Chapter Text
Chapter 1 - DR. ABC
“Everyone, make yourselves comfortable!” Tony directed the Avengers to the training room with chairs ready for them in front of a TV.
“Do you know what’s going on?” Bob whispered to Yelena as they sat down. Even if going through strategies in the training room wasn’t uncommon, there was no upcoming mission, and Tony seemed in a good mood.
“No clue.” Yelena replied, waiting to see where this was going.
Steve was about to sit down in the back with Bucky when Tony stopped him.
“Ah, Captain! Saved this seat in the first row for you. Come here.”
“Oh? Thanks, Tony.” Rogers replied and went closer to the screen. Bucky raised an eyebrow, but also followed him.
When they were all seated, the presentation began.
“You might all wonder why I called you here today.” Tony started and then waited a moment for purely dramatic reasons .
“Just get on with it.” Clint mumbled and sagged into his chair. “Some of us have things to do.”
“Such impatience, while I am here trying to give you all a good lesson-” Tony retorted and put his arms on his hips. He wanted to drag the moment a bit longer, but as he saw Ava and Natasha also open their mouths, he quickly added.
“Alright, alright! How much do any of you know about first aid?” He didn’t even wait for answers as he continued. “Well, you will know a lot more after watching this video.”
Steve was already beginning to understand what video he wanted to show them. It had only been recorded yesterday, and he had honestly believed Stark wouldn’t get his hands on it.
“Tony.... Please, tell you you didn’t-”
Stark smirked as he pressed play on his watch.
The screen turned white, and an Avenger wearing a blue, white, and red suit walked into the frame.
“Hi, I am Captain America. Here to talk to you about one of the most valuable skills any person can possess. Today we will go together through the basics of first aid.”
“Steve, is that you?” Bucky asked, holding back a smile. Other Avengers weren’t so polite, as laughter could be heard around the room. Bucky didn’t turn around to see who laughed, but one snort definitely belonged to Yelena.
Steve only grunted in response and placed his hand across his face.
“Quiet, this is important.” Tony commanded, mirth clear in his voice.
“In an emergency, your first job is to assess the situation, establish what happened, and what kind of help they need. This is called the primary survey. It’s made out of five steps, which are known by the acronym DR. ABC. ”
————————————
Bob liked to explore New York. It was changing every day.
There was always something new to be seen, whether it was a street musician, fresh graffiti, or a hot dog stand that had closed due to hygiene violations and then reappeared in a different location.
The summer holiday gave him freedom to move around freely as he pleased without being worried that he might miss a class if he got lost in thought while he aimlessly walked the streets.
The city was significantly larger than his hometown. Even during the years he moved around the country, he had never been in a city like this one.
Well, if you don’t count the few months he lived in New York in the future. Should he count the future New York as a different city? Probably not.
He took a random turn somewhere at the edge of Central Park and kept walking straight. Bob wasn’t worried about getting lost, he could always look up his location on the phone or keep going south until the Avengers Tower became visible among the skyscrapers.
Exploring today meant not only discovering new quirks of the city, but also looking for a good restaurant. Yelena had asked for fries when he had told her that he was going out. Luckily, nobody else noticed him leaving, otherwise his hands would be dangerously full of food or drinks for them.
He had no idea how Clint and Ava carried the orders for everyone. He had volunteered to do it once, but decided not to do it ever again unless they asked nicely. All the coffees for the Thunderbolts spilled on the ground only a few meters outside of the coffee shop.
Only fries today. He could carry that.
The neighbourhood he found himself in seemed run down. The buildings were lower, and the atmosphere was a bit gloomy despite a bright sunny day.
A restaurant in the area was revealed as the smell of butter and cheese hit him. It was coming from across the street.
The place was called Larry’s Pizza.
Bob crossed the road swiftly and got inside. He found a menu at a table and glanced at it.
Like most places, they did sell fries.
“What can I get ya, boy?” A rough voice asked.
Bob flinched; the restaurant was almost empty, and he hadn’t noticed an older man getting close to him.
“Uh- I would like to have some fries. To go.”
“Right…” The man wrote it down on a notepad. “Anything else? Larry’s Pizzas are the best in the whole of Hell’s Kitchen. We got a classic Margherita , then Quattro formaggi- the cheese will dissolve in your mouth, some Capriciossa , eh?”
“Ehm, no. Thank you, sir.” Bob replied. He came here only for the fries, nobody asked for food, and he had already eaten.
“You sure? We are cheap, I am telling ya.” The older man wasn’t going anywhere. If anything, he seemed to be getting closer to Bob. “ So cheap it’s hard to pay the bills these days, especially if our windows are destroyed once in a while- See that one?”
He grumbled and pointed at a cracked window in the corner. It was holding together by the force of will and duct tape.
“The devil threw a robber at it a week ago. The wooden frame took most of the impact- nothing a good old hammer, nails, and a piece of wood couldn’t fix, but the glass is a problem- tsk.”
“The devil?” Bob asked curiously.
“The newspapers call him Daredevil these days.”
Oh, right . The vigilante. Bob remembered he was famous for… something.
Unfortunately, people like Bob, who weren’t from Manhattan, didn’t know a lot about him. Some even believed he wasn't real, a myth to scare the criminals. He also didn’t fight Thanos, so the team didn’t consider getting him on board with the plan to find the infinity stones.
The old waiter huffed. “I mean, don’t get meh wrong. I like him , he does what nobody else did for this part of the city for years, but the damned window is so expensive to fix. We need to get more customers to keep this place afloat. It’s such a damn shame you don’t want anything else.”
Bob had promised Yelena that he would try to say “No” more often, but surely she would understand the hard situation the man was in.
