Note: Long time reader, first time writer...we'll see how this goes.
Natasha never thought that she would be living in the middle of Iowa. But she needed a job and Betty said that she could use another nurse, and so here she was. She didn't think that it would be so hard to find a job, especially since she was a very good nurse who worked overseas during the war. But apparently none of her skills or her experience mattered to anyone. All that mattered was where she were born and anyone who had a connection to Russia was considered a threat. She had been turned down so many times and was grateful when she received the letter from Betty. Betty was a nurse who worked with Natasha during the war. They had become close friends over the years and they still kept in touch even after the war ended. So when Natasha stepped off the train and saw her friend she immediately ran and hugged her.
"Oh, it's good to see you again Natasha," said Betty.
"Yes it's been too long." Natasha replied. Both women began to walk out of the train station when Natasha turned and said, "Betty I really have to thank you for giving me this job. I really was running out of options."
"Trust me, Bruce and I could use all of the help we can get," said Betty. "Things have been getting hectic. We have been getting more and more patients recently and there was a terrible storm a few days ago that destroyed some of the roof of the office and…uh" she suddenly paused. Natasha turned and looked at her.
"Betty, what is it?"
"I…uh…I'm pregnant." Betty smiled softly.
"Oh Betty that's wonderful news! Have you told Bruce yet?"
Natasha had never met Bruce before but Betty had talked about him. They had met while he was studying to become a doctor and she was studying to be a nurse and they both fell in love. After they were married Betty went to Europe to be a nurse during the war while Bruce stayed at home. He was never drafted because he had some anger problems and so he wasn't qualified to go and fight.
"I don't even know how to describe it," Betty said. "He would just completely lose it. Sometimes it felt like he was a completely different person."
"And that never scared you?" Natasha asked.
"It did at first. But he has gotten much better at controlling it. And I know I can calm him down if it gets too bad." She replied.
Natasha snapped out of her memory when she realized that Betty was talking to her again. "I know a place where you can stay. A free room had just opened up at an apartment complex right by the office. A man named Mr. Coulson owns it and he's very nice."
"Oh that sounds great I'll go see if I can meet him later today." Natasha said.
"Yes but I want to show you the office today. I know it will look bad but Bruce says he's getting someone to fix the roof."
Betty was right, the office did look like a mess but Natasha didn't really care because she finally had a job and she knew that it would get fixed eventually. Bruce was a very nice man and she could see why Betty loved him so much. They all walked around the office showing Natasha all of the different rooms when someone knocked on the door. Bruce opened the door and another man walked in.
"Clint! It's good to see you again. Are you doing well?" Bruce asked. Natasha suddenly looked up. She remembered a man in the hospital named Clint. But that was just a coincidence. There were probably many men who had that name.
"Everything's been fine, Dr. Banner." The man replied. "I should be able to fix the roof in a couple of weeks. It shouldn't take too…" he stopped when he saw Natasha. She stared back at him and was overcome with the memories of when she first met him.
Natasha was completely exhausted. It felt like the battle was never going to end. She was doing her best to take care of the soldiers but there were so many of them and so few supplies. She had just finished wrapping another wound when a new soldier had been carried in. He had a large gash on his forehead and his head was dripping with blood. She learned that there was an attack and he had been too close to the explosion. He didn't look good. There was blood everywhere and Natasha didn't think he would live to see tomorrow. But enough men had died tonight. She didn't think she could handle seeing anymore. So she rolled up her sleeves and did what she did best.
"Do you two know each other?" Betty asked. Natasha turned and looked at her friend. She hadn't realized how long she had been staring at him.
"I…I was injured during the war," Clint said. "Wasn't paying attention and go too close to a grenade. That was how I lost most of my hearing. Natasha was the nurse when I was brought to the tent. She…she save my life."
Betty looked shocked. "You were in our tent? I never even noticed."
"Well we didn't know each other very well back then," said Clint. "And there were a lot of men there. You were probably busy helping someone else."
Natasha was still too shocked to say anything. They were all expecting her to say something but her throat closed up whenever Clint looked at her. Thankfully, Bruce saw that she was struggling and said that it was getting late and that they should all head home. But before she left, Clint walked over to her and said, "It's good to see you again Tasha."
"You too," she whispered back. She took a deep breath after he left. She couldn't be wasting time thinking about some solider. Especially if she was starting a brand new job the next day. So she walked outside and looked around at her new home, wondering what this small place would hold. It already had a couple of surprises. Who knows what could happen next.