5237/After the Rescue

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After the Rescue
Date of Scene: 18 February 2021
Location: New York Presbyterian Hospital, Queens, 1950
Synopsis: 1950: After being rescued from Hydra, Peggy wakes up in the hospital beside a worried Daniel, they make plans and Peggy makes a promise that she'll keep many, many years from now.
Cast of Characters: Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter




Daniel Sousa has posed:
After surgery Peggy was moved to a private room in the hospital to recover, or at least it looks like it was once your standard bland whitewalled hospital room, it's clear someone has done a bit of redecorating to add some homey touches while Peggy was waking up from being under, There's a thick woolen throw on the bed, a radio set on the table in the corner tuned to a station playing soft jazz, a crystal vase of flowers by Peggy's bedside as well as a Stark made electric kettle and box of that gunpowder black tea she loves and a fine china tea set to go with it.

The drapes are closed, and the lights dimmed, but there's enough light to see Daniel in a chair by her bedside covered up with a similar throw to the one on the bed, writing something by the dim lamp above his head. Even in the limited light his wounds are obvious, so bruised and battered he looks like he's gone twelve rounds with Max Baer. He's had some treatment though, judging by the bandage wrapped around his hand that complicates his writing, and by the woolen blanket on his lap and the fresh clothes he's wearing he's gotten some of the same attention the room has gotten.

Peggy Carter has posed:
It took nearly 24 hours for Peggy's body to recover from the somewhat long surgery, knock out drugs, and blood loss enough to start coming around. The doctors reassured Daniel that the surgery went well, however, and she should make a full recovery even if it was touch and go for a bit. As long as she wakes up, she'll be fine. The waiting is the hard part, however. Peggy's so rarely this still and quiet, much less for nearly a whole day straight. The Jarvises did come by to give them both a little company for a while, so Daniel wasn't left entirely alone with her, but they couldn't stay the whole time. Hell, without she and Daniel being formally married, he had to get SHIELD to pull some heavy strings to let him stay beyond visiting hours himself. They wanted him out as well. Fortunately, SHIELD has lots of string pulling money.

Finally, sometime into the evening of that second day in the hospital, her breathing just slightly starts to change. A discomforted twitch of her nose where that oxygen line runs and she's taking in a deeper yawn all on her own as she stirs uncomfortably in the unfamiliar bedding.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Strings were definitely pulled when it came to staying, Between Daniel saying he was here to protect the Director (evidenced by the shoulder holster rig he's wearing complete with service weapon) and Howard dangling donations in front of the Administration. That helped him stay, but that didn't make the wait seem any shorter, especially knowing it all hinged on Peggy waking up. He paced, he read through the stack of magazines the Jarvises left him, he even prayed before turned to his and Peggy's universal saviour, work. So he's in the midst of filling out a report when Peggy begins to stir. He'd been waiting for any sign of life for so long, at first he doesn't quite believe what he's seeing, but when she yawns, his paperwork is tossed aside, and he reaches for his cane. "Hey, easy, don't want to tear anything" he warns as he gets to his feet and limps over to the bed. "You're in New York Presbytarian in Queens, it's been a little over a day." He reaches for her hand and gives it a little squeeze.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The drug-dimmed but certainly present level of pain is enough to claw through the last bits of anesthesia that her system was holding into, but his voice helps even more. Heavy, dark eyes begin to slowly flutter open as she turns her head in his direction, not trying to sit up. Yet. She'll give it a few minutes for that, especially as he mentions tearing things. Her pale lips, no one's bothered with her lipstick again, part to ask questions she doesn't even need to breathe out. So her words fall silent, pale mouth turning into an earnest smile, "...you read my mind..." She crackles out softly. But she's definitely awake, and aware enough to understand what he's saying.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Seeing Peggy awake and talking banishes the tension in his shoulders that he'd been holding since they were both in that basement, he lifts her hand and bends to press a kiss to the back of it. When he lifts his head again he returns the smile, "Like I told you, I've got a pretty good idea of who I'm marrying," he tells her with a smile. "You had me worried there for a bit, doctors said it all hinged on you waking up, so, glad to see you with your eyes open," his own eyes speaking clearly of how worried he must have been over these past hours.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The kiss from warm, steady lips and the faint brush of his breath over her knuckles is enough to get a bit of a long, almost sighing breath from Peggy. That feels pleasant compared to the rest of her, all a gentle, low ache, as if every muscle she had was slightly pulled in the wrong direction. Peggy tries to wrap her fingertips around his, still rather ice cold, but she's got some strength and motion back in her waking up frame. It's a step in the right direction.