Everybody loves pizza. He could buy one. The man looked defeated by not being able to sell one to him.
“You know what? I might take one- the Caprisomething?”
“Ah, Capriciossa. An excellent choice!” The sad expression quickly vanished from the man’s face. “We also have a special offer, Larry's secret recipe.”
“I think one-“ Bob started.
“It’s my granddaughter’s favorite.” The waiter pulled a photo from somewhere. It showed a girl sitting next to him on a coach. They were both smiling and holding small cups as if to say cheers.
“She is going to have a birthday next week. Twelve! They grow up so fast. I wanted to buy her a nice present , but with all the money going into the window repair, I’m not sure if I can get my little angel the gift she deserves… if only I sold some more…”
“Maybe I can have two?”
“Wha'? I didn’t hear, ya- Three? Three pizzas and fries to go. Got it, boy! Wait right here, it will be ready in no time.”
Twenty minutes later and fifty-dollar bill lighter- “No cards, only cash. The machine just ain’t working. It has nothing to do with taxes. Wait, ya aren’t a copper, are you? Yeah, thought so.” - Bob left the place with his hands full of boxes and a paper bag on top of them.
Each item made the risk of everything falling higher, but Bob didn’t want the coffee shop incident to repeat itself, so he held onto them tightly and went his way back to the Tower.
He had to admit the pizzas smelled heavenly.
Before taking them, he opened one of the boxes to take a peek. Larry’s special seemed to be a mix of different toppings that didn’t seem to fit together, but he was putting his trust in the old saying - Don't judge a book by its cover.
He decided to walk south through Main Street and then some alleys to get a right direction. After a second alley turned out to be a dead end, he was ready to put the boxes down on a bench and look up the fastest road with maps. He didn’t want to bring the food cold.
As he was about to leave the alley that ended with a metal fence in the way , Bob noticed a man lying on the ground. He had been almost hidden from sight by a trash container.
“Sir? Are you alright?” Bob gulped and took a small step closer.
“Now, let’s take a look at what each letter in DR ABC means. D stands for Danger. Before approaching a casualty, you should always check to see if there is anything that might pose a further risk to them, to you, or anybody else.”
Bob didn’t see anything unusual in the area. The ground was still damp after yesterday’s rain, since the sunlight didn’t reach it in the shadows between the two buildings. The pleasant smell of the melted cheese mixed with the reek of trash nearby.
“Sir?” Bob tried to ask louder.
The man didn’t seem to react in any way. He was lying on his side with his eyes were closed.
“R. Response. For this one, we have the AVPU scale to find out the level of consciousness. Begin by seeing if they are Alert. Are their eyes open? Do they speak? If not, do they respond to your Voice? Talk to them. After getting no response, move on to Pain. Place your hand on their shoulder and squeeze. If they still don’t respond, assume that they are unconscious.”
The pizza boxes and the paper bag Bob tried to protect from falling on the ground ended up just there as he put them down and knelt next to the man to press his should er.
Oh my god, he really is unconscious. What do I do? Bob thought as he felt panic rise . What would Captain America do?
“Help! Help!” Bob shouted into the alley.
‘Rogers would certainly know what to do.’ The Void let its presence be known.
Bob was proud of himself for hearing his darker thoughts less often. He felt fine with his team by his side. He felt fine at the uni after passing exams. He felt fine.
He was fine.
However, some days, when everything became too much, the voice returned. It was eating at his consciousness as he tried to sleep. The whispers of a shadow figure echoed through the Rooms when he visited the mind palace to sort his thoughts. It would be a mistake to believe it was gone after not hearing it for days, even weeks.
Bob wasn’t naive.
The truth showed itself in the stressful situations.
His arms shook , hover ed around the ma n as he tri ed to remembe r th at one educational video with Steve in i t. Tony had shown it to them mostly for fun, but he could use it now .
DR A-
“A. Airways. You need to check that the casualty is breathing properly, but before you can do that , you need to open their airways. You can do so by rolling the casualty on their back, then tilt their head backwards by pressing one hand on their forehead and two fingers from the other hand under their chin and lift.“
He could do that. It was alright, then the man would wake up soon.
“B. Breathing. Spend at least 10 seconds looking, listening, and feeling for normal breathing.”
When the man’s head was tilted, Bob was supposed to bend down and look at his chest. It wasn’t moving. Bob heard no breaths and felt no exhaled air on his skin.
Please, no.
“Help!” He tried to shout again, but no one came.
What was next- CPR?
“C. Circulation. If the casualty isn’t breathing, their heart isn’t pumping either. Immediately start with the CPR and-”
Bob placed his hands on the centre of the man’s chest and started to push rhythmically.
“Come on…”
He knew he was supposed to do about a hundred and twenty compressions a minute. Tony played them a song with the beats for it, but this didn’t feel like the right moment to think about Stayin’ alive ; his mind was already so loud without it.
“Wake up…”
‘As if asking him to wake up would help.’
Bob didn’t know how long he had been doing the resuscitation. It had to be more than a few minutes; the time seemed to quicken. Each second could mean the difference between life and death for the man.
Worst of all, Bob didn’t know how long the man had already been in the alley.
His skin started to feel cold.
I should have called 911. I should have picked him up and run to the closest hospital. I should have shouted louder. I should have…
‘You should. Maybe he still would be alive if you weren’t the one who found him.’
“Help.” Bob said weakly again to the empty alley, already losing hope that the man was going to open his eyes anytime soon.
He stopped pushing, realising the severity of the situation, and fished out his phone from his pocket with shaky hands. Tears started to fill his eyes making it harder to dial the number.
“And remember, by following the simple steps of DR ABC, even you can save lives.”
“911, what’s your emergency?”