Cold
Cold. Everything was cold. And she was drowning. Not drowning in literal misery and loneliness like for the last couple of days but actually drowning.
Or that's what her brain tried to convince her of. Her lungs were bursting from pain - let's not mention the stabbing needles digging into her limbs more and more and more and -
Hold on Kate.
Her knuckles cracked.
Again.
They were bruised.
Again.
Blood.
Fucking cold.
Again.
Her wrist did not look normal.
Again.
Lila was slipping away.
'Lila stay with me'
Again. It cracked.
The ice cracked.
Ok up. Get her out. Get Lila out.
And she pushed up the kid with all the strength she had as she came up for air - rushing through her body.
Lucky was still under there. She had to get Lucky. She can't let Lucky die.
And before someone could grab her she was swimming back towards the place Lila and Lucky had crashed in searching for her dog.
Fucking lake. She should have been more careful. Kept a better look on Lila. On Cooper.
The ever coming darkness - that stung her eyes - didn't help. The needles were unbearable. She could barely move in the water. Freezing water.
Everything was a fuzz. A couple of short memories she won't be able to remember all too well in the future. Like ellipses in a poem. Unfinished sentences in a big old book.
Lucky.
He was there in the water. Slowly swimming closer. And after grabbing him and turning around she saw that she has in fact moved less over 10 meters underwater.
He followed as much as he could. Good boy Lucky. Such a good boy.
Everything was a fuzz again. Confusing but clear. A weird feeling. She couldn't explain it. But paradox could meet it pretty well if she had to lie.
The hole she broke was there. And she pushed Lucky up. Or rather just held him where there was no ice hoping someone would take him from her.
Thanks to her fucking amazing breath management she survived a minute - maybe three - longer than a normie would. Those gold medals did pay off.
But by the time she realized she was still alive she couldn't feel anything. She was floating.
The only thing she could see was the endless blue that stung her eyes and feet and arms - sending millions of needles into her body as it was slowly turning into ice.
Even the sudden grab of her jacket didn't snap her back to reality.
For a second it was heaven and then it was like hell rained on earth.
She could breathe but the pain was worse. And she wanted to go back into the water. It was warmer. More welcoming.
But she couldn't. She couldn't even really open her eyes.
Someone was talking in the distance but she couldn't hear them. Not clearly. The rustling in her ears was too loud.
She knew she was throwing up all the water she gulped down. And she knew she was probably in no position to move or do something hentched over the ice. Because she was probably going to be dead in a couple of minutes. Brain-dead or just frozen for the rest of her now miserable life.
"Is Lila ok?" she struggled out after the violent coughs that ripped through her body.
She heard something with yes. And of course. And thanks to you - before there was some kind of new warmth around her.
'Well this is it then Kate Bishop. If arresting your own mother on Christmas was extreme then dying on Christmas is just pathetic. At least you died saving a child and a dog from drowning.' she taught before the oh so long awaited darkness fully took over her fuzzy mind.
- - - -
By the time she slowly started to regain her consciousness she was in a warm blanket on something soft with someone talking to her.
Unlike the scared voice she heard back when she was in the freezing lake this one was soft, it made her feel something warm.
Slowly cracking her eyes open she cursed the gods above for the unbearable headache awaiting her.
"Oh god." she started pushing herself up suddenly feeling every single cut and wound covering her body as she leaned her forehead on her palms rubbing her eyes.
"How's Lila?" she asked as the fuzzy feeling in her ears started settling. Finally.
There was a shrug or a huff. She couldn't make it out.
"Why am I even surprised?" she heard the light-hearted voice next to her as she slowly turned her head to look at her.
"She's fine. Don't worry." Laura answered with a smile on her face.
"I'm worried about you." she added reaching out to push away a few of Kate’s loose strains falling before her eyes and pressing a hand to her forehead.
"No. No. Don't. I'm fine."
"Honey, you are shaking."
Why did Kate's heart always swell when this woman called her honey? Parents call their kids Honey, or Sweety or whatever those cute nicknames were her mother never used to call her.
"I- I am?" Kate looked down at her hands to see that they were in fact shaking.
Huh.
A small look at the heaviness on her legs showed her that Lucky was deeply asleep on her as if there to guard her or something. Cute.
"Your wound reopened. You used too much force to break the ice."
"Oh. I-" she was about to say sorry. But decided against it. She hated the look Laura gave her whenever she said sorry.
"Thanks." she said as her palm found the fresh bandage - under the warm hoodie - decorating her abdomen like the thousand others stitches and band-aids she earned herself.
"I should thank you." Laura said and stood up.
Kate just sent her a confused look slowly laying back down because her body was killing her! Fucking pain. The hand on her forehead helped dim the light a little as she closed her eyes.
"I mean you jumped into freezing water and nearly died saving Lila. And Lucky. Clint was there."
"Clint is old and heavy. He would have fallen through the thin ice the second he stepped on it." Kate grinned hearing Laura chuckle
"Lila and Lucky are fine. You can stop thinking about them and concentrate on getting warmer." Laura said when she took a seat next to the couch again setting down a bowl of soup and what seemed to be tea on the table beside her.
"Since when can you read minds?" Kate asked as a smile settled on her face.
"Since you stepped a foot on my front lawn." Laura said
"Now get up sleepy head. And drink this tea to warm you up because you are shaking like a wet kitten." Laura smiled handing Kate the cut
"Shouldn't you be with Lila?"
"Clint is with her."
"But you're her mom."
"I'm here for you. And don't you even think you can get rid of me."
"But-"
"Lila has Clint. And right now you need me more than Lila. No but's and why's. Drink up because I made you the best soup you will ever have."