"Psh. It's... not so bad. I am certain they were overreacting. I just needed to sleep a bit..." Peggy reassures him, now opening her eyes just a bit wider so she can look his face up and down. Her expression pinches a bit as she sees just how bad the bruising is on his face. "They did a number on you as well, didn't they?"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's grip on Peggy's hand is tight like it might go limp and slip away again, a memory he flashed back to often during his long stay in purgatory, by her bedside, and he kisses her hand a second time just for feeling it move.

Daniel weighs his words for a moment, but ultimately he chooses what he always does, the truth. "You lost a lot of blood Peg," he tells her, he knew that well, his old clothes were soaked in it. He swallows, "It was close," he says with the sort of gravity that speaks volumes.

Touching his face gingerly with his free hand, he nods and regrets both motions almost at once. "Not as bad as it could have been,' he says, now that it was his turn to downplay things. "But it's not the most fun I've ever had."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The woman is about to dismiss how bad it was, already preparing to shake her head, but then Peggy catches something in his voice that is different than the other times. Maybe this was closer than they've been before -- uncomfortably so. For all the times she's been shot, the longest she's ever spent in medical was a single night. He'd been in the hospital for months recovering from his leg. If either of them know close calls, it's Daniel Sousa, and she's not accustomed to seeing that look in his eyes.

So, instead of protesting as she had planned to do so, Peggy's cool fingertips tighten a bit more around his hand, like she could show off what weak strength she's recovered already. "Close..." And then something hits her. While she's worried about his face, and she is, some deep down iciness forms in her stomach as she remembers the last time any of them were with someone laid up this badly.

Ana Jarvis. And it was close then too. And some of the damage was permanent. A bit of restrained panic flickers behind her eyes, but she tries to swallow her heart back down her throat, "Close...how... How bad's the damage? Just tell me, Daniel. I... I can handle it."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
The remains of the fear is still there, but it lesses as she grips his hand back, his own warm fingers curling just a bit tighter around her cool ones.

Her words trigger a quick shake of Daniel's head as his mind follows hers, " No," he tells her, knowing what's got her rattled. "He said you lost a lot of blood but you were lucky, the vest took most of the impact and the bullet didn't hit anything vital," he says squeezing her hand again. "As long as you stay put this will just be another scar for your collection."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Oh thank god..." Peggy states a little too quickly, especially considering they've never even talked about the possibility of children. Especially with their lives. But clearly there was some thought in the back of her head because the panic on her face had been real for those few moments. She lets out a little breath, trying to look a hint more put together. Stiff upper lip, and all that.

"I mean... even if... If something had been... Hit... There's plenty of... children out there, and we haven't... I mean, we're not even... married, and the work is... It's fine. Everything is fine. Either way. Is all." Peggy's probably a little more ruffled than she'd care to admit about it all, but she's doing her best to repair her calm, put together exterior. Even laying in a hospital bed.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel nods in heartfelt agreement, "It was one of the first things I asked when the doctor came by," her says, it seems she wasn't the only one with that thought in the back of his head. "Ana and Jarvis asked about it too," he says, before gesturing at their surroundings. "They're the ones you have to thank for all of this," he says as much to give himself a moment to put his thoughts together as to share information.

As she carries on with the topic, he nods his head, before saying, "Peggy," he says meeting her eyes. "I'm glad it wasn't like Ana, I know we haven't talked about it, but I've thought about that, yeah," a faint attempt at a wry smile. "If we can actually find the time for it."

Peggy Carter has posed:
An almost nervous, but sweet little laugh escapes her lips half breathlessly and Peggy lets her head sink back onto the pillow. She feels almost exhausted just by the emotional rollercoaster of that whole experience. She keeps her hand around his, faint smile lingering because the relief is earnest, even if the exhaustion is as well. "I.. I know that's not the beginning and end of it all, even if... Well. It's no matter. We hadn't even discussed it. I just...I suppose it's good to know that we have the... option of...Discussing it. Sometime. In the future. You know."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel smiles still holding her hand, "Definitely," he says "And I'm glad the option's still on the table too..." he says, "For the future..." he asks before curiosity gets the better of him. "Wow, I guess we're putting the cart before the horse here, but how far in the future were you thinking?" After all they hadn't actually gotten married yet, which was another thing that had been on his mind during that long wait to see if Peggy would wake up.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Weakly, but with enough determination she can manage to get his hand up, she takes that hand which is wrapped around hers and draws it up to tuck in against the side of her jaw line. She just wants to touch more of him but actually sitting up in bed seems an unwise choice for the moment. So, this will have to do. She presses her cheek into the touch, relaxing by centimeters. "...I... would say... we'll let these stitches heal at least, no?" Peggy jests, the joke easier than figuring out a genuine answer.

