Loki walked into the infirmary holding a beautiful red rose behind his back. When Bruce watched him arrive he immediately stood up hurriedly telling them. “Since you are here I think I’ll go get some lunch.” Next he walked out without waiting for a reply.
Leah tried to stop him. “Bruce, don´t you … damn!” She chugged looking at Loki. “What do you want?”
Loki ignored her temper tantrum and simply offered her the rose.
Leah huffed angrily. “So, what? I´m supposed to melt because you bring me flowers?”
“Of course not.” Loki volunteered withdrawing the rose which dissolved into thin air. “It´s just an apology for locking you in our room. I´m still angry at you over everything else.”
Leah clenched her jaw. “I noticed.” She wryly told him. “You made your apology. You can leave now.”
“Do you really want me to go?” Loki asked hurt by her answer.
Leah grumbled upset. “I fell from a second floor Loki. I´m in no mood for a scolding so if that´s what you’re planning to do…” Leah stared at him waiting for an answer.
Loki weighed his options before answering. “No. I don´t want to fight right now.”
“All right.” Leah answered with a relieved sigh. “I´m in no shape to fight right now either.” With that she leaned back into the bed trying to silence a muffled complaint.
Loki looked at her worryingly, suddenly she snapped huffing. “Don´t you even dare to ask me if I’m okay. Let´s just say that I’m not and leave it at that.”
“I thought you said you were in no shape to fight.” Loki snapped back with irony.
“I´m not fighting.” Leah protested before softening her tone. “I’m just informing you.” Next she changed the subject. “How did your mission went?”
Loki was taken by surprise by her question. “Umh, well … it was successful.”
Leah slightly rolled her eyes at his answer, unwillingly he had told her more than he realized. “What happened?”
“What makes you think something happened?” Loki calmly asked in return trying to avoid her question.
Leah puffed irritated. “Fine, don´t tell me then.” She softened her tone again. “We are all allowed our secrets … oh, yes! except for me of course.” She eyed him sternly. “You talked to Tony, didn´t you.”
“I think you already know I did.” Loki replied sternly.
“It´s all the same.” She muttered angrily before coughing which made it obvious she was in quite a lot of pain.
“I´ll get Bruce.” Loki told her before leaving the room in a hurry. He didn´t had to look for long as Bruce was already in the hallway coming back to check on them.
“Bruce, whatever painkillers you are giving Leah I don´t think they are working. Can´t you give her something else?” He asked Bruce with a worrying frown on his face.
“I would´ve given her some if she had let me.” Bruce grimly informed him.
“What do you mean?” Loki asked confused by his answer.
“She adamantly refused to allow me to give her any pain-killers.” Bruce explained.
“What? Why didn´t you just …?” Loki started to question him.
“Gave them to her anyway?” Bruce suggested. “Mainly because she threatened to take matters up with the Hulk if I came as near as a foot to her with a needle.”
“She didn´t.” Loki spat surprised.
“Yes, she did. I´d rather avoid such a situation from happening.” Bruce volunteered dryly.
“Why would she do that? She´s clearly in pain. Why didn´t she let you help her?” Loki asked baffled.
Bruce fiddled with his glasses as he told him. “I think it has to do with the fact that you didn´t healed her.”
“What´s that got to do with anything?” Loki inquired bedazzled.
Bruce bit his lower lip uncomfortable as he told him. “I overheard her mumbling something about if you wanted to punish her she could beat you to it.”
“She´s out of her mind!” Loki spat irritated by her new nonsense.
“She´s probably not thinking that clearly if you want to know.” Bruce volunteered. “As you said she´s in quite some pain. She has more than a couple of bruised ribs, also she´s covered in minor cuts and don´t forget the fact that she´s got a rather nasty burn on her tight.”
“A burn?” Loki asked surprised.
“I´m guessing from a laser.” Bruce volunteered.
“So that´s what made her fall.” Loki thought to himself.
“I don´t know exactly what happened between you two, but can´t you just patch it up?” Bruce suggested concerned.
“I wanted to, but she´s just too angry.” Loki acknowledged.
“Maybe if you healed her.” Bruce prompted.
“Mmm.” Loki hesitated frowning.
“You are angry at her.” Bruce realized. “And she knows it.”
“Yes.” Loki dryly agreed.” I´m afraid we are at an impasse.”
Bruce smirked as he nodded his head negatively in disbelief. “Loki, she´s been eagerly waiting for you return these past days. I´m quite sure you missed her too.” Loki scowled at his words; it didn´t matter he couldn´t just forgive her. Bruce sighed he could almost hear Loki´s thoughts he wasn´t even trying to hide how he felt. “I was angry at first too. Talking to Andrew helped me. Maybe it could help you too.”
“But …” Loki protested while eying the infirmary.
“I’ll take care of her.” Bruce asseverated. “If she falls asleep I´ll give her the pain-killers anyway. She´ll be fine.”
“All right.” Loki finally agreed. “I don´t know if it will help but I’ll it´s better than doing nothing. I´ll return as fast as I can.”
Loki went to look for Andrew finally finding him in his room reading a book.
“Loki!” Andrew greeted him astonished. “I´m surprised to see you here. I thought you and Leah would have a lot of catching up to do.”
