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"Clint.." Natasha repeated, her eyes searching for some reaction from her partner.
Her voice refocused his thoughts and he blinked forcefully. "You're sure?" he asked, raising his eyebrows, disbelief laced in his tone.
"Pretty sure," she confirmed, examining her hand. A wet stain was now spreading down the cloth of her trousers.
Clint bolted into action, gathering the rucksack at her feet and slinging it over his shoulder, jostling the quiver and bow still resting against his back. He grabbed Natasha's arm as he prepared to scurry off further into the rainforest.
"Barton!"
Her voice penetrated his dizzy mind. He released her arm and turned back to where she had stopped in her tracks, motionless.
She moved forward to cup his face with her hands. "This could take hours, okay?" she spoke, voice soothing. "I'm not having contractions yet so I need you to keep calm. The last thing I want is you running around like a headless chicken.."
Natasha knew it wasn't like him to lose his head like that, but under the circumstances she could understand his gut reaction to their dilemma.
"Okay, sorry..sorry," he apologised, placing his hands over her own that were framing his face. "We're gonna get through this, all right?"
His tone ignited a new confidence in her. If Clint believed they would be okay, then she whole-heartedly believed it. She kissed him lightly, her lips caressing his.
"Let's go," he spoke as they ventured further through the dense foliage.
Warehouse basement, Munich, Germany, September 2008
Natasha could hear a faint voice calling her name. She willed her eyelids to open but they wouldn't respond to her brains commands. The voice was approaching, the volume rising.
"Romanoff!" Coulson roared, his voice finally reaching her consciousness. She opened her eyes and fixed them onto the man's face in front of her, his hands cupping her jaw, shaking her head slightly.
"There we go...look who's back with us." He smiled weakly, fear flashing across his eyes.
Natasha smiled softly, her body only managing that. She attempted to sit forward but stopped when pain flared down her arm and through her hand. Someone was trying to remove the chains encircling her wrists. The agony in her wrist coupled with the pain emitting from her ribs soon brought her out of her stupor.
"Hey, we're getting you both out of here, all right?...Just keep those eyes on me, Romanoff."
Natasha nodded, keeping her eyes fixed on Coulson's pupils. Movement from behind his head caught her eye, sending a surge of panic through her. She moved her head slightly to take in the sight.
Clint had been freed from his chains and was currently being swarmed by countless SHIELD officials. All she could see was his head. His eyelids were sealed shut and his face was deathly pale. The rest of his body was submerged by the medical team rushing to get him stable. He lay limply on the ground, his body completely lax.
"Coulson.." Natasha started, swallowing thickly. Her mouth was dry, her throat like sandpaper. It was getting hard to breathe. "Will he be okay?" she rasped, her voice as quiet as a mouse.
Coulson knew exactly who she was referring to. He followed Natasha's line of sight and turned his head to get a look at the fallen archer on the ground. The pool of blood that surrounded Clint's body made him sick. He fought back the bile that was rising in his throat.
"Yeah, he's going to be fine, Romanoff...Barton isn't going anywhere without both our say so," he responded with a comforting grin.
Natasha smiled in return, thankful for Coulson's calming presence. He had come for them, just like Clint had said. She heard a resounding clang and a weightlessness suddenly enveloped her. Blackness encroached her vision and then both Clint and Coulson's faces disappeared.
Amazon Rainforest, Present day, 12:04pm
"Nat...Hey Nat?"
Sweat beads lined Natasha's hairline as she breathed through what remained of another crushing contraction. Chest heaving, she focused her eyes on the archer who had stopped to crouch in front of her.
They had been walking for what seemed like an eternity, the sun beating mercilessly on their sweat infused flesh. "Barton, I don't think we've much time left," she breathed out wearily, keeping note of the frequency of her contractions.
"All right, okay...don't panic..we just need to find some shelter so we can rest," Clint responded calmly, attempting to soothe her growing anxiety. He took her hand in his own and caressed his thumb against her soft skin.
Another contraction reared it's head and Natasha scrunched her eyes together in an effort to mask her pain. She squeezed the hand that Clint had offered.
"Hey, just breathe through it, okay?...keep breathing," Clint coached, turning his head to scan their surroundings. He craned his neck to see beyond the dense jungle forestry. "We need to keep moving."
Natasha nodded silently, rising to her feet and keeping a firm grip on Clint's reassuring hand. She followed him as he led the way through the exotic flora.
Minutes passed and Clint spied a hollow crevice in the distance, craning his neck to get a better visual.
"Is that a cave?" he said as he turned to look at his exhausted partner.
Natasha looked up, straining her eyes to see what he was referring to. "Looks like it, yeah," she agreed.
Clint pulled on her hand and they walked briskly toward the gloomy cavity. He halted their movements before they entered. He lay his quiver and bow on the ground beside her feet.
"I'm gonna have a look in, scope out the place to see if it's...suitable," he said, choosing his words carefully.
"Suitable?...suitable for what?...for me to give birth in?" she asked incredulously, finding it hard to believe the inevitable.
"Nat, I'm doing the best I can with what we have, okay?" he replied with a sigh.
He knew she was running out of time.
"I know you are...I'm just angry that this is the way it's gonna happen...It shouldn't be like this.." her voice trailed off, her mind flitting back to their experience in the safe house.
He stepped towards her and cupped her face in his hands. It was his turn to do the calming. "I know, I know...but we just have to make do." He paused and smiled, "The little guy wants to make an appearance whether we like it or not."
"Little guy or girl," Natasha corrected. Clint grinned and turned to enter the cave.
Natasha waited outside and leaned her head against the rocky surface her back was pressed to. A flurry of thoughts danced wildly in her mind. She was terrified about the baby's health and the forthcoming birth. She mentally prepared herself for what the next few hours would hold and drew her eyes to her bulging abdomen.
"Keep fighting, sweetheart," she whispered, a tender prayer on her lips. She heard footsteps to her left approaching and turned to see Clint exiting the cave minus the rucksack on his back.
"Okay, it's dry and dark but it should hold us up for the time being."
Natasha nodded once and moved to where Clint was standing.
"We've got a torch, a flare gun, a few water bottles and a blanket," he listed. "We should be fine if we just keep calm and let nature take it's course."
"Let nature take it's course?...How very eloquent, Barton," she responded sarcastically.
Clint chuckled in response to her remark and moved to pick up his quiver and bow, slinging them over his shoulder. He held out his hand to support her as they ventured into their improvised shelter.
End of Chapter 7
I know I'm evil for leaving it there...but I want it to be a realistic enough portrayal! :)