"But... goodness, Daniel. I don't know. We're not even *wed* yet, though all the magazines said I should have two children by now... damn the magazines."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
He let's his hand be taken to her cheek reveling in that touch as much as she does. "Probably for the best," he agrees with a tired laugh of his own. "Right and they also say I'm supposed to be the one at work all hours and you should be vacuuming in your best pearls and making sure dinner's on the table when I get home," he says, before he offers a wry smile. "Obviously none of the writers have had your cooking," he teases. "But as for the wedding part,. I've been thinking about that, I think I've got a good number for the ceremony," he says. "Now it's a little down from the one to two hundred I was talking about in the basement but I think you'll like it."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A faint laugh comes again, edged with a groan as he mentions her cooking. "No, no...I don't think we've quite got it near what the magazines think. Best to take most of their advice with a grain of salt. We... we'll consider it in a year or two, perhaps. Once SHIELD is settled in a bit more...Solidly, and we're not training a new class every month. I think we can manage that long, hmm?" Peggy asks with a more gentle smile, but she seems to mean it. Children aren't a far distant impossiblity.

Then he's talking about the wedding. She blinks, trying to remember how many he was saying back in the warehouse. Everything is fuzzy, but she does dimly remember him going on about the wedding. "I... suspect you were getting in a bit over your head in that...basement. But, do tell me? Better things to think about than being laid up here and how I'm going to bribe them tomorrow to let me out."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"A year or two works," Daniel says. "And speaking of advice to take with a grain of salt, my parents, they're Catholic, so they're going to have /opinions/ on kids," he says with a smile, figuring she knows by now if he gave a damn about their opinions he'd be in Idaho not New York.

"Maybe a little bit," he admits with a smile. "Or maybe I was just trying to get a rise out of you to make sure you didn't fall asleep on me," he says, before getting down to the point. "So, the number, like I said, a little smaller than I was pitching but..." he holds up two fingers. "Two, and as soon as we can manage it."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A little groan escapes her lips as he mentions his parents being Catholic. "Oh...they really are going to despise me, aren't they? British, and Angelican..." Not that she's been to church in probably a decade, "And a career woman? I'd say if you want to hold off for them to come to the wedding, we can, but I suspect they might put in a protest with the priest!" Peggy is only half joking about that. She probably won't admit it aloud, but from all the little details Daniel knows about her, she's genuinely nervous about meeting his parents. Wildly so.

Then her mind processes what he's saying about the wedding and she blinks. She wakes up to it a hint more, head turning to fully stare at him. "...W-what... What? Two? I mean...don't there need to be... Witnesses? And what about your family, truly??"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel smiles, "With a name like Sousa, did you think we'd be WASPs?" he asks brows raising amusedly over dark eyes. "And nah, my Dad won't care, since the First War, he only goes to church when my Mom drags him," he says. "My mother on the other hand... well, we'll deal with them, she won't mind the career woman part though, during the Depression the family store shut down, and being a teacher she was the only one out of my dad, uncle, aunt, two cousins and myself earning a paycheck. She'll respect you for that much," he says, though that did a lot of ground unspoken for.

As to the marriage, he nods, "Right, okay, four then," he says about witnesses. "My family will have to understand about the timing, but I'm not up for waiting unless you want to. I mean my mom will want to drag us to St. Edwards for a proper church wedding if we ever get the chance to visit, but we can cross that bridge when come to it," he says before he squeezes her hand again. "You were almost gone, Peggy, it wasn't supp-" he begins, "I just don't want to wait any more," he settles on finally.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"... Wasn't supposed...?" Peggy asks softly, knowing there is a rest of a thought there that her tired mind just isn't exactly picking up on, but she is curious. It's nicer that focusing on the fact that she did come uncomfortably close to death for a woman who has brushed along with the grim reaper more than once. She just generally gets out more in tact than she did this time. "And I know...I lost a lot of blood. But nothing vital hit. I'm fine. A day or two and I'll be out of here, I promise that. So... it's not all quite so bad. I promise." She pulls his fingertips up to her lips for a little, gentle kiss.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Sousa glances down before answering. "It wasn't supposed to be you who dies first," he says. "I kept thinking maybe that call changed things, and we messed up and now the future is broken..." he says, which was easier to think about than Peggy simply dying, that was too solid, too real, the abstract, futures and the like were more comfortable to consider. "I know," he says as she kisses his fingertips. "I know, but I'm worried about the next time or the time after that, whichever of us gets hit. I'm up for it, it's the job, but it does put things in perspective and makes it hard to want to wait for that next chapter of our lives to start."

