Acceptance
Chapter 5: Acceptance
Phil-
Phil walked away from the Chang Dai Restaurant and his mind was racing with new information and reworking his plans. He felt entirely out of place in his suit, but kept walking and ignored the people who stared at him. That neighborhood didn’t appear to be one in which many suits were seen. He remembered the way back to Avenger’s Tower, of course, though Ash hadn’t made any effort to keep the route simple. He had just gone out of sight of the restaurant when he realized Natasha was walking at his side. With her brilliant red hair, she stood out in the Chinatown crowd, but otherwise, she fit in far better than Phil. Her clothes were very casual, blue jeans and a sweatshirt, nothing fancy, nothing to get any attention.
“That was... unexpected.”
Phil nodded. “I need to think about this. This changes everything.”
Clint stepped up on Phil’s other side. He, too, was dressed as nondescript as he possibly could in blue jeans and a black t-shirt. “Tony’s gonna have a fit. A kid? I’ll bet he doesn’t even shave, yet!” Clint rubbed the bridge of his nose. “And Steve... we’re gonna need new punching bags when he hears about your witness.”
“And that’s why I’m going to have to rely on you two for a little while.” Phil spoke as he walked and made a conscious effort not to look as stressed as he felt. No reason to get Clint or Natasha more worked up than they already were. “That boy’s safety is still our prime concern. If he will not come willingly into protective custody, then I’ll assign you two to guard him discretely. I’m sorry to throw the two of you in this, but of all the team you’re are the best to carry out this sort of mission.”
“Agreed. Steve is too noticeable and Tony makes himself too noticeable. And Bruce... Bruce could do this,” Natasha gave him a warning look. “But do not assign him to an observation mission alone until he has had proper training. I will oversee it myself.” She narrowed her eyes and raised her chin.
“We’ll have to see if Bruce wants to do it.”
“... Yes. A choice would be good.” She dropped it at that.
Clint slipped around to Natasha and caught her by the arm to stop her walking. He held out a fist in front of her.
Phil, curious, stopped to watch. He knew Clint and Natasha shared a very close relationship, filled with secrets they only shared with each other. They had a deep understanding of one another and he knew very well that no other person on the planet could ever understand those two as well as each other did. He had, more than once, witnessed them giving each other little secret nods or gestures - the quirk of an eyebrow, the subtle nod or shake of the head - no words were apparently needed in their private conversations, so he was curious about this mysterious signal and watched closely to see if he might be able to divine what it meant between them.
Her face set in a grim mask, Natasha also held out her fist to Clint. Their eyes locked. All was still, as if the gods themselves waited with baited breath to see what would happen. In unison, with solemn voices, they chanted,
“Rock, paper, scissors!”
Natasha threw scissors and Clint threw paper.
Clint laughed. “I lose. I’ll take first shift babysitting.”
“And I will relieve you in ten hours.” They nodded to each other and Clint started to leave when Phil’s phone rang. A glance at the screen told him that it was Nick Fury. “Hello, Nick. I was going to call you. There has been a development in the Club Cod matter.”
“You can tell me when you get to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.”
“Of course. I just need to brief the team about the new development with the witness and set up a guard rotation and...”
“No.”
“What?”
“No. Don’t do anything regarding the Club Cod witness. You are to immediately cease all activities in regards to that matter.”
Phil paused and thought. Fury sound angry. He was fairly certain he heard the sound of grinding teeth. “What’s going on, Nick?” As he spoke, he made a certain hand gesture to Clint and Natasha that was basically an old signal they had that meant ‘wait’ and they both went to stand in front of him, patiently waiting for him to speak to them. “We both know how important this matter is. To drop it when I just found...”
“I have been informed,” Fury growled out the words. “That the Club Cod matter is not the business of S.H.I.E.L.D. as it is a civilian affair. We have been told not to waste resources on it.”
Resources? Waste resources? Phil had it all planned out and there wouldn’t be anything needed in the way of room and board for the witness as Tony had already offered it all free of charge. When Tony found out the witness was a victim, he was even less likely to ask payment. “Waste... what? Nick, we have - ” Phil broke off. He was in the middle of Chinatown and there were people everywhere. He took a breath to keep calm. “I’m in public and can’t talk. I’ll meet you at headquarters as soon as I can and we’ll talk there.”
