Steve swore violently, and Natasha chuckled through the phone.
"Language, Rogers," she panted. "Do you want your kids to hear you talking like that?"
Ignoring Nat's comment, Steve asked, "Six hours? Why so long?"
"It is-" Vision began, but Tony cut him off.
"A delicate process," he finished. "We have to be extremely careful. One wrong move could send the whole wall tumbling down on Natasha."
"Wanda, can't you do something?" Steve implored. "Like, bring the wall down and shield Natasha?"
"I can't," Wanda sighed. "I haven't mastered shielding people, but even if I had, I can't use my power on something I can't see."
"Maybe Bruce could do something," Sam suggested. "You know, Code Green and all that?"
"No!" all the Avengers exclaimed at once, including Nat.
"Okay, okay, it was just a suggestion," Sam replied.
"So, Tony's is the only viable plan?" Bruce asked.
"Unfortunately," Wanda sighed.
"Well, then, let's get to work!" Steve decided. "What piece is coming out first?"
In the bathroom, Natasha was breathing through another contraction, the second one she'd had in the last fifteen minutes.
The contractions, while unpleasant, were not the most painful thing she'd ever experienced, though she wasn't sure how long that would remain true for, since they were rapidly intensifying.
After about a minute, the pain eased, and Natasha sighed in relief.
"It's over, Bruce," she breathed.
"Okay, so your contractions are about seven minutes apart, and about a minute in length," Bruce noted. "So, without being able to examine you, I can only guess, but I would say you're probably about six centimeters dilated. Since your water's already broken, I'd say in about three to four hours, at least one of your babies will have been born."
"Four hours," Nat repeated. "So, will I have to deliver the babies myself?"
There was a short pause, then Bruce slowly replied, "There is a possibility that it will be you who delivers the babies, yes. But, you won't be alone. I'll be here on the phone, and I'll talk you through all of it."
"Is Steve there?" Natasha asked.
"Yeah," Bruce replied.
"Could you put him on, please?" she requested.
"Of course," Bruce answered.
A moment later, Steve's handsome voice came through the phone.
"Nat?" he asked. "Are you alright?"
"No," she whimpered, hating how much emotion her quivering voice was betraying. "Steve, I… I'm scared."
"Of what?" Steve queried.
"That I won't be able to do this," Natasha confessed. "What if I do something wrong, and I hurt the babies by accident? I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if…"
She couldn't finish her statement, but she was sure her husband knew her well enough to know what she was thinking.
"Oh, Tasha," Steve soothed. "Of course you can do this! You are easily the strongest person I have ever met, and we both know that you are more than capable of delivering these babies. And besides, you won't be completely alone. Bruce will coach you on what to do, and I'll be right on the other side of the wall if you need me."
"Promise?" Nat sniffled.
"I promise," Steve replied.
Suddenly, another contraction gripped Natasha. She moaned, and gripped the phone tighter, wishing that it was Steve's hand instead.
"Nat?" Steve's voice crackled through the phone. "Is it another contraction?"
"Yeah," she panted, glad she was still able to get words out.
"Breathe, Nat," Steve coached. "You're doing great. That's it, there you go, just breathe."
After a minute, the tension passed, and Nat breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's over," she sighed. "You should probably get back to trying to get the wall down, Steve."
"Are you sure?" he asked. "I can stay, if you'd like."
Natasha remained silent for a moment, trying to weigh the pros and cons instead of acting purely on what her hormones were telling her she wanted.
"No, you need to get back to the wall," she decided unhappily. "The sooner I get out of here, the lower the chances that something will go wrong."
"Alright," Steve answered uncertainly. "Do you want me to put Bruce back on the phone?"
"No, the battery's dying," Nat informed him. "I'll hang up now, and call if anything changes. I need to conserve the power for when I deliver the babies. I'll really need him then."
Steve didn't say anything- she assumed he'd nodded, since he tended to forget that he couldn't be seen during a phone call- but a moment later, she heard the click that indicated that she was really, truly, alone.