Carol’s touch kept pulling Trish back to earth, even when the thought of drifting off into some kind of nothing was far more tempting. Tempting until her mind reminded her of just what would happen if she closed her eyes and didn’t open them again. “Don’t want to – I don’t – can’t go back,” she gasped, trying to listen to Carol’s calm voice and keep the panic at bay, but she could feel it rising like a tidal wave within her. The panic dulled everything until it was all she could think about, until Carol said ‘hospital’. That was enough to snap her out of it.
“No hospital.” The words came out sharp and she grit her teeth in an apology. “Your place. Or mine.” Trish Walker didn’t trust people. She wanted to see the best in people, but she’d learned from a young age that that never worked out in her favor. “Please.” Trish trusted Carol. She trusted that, even if the woman was drunk, Carol would protect her. Just like Jessica. But not like Jessica. Just… safe.
“Go back? Go back where?” Carol asked, running through what she remembered of basic medical training. Jesus, why hadn’t she paid more attention? (Oh right, because the instructor was hot and -- okay, those memories were not helpful.) “You don’t have to go back to the fight, kitten, you’ve done enough,” she assured Trish, unsure if the other woman was even listening to her anymore.
Until she said the word hospital anyway. That woke Trish up in a hurry. “I don’t exactly have a place,” she admitted. She had been couch surfing between the compound and the Milano most nights, and both were a ways off from where they were right now. There was that apartment complex the bird-brain had mentioned though... “Okay, okay,” she said, letting the glow move over her whole body. “I love it when you beg, kitten, but you just save your strength, all right?” She got a grip on Trish’s arm with one hand, and stroked her face with the other. “On three okay?” she said slowly. “One --” And pop. She shoved the shoulder forward and felt it snap into place. She knew it would hurt, like a real bastard, but they weren’t finished yet. She scooped Trish up into her arms, and took off into the sky.
It only took a few minutes to reach the apartment building. Carol didn’t have a key, but Clint had mentioned which floor he was on, so she picked that window to blast open. Definitely his place, by the looks of it, but thankfully he was at the compound tonight. Carol laid Trish down on the couch. “There we go. Phase one complete,” she announced. “Now you sit here and I’ll get everything else we need, all right? Don’t go running out on me,” she said, standing up and heading towards the bathroom. “You’re probably gonna lose your shirt,” she called back. “Which is totally not the way I wanted to see your chest for the first time.”
