nextgenerationmarvel | Rest and Recovery at the X-Mansion

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Rest and Recovery at the X-Mansion

Alisa groaned as she finally came to. She was out of her tactical suit and in a hospital gown, a sign she was in a medical facility, no doubt. She hissed as she tried to sit herself up, feeling some stitches in her side from where she was stabbed starting to tug just slightly.She also noted a lack of feeling in her right leg, right below the knee. She threw her blankets off, noting her leg was in a cast, and there were some scars on her right thigh as well. This just made her frown, before looking around the room and seeing Alisatire was in a bed next to her.

"Oh no... Boss. You did get injured!? I am so sorry... I shoulda done bettah, I failed you..."

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"I can't be certain. I was asleep for a while myself." He looks at the clock. "Several hours, at least." Alistaire looks around. "I don't know where they would have stored it. What's wrong?"

"I was supposed to call Ryan to set up a date. he's probably worried sick I didn' call'em! Oh man... what am I gonna tell him about dis!?" she panicked slightly, still padding about her bedding and looking for a nightstand of any sort that might have her phone. "We were gonna make plans to go... somewhere dat even you would t'ink is odd for me."

Alistaire stops in the middle of turning a page. He lifts his head and turns to look at Alisa.

"Who is 'Ryan'?"

"He's... kinda my boyfriend." She hung her head a little before turning to look at Alistaire. "You jus' ... you ain' de kinda man who would want a relationship. An' if you 'ad one, it wouldn' be wit' me. I love you Alistaire, enough dat you make me sick wit' worry. Enough dat I nearly died for you durin' dat raid. Merde... by de second week o' workin' for you, I stopped chasin' your checks to me because I was dat..."

Alisa stopped herself, her eyes unable to make contact with Alistaire as she told him how she truly felt about him. "I never t'ought... you would return my feelin's. I feared you'd t'ink I was like everyone else an' jus' wanted to ride your coat tails or use you for money. So... I tried to move on. You always spoke o' havin' fun an' relaxin' an' stuff. An' I did one night, an' dat is where I met Ryan. We startin' to see one an' oder soon after, an' I felt kinda 'appy. But sometimes I t'ink I would feel 'appier wit' you. It's kinda confusin' ."

Alistaire listens to all that, nodding where appropriate, then lets his head go back into his pillow. Alisa was.... well, first off, she was right. He didn't love her, certainly not romantically. She was the first person he'd allowed as close as he had, but it was hardly the same thing. He valued her as an employee and confidante.

He wasn't entirely certain he trusted change.

"I'm glad you are happy."

It's not a lie, but it's not said with enthusiasm either.

"You are de first friend I ever made an' jus' ... someone I could relate to, Alistaire. You still are." Her own head was resting back on the pillow, her face cringing a little as she once again tried to get comfortable. "I'll continue to protect you as I do. Dat won' change, as I swore to you as an "Enforcer" I would do anyt'ing to keep you safe an' somewhat 'appy. I still love you Alistaire, even if you don' love me back or t'ink much o' me other den hired muscle."

She hurt telling him all of this, just as much as her body was killing her form the injuries she suffered. She forced a smile and looked over at him.

"I mean, who else are you gonna find to get dere leg blown off for you, an' den be more concerned about you den demselves?"

"I need to know exactly what this changes about our... arrangement." He tries to break down the situation logistically. It had never occurred to him that Alisa might seek someone... else, to satisfy her emotional needs. He'd scarcely considered that she had any needs not being met.

"It won't change anyt'ing if you don' want it to." Her eyes finally looked over at Alistaire. it was clear this talk was just, hurting her, more than it was a relief to get everything off of her chest. "I jus' ... I do not know what you want to do. If you are angry wit' me for dis... or feel betrayed. I never expected to jus' ... find someone like dis. But i told you earlier, I was too scared o' bein' rejected to come to you about it. Can you believe dat? Me, scared o' sumt'ing like dat?"

"What I'm asking has more to do with the fact that I don't care for laying hands on another man's woman, without his consent. I have no doubt you can still perform your enforcer duties."

"..." She did not know what to say to him, now. For the first time since she woke up, Alisa was just speechless. Alistaire was just... cold and to the point. He was being himself, and she felt somewhat foolish to think that stone heart in his chest could perhaps soften. He knew more about her than Ryan did, but Ryan appeared to care for her more. This just confirmed it.

"I'll ask him if you still want me in your bed... all covered in scars an' freak like as I am now." Her own voice sounded cold and hurt, now.

He just looks at her. "Alisa... you are beautiful, and no less so for having paid the price for fulfilling your duties. I will always desire you, and you have done nothing that will change my faith in you.

But this changes things. It's as simple as that. It is your choice to make, however."

She wanted to beg him not to say those words to her. They stung like the shrapnel that tore through her body. The only difference was that her body could mend in time, but her heart just felt fractured. And how fair was this for Ryan? He was a good man, a kind man who was goofy enough to make her smile and make her feel so... happy. Perhaps it was best that she continue to see Ryan, and just serve under Alistaire's command.