Peggy Carter has posed:
As he dares to be honest about those words, that gentle, reassuring smile of her's slightly falters and there's a sudden echo of glassiness in her eyes that wasn't there before. Peggy didn't expect him to say that, or feel that, but she'd shared many of the same feelings about worrying over the future. She just didn't realize how much it'd it home for him. "Oh... Daniel. See? I am fine... Absolutely fine. I... god. I don't want to think of either of us dying first. And we've been so careful. I don't think we...mucked up things too badly. Not when we have each other." Her hand tightens around his, squeezing as much as whatever strength she has left allows her. "But... if you truly want to...hasten things..."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
His own eyes glass over and he wipes them on his sleeve. "I know but we were damn close, I dunno, I trust us, but we can't be lucky forever..." he says before considering things, trying to be rational, squeezing her had back tightly as he does. "I do want to," he says. "I know it's going to piss off some people, but yeah, Peggy, I want to marry you as soon as I can. I want as much of that life as we can get."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Oh, Daniel... goodness.. Hey..." Peggy probably shouldn't be sitting up, but as she sees his eyes glassing over like that, she cannot help but get a bit straighter and closer to him. Her free hand reaches down behind her, using good arm to push her somewhat into sitting and not pull too much on her injured abdominal muscles. It hurts, but it's worth it to be sitting enough she can reach her hand fully to his cheek and even lean in for a proper kiss. She may have pulled a stitch. She doesn't care.

"My love... We can next week. Tomorrow, if they'd let me out. Grab a few witnesses from the office who know and just...get it done with properly."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel reaches out to help keep Peggy up right at first while she reaches for his cheek, though when she leans in for the kiss it turns into a proper embrace, holding her tighter than is likely comfortable for either of them but not caring while he let's that kiss linger. When it breaks, he smiles, eyes still wet, but happy, "Next week then, we'll grab who we can get, and it'll give us a bit of time to heal," he says before adding. "Kinda want to see if you were right about managing carrying you across the threshold," he teases lightly to say nothing of them passing out while signing the papers.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Now that she's sitting up straigher, she can better examine his face. Once the kiss is broken, she pulls back just enough to look him over, a deep wrinkle of concern pulling between her brows. Peggy's fingertips ever so tenderly brush his cheek and across the bruising of that eye, trying not to touch hard enough to cause pain, but she's clearly worried. "Oh god, Daniel... I am sorry. You should be resting up in a bed, not playing nurse maid to me here. I know you were hurt when I got there... I cannot imagine things just went away. How bad is it all?" Her faint smile comes in turn. "Maybe we'll save across the threshold until after the honeymoon."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel accepts the touch and the look of concern with only a little bit of a grimace at being fussed over. Clearly it's a problem they both share. He shakes his head gently. "I'm fine where I am, Peg, and technically, the Jarvises were doing all the nursemaiding, I've just been supervising," he says. "Besides I wasn't going to be anywhere else," he says. As for how he is. "Some bruised ribs, cracked tooth that hurts like hell, and this shiner is the worst of it," he says. "Oh and the cut on my hand, if you hadn't come when you did though, I'd be missing a few more bits." So at least some good came of that attempted rescue.
5r"We'll see how things go, and maybe we should make it in two weeks. I mean being too wiped out to properly enjoy our honeymoon would be par for the course for us, but I think we'd both have more fun if we are properly rested." He smiles faintly in return. "You already owe me a lot come next movie night, don't want to add the honeymoon to that pile," he teases.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The pad of her thumb ever so gently brushes across the crest of his cheekbone, like her touch alone could soothe some of those injuries. Though, when he mentions he'd have lost more digits if she didn't come that fast, Peggy's smile widens just a bit. Mischief is clear behind her eyes. "See? No matter what they say, it was worth dashing off alone with nearly no back up as quickly as possible. A few more minutes and you'd be missing fingers!" Peggy KNOWS she's pushing it with that justification, but she's still got that pale lipped grin in place and is enjoying being a little bit right about the matter.

