worse shape.”

“A fracture is nothing, Stark,” Chick retorted, rolling her eyes. “Not like it hurts,” she muttered quietly to herself.

“Not when your nerves are fried. If you can’t feel when you’re hurt, then how are you going to stop yourself when you’ve really messed up?”

“As if you’ve never fought through a fracture before.”

“You’re not a fighter, Charlotte, you’re a diplomat.”

The table that Chick was laying on started to move slowly back down towards the ground and the x-ray moved back up towards the ceiling. She heard the red light above the door buzz and turn green. Tony and Dr. Wright walked back into the room with a radiologist.

“And, luckily, you didn’t damage the tech during your rampage, so we know at least that won’t fracture any time soon.” While the doctors worked, Tony stood in front of Chick with his arms crossed. Chick sat up on the table, shuddering violently from cold sweats. Her right leg scraped along the table, useless. She hadn’t been able to move it again since the afternoon when she had run after Captain Rogers.

“Yes, well done, you’re a super genius, congratulations,” Chick mused sarcastically. Her eyes had deep, dark circles around them and she looked pale underneath a sheen of sweat. She watched the radiologist fussing with the machine and the printed scans.

“You know you’ve lengthened your stay now, right? I was hoping you’d get out of here by New Year’s, but now it’s not looking too good.” Chick met Tony’s eyes quickly.

“I’m right where I wanna be, Stark,” she reassured. The doctor gave her a splint to hold her swollen, discolored thumb in place and wrapped her wrist.

“Keep talking like that and you’re never gonna meet him. This weird threatening crap you keep doing is a big brick wall between the two of you.” He held out his hands. “Remember my hierarchy: you’re down here-” He held out one hand by his chest. “And I’m up here-” He held his other hand above his head. Chick arched an eyebrow and squinted in annoyance. “But Barnes and Rogers are still way up here-” He lowered his hand down near his chin. “They come first. I don’t care how many legs you have or what you’re addicted to. You kiss my ass enough and maybe I’ll let you see the Soldier.” Dr. Wright rolled her wheelchair to the table and helped Chick to stand up and move to the chair.

“As if you could stop me,” she breathed out. She grunted as she sank into the wheelchair. Tony shook his head.

“Don’t make me up your therapy hours,” he threatened snidely. Dr. Wright wheeled her out of the room and back towards her own. Tony followed closely.

“What are you even still doing here? I thought you had better things to do with your time than babysit me?”

“Well, I thought so, too. But, then you threw a tantrum and tried to break one of my toys. So, now you’re under watch until I can trust you again.” Chick let out a groan.

“Well, Rogers should stay out of other people’s business.”

“I don’t disagree, but that doesn’t mean you get to kill him.”

“I wasn’t going to kill him,” Chick groaned again.

“Looked different from where I was standing.”

“No one asked you.”

“How is it that you haven’t been able to move your leg again?”

“I don’t know.”

“The only explanation I can think of is user error, Charlotte.”

“So what? Now that I know I can use it, I won’t have to feel like physical therapy is completely useless anymore. Which is exactly how it felt this morning when you abandoned me and left me to fend for myself.”

“Abandoned you? I didn’t realise I meant so much to you.”

“Shut up,” Chick chided. “The very least you could do is let me talk to my father. Aren’t addicts supposed to have a support system?” Chick muttered.

“Well, at least you admit it now.”

“I’m serious. Can I just call him? Please,” she pleaded. She looked down the hall where she had chased Captain Rogers. She saw the gaping hole in the wall that was now under construction for repairs.

“If you cooperate with your therapies, then maybe tomorrow you can call him.” Chick looked up at Tony, to her left, still shuddering helplessly.

“Really?”

“I said maybe.” Tony let out a sigh. “God, you’re so lucky you can’t feel. Detoxing from painkillers is one of the most painful experiences people can go through.”

“I mean it’s still not a fucking picnic,” she snapped. “But yeah, I guess I’m lucky all things considered.”

Because she had moved on in her recovery process, and because she had trashed her first room, Tony moved her to a different, more comfortable room. What’s more, she was given something to wear other than a hospital gown- a pair of grey sweatpants, a white T-shirt, and a black hoodie. She also had a proper shower for the first time in weeks. She had needed assistance, but still, it felt good to be able to stand up and actually feel clean finally.

After the doctors stitched up the gashes on her forehead and her arm, she was also able to keep down a small dinner they had given her before they brought her to get her X-rays. She had been having trouble with her appetite, and because of that, she had lost a lot of weight during her stay at the hospital.

Chick let her eyes relax ahead of her as they came upon her new room, focusing on her new bed. She remembered the last night she had come home from work, high and exhausted; the safe spots in her apartment where she had stored extra doses of Vicodin. Her heart lifted at the thought of going back home to her medicine. She licked her dry lips, taking in a deep breath.

Since Steve had wheeled her away to the movie theater that morning, hours had passed and it was late at night. She eyed the bed, ready to climb in and end her suffering for the night.

“Can’t you give me something to knock me out for the night?” she asked fearfully. She was nervous that she would never get to sleep the way she convulsed and sweated.

“I’m sorry, Charlotte,” Dr. Wright said. “But, the most we can do is give you a saline solution to keep you hydrated, and two tylenol.” Chick gaped in disbelief.

“Just be happy we don’t have to strap you down now,” Tony added. “But, don’t think we won’t if we have to.” Chick pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows, ignoring Tony.

“Doc, you really can’t give me anything else?” she asked dismally. Dr. Wright stopped the wheelchair next to her bed. He helped her up and she hopped into bed, hauling her right leg up off the ground and getting comfortable.

“No matter how much you beg, we can’t give you anything else.” He folded the wheelchair and layed it against the wall. “This is the process, Charlotte. You can do it,” he said reassuringly. He grabbed a new IV bag and began hooking it to the plug that already stuck from Chick’s wrist. Tony stood watching from the door.

“If you find that your appetite returns tonight, you can buzz a nurse with this button,” the doctor continued, pointing to a red button on the wall. “But, if you ask for any other medications, it’ll do you no good.” He pulled a bottle of Tylenol from his coat pocket and poured out two white pills. Chick stared at them hungrilly.

That would have to do for now.

With trembling hands, she grabbed the pills and a cup of water from the side table and downed them quickly.

“I have no patience for anymore drama, kid. You better be on your best behavior from now on,” Tony said before leaving.

“You can do it,” Dr. Wright said. He gave her a kind smile and headed out after Stark.

Chick drew a deep, shaking breath, relaxing into the bed and staring up at the ceiling. The silence was deafening. She had grown accustomed to the beeping machines and fuzzy phosphorescent lights. She also longed for Steve’s company. He had been so kind… She could hardly even remember why she had gotten so angry at him.

Before she thought it through, Chick pressed the red button near the bed. It took a moment for a nurse to come to answer her.

“Ms. Abbott, are you okay?” she asked. Chick nodded, biting her lip.

“I-is… Is Captain Rogers around?” The nurse hesitated before responding.

“He’s with another patient right now, miss.” Chick let out a silent ‘oh.’

“With Sergeant Barnes?” The nurse nodded.

“He’s being prepped for his surgery right now.” Chick raised her eyebrows.

“Oh,” she replied in surprise.

“Is there anything else I can do, miss?” Chick shook her head with a timid smile.

“No, thanks, it’s alright.”

The nurse nodded and headed back to her station. Chick slapped her hands to her face and dropped her head back into the pillow, groaning in frustration.

Idiot, she thought. After what you did, you’re never going to see him again.

Chick’s heart sunk, and all she could do was close her eyes and try to fall asleep.