Thor- Streetwalker No. 9

The medics burst through the double doors, shouting for a doctor using all sorts of medical jargon Jane couldn’t keep up with.  She caught a few words like ‘hemorrhaging’ and ‘surgery’ that she understood perfectly, and they made her run faster so she could try to catch some more.

The ride to the hospital had passed in a blur, but still seemed to take forever.  A paramedic had asked her to sit in the front seat with the driver, and Jane had ignored him completely.  Nothing was going to make her let go of Loki’s hand.  He was semi-conscious throughout the drive, opening his eyes here and there, trying to speak but unable to form words.  Blood seeped from his stomach like water from a ravine.  One medic held a cloth to the wounds, and Jane watched in a sick sort of trance as it slowly turned red in the man’s gloved hands.

Jane ran along with the gurney, keeping hold of his hand all the while.  Her fingers were numb; if she tried to let go, she might not be able to.

A man and a woman, both in white coats, answered the medic’s calls.  The woman directed them to an empty room and the medics ran faster, until Jane could no longer keep up.  Loki’s hand slipped from hers, as if she’d never been holding it.  The female doctor blocked her path.

"I’m sorry, but you’ll have to stay in the waiting area," she said, not kind in her words, but not rude either.  "We need to get an idea of his condition before he can have visitors.  Just stay here.  Donna will give you some paperwork to fill out."

The doctor left her standing there, rigid and pale, with fingers that tingled from the cooling feel of him.  They rolled Loki into the exam room, where he was fussed over by a crowd of people in scrubs, until a nurse pulled the curtains to hide them from view. The material was thin enough that Jane could catch a hint of shadows.  Sometimes, they bumped against it and it fluttered outward.  Other times, a hand poked out from the side, grabbing tape or gauze or just closing the curtain a little tighter.  None of it did anything for Jane’s nerves.  It wasn’t enough just knowing that Loki was in good hands.  She had to see it.

A pudgy, middle-aged woman, with permed brown hair and thick coke bottle glasses, approached Jane with papers on a clipboard.

"Did you come here with that man in room seven?"

Jane glanced at Loki’s room and the bold number seven etched into the wall.

"Yeah," she said, and the woman, presumably Donna, handed her the clipboard.

"If you could just fill this out to the best of your ability," she said, and she gave Jane’s hand a reassuring pat.  "Don’t worry about your boyfriend, hon.  He’s in good hands."

"I hope so," Jane said, scanning the page and the words that barely made sense to her.  Her head shot up.  "But he’s not my…"

She stopped talking.  She had no idea how to correct the woman.  Loki wasn’t her boyfriend, but calling him just a friend seemed wrong somehow.  Acquaintance was even worse.  ’Employee’ came to her and it almost brought a smile to her face.

"Forgive me if I misunderstood," Donna said.  "I just assumed you were a couple from the way you were holding his hand before.  It looked like you’d rather be shot yourself than let him out of your sight."

She stood to the side to let Jane finish writing.  The pen wasn’t even uncapped yet, so she’d be waiting a while.

"It reminded me of when my husband had a heart attack last year.  I was so terrified of losing him that I never wanted to leave his side again."

"Is that so?" Jane wrote her name and number under ‘primary contact’, hesitating for a long time at ‘relation to patient.’

"Of course.  He’s the love of my life.  If I lost him, I don’t know what I’d do."

Jane handed back the forms after another minute.  Most of it remained blank, but she just wanted to be alone for a while, without reminiscing receptionists making her feel like she didn’t care enough.  She cared plenty.  She cared so much that her head had filled with a hundred new scenarios of those doctors failing to save Loki before all the blood in his body drained.  Each new one was worse than the last.  She could end up never knowing what had led him to the horrible life he lived.

She might never know him at all.

That terrified her more than anything else.

The minutes dragged on like hours.  Every time a doctor ran by or a machine started beeping or a voice came over the intercom, Jane’s heart clenched and she thought that this was it.  She was going to hear that he was dead from a doctor or a nurse feigning sympathy, like they didn’t do this twenty times a day seven days a week.

A doctor did come out, and he did walk in her direction.  He was the male doctor Jane had seen before, but he lacked the grave expression all the TV doctors Jane had ever seen wore when delivering bad news.

"You’re a friend of the shooting victim?" he asked.

Jane bit her lip.  ”Well… yeah, I am.  How is he?”

"He’s being prepped for surgery.  He’s lost a lot of blood, but luckily, the bullets missed his vital areas, and removing them should be a quick in and out procedure."

Jane drew a shaky breath.

"So he’ll live?" she asked.

The doctor grinned.  ”I’d be surprised if he didn’t.  He’ll have to take it easy for a few weeks, but he is going to walk out of here.”