“Make it quick. And if you have anyone on your team who can keep a cool head in this hot situation, bring them.” Fury hung up and Phil closed his eyes.
Clint and Natasha were likely the only two who could be relied on not to blow a gasket if they were ordered away from the Club Cod matter. The rest of the team were all too likely to get emotional and it sounded as if Fury needed calm and logic at that moment. But, to leave Ash alone...
“We’re going to headquarters.”
Clint and Natasha exchanged a puzzled look. “What about the kid?” Clint asked. “You still want me to keep an eye on him or maybe call someone else to babysit?”
Yes, Phil wanted to say. Of course one of them should keep watching Ash, but... “We’ve been ordered down. We are to have nothing to do with the witness or the case.” He hated the order, but Phil knew how important it was that they follow the rules that had been set for them. If they started to disregard orders, then it was likely that The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. would be branded as vigilantes. They needed to have the trust of the people they protected and that meant they couldn’t just ignore orders. The rules also kept them from falling into temptation. If they ignored one rule, then where would it stop? He didn’t want his people to end up ignoring laws because they thought they knew better. So, everything had to be done right.
‘Ash has survived his whole life without The Avengers watching his back,’ Phil told himself. ‘He’ll be fine for a few hours. He’s got Max to look out for him and I know Max is strong and smart. There will be no problems. He’ll be fine.’
Again, another silent look exchanged between Clint and Natasha. “That’s not good,” Clint said. “What’s Fury thinking?”
“It’s not his idea.” Phil dialed on his phone and almost immediately got in contact with Tony. “Tony, can you do me a favor?”
“Sure thing. What do you need?”
Tony was one of the few people in the world who could literally follow up with the promise to do anything Phil needed. If Phil asked for a space shuttle, Tony could deliver and have it gift wrapped. “It shouldn’t be any trouble for you and J.A.R.V.I.S. so I hoped you could get me some information about someone named Aslan Callenreese.”
“Sure. I’ll have it when you get back. Who is he?”
“Don’t worry about it.” If he told Tony everything, there was no chance at all of leaving Ash alone until Phil had spoken to Fury about what was going on. “Clint, Nat, and I have to go take care of some business with Fury, so we won’t be home straight away. Tell Bruce and Steve not to worry, please.”
“Sure. Look, is Fury giving you trouble? I’ll come over and...”
“No. No. It’s really nothing to worry about.” It wasn’t a lie. It was nothing for Tony to worry about because Phil would deal with the problem. He was their handler - dealing with problems was his job. He said good-bye to Tony, then put his phone in his pocket and looked at his two assets. “Let’s go.”
They arrived in good time and the whole organization was humming along like a busy beehive. With Phil in the lead and Clint and Natasha walking side-be-side just a step or two behind him, they made their way quickly to Fury’s office. “Right,” Phil said to Fury the moment they walked in. “What’s the situation?”
“The higher-ups on the World Security Council have informed me that taking on the Club Cod matter is not our jurisdiction. It’s a matter for the local law enforcement. We are to conserve our resources for matters that are more pressing.” In his hand, Fury held a stress ball made of hard rubber and squeezed it rhythmically. “Tell me what you’ve learned about the witness.”
“New information. I met with Max Lobo, whose real name is Maxwell Glenreed, and he convinced his witness to meet with me. Unfortunately, the witness refused protection.”
Fury frowned and sat back a little. “That’s surprising.”
“True. However, regardless of the wisdom of his decision, it is his to make. We can’t completely disregard his rights and forcing him into protective custody would surely fall under ‘kidnapping’. We must persuade him to see the sense in it and, barring that, we’ll go with a plan of observation and protection. It isn’t ideal, but we can make it work. Also, the witness is a teenager.”
Fury blinked, let out a long sigh, then closed his eyes and swiveled his chair around so, for a moment, Phil couldn’t see him. He did see Fury’s hand squeeze the rubber ball extra hard. Slowly, Fury turned his chair back around to face them “A teenager?”
“Yes. I haven’t asked his exact age, yet, but I would guess he’s seventeen or eighteen-years-old.”
“If he’s a minor, that might work to our advantage. He’ll need a legal guardian and we can persuade that guardian to let us protect him.”
“He could be an adult. It’s hard to tell just by looking.”
“Then find out the victim’s age.”
