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Authors Note: Sorry it took so long to update! I am a full time college student with a part time job, these things come first. Thank you all for your continued support! Please remember to leave a review!
Natasha's POV:
"Where am I?" I think to myself. I look around the room and see nothing but white walls. It's almost like I am in a hospital. I try to sit up but I feel something cold and hard pull on my left wrist forcing me to lay back down. Confused I examine my wrist and am shocked to find that I am handcuffed to the bed. "What happened?" I wonder to myself. Then I feel the breath leave my body as I exhale and remember everything: Bucky, the Accords, the battle at the airport, Clint's betrayal, the giant Ant Man, falling, waking up in Clint's lap, and finally begging them to leave me.
I feel my eyes getting heavy again as my body tries to drift into the all too sweet escape of sleep. "No I can't sleep anymore. I must stop these drugs." I tell myself. I look at my arms looking for the IV that must be present to deliver these drugs. I find it on the top of my left, handcuffed hand. I begin to reach for it using my right hand and gasp out in pain as my shoulder screams in protest but I ignore the pain and remove the stupid tube from my hand stopping the drugs in my system.
Seconds later the door creeks open and I turn my head to watch a nurse enter the room.
"Well it's good to see your awake Ms. Romanoff." She greets me.
"Where am I?" I ask not in the mood for formalities.
"You're in a hospital in Washington DC." She responds.
"How are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?" She asks. I laugh to myself of course I remember what happened.
"I was in a fight and got hurt." I answered simply and watched as she began to examine my broken body.
"Did you take your IV out? I will need to get that replaced." She said obviously thinking out loud.
"Don't." I order as she starts to prep my skin for the IV again.
"I have to you will need painkillers to control your pain. Don't worry it will only sting a little" She promises. Again I laugh to myself "she thinks I'm afraid of the needle" I think to myself.
"It doesn't hurt that bad." I say but I am only half lying because I have a higher pain tolerance than most thanks to the Red Room.
"You're joking right? Both of your legs are shattered, you have several broken ribs, a punctured lung, a dislocated shoulder, and a concussion from your fight." She said sounding skeptical.
It takes me a second to respond I didn't know my injuries were so expansive.
"I'm fine and don't need any more painkillers." I say again. I could tell she was about to argue with me again when the door swings open again. I turn my head and see one person I never thought I would see again after SHEILD fell. Agent Maria Hill has just entered the room.
"You heard her. She doesn't want the drugs. Insert the IV for fluids and then leave the room." Hill orders.
"Who are you? You can't order me to do anything." The nurse responded quite badly. In response Hill flashes some sort of government ID and the nurse stops protesting. I feel the sharp sting of the needle in my left hand as the IV line was replaced. Then the nurse starts to leave the room when Hill speaks up again.
"One more thing. Send in the guard outside her door." She orders and the nurse nods and exits the room.
I lay there quietly waiting for the guard to enter the room. Which he does about 10 seconds later.
"What's the problem?" He asks in a grumpy, rough sounding voice.
"I want you to remove her restraint." Hill explains.
"I can't do that. She is a criminal who will be sent to a highly secure prison when she is healthy enough." He responds.
"She sacrificed herself time and time again to protect her country. She deserves the highest honor, not to be chained to her bed like some wanted criminal. Besides she can't even walk. Unchain her, at least until she can stand again. I will be here watching over her so she won't be able to try anything." Hill argued. I am shocked by some of the things she just said. No one except Clint has ever defended me like that.
"Fine but if something happens it's on you." He warns before taking out his keys and undoing my handcuff and leaves the room.
"Thank you." I say weakly. The last of the pain meds have left my system and my body hurts badly.
"No problem." She responds sounding concerned. She has never seen me so weak so that concern is understandable.
"What are you doing here?" I ask.
"Don't you remember? When I took over as your handler after Coulson left I promised to do everything I could to keep you and Clint safe. I intend to keep that promise even if I can't do so as your handler I will do so as your friend. I know you won't say it but you need help." She explains sounding more compassionate than I have heard from her before.
I don't respond for a few minutes, I just lay here thinking. It took a while for me to trust her but once I got to know her I discovered she is a lot like me. She doesn't display her emotions easily and she doesn't talk just to fill silence. We became friends over my years working at SHEILD, especially when she became my handler. "She's right I do need help now." I think to myself.
"Thank you Maria." I say again. I close my eyes and try to focus on breathing as the pain begins to overtake my thoughts. I don't know how long I remain like this but eventually Maria speaks again.
"Natasha I know why you don't like to take painkillers because you don't like the haze they put you in but I will be with you. Please agree to take even a light dose." She tries to reason.
"Won't work." I explain opening my eyes.