“That´s what I thought.” Loki wryly volunteered before adding. “Before something happened …”
When Loki finished telling Andrew what had happened, Andrew leaned back in his chair while rubbing his chin pensive.
“I should´ve known something like this could happen.” Andrew reproached himself before answering Loki´s silent question. “You see when the incident happen Leah experienced what we could call a normal situation. Everyone got angry at her, reprimanded her and at the end forgave her. Everyone except for the most important person in her life; you. I knew she was afraid to face you; that she feared you wouldn´t forgive her.
But I underestimated how scared was she about you facing Tony. Although I couldn´t had foreseen your jealousy, probably she didn´t either. “
“So what? This is all my fault?” Loki asked irritated.
“No, not really. Leah needed to face you despite of how angry you could´ve been but by focusing on Tony you denied her what she needed the most … closure. That´s why she´s so angry; mostly with herself for what you tell me even if somehow you´ve become the target of her anger she´s really trying to punish herself. That´s why she´s refusing to take the pain-killers”
“Then what? I just forgive her? She broke her fingers and just a while ago she fell from the second floor.” Loki growled irked.
“I never said you shouldn´t be angry. It was reckless of her and you have every right to be angry. She´s acting up to get your attention.” Andrew volunteered. “Although I’m getting the impression that Leah´s incident isn´t the only matter bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?” Andrew asked him cautiously.
“No.” Loki refused quickly.
Andrew looked at him sternly. “You won´t be able to help Leah if your mind is busy elsewhere.”
Loki sighed frustrated while he asked in a serious tone. “Fury already filled you in, didn´t he?”
“Yes.” Andrew told him. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“No, not really. Both of you may not understand it but I can deal with everything that happened there; except for Doom. He troubles me; I don’t know if I should trust him.” Loki wryly volunteered.
“I understand, that is a tough call.” Andrew acknowledged. “What does your instincts tell you?”
“That I shouldn’t trust him, but … I’m not sure. It could be just that I can´t forget what happened in the Tower; and it isn´t like he saved my life or something like that.“ Loki volunteered pensive . “I feel that if I choose to trust him I would be somehow betraying Leah. And if I´m wrong … I´m betraying her too. “
“And that makes you angry?” Andrew asked cautiously.
“Yes.” Loki agreed.
“I´m curious. Are you really that jealous of Tony?” Andrew asked next.
“No, yes. I don´t know. Maybe … I´m actually a bit jealous of you too.” Loki confessed. “Leah tells both of you things she hides from me.”
“And that makes you angry?” Andrew asked again.
“Yes.” Loki agreed dryly.
Andrew frowned deeply while thinking. “Loki I understand you feel like Leah is pushing you out, and in a way she is. Making you promise her not to ask her anything again …”
“She told you about that?” Loki interrupted him surprised.
“Loki, I´m her therapist. She will tell me things she doesn´t even want to tell to herself. And the only reason she agrees to open up with me is to get better, for you and for Eerika. Believe me; if it wasn´t for that reason she wouldn´t tell me a word. We all have our secrets Loki, you shouldn´t worry about that.” Andrew explained calmly. “And about Tony … they just bond on a different level than you and her. But trust me when I say this; you are the only one that has her heart.”
Loki listened carefully to Andrew´s words; maybe he was right.
“But I think those are not the only reasons why you are so angry at Leah besides being reckless and hurting herself; twice.” Andrew continued without giving Loki an opportunity to protest. “You´re also angry at her because of Doom; for putting you in a position where no matter what choice you make you´ll feel like you are letting her down.”
“I don´t blame her for what happened with Doom!” Loki denied immediately.
“Then why you didn´t healed her? You are punishing her for something; and somehow I don´t think it´s just about being reckless.” Andrew suggested sternly.
Loki remained quiet; mulling. What if he was right? She had hurt herself before and he had healed her; although she hadn´t hurt herself that bad before.
“What if … it´s a bit of everything?” Loki questioned worryingly. “What do I do know?”
“Talk to her.” Andrew simply suggested. “I don´t know all the answers Loki. There are things I can´t tell you and others I simply don´t know. “
Loki remained pensive for a moment before asking in earnest. “Do you really thing she´s going to be all right?”
Andrew smiled warmly. “I do. I´m confident she will get better Loki. She´s still has a long way ahead of herself but as you clearly noticed she stopped allowing herself to fall apart. Right now what she needs is for you to confront her about what happened. It might not be what she wants but it´s what she needs. Consider this; from her point of view she had failed you in more ways than one; as a person, as a … love-partner, as the mother of your child. She can´t forgive herself unless you forgive her first.”
“What am I supposed to do then? Yell at her? Reprimand her? “Loki inquired bedazzled.
Andrew couldn´t help to smile at Loki´s suggestions. “Not necessarily; just talk to her. Both of you need to get this out of your systems once and for all. It will fester if you don´t.”
“I´m not sure I can do this. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I make this worst?” Loki inquired preoccupied.
“There´s no such thing as the wrong thing.” Andrew reassured him. “Some truths can be more painful than others but they will always be better than lies.”
“I just don´t want to overwhelm her taking to her about Doom or my mission.” Loki acknowledged.
“I think that´s a conversation you can keep for another day.” Andrew suggested. “Just deal with the issue at hand.”
Leave a Reply