Phil almost laughed. “If I call him that a second time, I’m sure he’ll take a swing at me. He did not like being called a victim. He goes by the name ‘Ash Lynx’ but his real name is Aslan Callenreese. I’m going to do a little research about him after I give you everything I have, so I’ll have to get back to you with further developments. I can tell you that Max Lobo and I served together in Iraq with Ash’s older brother.”
“It’s a small world.” Fury tapped his index finger on the desk three times. “Your information changes nothing. The witness needs to be kept alive by any means. He must make it to the trial and, if possible, have him give us his list of names before the trial so I can get some damage control set up.”
“I have three names.” Phil named off the people Ash had mentioned.
Fury rubbed his forehead and pulled a bottle of pain killers from out of his desk drawer. “Those are some names.”
“I never would have suspected, but he even offered intimate information to prove his accusations. Said he could tell me which one had a mole on his backside, if I wanted to know.” Phil shuddered. “I honestly don’t want to know. So, what do we do about the Club Cod matter? You and I both know this is our jurisdiction and we both know how important this is.”
“Oh, we’re going to work on it, we just need to do a little sweet talking.” He stood up and put down his rubber ball before he pulled on his jacket. “I hate this part of the job... damned politics!”
“A little more detailed information might be helpful if we’re going to face the World Security Council.”
“Councilwoman Thema Shehata has been making noise that this matter is not for us to worry about. She’s made enough noise for the council to order us to back off. I told them I’d speak with them about it and I wanted you here, because you’re good at arguing, Phil. And you two,” he looked at Clint and Natasha. “If you can think of anything that will help our case...”
“I can tell you that Tony’s paying for everything,” Clint said, at once. “He said he’ll let the kid stay in the tower, so that doesn’t have to come out of your budget. That’s gotta help.”
Natasha opened her mouth, but then closed it. She opened it, again, hesitated, then said, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. I don’t think guarding one boy will be any trouble. If another mission comes along, Tony has enough security on the tower that no one will be able to get in even if we are away.”
“That’s good,” Phil praised. “They may not even ask your opinion, but keep all that in mind.”
One of the large monitors in Fury’s office was turned on and, within five minutes, they stood facing the members of the World Security Council from where they sat in their various offices. Fury argued the necessity of guarding the Club Cod witness and when his voice began to give, Phil stepped in. Phil didn’t argue. He persuaded. So for hours, he stood in front of that monitor and persuaded, laying out every logical and moral justification for protecting the witness. He was honestly surprised by how strongly several of the council people, most especially Councilwoman Shehata, argued against it. Phil was nothing if not persistent. He went on and on, repeating himself frequently and asking for Clint and Natasha’s input at certain points. Eventually, well after midnight, a vote was taken amongst the council people and they finally agreed to allow Fury, and therefore Phil and his Avenger’s, to provide protection for the witness. Phil had not convinced Councilwoman Shehata and Phil couldn’t think of any reason why she should be so against it. It was good that Phil got his way because once the rest of The Avenger’s found out the witness was just a boy, it was incredibly unlikely that they would have ignored the Club Cod matter, no matter what the World Security Council dictated. Tony, especially, would take any such order as a challenge and Steve would likely be right beside him. And the notion that Bruce, of all people, would abandon someone who’d gone through severe child abuse was unthinkable.
After that was done and ice water was brought for Phil’s poor throat, they all sat down at Fury’s desk to sort out the hard part - paperwork.
It was well after dawn when Phil, Clint, and Natasha finally left S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and headed home. They hadn’t gone more than ten steps away from the front door of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters when Phil’s phone rang. It was Steve.
“Good morning, Steve. Sorry we didn’t come home last night. I hope you weren’t too worried...”
“Phil,” Steve’s voice sounded strong and serious, his ‘work’ voice. Phil stopped walking and listened. “We have a problem.”
“What sort of problem?” He wasn’t at all surprised when Clint and Natasha were suddenly tensed and facing him, waiting for orders.
“None of the team is hurt and we haven’t been attacked.”
Phil felt his heart start to beat easier at the reassurance. “Alright, but what happened?”
“Bruce and I had gone out to the library since we didn’t get a chance the other day. Everything was quiet. We’d gone so early that it was almost deserted, so Bruce was having a good time. We’d been there about a half-an-hour, when this little boy came running over to me and told me his brother was hurt. The kid’s brother was sitting at one of the library tables with his head resting on his arms. When I got over there, I found he’d been stabbed in the gut. The boy looked like he was maybe seventeen or eighteen-years-old and he was unconscious. I suppose from blood loss. Bruce took a look at him and we called for an ambulance. Bruce just left with the ambulance and the two boys. I thought you’d want to know.”
