Whumptober Day 6

Touch and Go

Prompts: bruises/touch starved/hunger

I know I'm way behind on Whumptober, but this story has taken me places I hadn't planned. As for now, the next day won't connect to this story. Trust me; when I write the follow-up to this part of the saga, I'll be sure to flag it in the notes! I am sending you virtual cookies as my apologies for taking so long.

After talking with Bruce, Clint rushed to the medical wing to check on Mikayla. When he arrived, he found the rest of the team, including Misty, in various positions. Some were sitting in chairs, and others were leaning against walls; a few were pacing around the room. Clint walked over and stood next to Natasha. "Bruce fill you in?" Clint asked.

Natasha nodded. "She still has her memory. Focus on that, Clint."

"I'm trying, Tasha, but she looked so broken. There's not a part of her body that isn't bruised. I'm scared to touch her." Nat ran a comforting hand in circles on his back.

Eventually, the doors slid open, and Dr. Cho appeared. "She's sleeping now. She's going to be out of commission for a while. Even with the serum, her body's not able to heal like the Captain and Bucky. From what the Wakandans told me, it was a weakened strain of the serum. I expect it will aid the smaller cuts and bruises to heal quickly, but the bones will need time. We've given her some sedatives to help her rest. Her body can use that time to heal. We took care of what wasn't already splinted or bandaged. Despite her numerous injuries, none of them appear to require surgery now. We'll keep an eye on her fingers to make sure they continue to heal correctly."

Clint nodded. "How is her, her head?"

"Her brain scans are clear, so no memory loss. There doesn't appear to be any damage from the electric shocks, but she'll probably have headaches to deal with for a bit. There's something else I need to tell you. It'll be easier if I show you. Please come with me." The doors slid open, and Clint followed Dr. Cho into Mikayla's room.

When they got to her bedside, Clint noticed one of the nurses sitting next to Mikayla. "I thought you said she would be okay. What's going on?"

"We've noticed that she reacts better when she's touching someone. Janine?"

The nurse stood up and backed away from the chair. Machines started beeping, and Mikayla began to whine. Dr. Cho looked at Janine, who sat back down, placing her hand over Mikayla's arm, causing the alarms to stop and a peaceful look to cross Mikayla's face. "She's touch-starved," Clint observed. Dr. Cho nodded in agreement. "Guessing the bastards probably used gloves when they manhandled her, and she hasn't felt a human touch her other than when she was being beaten." Clint had heard of that happening, then he thought back to when Barney had kidnapped Mikayla, realizing she was like that after she came out of her coma. She was scared to be alone and was always sitting near someone. 'Another one of her internal wounds that's been reopened,' Clint thought to himself. "Thanks, Dr. Cho. Thanks, Janine." The two women nodded, and Janine stood up, allowing Clint to take her place in the chair at Mikayla's bedside. In an instant, Clint placed his hand on Mikayla's arm, and with his other hand, lightly stroked her uninjured cheekbone.

The rest of the team filtered in and out over the next twenty-four hours, watching Mikayla sleep and spelling Clint so he could shower and change clothes. "I know I've said this before, but I truly thought I'd lost you this time, babe, especially after hearing HYDRA had taken you. In my wildest dreams, I never thought that they'd be after you. Guess it just goes to show what a kick-ass woman you are. Thanks to you, another HYDRA base has been decimated." Suddenly, Mikayla began gasping, and the sensors on the machines started beeping. Clint immediately backed away as the medical staff ran into her room. Dr. Cho injected a sedative into the IV, and after a few minutes, Mikayla's breathing returned to normal. "She okay?"

The doctor nodded. "I'm guessing she had a nightmare, possibly reliving her experiences."

Clint sighed. "She's had enough of those. You'd think I'd be used to them by now."

Mikayla stirred again, her eyes slowly fluttering open. "Clint? Is that you?"

"It's me, babe." Clint smiled. "I'm right here."

"Ice?"

"You got it." He leaned over, grabbed a styrofoam cup off the table, and fed Mikayla a few ice chips off a plastic spoon. "Good?"

Mikayla allowed the coolness of the ice to coat her throat. "Good." She lifted one of her splinted hands to touch his chest. "You're not…dead?"

"Nope. Here." Clint took her hand and placed the back of it against his chest. "Feel my heart?"

She nodded and tried to smile, ended up grimacing. "Not dead." She started crying. "Anyone?"

"Nope, we're all still here. Even brought the Wilsons back from their honeymoon."

Mikayla groaned. "Won't live that down. Ice?"

Clint gave her some more ice chips. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I hadn't called them. Did you want to see everyone and put your mind at ease?"