"I... you still find me beautiful, even like dis. You tell me dat, an' it makes me want to stay wit' you more. Jus' curl up in your bed by your side an' pretend de rest o' de world don' matter." She admitted, one of her hands wiping tears from her eyes. "But dat can' 'appen. It won' 'appen. I'll keep protectin' you, Alistaire. You will always be my best friend, but we can' sleep together no more. It wouldn' be fair to Ryan, an' ... I really want t'ings to work out wit' him. I want to feel like a person, not jus' a weapon or property. Like... a woman."

There was a steady clicking to be heard along with footsteps as Stephanie rounded the corner into the room where Alistaire and Alisa were. She looked between the two of them for a moment. Though she hadn't heard what they were talking about, it was clear they were having a personal discussion.

"I can come back another time if it suits you two better." She shifted slightly on the walking stick that she'd graduated to using. "It's good to see both of you back." Stephanie for her part looked atypically rather frustrated. She was used to being uncommonly agile, almost cat-like on her feet. The clumsy walking with a stick truly ill-suited her.

"There's plenty we need to talk about, I'm certain."

"You are not interuptin' anyt'ing important Miss Stephanie, Ma'am." Alisa spoke softly, her hand still wiping away tears from her eyes. "I'm jus' glad Alistaire is okay. I was worried I didn' cover him enough durin' de explosions. Might've cost me part o' my leg... but it was a worthy sacrifice, non?"

Alisa gave off a small sigh, her hands were now feeling about her bed and the table next to it. She was desperate to find her phone. After-all, she doubted that Stephanie really wished to speak with her, anyway.

"Well, I'm relieved to hear that, though nowhere near as much as I am relieved that you both are all right and we can, perhaps, put much of this horrible nightmare behind us." She looked at Alisa for a moment. "Part of your leg? Is that what Doctor McCoy says?" Her expression changes for a moment as if she's considering something.

"If that's truly what must happen, Shaw Industries might have some technology that would be very helpful to you. They- We have been working on some next-generation cybernetics with 100% functionality. You've rendered a great service to our family and you will be taken care of with all the resources we can muster.

We owe you a debt and we Shaws always make good on our debts." Stephanie nodded firmly, before turning to Alistaire. "You'll have to tell me, soon, all of the details." Soon meaning not in the Institute. Away from all the telepaths. It was simple security.

Alisa threw back the blankets of the medical bed she was in to show her leg was pretty much wrapped up and put into a cast below the knee. Her toes which poked out of the cast were a bit discolored, which was what led her to concern.

"I haven' lost my leg, yet. But I know it's gonna 'appen. I got no feelin' in anyt'ing below my knee. Doesn' take a genius like me to know dat it's not salvageable. I'll be askin' Dr. McCoy to amputate my leg later tonight. De discoloration 'as me worried, an' I'm in no shape to fight off a massive infection." She then pulled the blankets back over her frame. "An' it was nuthin' , really. I swore to protect your nephew's life at any cost."

What Stephanie offered her had Alisa somewhat floored. She did not think the Shaw's owed her anything. "I t'ank you for your generosity, Miss Stephanie, ma'am. I'm considerin' usin' a blade prosthetic before upgradin' to somet'ing cybernetic. I need to get use to... well... usin' a prosthetic before I cna decide on what a cybernetic one should look like an' feel like for me. Heh... look at me, I sound like I'm talkin' about shoes. Actually, dis will make shoe shoppin' easier an' cheaper. I'll only need one."

It was a terrible joke, but with all the physical and emotional pain Alisa was going through, it was better to laugh than to cry.

"You'll receive the best care money and connections can by." Alistaire says. "When all is said and done, you'll be even more formidable than you were to start."

He gives a discrete nod to Stephanie regarding details of the raid. "Of course. For now, could you be a dear, Auntie, and get my Knight a phone? She has someone she needs to reach."

Stephanie handed Alisa the phone, but she gave Alistaire a little look as she did so. Perhaps she'd brought it upon herself, calling him "Alice" as he so occasionally did, but she did not particularly feel like being denigrated at the moment.

"As it would so happen, the best that money and connections could get you, would be from Shaw Industries. I'll speak to Mr. Crane on the board about approving you for the new model leg prosthetic. The sooner we can get it fitted on you, the better. I trust Dr. McCoy will do well enough preserving nerve endings so everything will be completely successful."

"T'ank you, Miss Stephanie, ma'am. An' i am sure Doctor McCoy is an excellent medical professional. Dis should go over well." Alisa accepted the phone and carefully used it to dial Ryan, hoping she could at least get him on the phone. "I look forward to 'elpin' out Shaw Industries by testin' out dis new leg."

Alisa then went silent, just listening to the phone ring, wondering and hoping Ryan would answer. He might not as it was a strange number.

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