A little instinct was yelling at the back of Phil’s mind. “Thank you for telling me. Did you talk to the police?”
“Not yet. The ambulance just left. The little boy was just a tiny kid - couldn’t have been more than five or six-years-old and he didn’t want to tell me much because he’s not supposed to talk to strangers. He did tell me his name is Michael, though. I just wanted to let you know what’s going on. Bruce is going to stay with the kids until their parents can be located and I’m going to join him there as soon as I take a quick look around to see if I can find the weapon.” Steve told Phil what hospital Bruce and the boys had been taken to. “I think you should know, the teenager had a gun. He was leaning forward on the library table when I went to him and I could see it hidden under his shirt tucked into the waistband of his jeans. I took it. Didn’t want anyone to get accidentally hurt.”
“Good call. If you need me to handle any paperwork from the police, let me know. I’ll check in on Bruce as soon as I can, so I’ll probably see you there. Did you get any other information from the boy that might help the police locate their parents?”
“He told me his brother’s name - Ash Lynx. That should help, right?”
Phil stopped walking. “Ash Lynx?”
“Yeah. I suppose J.A.R.V.I.S. might be able to find something.”
“Steve, I’m heading to the hospital now. Get there as soon as you can. The victim is our witness and it sounds like someone tried to assassinate him already.”
***
Once they’d arrived at the hospital, Phil stopped at the front desk and asked where he could find the patient and, when told the patient was currently in surgery, he gestured sharply to Clint and Natasha. They nodded to him, then walked off. They would have little problem locating the correct operating room and, once they found it, they would station themselves nearby on guard duty. Phil, with more help from the nurse at the front desk, managed to find Bruce in one of the waiting rooms. The large man Bruce had called ‘Blanca’ had slipped away the moment Max and his wife arrived. It was the first time Phil had met Jessica. He had to admit that Max was a lucky man - Jessica was stunningly beautiful and, considering how she’s rushed to her son and peppered his face with relieved kisses, she adored their son. As soon as she’d reassured herself that her child was safe and stood up with her son on her hip, she turned to Phil and he saw fire in her eyes.
“What’s going on? I want the full story and I want it now!”
Before Phil could say anything, Michael said, “The other man hurt Ash and there was blood everywhere and I talked to strangers!” He pointed at Bruce. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, but Ash kept bleeding and then he put his head down on the table and he fell asleep and I was really scared and there wasn’t a librarian so I found a man and he called that man,” again, he pointed at Bruce. “And we brought him here and Ash was really angry when he woke up. Is he mad at me? I’m sorry. I was scared. I was really scared.” He said it all very quickly, his words muddling together, until he finished with his little fingers clenching and unclenching on his mother’s shirt. “Didn’t want to talk to strangers, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know. I didn’t.” He was nearly in tears by the end and a softness flooded Jessica’s face. She hugged Michael tightly and turned her back on everyone else to go to a chair in the corner of the room where she sat down and held Michael on her lap.
“It’s okay, Michael. You did really well helping Ash. I know it was scary and I’m happy you remembered the rule about not talking to strangers, but this was an emergency. I’m proud of you. I’m so proud.” She kissed the top of his head and cuddled him. “However, we’re going to have another talk about leaving the apartment alone.”
“I wasn’t alone. I was with Ash.”
“Did Ash know you were with him?”
Michael looked away. “I was gonna tell him.”
“Right. We’ll save that talk for when Ash is feeling better.”
Phil turned his attention to Max and his face was like a thundercloud. “Do you know what happened? Anymore than what you told us on the phone?”
Phil shook his head, regretfully. He had, naturally, called Max and Jessica the moment he’d gotten off the phone with Steve and told them that Ash had been hurt and he and Michael were at the hospital with someone Phil trusted. There wasn’t anything else to tell and he felt badly about that. He liked having all the answers when people were depending on him. “I have people in the hospital now, near the room where he’s being operated on. They’ll wait until he’s brought out of surgery and stay close. These people are excellently skilled and very professional.”