"Please."

The sliding door opened and in walked Sam and Misty. "Oh, M! I'm definitely getting that bubble wrap I promised you years ago." Misty leaned down and kissed the top of Mikayla's head, then whispered in her ear. "You're the only one I'd end my honeymoon early for." Mikayla sniffed, trying not to cry any harder. Sam didn't say anything but kissed Mikayla's forehead, then the couple left.

Mikayla spent the rest of the morning being greeted by her teammates; even Wanda and Rhodey stopped by. Wanda took Clint aside while Rhodey was talking to Mikayla. "How are you doing? Is there anything I can do for either one of you?"

Clint hugged her. "I'm doing much better now that she's back home and in one piece." Clint took a deep breath. "They didn't take her memory, Wanda. Other than the one day she still can't remember, her mind's intact. I've never been so happy to hear someone say my name until she said it." Wanda nodded, then Clint saw her biting her bottom lip. "What?"

"Do you think…do you think she'd want me to put a protective aura around her mind?" Wanda's fingers started glowing as she nervously clenched and unclenched her fists.

"I know I'd be all for it, but I'll let her make the decision. We'll ask her when she's out of here, deal?"

"Deal," Wanda smiled. "I'm glad to have her back home, Clint."

Clint put an arm around her shoulders. "Me, too, Wanda. Me, too."

Mikayla was getting tired, so after Wanda and Rhodey left, she fell back asleep. Clint was thankful her voice had grown stronger as the afternoon passed. When she woke up during the evening, Mikayla looked over and saw Clint had dozed off, head propped up on his arms. She laid her hand on his head and fell back asleep; however, a short time later, she woke up screaming. "No, no! I can't believe it! Just kill me!"

Clint's head shot up, and he tried to grab her flailing arms without further injuring her. "Mikayla, listen to me." He kept his voice calm. "You're at home in the tower. You're safe." As he was talking, he stood and moved to the head of the bed, then began rubbing circles on her temples. "You've got this. Focus on my touch, focus on my voice. There, that's my kick-ass woman." The more he talked, the calmer she became. Once she settled down, she opened her eyes and stared at him. "You back with me?" She nodded. "Good. Want to talk about it?"

"I killed you, killed all of you," Mikayla said, trying to sit up. Clint used the controls, and the head of the bed came up to a sitting position. "I think that's what they were going to do. They wanted me to kill my friends, and then they'd kill me. Well, if they didn't, I'd do it myself." Mikayla stared straight ahead. "I can see everyone, clear as day. I can picture how, too. I strangled Natasha. Somehow, I pushed Mjolnir through Thor's body, crushing his ribs. I ran a sword through Steve, tore Sam's wings off him, and he crashed to the ground. I ripped Bucky's arm off and impaled him with it." She sniffed. "They would've had me kill you last. I, I, I stabbed you with an arrow through the throat. I kept trying to kill myself, but the serum kept healing the wounds."

"Oh, babe." Clint held her as tight as he could without causing her further injuries. "I'm sorry they tried to do that to you, but you fought it, and you beat them. You didn't let them win."

Mikayla sniffed. "If there's anything I could forget, it would be that."

Clint continued holding her until she calmed down. "You good?"

"Yeah. Thanks for always catching me when I fall."

"Always, babe. Always."

Clint released her, and she laid back against the mattress. "What are the latest injuries?" Mikayla asked after settling into the bed.

"Well, your cheekbone isn't fractured, just badly bruised. You have a broken bone in your ankle, so another cast. You know about your fingers and knees. They popped your shoulder back into joint, so it'll be sore for a while."

"And?"

"Nothing. None of the injuries need surgery at this point. We'll keep an eye on the gashes to make sure they don't get infected."

"I feel like a damn mummy," Mikayla said as she looked down at her body. "Am I allowed to eat anything? I don't feel like I've had food for weeks."

"Liquid diet, Mikayla." Dr. Cho came in to check on her.

"Protein shakes, yummy." Clint smiled, knowing he always had the same reaction to them.

"We'll get you to real food, babe. I promise."

"I'll get you a couple of shakes and be right back." Dr. Cho patted Mikayla's arm, returning shortly with a couple of protein shakes kept on hand.

After some maneuvering, Mikayla could fit the can between her thumb and fingers, quickly downing both cans. "At least I can do that. I was afraid you were going to have to do everything for me while I was in a body."

"I would've done it, too."

"I know." Mikayla laid her head on Clint's shoulder and eventually fell asleep. Clint refused to move, no matter how uncomfortable it might be. He spent the rest of the night focusing on how to take care of the men responsible for her injuries.