After that night he didn't talk for days. Natasha assumed that he was still in shock from everything. But she didn't have time to think about him. More and more soldiers were coming in covered in blood and needing stiches. But she still worried about him. She even tried to talk to him a couple times, but it never worked. He would just stare through her like she was a ghost. So after one long night she found some papers and a pen, and that gave her and idea. She walked over to his bed, writing quickly on the paper before showing it to him. She wrote, "I brought you some paper. I thought it might make things a little easier." His expression didn't change. He just kept staring.
"Well," Natasha thought. "At least I tried." She placed the paper and pen by his bedside. She was getting ready to leave when he suddenly grabbed her hand. She turned back around, a little shocked. This was probably the most he's moved in days. She looked in his eyes and realized that he was finally looking back at her.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Natasha wasn't having a very good day. She had nightmares all throughout the week and so she was exhausted. It wasn't anything new. She had been having them ever since the war ended. It would always start in the tent and it would end with some young man dying and it would be her fault. Sometimes Clint was the one who died. Those dreams were always the worst ones. She thought about asking Betty if she had any nightmares like this. But Natasha didn't want to bother her. Betty had enough on her plate right now. Also, Clint had finished working on the roof so she barely saw him anymore. And to top it all off she overheard a rather rude conversation between Mr. Coulson and an older man who lived in the apartment complex.
"Mr. Coulson, you need to get rid of her. She can't be trusted. We do not know what her real agenda is." The older man said.
"Mr. Pierce, I can understand why you are concerned but there is nothing to worry about. Ms. Romanoff is a wonderful young woman. She hasn't lived in Russia for years and she even helped us defeat Germany by being a nurse during the war." Mr. Coulson replied calmly. His comment made Natasha smile. She knew there was a reason why she liked him.
"Yes, but Russia also helped us defeat the Germans during the war," said Mr. Pierce. "But the war is now over, Mr. Coulson. Tell me, where do you think her allegiance lies?"
Natasha had heard enough and decided she needed some fresh air or else she was going to punch this Mr. Pierce in the nose. She walked outside and headed to the library. She had been thinking about visiting ever since Thor had suggested it, but never had the time until now. When she arrived, she headed straight to the language section. Natasha always had a love for languages. Ever since she had first learned English, she wanted to learn as much as she possibly could. She was walking along the aisle, looking at all of the different books when an idea formed in her head. She looked around some more, but could not find what she was searching for. So she quickly headed over to the front desk where a small woman with light brown hair was reading a book.
"Excuse me," Natasha asked. The other woman looked up. "Do you happen to have any books on sign language?"
"I'm not sure," the other woman replied. "We might have something in the back. Here, follow me." They both walked over to the back when the small woman looked at her and asked, "You're Natasha, right? Thor told me about you. My name is Jane. It's nice to meet you."
This must be the librarian Clint was talking about. It nearly made Natasha laugh to think about how such a large man like Thor would be with such a petite woman. But she seemed very nice and if she made Thor happy, then Natasha wasn't going to question it. Jane picked up an old book and handed it to Natasha. "Is this what you're looking for?" she asked.
"Yes. Thank you so much."
Natasha didn't know very much about sign language. She had heard about the term a few times before, but she never really thought about it until now. Even though Clint's hearing was better, it was never going to be the same ever again and it must get annoying trying to read everyone's lips. Now she could communicate with him in a completely new way. The thought made her smile. It was almost like learning some sort of secret language.
Natasha thanked Jane once again before heading off. When she arrived back in her room, she spent the rest of the night reading her new book, trying to place her hands in the same positions as the pictures. She decided that the day had ended much better than it began.