Wow have I been gone for a long time. I guess I honestly forgot about my writing in the midst of finishing college and this crazy worldwide pandemic. Sorry for being gone for so long, but now that I'm done with college and settled into a new job I'm excited to pick up where I left off. This chapter will be a bit of a flashback set right after Hitting Hard. Please Read and Review!
Clint glanced over at his wife and smiled softly. She was fast asleep with an IV pumping pain killers into her arm. Clint lifted his hand to run it slowly through her bright red hair before kissing her gently on the forehead. The surgery had been a success but Natasha would have a long recovery ahead of her. She'd had a total knee reconstruction and the recovery was going to be gruesome. If anyone could overcome it and get back to being a badass assassin it was Natasha Romanov. Clint's eyes traveled down from Natasha's face down to her stomach. There wasn't more than a small trace of a baby bump but they both knew that it wouldn't be much longer before they couldn't keep the secret from the team anymore. A soft knock on the door caused Clint to look up. Tony Stark was leaning against the doorframe with his hands stuffed into his pockets.
"How is she?" Tony asked. Clint shrugged.
"She's probably going to be unconscious for a while, but the surgeon says that she came through with flying colors. It's going to be tough but they expect her to make a complete recovery." Clint replied. Tony nodded, adjusting his glasses.
"She'll be back to kicking ass and showing us up in no time." Tony agreed. "Honestly, I didn't think anything could bring her down." He added, chuckling softly. Clint quirked his mouth up in a half smile.
"I wish that was true Tony." Clint said. Tony sighed and walked forward to place a hand on Clint's shoulder.
"Hang in there Hawk, Natasha is the toughest woman I know, besides Pepper." Tony assured him. Clint nodded.
"Yeah, you're right. I just hate to see her like this." Clint sighed. Tony nodded sympathetically.
"Clint?" Natasha's harsh voice barely squeaked out of her dry throat. Clint's head snapped away from focusing on Tony, and redirected to Natasha. She was looking groggy and trying her hardest not to grimace but Clint could tell she was really hurting. He moved swiftly to her side and gently ran a hand through her hair. She glanced up at him with pain in her eyes, but also complete trust.
"Hey Nat. The surgeon said it went great. It's going to be hard but they expect you to make a full recovery and be back in the field soon." Clint said. Natasha nodded and glanced past Clint to where Tony was standing with his hands in his pockets.
"Tony, I didn't expect to see you here." Natasha croaked out. Tony shrugged sheepishly.
"Oh you know, Pep was worried about you." He said, scratching the back of his head. Natasha cracked a small but strained smile.
"Well, tell Pepper that I'm doing okay." She grimaced. Tony nodded.
"Cool, I'm going to go and give you two some time." Tony said and swiftly made his exit.
"Be honest Clint, how bad is it?" Natasha asked. Clint smiled gently.
"It's going to suck Nat, but they really do think you'll make a full recovery if you work hard." Clint told her. Natasha nodded grimly. "How bad is the pain?" Clint asked. Natsha shrugged, trying and failing to downplay it.
"I guess I've had worse." She said. Clint raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. Natasha rolled her eyes. "I'm not lying, Clint. My finger was way worse that one time." She told him honestly. Clint searched her eyes for a minute before he nodded and relaxed a little. He smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead before straightening upright again.
"I'm going to go let a nurse know you're awake and call Fury." Clint told her. She nodded and smiled encouragingly. Clint smiled in return and strode from the room. When he was out of earshot Natasha let out a groan of pain. Her knee throbbed with uncomfortable waves of pain. Natasha had experienced lots of pain in her life, whether it be from the Red Room or from fighting alongside the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D; but this was a different kind of pain. A pain that for some reason Natasha was having a hard time handling. It was like an aching soreness that wouldn't go away. It pulsed and throbbed at the very core of her knee. Her stomach rolled and Natasha grimaced, expecting it to be a wave of nausea brought on by the pain, but somehow it felt different. It was uncomfortable but not on the level of nausea. Then it hit her, it was the baby moving inside her. She couldn't help herself as a smile broke out across her face and her hand immediately shot to her abdomen as the movement happened again.
"Hello little bean. I promise I'll get back on my feet for you in no time." Natasha whispered and rubbed her hands gently over her still flat stomach. She leaned back heavily against her pillows and sighed deeply, staring up at the ceiling. These next several months of recovery and physical therapy were really going to suck, Natasha knew it was going to be a long road back to being the famous Black Widow, especially with the baby on the way. The baby would slow down physical therapy by adding extra weight and therefore stress on her knee; but Natasha was determined not to let anything get in her way of getting back to full strength before the baby was born.