He shook her hand.  Jane thought she held his tighter than she had Loki’s.  That her relief was so strong seemed disproportionate for someone she was only just starting to learn about.  Sure, they had sex, and sure, she’d been there when he was shot, and sure, he pushed her out of the way of the bullets to save her life, but…

There was definitely a ‘but’ in there somewhere, but she’d lost track of what it was.

The doctor was saying something.  What Jane caught was something about five minutes.

"What?" she asked.

The doctor chuckled.  ”Hope I didn’t lose you there.  I said that we’re moving him in just about five minutes.  You can see him now if you like.”

"Oh.  Okay, sure."

Jane followed him down the hall, passing room seven, which was now devoid of both people and a bed.  They had moved him when she wasn’t looking.  She should have looked harder.

They passed a few more rooms full of young people in bandages and old people hooked up to machines.  One little girl had an enormous bloody gash on the side of her arm covered in gauze, and bile rushed to Jane’s throat as she wondered what could have happened to her.

How did Don even stand it?

No wonder he was always cranky after work.

The doctor led her to an open area, where Loki’s bed was pushed against the wall and a heart monitor beeped slow and steady at his side.  The doctor glanced at the readings, muttering something and then turning away.  Jane took that to mean Loki was fine so far.

"I can only give you a minute with him," said the doctor.  "Then you’re going to have to wait until he’s out of recovery to see him again."

Jane nodded.  She gripped the bars on the side of the bed, looking down at a face that that was strangely peaceful.  His suit and tie had been removed in favor of a hospital gown that barely fit.  His long legs stuck out from beneath the hem, his bare feet edging over the mattress.  His arms were uncovered.  An IV ran from a vein to a blood packet on a pole.  Jane whipped around.

"He has a rare blood type!"

The doctor looked up from his files.

"What?"

"He told me once that he had a rare blood type.  You have to be careful what you give him."

She probably sounded ridiculous, telling a doctor how to do his job like she knew half as much about this as he did.  To his credit, he didn’t call her on it.  He seemed to be one of those ‘nice, understanding’ doctors, the kind a certain ex of hers liked to think he was.

"We already have that covered.  We’d be a terrible excuse for a hospital if we didn’t have blood transfusions for everyone."

A nurse called him over to look at some charts.  He left Jane with a reminder that she had only two minutes.  Left alone, Jane ran her hands along the smooth, cool metal to the end, until she could no longer feel it, but instead something warm and soft.  Her brow furrowed.  She looked down and almost jerked her hand away.  She was holding his again.

Her subconscious mind was doing a whole lot of unnecessary things tonight.  She blamed the shock.

Loki mumbled and groaned like he had in the ambulance.  Jane paid it no mind.  She brushed along his long fingers that used to do so much to drive her mad, but now felt heavy and limp.

"…ane…"

Jane jumped.

Loki’s eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling.  His face bespoke confusion, like he was trying desperately to figure out where he was and how he got there.  His strong voice had been reduced to a croak.

"Jane…"

"Loki," Jane bent over his face, perhaps too low.  Another nurse was giving her a look.  Jane pulled back.  "Don’t worry, they’re going to remove the bullets and then you’ll be fine."

"No… not fine…"

"What are you saying?  Of course you’ll be-"

"No… No… Malekith…"

He drew a long breath, went silent, and for a long, painful moment, Jane thought he wouldn’t speak again, then he exhaled.

"Malekith… will come…"

"What?"  Jane bent again.  Let that nurse glare all she wanted.  "Loki, speak to me.  What is Malekith going to do?"

"The deal’s broken…" Loki gritted his teeth in pain.  "He broke it… now he’ll kill… everyone.  He’ll go after them…"

"Ms. Foster."

The doctor was back.  He had a group of orderlies with him all in a line.  His face said it all.

"Can I just have one more minute with him?" Jane asked.

"I’m afraid we can’t wait any longer."

Jane stood a small way’s away, watching the doctor direct the nurse in unhooking Loki and wheeling him out.  She barely saw what was happening, so consumed by unanswered questions she was.

Why did Malekith break their deal?

Why did Loki make deal with him in the first place?

How did such an evil man get Loki under his thumb?

What more had he threatened him with that Jane didn’t know about?

One thought trounced all others, of Thor and Sif at home with Thor’s parents, unsuspecting of the fate one of their own had been left to, and the kind of danger it put him in.  The same kind of danger they were about to be in.

Jane ran behind the gurney.  She slowed to a stop as they approached the double doors where Jane would not be allowed to enter.

"Loki!" she called out, cupping her hands over her mouth.  "I promise everything is going to be fine.  He’s not going to get away with this, and no one else is going to get hurt!"

A few people in the waiting room and that same old nurse stared after her.  Jane ran in the other direction to an empty space next to Loki’s old room.  Few people walked to and fro and the waiting room was far away enough that their voices were little more than a gentle buzz.