"Why not?" She asks sounding confused.
"No one but Clint knows this but in the Red Room when they increased my pain tolerance, they also increased my tolerance to painkillers. Light doses have no effect on me, in order to help my pain the dose must be strong. Now more than ever I must be aware of myself and surroundings. They will try to use me to draw out the other Avengers. I won't be the reason for their demise." I explain feeling the tears I had been fighting back fall down my cheeks.
Maria says nothing. She just pulls a chair up next to my bed and takes my left hand and squeezes it. I have never cried in front of her before so she must be just as shocked by this display of emotions as I am.
"No one will exploit you when you're vulnerable. You have spent so much of your life protecting others. I will protect you now." She promises with a fire burning in her eyes.
"Thank you Maria." I respond sincerely before closing my eyes to try and rest.
We sit in silence for about ten minutes when the door opens yet again and I moan inwardly. "Now what?" I ask myself. I open my eyes and watch as two large men in very nice suits enter the room. "Government agents. Great." I think to myself.
"Agent Romanoff, we have a few questions for you."
"She doesn't feel well enough to answer any of your questions." Maria tries to intervene.
"You have no authority here Hill." The bigger of the two men replied.
"You have refused painkillers so you must be well enough to answer my questions agent." He says looking me in the eyes. I say nothing in response.
"You know where the other Avengers are. You will tell us." He ordered harshly. I can't help but appreciate their straight forwardness.
"I don't know where they are." I respond telling the truth. I don't know where they went.
"Assuming that's true then you must have some way of contacting them once you are well." I say nothing. "Now it's time to lie" I think to myself.
"I don't. I am a traitor to them, they would never leave a way for me to find them because they know I will turn them in. My allegiance lies with the US government and the Accords that were established. I was doing as I was told, that's why I am here now like this." I said maintaining eye contact with my voice strong and unwavering.
"Fine. If you're telling the truth than you won't mind us faking your death and announcing it on tonight's news to draw them out. Or do you have a problem with that?" They ask. I freeze.
"They can't do that. This will draw them out for sure!" I think panicking. I feel Maria take my hand a squeeze hard, she gives me a strong look telling me not to do anything stupid. So I remain composed until the government agents leave the room.
"We can't let them do this." I say in a panicked voice.
"I know but there's nothing we can do." Maria says sounding defeated.
"I have to reach them first." I realize suddenly.
"I knew you were lying. How are you supposed to reach them?" Maria asks. I hesitate for a minute. "She could be playing me." I contemplate this with myself before deciding that it is unlikely and she is my only hope.
"Come here." I order. She leans in and hugs me placing her ear by my mouth.
"There's a phone by Fury's fake grave. We have to go there. Then use it to call them." I whisper.
"I will go, contact them." Maria promises. She wants to leave me here. "I don't think so" I think to myself.
"I'm coming to." I explain with my tone leaving no room for argument.
"Natasha you are to hurt to leave right now." She argues anyways.
"Please Maria." I say, this is as close to begging as I have ever come, even when tortured, and she knows this. I watch her eyes soften even more.
"Okay wait here. When I come back we will have to move fast so prepare yourself." Maria explains. I nod in response.
I remain in my bed trying to get a little rest and preserve my strength for what is about to happen. It's been a few hours since Maria left. Suddenly the door swings open and a nurse wearing a mask enters the room. I tense and the nurse approaches and removes the mask revealing Maria.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"It's time to go, I need you to take shallow breaths and not move." She explains.
"Okay. Why?" I ask slightly confused.
"I am a nurse transporting a dead patient to the morgue." She explains. Then I understand and nod my agreement.
"I have created fake records. You have been announced dead as of 5 minutes ago." She explains. She disconnects my IV and then I feel a blanket is placed over my body and head. I focus on remaining still and barley breathing, which is easy since it hurts to move and breath. I feel my bed start rolling and we are on our way out.
We move at a natural pace through the hospital for about 5 minutes then I suddenly the blanket is removed from my head and I open my eyes to see the setting sun and feel the crisp autumn air.
"We did it. Were out." I say surprised.
A Couple of Hours Later
No one's POV:
"Welcome to the 8:00 news. I am Amber Ross and breaking news tonight. The world is in grieving as Natasha Romanoff has just been reported as dead. She was critically injured in a fight against some of her former friends and Avengers teammates who betrayed this country by protecting fugitive James Barns. She was injured in a fight against these former friends after which she spent two days in a hospital on life support and finally she passed away in her sleep. She is a hero who fought for her country and she will be missed. You were an Agent of Shield, a protector, and most importantly and Avenger. Rest in peace Natasha."
Authors Note: Thanks for reading! Please review, you don't have to be a member to do so! I will update soon!