"And I will...happily... Wonderfully... make up for all this and more next movie night. I'm just glad we have the chance... that's what matters. And whenever you want the wedding, we'll do it. Tomorrow. Next week. Two weeks. I love you and all I care about is to be your wife."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
In a way Peggy's touch does south the hurt, not physically but mentally, a reminder that she made it, banishing whatever worry is left. He takes takes that thumb and kisses it, unable to help but laugh at Peggy's smile. "Ow," he says as the laugh hurts his ribs. "I really should have kept my mouth shut huh?" he asks her. "And yes, you did save me a finger or two, but next time grab Chen, or I'll just keep bugging Phillips and Howard until they assign her to you full time," he says with a smile, it wasn't like they could really overrule her but then he wasn't at all serious.

As to the rest, he smiles, leaning down to kiss her again. "I love you too Peggy, and let's rest a few days, then pick a day, it's not like we won't know where to find the people we want to invite," they were as dedicated to the job as they were. "And Howard said he's cleared his schedule to make sure you were being looked after."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Sitting up was a lofty goal and, after another moment or two, it's one that is a little beyond Peggy. She doesn't exactly collapse back down to the bed, but it's not graceful either. Once she's flopped back into the pillow, she gives a pained, faint huff to the ceiling. "Well...this is awful. And exactly what does *Howard* plan on doing to play nurse maid, or does this mean he's actually at the office and I shouldn't attempt to get back behind my desk by Friday? Because that was the plan... I only lost one day so far, right?" Peggy asks him. The more pain she's in, the more she'd determined to get out of here and pretend she isn't.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel reaches out too late to try to stop her fall, flinching as she hits the bed, "Easy," he warns. As for Stark..."Well from what you told me about what was in Howard's closets in the Penthouse when you moved in, he's got the outfit for the role already," Daniel deadpans with mischief in his eyes about Howard playing nurse maid. "And that was the idea, he's in the office, which I really think is just a ploy to get Phillips to come back from Washington early, you know what he thinks of Howard actually running the show." He says before looking at her with a bit of concern. "Work on sitting up on your own for more than a few minutes then we can talk about the office," he says. "Worse comes to worse, we'll get your files brought over to the penthouse and a secure phone installed on the bedside table while you recover."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A little grunt of disapproval comes as he mentions she should work on sitting up in bed first, but Peggy can't quite argue with it all. She keeps her hand around his, body sinking a bit deeper into the bed and the temptation of going back to sleep. "Well, as long as Phillips gets here in a day or two. We can't leave Howard alone to his own devices. The office will either be on fire or covered in experimental tech by the time we get back."

A small sound escapes her throat, tired but thoughtful as she now fights the heaviness of her own eyes. She doesn't want to fall back asleep, but she might lose this battle soon. "...Chen's a good agent. I don't quite want her glued to me but... we can get her heading up a few more things, I'd say... How'd she handle...Everything?"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Why think small, I'm sure Howard can handle both," Daniel grins faintly. "Guessing Phillips thought the same thing, he called and said he'd be up here in the morning," he says.

"Good, we had a chat after they took you in for surgery, kept having to remind myself she wasn't May, but she's taking things well, I think, and she took charge of us getting us out of there like a pro. I think she's a prime candidate to bump up quick once she's finished training, even Wallace was taking orders from her, by the end," he says one eye on Peggy to see if she nods off to sleep while he's talking.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Even Wallace, hmm? That's... that's damn good news." Peggy's fighting it. She wants to stay up, talk and work, make certain everything else is in order, but it's a losing fight. Her eyes are half closed now and the one palm that's remained around Daniel's hand is starting to go slack again. She's still fighting it though. "... is... there anything else? From the office? I... might end up napping again. Just... a little while, but... what else is on the desk for now?" She asks softly.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Very," Daniel says about Wallace as he brings Peggy's slackening hand to his lips to give it a gentle kiss. "Nothing that can't wait until you wake up, and if there's an emergency I'll wake you, don't worry, I won't let you miss a thing."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I love you... I love you so much, Daniel. I'm always coming for you... Promise. Even when I shouldn't." Peggy admits softly, through half lidded eyes and pale lips. But she needed to say it, before sleep took her again.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel smiles at the words even if the should worry him. "Love you too, Peg," he tells her brushing a kiss to her lips before she's fully gone to sleep. "And I'll always do the same," he says pulling her blanket up a little for her before he hooks his chair with his cane and drags it over to sit by her side.

Peggy Carter has posed:
That's what she needed to hear. Still pale as death, but Peggy is smiling as she finally sinks fully back into sleep. It will be a far more calm rest than the mess right after surgery.