Chapter 13: Adapting
AGENT SAKURA'S HOSPITAL ROOM
When Steve entered the room, he saw Dr. Erskine sitting at the side of Yumhee's bed, holding her right hand to his lips. Eyes closed. Praying, maybe.
"How is she?" Steve quietly asked the Doctor, walking to his side.
Dr. Erskine let out a long sigh. After a minute he stands up and looks at Steve. "I don't know...that's what I'm afraid of. Her condition seems to stabilized but until she wakes up we wouldn't know to what extent the damages are."
"What do you mean?" Steve asked cautiously.
"I'm afraid her blindness is not only the negative side-effect of the serum. At first, we thought it was because she almost died so the serum was taking slow in healing all the nerves. But before the operation, she regained consciousness for a few minutes and said she can't see anything. So we did a thorough examination and we found out that the serum wasn't able to heal all the dying nerves in her brain."
Dr. Erskine put his right hand to his temple, a growing headache making him more frustrated. "I don't know yet if it was because the serum wasn't administered fast enough or the serum wasn't totally compatible to her." He looked at Steve, his eyes watering. "And I don't know what her reaction will be, especially at this time of war." He let out another sigh and started to pat her daughter's head. "After her family died...she made it her goal to put a stop to this war and save as many lives as she can. This will break her heart."
SMALL THEATER - BACKSTAGE
Steve sweats, sick to his stomach. "I don't know if I can do this." He said weakly. Senator Brandt's aide stands beside him.
"Nothing to it. You sell a few bonds, bonds buy a few bullets, bullets kill a few Nazis. Bing bang boom, you're an American hero." The aide said patronizingly.
Steve swallows hard. "Not how I pictured getting there."
"The Senator's got a lot of pull on the Hill. Play ball with us and you'll be leading your own platoon in no time." The aide added to further entice Steve.
Steve considers this for a moment until they heard a bugle plays. The curtains part. After a long awkward moment, Steven stumbles through the curtains, as if shoved. He wears red boots and gloves, a blue costume with a stars and stripes shirt and a mask with wings. Dancing girls in short skirts look expectant. Steve stares at the small audience, dismayed.
In the crowd, Senator Brandt looks pleased. Steve glances over his shoulder. Senator Brandt's aide gives him the thumbs up. The girls sing, introducing our hero "Who's strong and brave, here to save the American way?"
Steve checks the cue card taped inside his triangular shield. Hesitating, he starts to read the cue card. "Who's fighting to keep you safe at home?"
"Who vows to fight like a man for what's right, night and day?" The dancing girls sings again.
"It's the American soldier, that's who." Steve continues to read the arrange lines for him.
"Who will campaign door-to-door for America? Carry the flag shore to shore for America? From Hoboken to Spokane, The Star-Spangled man with a plan." The dancing girls sings.
After the performance, Steve changed his clothes immediately and went straight to visit Yumhee.
"How's my girl?" Steve asked when he saw Yumhee stir in the bed. A small smile on his face.
"Steve?" Yumhee held her hand to Steve's direction, wanting to feel his warmth. Steve immediately walked to her and held her hand on his while he bends a little and plants a kiss on her forehead.
"Hey..." Steve caressed her cheek.
Yumhee leans to his touch. Then suddenly, tears silently falls from her eyes.
Steve felt flustered when he saw this scene. "Hey, hey...what's wrong? Do you feel pain anywhere?"
"No...I'm sorry, I just...I feel useless." Tears continue to fall from her eyes. "I don't want to stay here and just wait for either my death to come or for a peace that was gain through a lot of soldiers' lives. I'm supposed to be there on the battlefield. I'm supposed to be helping in stopping this war. My family..." Yumhee was too overwhelmed by her emotions that she couldn't even continue what she wanted to say. She felt thankful for still being alive but also disappointed, angry, lost, hurt, helpless and just overall depressed in the situation and condition she woke up to.
Steve felt useless as well, the ache in his heart increasing when he knows he can't do anything about her condition. Yumhee not only lost both of her eyesight but also her hearing from her left ear. It was also diagnosed that after a few months she will become mute. The serum was only able to completely heal the wound she obtained and bring her back from the dead. But unfortunately, there were drawbacks either from the hastily way of administering the serum to an almost dead patient or incompatibility. No one knows for sure right now and that is why Project Rebirth is on hold and further studies are being done.
"You're not useless. Never say that again. You being alive alone means everything to your father...and to me." Steve leans closer to her and kisses her slowly at first, pouring all his feelings. After a few minutes they parted to catch their breaths. "Yumhee...I don't want to lose you. What happened to you that day...I just can't..."
Yumhee was beyond surprised but she was pleasantly surprised. Afraid but happy. "Steve..." she started to cry again but for a different reason. "I'm sorry." Steve smiled through the kiss. With everything happening around them, they both decided not to waste the moments they can spend together.
When Yumhee was discharged from the hospital, Steve asked her and her father to live with him. With Yumhee's insistence, her father agreed. Steve and Dr. Erskine helped Yumhee familiarize herself to the apartment and started to train her hearing to be able to adapt more easily with her condition. They started to use Morse code for Yumhee's sake, when she starts to get mute as the days, weeks, months passed by.
Though Yumhee is a very strong person, her situation was still too much for her to accept all at once without hardships. There are days where she woke up crying after a nightmare. The moment when she discovered another one of her senses, her ability to talk, was lost, she always cried herself to sleep and locked herself to the bedroom she shared with Steve for days.
Steve and Dr. Erskine were heartbroken seeing Yumhee undergo such suffering and difficulties in her life. They tried their best to help and cheer her up as much as they can. And their efforts weren't wasted as Yumhee started to pull herself from her loneliness and self-pity. Because of this, Steve only adored her more. She is undoubtedly the strongest and toughest person he have ever met in his life. Everyday he thanks the Lord for giving him the chance to meet and be a part of such an amazing person's life. He will never let this chance go.