Prompts: Coughing Up Blood/"You're Safe Now"/Emergency Blanket
Clint/Mikayla
Continuation of the last chapter
When Natasha punched Phil, Melinda May put a hand up to her face to hide her smirk. It was inevitable the two groups would meet at some point, but May knew everyone was hoping it wouldn't be like this.
"Can't say I didn't see that coming or didn't deserve it," Phil said, his only reaction to Natasha's punch.
Natasha turned to speak to Melinda. "How is he?"
"I've seen him worse, but I've seen him better."
"That's some magic trick, Houdini," Tony announced as the rest of the Avengers stormed onto the giant cargo plane. "Better yet, Lazarus."
"Mr. Stark, Captain." Coulson turned to the other two. "Phil Coulson. It's an honor to meet you, Sargent Barnes, and you are?"
Sam, confused, glanced over at the others but clasped Coulson's outstretched hand and shook it. "Sam Wilson, codename Falcon."
"A pleasure to meet you," Coulson said.
"Look, I know I'm the new guy here, but what the hell is going on?"
"What's going on," Natasha replied in an eerily calm voice, "is Coulson, who was Clint, and mine's SHIELD handler, was killed by Loki during the Chitauri attack. Or so we led to believe."
"Yeah, about that."
Natasha held up her hand. "No, save it for when Clint's awake, and we get back to the tower. That was,y all of us who need to hear the asinine explanation you're going to give can hear it all simultaneously because I'm sure Mikayla would like an explanation as well."
"Who's Mikayla?" Bobbi spoke up.
"Clint's wife, Coulson's niece," Steve answered. Coulson's team turned and stared at their leader with shocked looks. "Oh, did he not mention her? Seems like there's a pattern here."
Natasha whirled and continued over to Clint's bedside. "You didn't know?" Bobbi asked.
"No. Guess it was a need-to-know basis, and we weren't on the list to know about it." Natasha looked down at Clint, who was still unconscious. "He never told you about Mikayla?"
"Nope. Guess we know where Clint learned his skill of compartmentalizing." Bobbi was cleaning the dried blood from Clint's skin. "Is he happy?"
Natasha grinned. "Deliriously so."
"How did they meet?"
"He flew through her office window on the day of the Chitauri attack. Called her about 6 months later."
Bobbi chuckled. "That would only happen to Clint. Loses one Coulson, gains another one the same day."
"What are his injuries?"
"I'll let Simmons share with you. "Jemma?" A young female in a lab coat turned around. "This is – "
"Agent Natasha Romanoff," the female said in a soft British accent. "We heard all about you and Agent Barton at the academy. Jemma Simmons, it's an honor."
Natasha looked at Bobbi. "Before you ask, Natasha. Yes, she's always that eager."
It still shocked Natasha that she could be lifted up as an example for people to follow. In a conspiratorial whisper, Bobbi leaned over and said in Natasha's ear, "You should've seen her when she first met May. Thought she was going to bow down at her feet."
"Or run as far away as she could." Melinda stepped in between the two women. "How's he been?"
"Coulson doesn't deserve to know this, but I'll tell him before we get to the tower. They adopted a couple of kids." Natasha shared with them how the team found Katie and Philip during a mission and saved them from child traffickers; how The Maria Stark Foundation took care of all the rescued children until they could be adopted. Natasha told them how no one adopted the siblings, so Clint and Mikayla adopted the two. "Philip's deaf, so Tony made him the second-best hearing aids on the market. Clint, of course, had the best."
"I hope the mad scientist didn't lose the mold." Melinda held out Clint's fried set. "Found these on the floor where we found Barton." Natasha nodded her thanks and put them in her pocket. "It's good to see you, Romanoff."
"You, too."
"Agent Romanoff?" Jemma asked in a shy voice. "You wanted to know the extent of Agent Barton's injuries?" Natasha nodded. "A concussion, several broken ribs, multiple cuts and bruises, burns from being drenched with what appears to be alcohol after receiving several beatings with a whip, and both shoulders were dislocated. I've treated him as best I can here."
"We've got a medical wing at the tower. Doctor Cho is waiting. Anyone left in the camp?"
With an evil grin, Melinda told her, "We left a present for you in the main room. Have at them."
"Did you hear that, Barnes?"
"On it." Bucky took off toward the camp.
"Jemma, you're drooling."
Natasha smirked. "His murder strut has that effect on people."
As the women gathered around Clint's bedside, the men converged at the ramp's top. "So, can you explain why no one bothered to inform us about your status?" Steve asked in his authoritative Captain America voice. "More importantly, why didn't Fury tell Mikayla, Clint, and Natasha? Do you not think they deserved to know?"
