Natasha kept her eyes glued on Steve's face, which was pale and ashen. "Oh, Steve." She murmured, a tear falling down her face. If it wasn't for the occasional fogging of the oxygen mask and the slow rise and fall of his chest, she would've thought he was dead.
Steve suddenly groaned through the oxygen mask, stirring a little on the gurney as he brushed edges with consciousness. Natasha still sat beside him, holding his hand. She used her other hand to smooth the hair on his forehead back. "It's okay, Steve. You're okay," She cooed, just in case he could hear her.
"….N'tasha…" He slurred, opening his eyes a little.
"Steve…" She breathed a sigh of relief. His ice-blue eyes were hazed over and bright with fever. She put the back of her hand on his cheek, realizing with a sick feeling that his skin was hot and flushed.
"Tasha I don't….I can't…" He whispered, starting to wheeze heavily. He was panicking, probably because of the delirium that the fever was causing. "….Tasha! Tasha!" He shouted, sobbing quietly as tears leaked down his face.
"Hey, hey, hey, Steve," She placed both of her palms on his cheeks, holding his face in her hands. "Look at me. It's okay. I'm right here, it's okay," She whispered, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb. He fidgeted fitfully, whimpering and crying out.
Two of the paramedics came over to him, one of them holding a syringe. The one holding the syringe injected the medicine into his arm.
"What's that?" Natasha asked, becoming protective over Steve. Suddenly she didn't trust these guys.
"A sedative. If he keeps panicking, he could give himself another heart attack, which could kill him. You don't want him to die, do you?" The paramedic snapped.
"Tasha…?" Steve mumbled through the oxygen mask, blinking lazily, like he couldn't keep his eyes open.
She turned her attention back to him, his face still in her hands. "It's okay Steve. Just go to sleep,"
He kept fighting the sedative, his head rolling left then right. "'m c'ld 'tasha…." Steve slurred.
"Just go to sleep," She repeated, moving her hand from his cheek to his hair, running her fingers through the blonde strands.
Steve blinked a few more times until he just couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and everything faded to black.
A few hours had gone by since Natasha had been in the ambulance with Steve. Now she sat in a chair next to his hospital bed, watching as his chest rose and fell to the rhythm of the ventilator. He'd gotten worse. Now he wasn't breathing on his own, and his face seemed even paler.
As Natasha sat in silence, holding Steve's hand in hers, she thought. She thought about a lot of things. But the one thing that she had thought about and couldn't forget was the fact that she loved Steve. It had never occurred to her before, but now, as she saw how vulnerable he was and how much danger he was in, she realized that she loved him.
She allowed a tear to slip down her cheek. She hated seeing him like this. She hated seeing him in pain, in misery. He groaned softly, causing Natasha to snap out of her thoughts and look at him. He'd been unconscious for three hours and forty six minutes. The first hour of unconsciousness was because of the sedative, but the other two hours and forty six minutes wasn't. All she really wanted was for him to wake up.
"Steve? Honey can you hear me?" She murmured, stroking his cheek with her hand. He stirred when she touched him, and his eyelids fluttered. "Steve?"
Then the door opened. Natasha glanced in the direction of the door, seeing Bruce and the other avengers standing there, except for Thor. "Nat?" He stated questioningly, coming over to her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as Clint and Tony walked over.
She sighed heavily, looking down at her feet. "Did you find anything?" She asked. Clint, Bruce, and Tony had gone to do some research, trying to figure out why Steve was so sick.
"Yeah…..but it's not good." Bruce replied.
Nat glanced up at him, her eyes wide with fear. "What's wrong with him?" She demanded.
"He's been poisoned, Natasha." He murmured solemnly.
"What? Who could've….?" She broke off. "Hydra." She growled. "But how? When could they have done this?" Tony and Clint both shrugged, and Bruce shook his head.
Suddenly Steve groaned loudly, fidgeting in the bed. His eyelids fluttered open, and he stared blankly up at the ceiling, reason slowly returning to him. "…Natasha….?" He murmured, looking over at her. He slowly turned his head so that he was facing her. "Natasha, I have to tell you b-before I…"
"Tell me what Steve?" She asked urgently, cupping his cheek with her hand. He stared at her, unblinking, his eyes glazed over. "Steve? Steve?!" she cried, shaking him. His eyelids fluttered closed and he went limp, his head lolling to the side in her grip. "Steve….." Natasha croaked as she ran her fingers through his hair, staring at his slack, pale face. "Please, come back to me," She whispered, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.
The others just stared, watching in shock as Nat climbed into the bed with him, lying her head on his chest. They'd never seen Natasha this distraught before, and it broke their hearts.
"Please Steve, come back to me," She whispered, over and over and over. "Please, Steve. Please. I love you," Natasha and the others stayed there in silence, all silently begging Steve to wake up.