Max rubbed the back of his neck, then rolled his shoulders. “Good. That’s good. That kid spends too much time in hospitals.” He went to his family and kissed Michael’s cheek. “Thanks for looking out for Ash, son. Your mom’s right, though. You shouldn’t have left the apartment alone.”
Michael leaned his head on his mother’s shoulder. “I didn’t know what to do. Just like last time. When mommy got hurt, I didn’t know what to do.”
After sharing a concerned look between them, Jessica and Max looked back at Michael. Jessica said, “We’ll think of something to fix that, honey.”
Two hours passed.
Bruce stayed silent and still in a corner of the waiting room, as if he were afraid to break the tense atmosphere. Max and Jessica stayed side-by-side unless Max took a few minutes to pace the room. Michael fell asleep in his mother’s arms and it was no wonder as he’d had a very busy morning. Steve showed up after a time and introduced himself politely. Before he went to sit with Bruce on the sofa, he took a piece of paper out of his pants pocket and held it out to Max.
“I found this after the paramedics took the boy away. I thought you might want to hold it for him.”
Max looked at the paper, then laughed. “That silly kid!” He put the paper in his pocket and didn’t say anymore about it.
Steve told Phil that he hadn’t found any weapons in the library and they would have to hope for more information when Ash woke up. Shortly after Steve had arrived, another man turned up. This man was tall and lanky with a head of orange curls. Max shook his hand and said to Phil,
“This is Charlie Dickinson. He’s a detective with the NYPD. Charlie, this is Phil Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D. and his people.” He gestured towards Bruce and Steve without making a big scene about who they were and Phil was grateful. That wasn’t the time for such things. “Charlie, you heard about Ash?”
“Yeah. Captain Jenkins heard, too. The hospital reported the attack and described the victim. I hurried over here just in case it was Ash. As soon as I saw you, I knew it had to be him. How is he?”
“We don’t know.”
“Do you need some cops here to look after him or,” Charlie glanced at Phil. “You have things taken care of?”
“S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Avenger’s are happy to keep the boy safe. We’ll certainly call if we need more help, though.” It wouldn’t happen, Phil knew even as he said it. The less people involved with Ash before the trial, the safer he’d be. “I presume you know Ash, from the way you’re talking about him?”
“I’ve known Ash a couple of years, now.” Charlie smiled, fondly. “I was a beat cop when he appeared on the scene and my beat was in his territory.”
“Territory?”
“His gang’s territory. Did you know he’s a gang leader?”
Phil shook his head. He hadn’t known that.
“Well, he is. He’s pretty good at it, too. He controls his territory and the gangs under his leadership like a cross between a businessman and a warlord.”
“Gangs? More than one?”
Charlie looked like he could almost laugh. “He united several gangs and, within a month of him taking control of them, street violence dropped in his territory by fifty-three percent. I don’t know how he did it, but he’s a remarkable kid, I’ll tell you that.” He pulled a business card from a pocket and handed it to Phil. “Max knows how to contact me, but if you need anything, just give a call. It’s hard not to worry when you know him.” He made to leave, but Max stopped him.
“What about the charges against him? He skipped bail when he got arrested for Marvin Crosby’s murder and then he was arrested with that whole deal about Arthur. Am I going to need to get him a lawyer? I’ve got George on speed dial.”
Charlie looked uncomfortable. “Ah... about that. We should talk soon. Not here. For now, don’t worry about all that. Call me when Ash is feeling better, but don’t worry.” Charlie left after handshakes all around.
Five minutes later a doctor stepped into the room and told them that Ash was out of surgery and doing extremely well. The whole room seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief. They were told they could go in for a visit if they could all stay quiet. “He’ll wake up soon,” the doctor told them. “But he’ll likely be groggy for a while.”
They found Clint and Natasha waiting outside Ash’s room. Phil had to do introductions when Max and Jessica demanded to know why two strangers were lurking around. Carefully, everyone went in. It was a tight squeeze, but they all made it in. The hospital room was quiet but for the customary ‘beep, beep’ of monitors attached to Ash. Phil stepped back to allow Max and Jessica to get closer to the bed, as seemed appropriate. Michael stayed asleep and in his mother’s arms while Max and Jessica fussed about Ash. When they were satisfied that he was alive, Jessica took a seat by the window to let Michael keep sleeping and Max leaned on the wall next to the door.