Coulson knew this would happen. He tried to tell Fury to at least share the information with the three of them, the three most important people in his life. But, of course, he refused. "It's for the good of everyone that no one knows you're alive. We need everyone to continue to think you're dead. We don't want word getting out of how you're still alive." Coulson sighed, knowing the truth would come out sooner or later. He didn't like why everyone was meeting now, having to rescue Clint, and seeing him on a stretcher, again. "Fury had his reasons. I'll tell everyone at once when we get back to the tower." Coulson turned toward the stretcher. "Agent Simmons, is he stable enough to transport?"
"Yes, sir! He's sleeping and should remain so for the trip back."
Coulson nodded. "When Sargent Barnes returns, I'll fly back on the Quinjet with you while Agent May pilots our plane back to home base."
"Don't suppose you're going to tell us where that is, are you?" Tony snidely asked.
"It's classified."
"Not surprising there, Agent." Tony started to head down the ramp when Bucky showed up, relatively free from blood. "Well, Terminator?"
"It's done," Bucky replied with a steely gaze.
"Let's head 'em up and move 'em out." Tony led the group back to the Quinjet, and once everyone was settled, they headed home.
Mikayla and Misty, along with Pepper, were waiting in the hangar when the Quinjet landed. Tony had alerted Pepper to the situation, so she agreed to stay with Mikayla. Pepper had let him know that Katie and Philip had made it home from camp and were being entertained by Uncle Thor and Aunt Jane so they wouldn't have to see their dad injured and also to shield them from the inevitable shitstorm. "Did Tony say he was okay?" Mikayla asked.
"Yes. They got to him in time, and he should be fine. Look, there's Doctor Cho and her staff." Mikayla looked over and saw the doctor and nurses walking to the Quinjet. Once Clint was wheeled down the ramp, they took over and escorted Clint to Medical. Mikayla ran to catch up to the stretcher, not even noticing her uncle as she flew by him.
"Well, that was anti-climactic," Tony said, divesting himself of the Iron Man suit before embracing Pepper. Everyone else walked into the tower. "Come on, Agent. Let's have a drink. That's about the only way I'm going to make it through the next few hours." The trio followed the rest of the team into the tower.
Natasha returned to her room, quickly changed into a grey hoodie and jeans, then returned to Medical. She smiled when she saw the room. Mikayla was sitting next to the bed, Katie and Philip were on the bed, curled up next to Clint, with Philip's favorite blanket, green covered with images of Hulk, draped across Clint's legs. Clint heard the door open and turned his head. "Hey."
Mikayla looked up and dabbed at Clint's face with a washcloth. He'd had a coughing fit, and blood had dribbled down his chin. "I'm glad you're back and safe now."
Clint put a hand over hers. "Me, too, babe. Me, too." He squeezed the kids a little tighter.
"Good drugs?" Natasha asked.
"Only the best kind," Clint said.
"Good."It's probably best with the news I've got to share." Natasha sat in a chair and ran her hand through Katie's hair, taking a breath to steady herself"
"What? Was someone else hurt?"
Natasha shook her head. "No, nothing like that. We had a little help rescuing you."
"Please don't tell me Logan and Wade showed up. I don't need to hear any crap from them."
"Nope. The Cavalry."
"May? Thought she was on some super-secret team." Clint dropped his head back onto the pillow. "Crap, guess that means Bobbi was there, too. I'm sure I'll never hear the end of this from her." Mikayla and Natasha both chuckled. Mikayla knew about Clint's first marriage to Bobbi Morse, aka Mockingbird – married at Christmas, divorced on Valentine's Day. She was secure enough in her relationship with Clint not to be jealous of Bobbi.
"She was, and I'm sure she'll stop by at some point during your recuperation."
"Nat?" Clint studied her. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Phil."
"Is dead. I killed him, remember?"
Mikayla squeezed his hand. "That was Loki."
"Without me, Loki wouldn't have been here. Still can't believe you forgave me for that."
Mikayla kissed his cheek. "Nothing to forgive. That's like saying Bucky was responsible for Kennedy." Clint nodded; not even the good drugs gave him enough strength to fight that battle.
"He's not dead."
"What?" Clint and Mikayla said in unison.
"Not sure how. He said he'd tell everyone back at the tower."
"He's here?" Clint said.
"I'll be back." Mikayla shot up from her chair and stormed out of the room. "Friday?"
"Everyone's in the living room, Agent M."
Mikayla was so mad she skipped the elevator and stomped down the stairs. The door flew open and slammed against the wall. "Where is he?"
Everyone turned around and witnessed the tornado that was Mikayla O'Hara Coulson Fitzgerald Barton zoomed through the room, scanned it for her uncle, and, finding him in the kitchen, marched over to him and slapped him across the face.