She whipped out her phone, dialing the number before she had a chance to think about it.  That came at the second ring.  What she was about to do would change everything, and possibly throw four people’s lives completely off balance and into a world so very unlike their own.  Maybe she should think a little more about it before she made this call.  Maybe she should-

"Hello?"

Thor sounded so cheerful that Jane wanted to cry.  Her mouth hung open, wordless.

"Hello? Is something there?"

Jane clutched the phone with both hands.

"Thor, it’s me."

She heard a laugh.

"Jane!  A bit late for a personal call, isn’t it?"

'You have no idea,' Jane thought.  She heard a thump on the other end, like he’d just flopped down on a couch.

"Well, I’m glad you called," he said.  "I needed to talk to you about the menu for the reception.  Our chef wants an idea of what everyone will be having so there won’t be any mistakes.  We had a huge problem with that for my parents’ anniversary-"

"Wait, hang on a second.  I have to tell you something really important."

Thor went quiet.

"Alright, I’m listening."

Jane took a deep breath.

"Thor, you’re in danger."

"In danger?  Of what?"

"Malekith," the name tasted like sulfur on Jane’s tongue.  "You need to get Sif and your parents out of the house right now.  Don’t wait."

"I don’t believe this," Thor muttered.  "Did that bastard get in touch with you?"

"No, Thor, that’s not it, I-"

"Sif told me he spoke to you at the engagement party.  I should have done something then."  Thor’s voice wasn’t as clear now.  Jane thought he might be pacing.  "It’s bad enough that he bothers my family, but to go after my friends if he can’t get to us is a new low."

"No, that’s not it!  Malekith isn’t after me, he’s after you.  That’s why you all need to get out of there and meet me at NYU hospital, in the emergency room."

"Emergency room?" Thor shouted.  "What are you doing there?  Are you injured?"

"No, I’m fine.  It’s not me, it’s-"

The name caught in her throat.  This was it, she knew.  This was the moment where everything changed.  Trust her to freeze up right when she needed her strength the most.

"Jane?" Thor yelled through the tinny speakers.  "Are you still there?  Jane, talk to me."

The phone was slipping from her hand, Thor’s voice fading a little more with every inch.  Then Jane’s hand tightened, hard enough to crack the plastic.  She brought it back to her ear.

"It’s Loki, Thor," she said, swallowing hard.  "Loki’s here."

This time, the silence that passed between them wasn’t curious or bemused.  It was just dead, like all sound in Thor’s world had been muted, and he was transferring the feeling to her through the phone.  Jane was quite suddenly aware of how fast her heart was beating.

"I know how this sounds," she had to struggle to keep her voice down.  "I know it sounds crazy, but Loki is alive.  He faked his death in that fire, and he’s been working for Malekith in exchange for your lives."

"Jane…"

"But now Malekith’s gone back on the deal and he tried to have Loki killed.  He’s going to come after you next."

"Jane."

"Please, you have to believe me!"

"Jane, stop."

He didn’t yell or scream.  He wasn’t even particularly loud, but the force behind those two words echoed, and felt like a physical slap in the face.  Jane couldn’t hear her heart anymore.  She felt like it had stopped.

"Please," she begged.  Her legs were growing weaker.

"Jane, my brother is dead," his breaths sounded shaky.  "It’s taken me a long time to come to terms with never seeing him again, and for you to…"

Jane blinked back tears.

"Thor, you know me.  You know I’d never lie about something like this."

"I thought I knew you, but perhaps I was wrong.  Now I’m going to hang up, and I’m going to pretend we never had this conversation.  If you’re as smart as I’ve always known you to be, you won’t call back."

"No, wait-"

There was a click and a dial tone.  Thor was gone.  Jane stared at her phone’s background—that snapshot of her and Darcy having drinks at New Year’s Eve failed for once to bring a smile to her face—and considered throwing it against the wall and stomping on the remains.  Frustration roared within her.  She channeled it into her next call.  This time around, she didn’t fumble with the number once.

“911 emergency,” the monotone female voice droned.

“Yes, I need the police to get to 267 Fifth Avenue room 1008, the penthouse suite.  It’s registered to Odin Borson.  I have reason to believe that my friends are in danger.”

There was a slight pause.

“You’re friends, huh?  Pretty rich friends.”

“Please, I need you to get the police over there right away.  They need to get them out of there and somewhere safe.”

“Hang on, go slower.  What kind of danger are they in?”

“Look, it’s a long story, and we don’t have a lot of time, but someone is going to be at their home any time now and when they get there, they are going to kill them.”

“And have your friends been made aware of the threat?”

“I tried.”  Jane leaned heavily against the wall.  “They’re convinced that nothing’s wrong, but I know that something is going to happen.  Look into a man named ‘Malekith.’  He’s the one behind this.  Please tell the police to get the Odinson family to safety.”