With his skin frighteningly pale and dark circles around his eyes, Ash looked dreadful. He was attached to wires and tubes. Phil had thought Ash was thin when they’d met before, but, laying in the bed with his fair hair pushed away from his brow, Ash looked downright frail. ‘He’s too thin,’ Phil thought.
“He’s going to be fine,” Max said after a little while. “I know he doesn’t look good, Phil, but he’s a lot stronger than you think. He will pull through.” It was said with absolute certainty. There wasn’t an ounce of doubt in Max’s voice. “He won’t stay here, though.”
Phil took a look at Ash’s chart. “He’s lost a lot of blood and the knife only barely missed some very important parts. He needs to stay in the hospital and he’ll need to stay here for some time.”
“But he won’t. I know him and he won’t stay here. As soon as he can get his feet under him, he’ll slip away.”
“Damn straight I will. Where’s my gun?”
Everyone turned to look at Ash. His eyes were open and clear and he had propped himself up on one elbow. There was almost no grogginess the doctor had mentioned. He looked slowly around the room until his eyes fell on Michael and he seemed to relax, letting himself lay back down. He looked around at the new faces until he looked at Bruce. “Hey.”
“Hello,” Bruce said. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I just got knifed in the gut.”
A horrified little choking noise made everyone turn their attention to Michael who had woken up and stared at Ash.
Ash winced. “Sorry, kid. I shouldn’t have said that. Are you alright? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
Michael wiggled until his mother put him down and he walked slowly to Ash’s bedside. He reached up and gingerly put his hand on Ash’s. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m alright.”
Michael started to climb up on Ash’s bed and said, “It was really awful. You bleeded everywhere and I had to talk to strangers and ride in the ambulance and they cut all your clothes! Don’t do that again!” By then, Michael was sitting next to Ash on the bed. “I had to talk to them,” he pointed at Bruce and Steve. “And they helped and called the ambulance and... and... I didn’t know if you were going to get better.” Michael’s eyes were watery and he sniffled, clearly trying to keep the tears at bay.
“Don’t you worry about me,” Ash smiled. “This,” he gestured at where the wound was under the blanket. “This is nothing. I’ve had worse than this lots of times.”
That, apparently, was the wrong thing to say. Michael started crying in earnest, then. He carefully leaned forward until he was pressed against Ash and gave him a hug. Bewildered, Ash looked over Michael’s head at Max. “What’d I say?”
Max easily picked Michael up and sat in the chair next to Ash’s bed. He held Michael and patted his back until Michael calmed. “We have to be gentle with Ash,” he told Michael. “He’s hurt real bad, so you can’t go climbing on him for a while.” Then, he told Ash, “He’s upset because you’re hurt. Telling him that you get hurt a lot and worse than this makes him sad.”
It was such an odd expression that flashed across Ash’s face. Phil realized that Ash really hadn’t considered that Michael might be upset for him. Such a sad thought. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare him. I didn’t know he’d followed me out of the apartment, Max. I had my mind on other things.”
Max grinned. “Yes. I know.”
“What?”
Max pulled out of his pocket the crumpled paper Steve had given him earlier and handed it to Ash. “Looks like you had your mind over in Japan, didn’t you?”
Ash blushed and snatched the letter. “Damned rude reading other people’s mail! Where are my clothes?!”
“All cut up,” Michael rubbed the tears off his face when he said it. “Sorry. I didn’t know how to stop ‘em.” He sniffled. “Ash, I’m sorry I let you get hurt. You mad at me?”
“Mad?” Ash shook his head. “How can I be mad at my hero?”
Michael’s eyes went wide. He leaned a little forward. “Hero?”
“Sure. You saved my life. You’re my super hero.”
There was surely, Phil thought, no cuter sight than Michael basking in such a compliment. He looked as if he might float to the ceiling with happiness. He smiled. “Can I be the Hulk?”
In the corner of the room, where he half hid behind Steve, Bruce started and stared at Michael. “Why would you want to be?” Bruce asked, obviously bewildered.
“He’s green.” Michael patted the green frogs on the pockets of his coat and then wiggled his feet in his green sneakers. “I like green.”
“Tell you what,” Ash sat up a little more. “Soon as I get out of here and have half a minute to breathe, I’ll make you a green super hero cape. How’s that?”
Michael giggled and leaned back against Max.
