X-Ray
No matter how many times he had to come here, how many times Jane promised it was safe, Thor would never, ever, like hospitals. They were bright and sterile, and they smelled funny. Clean, but almost too clean. He missed Asgard even more when he had to come to places like this.
“It’ll be okay, Thor,” Jane promised. “They just need to get an x-ray done, then they’ll put a cast on it and we can go home, okay?”
He nodded stiffly. It had been anyone else, he would have simply told them he’d see them when they were done and go back to the Tower to wait. But Jane was injured. Jane needed him. He would not – could not – abandon her.
A person in blue clothing styled like all the healers here wore stepped out of a door with a smile. She called Jane’s name and Jane stood shakily, clutching her injured arm to her chest. Thor placed a steadying hand on her back and guided her forward. He refused to leave her side until she was fully recovered. He would never forgive himself for what had happened. For not being there to stop it from happening.
Darcy had sworn to him that it had been an accident. Jane had slipped while they were playing with water guns on the roof of their lab in New Mexico. She hadn’t been too close to the edge, but she’d slid a bit on the wet pavement and toppled over anyway. She clung on as Darcy dropped down on her knees above her and grabbed onto her hand, trying to pull her up. It hadn’t been enough and Jane had fallen onto the roof of the van below. Her hand had automatically shot out to catch her and she’d landed wrong on it. Immediately, Darcy had driven her to the hospital while calling Thor (technically she called Pepper who passed on the message) who had been in New York with the Avengers. Thor had dropped everything to fly to New Mexico and be with Jane.
It was an hour later that they were finally allowed to leave, Jane listing about from the drugs. Darcy was waiting for them in the van outside the entrance, headphones on and head bobbing to music. She glanced up as they climbed into the back.
“Everything ok?”
“Yeah. Hairline fracture. I’ll wear a cast for a couple weeks and be fine.”
“Looks like they gave you some good drugs,” Darcy chuckled as she pulled out of the parking lot.
“Ha ha,” Jane slurred, laying heaving on Thor’s shoulder.
Thor smiled at her, bending to press a kiss on her forehead, “Sleep Jane.”
“M’kay,” she murmured, already asleep.
Darcy and Thor sat in silence for about a mile before Thor finally asked something that had been bothering him for some time.
“Friend Darcy,” he began, careful to keep his voice lowered so as not to wake Jane, “I am curious. What is an x-ray, and how does it work?”