Another pause followed, during which Jane thought she could hear typing.

“Okay, Ms. Foster, I’m dispatching squad cars to the scene now.  They’ll take care of everything.  You go and get some rest now.”

Rest.  That was a good idea, now that Jane thought about it.  She thanked the dispatcher several times, until the woman’s ‘you’re welcomes’ can out completely baffled.  Jane slid the phone back into her pocket and walked to the waiting room with all those seats that looked more comfortable and inviting with each step.  She choose the closest one, right next to the welcome desk and the doors doctors walked through to deliver news to waiting families.  One of them would be coming for her soon.

Jane was asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

**

“Ms. Foster.  Ms. Foster?”

Something was on her shoulder, tapping her out of her dreams.  Jane wanted to brush it back, but those blissful few seconds when you’ve just woken up, and all your troubles are far away come to an end.  She snapped awake, wide eyes focusing on the doctor as she stretched out stiff, aching muscles.  This was why one didn’t sleep sitting upright.

“What happened?  Is Loki okay?”

She hoped she didn’t sound too desperate.  Then he might think she was some kind of weirdo.  Then again, he probably saw people like her every day, so maybe not.

“The surgery’s over,” the doctor said.  “He just went into recovery.  It’ll be just a little bit before you can see him.  We were able to successfully remove the bullets, and while he’s going to have a couple of scars, he’s going to make a full recovery.”

“Thank you so much, doctor.”  Jane shook his hand vigorously.

“All in a day’s work.  If you have any friends or family you’d like to alert, now’s the time.”

Jane let go of his hand, her eyes dropping to the floor little by little.  A nurse called to him, saying something about EKG results, and he offered her a quick nod and a goodbye before going off.  Jane didn’t watch him go.

That was another thing she’d forgotten, her failure to warn Thor and her attempt to get the police involved.  According to the clock, almost an hour had passed.  They would have gotten there a long time ago.  Did they make it in time?  Did Thor even let them in?  Or was he so convinced that all was well and that Jane was a nutcase that he sent them away and stayed blissfully unaware of what was going to happen to him, all the way up until…

Well, she’d do herself no good just sitting around wondering.

Jane reached for her phone.  The charge was going down, and he wasn’t likely to pick up if he saw her name on Call ID, but if she just blocked her number and heard Thor’s voice once, at least she’d know he was still alive.

She let the phone ring one time and then snapped it shut.  The very person she wanted to hear from had just burst in through the door, Sif and his parents following in his wake.

“Thor!”

Jane rushed to him.  He looked nothing like the immaculate executive she had come to know.  His forehead glistened with sweat, his dark blue dress shirt was dirty and ripped in several places, including one across the stomach, and the look in his eyes reminded Jane of a tiger on the prowl.  He relaxed just a little when he saw her, and welcomed her in his strong embrace.  Jane hugged him and Sif in turn; she didn’t look much better than her fiancé.  There was dirt on her face and arms as if she’d been rolling around on the floor.  Her clothes were rumpled, and her hair was askew and in need of a brush.

“Sorry we’re late,” she said.  “We got held up.”

“But I thought you didn’t believe me,” Jane said to Thor.

He gave a weak shrug and an even weaker smile.  “I didn’t, but right after I hung up on you, our butler, who’s been with us for three and a half years, turned a gun on me and my mother.  I managed to subdue him, but meanwhile, our chef was attacking Sif with a butcher knife.”

“And if I hadn’t noticed an odd smell in my evening coffee,” said a grave faced Odin, “They would have brought me here in a body bag.”

“You’re kidding,” Jane gasped.  That would certainly explain what a mess Thor and Sif were.

“I wish I could say we were,” said Odin, shaking his head.  “Malekith kept a closer watch on my family than I ever could have guessed.”

He was a very old man, Jane noticed.  She’d never spoken to him directly before now, but he looked so much older and smaller up close.  Sif placed a hand on his arm.

“It wasn’t your fault, Father, you couldn’t have foreseen this.”

“I should have,” Odin said.  “Maybe then we…”

His wife offered comfort, but from the look on her face, she was somewhere else.  She looked this way and that, her eyes traveling to every open door and down every hall, like she expected to find something there that she never thought she’d find again.

“We interrogated the butler,” Thor said, drawing attention back to him.  “It took time, but eventually he gave in, and he told us everything about what Malektih had done.  He was hired to watch us, to eliminate us in case… in case…”

But he couldn’t finish, hard as he tried.  Maybe he was having trouble believing it.  Jane could understand that.  For someone who loved his family as much as Thor did, this was too horrible and too good to be true at the same time.

“In case Loki disobeyed,” Jane finished for him.

His father tensed up, his mother choked on a sob, Sif stared straight ahead, and just like that day in Thor’s office—the day that started it all—Jane saw her boss and friend cry.

“Yes.”