Who: Adam and Lizzy What: Lizzy gets attacked. Adam tries to play hero doctor. When: Backdated to Sunday Where: Near a sandwich shop, then a parking garage and then the hospital Warnings: Violence
Adam waited a good twenty minutes before he decided something was wrong. He admittedly didn’t know Lizzy the Lawyer for very long and there was a chance all that moxie was just a front for something else. That was hard to believe, though, because if there was one thing he could take away from her it was that she seemed prepared. On the dot. Reminded him of that one song about short skirts and long jackets. He decided to text her and when there was no response, Adam decided to call this as a fluke and enjoy the rest of his weekend. The Friday party hadn’t been difficult, but it did leave him with a lot to think about. There was also Pym pounding in the back of his head to go through the door. That, he would allow. But, only on his terms.
Finishing his tea, Adam left money and a little tip for the waitress. He put his hands in his pockets, happy to be outside in his street wear of jeans and a t-shirt. Like this, he didn’t feel like a doctor, which was a nice, brief change. He’d go home and try calling her office, give her some trouble about missing their lunch and then get right back to burying himself in his work. Walking back to the parking complex where he had left his car, he was surprised to find the place rather deserted for a Sunday afternoon. Climbing the stairs to the third level, he noticed a crumpled figure next to a car. A wash of blonde hair tangled as the body lay broken on the ground. “Miss?” Adam hurried, recognizing her face the closer he got.
”Liz!” He shouted, kneeling next to her as he quickly checked the injuries. Memories of Seattle snuck and clouded, but he snapped them out. Taking care of her was more important than dwelling on past lives. Liz had bruises, a little blood loss and all signs pointing to someone assaulting her. To make a point. To scare her. “Liz, can you hear me? I need to get some bandages out of my car.”
Lizzy had managed to skip the masque, mostly because she had important plans on Saturday - a date with her sister, Angie. Lizzy loved her sister, and their tea parties bordered on ridiculous with the fancy stuff Lizzy would make to impress the 6 year old. However, she had also been looking forward to lunch with Adam. He seemed like a good guy, and they made an excellent team. She really was lacking in a social life, so the thought of making friends with someone who had some of the same ideals and goals in life - someone who wanted to make things better.
She parked her car in a nearby parking garage and grabbed her purse to go meet Adam. She hoped the place he had picked out would have a good veggie sandwich. She had failed to tell him she was a vegetarian, after all. Her mind was swimming with a million things, and she didn’t pay attention to the man getting out of another car that had pulled in behind her. In fact, she didn’t even notice until she heard a male voice say, “Where is my wife, bitch?” After that, the world went dark as something heavy and solid connected with her head.
No response. He checked her head and without even having to feel around saw a large mark on the side of her temple. Adam made the quick choice of running to his car for his medical bag. He’d have to wake her up quickly, but it was better to be prepared than to scramble. On the way to his car, he quickly dialed 911 and gave their location, the condition she appeared to be in and that he was a doctor. That didn’t mean they could take their time, but it was easier to confirm injuries and level of emergency that way. In moments he was back, kneeling next to her with her head in his hands as he tried to get her to wake up as he tapped the side of her face. “Lizzy. Lizzy I need you to open your eyes.” Adam’s voice was surprisingly stern and loud. Nothing like she had heard from him before. “Open your eyes, Lizzy. If you have a concussion, I can’t have you sleeping. That’s bad. Very bad..”
Lizzy had been in darkness for quite a while, and then suddenly she heard a familiar voice that seemed to be swimming toward her, piercing the darkness that she had slipped into. She struggled to open her eyes, wanting to know why Adam said she couldn’t sleep. She managed to blink and was rewarded with a blinding pain in her head. She moaned, squeezing her eyes shut again, but clearly awake. “Rita’s...” she paused, feeling like there was someone sitting on her chest. “Hit me...” She wanted to fall back into the sweet embrace of the darkness, but she knew if Adam said stay awake, she needed to stay awake for him. “Hurts...” She was trying to tell him she was in pain, but that was probably fairly obvious.
Adam’s brow creased. He didn’t get mad. Worried, sure. All the time. Angry, though? That was a new feeling. Something Pym easily sulked into and expanded. Rita’s husband wasn’t just a threat to them, he was a danger to everyone. The kind of man he’d post information about on the Waterhouse wall only to see the monster brought in days later in a bloody pulp. If this was Seattle, Adam could have this problem taken care of in a snap.
He tried to shake himself out of that feeling, moving quickly to put a cold press to her head and wrap up any open wounds. “I called the ambulance. Will be here soon.” Adam sat against the nearby car, holding her up in his arms so she’d be less tempted to fall back asleep. There was another moment of hesitation and he promised himself to take care of Rita’s husband his way. Pym approved. “I understand. I’ll call the police, too. Now. Look at me. Look at my dorky face.” Adam finally clicked back into doctor mode. “Tell me what you wanted to order at the restaurant.”
Lizzy blinked again, eyes closing and then fluttering back open. She took comfort in the fact that Adam had called the ambulance, and wasn’t there something else? Oh yes, Adam was a doctor, and that meant he could take care of her, and make this stop hurting. The back of her head was on fire now, and it made everything feel so much worse. Her body shivered and it took everything she could muster just to keep her eyes open and focused on Adam...Adam... Adam was a good doctor, she mused.