With that promise made, Ash started to detach himself. He pulled off wires and tubes and when a little alarm sounded, he ignored it. He also ignored everyone’s protests. “Someone get me clothes or I’m walking out of here in this hospital gown.” When a nurse rushed in to find out what the problem was, she urged him to lay back down, but Ash would hear none of it. “I don’t do hospitals. I’m eighteen and I’m discharging myself.”
Bruce stepped forward. “That’s not a good idea. Seriously. Look, you really do need medical care, whether you want it or not. I saw your wound and I’ve looked at your chart. I’m not sure how you’re even this awake right after your surgery, let alone moving around so much. Please, you’re going to hurt yourself. Lay back down and let yourself be taken care of.”
Ash leveled a blank look at Bruce and, disturbingly, Phil was suddenly reminded of Natasha. In fact, at the right angle, Phil could actually see a resemblance. The shape of the nose and the cheekbones... he definitely saw a likeness between Ash and Natasha. Still, that was most like coincidence. Probably. Maybe... Phil would investigate at a later time. Ash told Bruce, “When my big brother was given a bad drug in the war and couldn’t take care of himself anymore, he was put in a vet hospital. The place was dark and dirty and cold and he’d lost a ton of weight and two teeth because the staff there couldn’t be bothered to take care of him. When I was seventeen, I went into a hospital and when I did a dirty cop send me to prison where I got gang-raped. The next time I was in a hospital, an assassin nurse tried to kill me and ended up killing the poor cop who was guarding my door. After that, fake FBI agents kidnapped me and took me to a mental hospital where they were doing illegal human experimentation and I nearly got my brain turned into banana pudding. So, no. I’m not staying in a hospital.” He sat on the edge of the bed and glared at Bruce, as if daring him to argue.
“I’m sorry about all that, but it doesn’t change the fact that you have a very serious injury. You shouldn’t even be sitting up, if you open that wound...”
“I’ll live.” Ash sat there, quietly, and then looked down at his lap. He looked over his shoulder at Max and Michael with Jessica standing behind them. Then he looked at Phil and his eyes narrowed. “I accept.”
“What?”
“You offered protection? Said I could stay at the Avenger’s Tower? Well, I accept your offer.”
The fact that Ash didn’t seem at all happy about his decision did little to dampen Phil’s relief. “That’s great news. And even better, you can get your medical attention there and not have to stay in a hospital.” He was sure Bruce wouldn’t mind. Technically, Bruce wasn’t a medical doctor, but he had learned so much over his life that he could at least monitor Ash and get him to medical professionals if things started to go wrong. “We can get you moved in immediately and...”
Ash held up a hand to stop Phil. “Hold up. I’ve got a couple of conditions. First, I come and go as I please. I won’t be a prisoner.”
“Agreed.” It would be easy enough to have someone follow and guard Ash if he left the tower, so that was no trouble at all.
“Secondly, you bring them, too.” Ash pointed over his shoulder at Max and his family.
“Ash,” Max rubbed his forehead, as if he’d heard the argument far too often. “I’m really not a target. I’ve made it publicly known that I have multiple copies of all my information hidden with different people in different locations. Those people all know that if anything happens to me, they’ll deliver the evidence to the court. If I get killed, no one will gain anything. The information is what’s important, not me. The information and you. You are vulnerable. I know you don’t like it, but you are. You are the one who needs to be protected.”
But Ash crossed his arms over his chest, as if he were settling in for a long, drawn-out confrontation. “I will NOT be the reason someone targets them, again! Not a second time! Look at today. I don’t much care what happens to me, but Michael was with me. The low-life that knifed me had nothing to do with all this; that was personal. He aimed at me. But if it was one of Dino’s people or someone else that wants to shut me up, they’d have aimed for Michael. He was in danger because of me.” There was a deep self-loathing in that last sentence, so raw that it was almost painful to listen to. “He might have been killed just because he was with me. If the knife had hit just a little differently, I might have died on the spot and Michael would have been alone on the streets. Either you all take the protection, too, or I vanish.”
Everyone in the room went to full attention. Max glared at Ash. “Don’t you dare!”
“You think I won’t? I can walk out of this building today and you won’t see me until the day of the trial. Give me two minutes and I can disappear in this city. Blanca’s still in town, too. He’ll help me.”
Max went quiet. He looked at Jessica, who nodded, then finally said to Ash, “Alright, then. We’re in this together.”
To be continued...