“You’re not dorky,” Lizzy slurred, hating to hear him put himself down. She blinked again and looked up at him, fighting back the waves of nausea that were making her feel even worse. She swallowed and blinked again, the world coming a bit more in focus. “I wanted the roasted eggplant. I don’t eat meat.” It seemed such a silly thing to say. “What did you want?”
“Oh, I am considerably dorky.” Adam smirked, almost proud of the fact. “I could recite the whole periodic table for you, but it would certainly put you back to sleep.” Humor was the best thing to keep her mind working. Someone could go days without resting, but they’d still laugh at a stupid joke. That was one of the things he liked most about how the brain worked.
“Eggplant?” He made a face like he both had no idea what that was and also thought it was gross. Teasing of course. “I wanted a Ruben. My dad used to get them. Called it a heart attack between two slices. Said I couldn’t have one until I grew hair on my chest. Never did, but bought sandwich anyway.” Adam smiled down at her and then perked up a little when he heard sirens in the distance. “They’ll be here soon, just stay with me.”
“I can recite the entire Las Vegas building code,” Lizzy said with a small laugh. She could imagine Adam with thick Buddy Holly glasses with tape in the middle, quoting the periodic table to her, and it made her laugh. She had her own dorky side, everyone did over something, after all. It was a nice distraction from the pain. She knew that he couldn’t do much else than be here and entertain her. He was keeping her spirits up, which kept her from falling back into unconsciousness and from being afraid.
Before she could blink, the ambulance came screaming up the ramp and next to where she was lying on the floor. Two paramedics jumped out and started to examine her, but she didn’t want to be torn away from Adam. She didn’t know these guys. She didn’t know if they were capable paramedics, but she knew Adam was a capable doctor, and she trusted him to do what was best.
Adam moved out of the way for the paramedics, who were much stronger than him and easily capable of moving Lizzy into the the ambulance for him. Showing his credentials to them with a dash of throwing his weight around, they allowed him to get into the ambulance with her. The entire ride was filled with Adam allowing the paramedics to patch her up while he made sure her head was elevated and helped fill out forms. He kept a smile on for her whenever he looked down, but it was clear that he was troubled. Adam was the worst liar in existence, which didn’t fair well for someone who was supposed to be a comforting doctor.
Eventually, they found themselves in a room at the ER. This hospital was obviously much nicer than the clinic Adam worked at and he instantly stepped down to the other doctors there. Not because they were better than him, but he didn’t have the fancy titles and the money to go along with it. Instead, he spent his time talking to the police and asking for a guard at her door at least until she was well enough to give a proper police report. It was a little exhausting, but Adam had the ability to run on such little energy like anyone with a public servant sort of job did.
He settled into a chair near the bed they had propped her up in. It was a cruel trick, putting a patient on a perfectly good place to sleep when they had to stay awake at least until the drugs kicked in. “They told me to leave you alone.” Adam said with a small smirk. It was hard to be a doctor off duty. “But, I want you to know I took care of everything. Need you to lay low while you heal up.”
From the moment that Lizzy was put into the ambulance, until she ended up in the room in the ER just seemed like a blur. The movement made the nausea even worse, and she didn’t want to throw up on anyone. It was a strange fear, but everyone had their quirks. She kept looking at Adam, wanting reassurance that things would be better.
Fortunately, she was quickly placed in a room, and checked over, and given an IV full of drugs that seemed to make the pain a bit more bearable. She was put into line for an MRI and then left to wait. She was told not to fall asleep, but she was also left alone and her mind started wandering to what had happened. She hated being a victim, and she would likely file suit against this man once she was recovered.
When Adam came in, she smiled at him, “You don’t have to leave me alone. Besides, aren’t you a doctor? You should know what is best.” She nodded when he said he’d take care of everything. “I think my place is likely safe enough. It’s gated, and my building has a doorman. If you don’t think so, I could go to my dad’s, I guess?” Though she hated the idea it might endanger her family.
“No, gated is enough. I spoke to cops, they’re trying to track him down as we speak.” Adam nodded, finally breaking into a slightly relieved smile. “Won’t happen again. Will check in on Rita, but won’t scare her. Just make sure the shelter hasn’t seen anything.” He fell silent for a moment, sighing. He was a man stuck in the very middle of what was about to be a very stressful day and for the first time he was starting to feel a little loss. This wasn’t Seattle and he’d have to get over that. Adam only dwelled for a second before looking over to her. “You’re already doing pretty well. Rita’s husband underestimated your resolve.” Adam nodded. They’d get the bastard. “Need anything? Must get back to clinic soon, but this is a priority.”
“Might want to suggest to Amy to move her,” Lizzy said softly. There was a network of shelters that Rita could go to that would keep her away from her ex, and most importantly, keep her from the mental and emotional stress of having to watch her back constantly. Lizzy knew it was going to be hard to keep herself going and not be afraid, because truthfully, she felt exactly that- afraid and alone.
“I’ll be fine,” Lizzy said to Adam, trying to reassure him. Or maybe she was trying to just reassure herself. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure. But she knew he had the clinic and a life to get back to and didn’t need to be stuck here taking care of her. She could call her father, she supposed.
Adam knew she’d be fine, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He nodded. In the back of his head, he could feel Pym insist that it was his time to go through the door and that this could wait. The ex-Avenger was wrong, of course, but once all the paperwork was done Adam would comply. Neither of them really needed sleep anyway, right? Rising from the chair, he checked around her room to make sure he had everything and then placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll keep you updated. Will stay in contact.” He lingered for an extra second and then turned to leave.