Whumptober Day 24

One Down, Two to Go

Prompts: self-induced injuries to escape/flashback/revenge

This one didn't take as long as I thought it would. Thank you, everyone, for being patient with me. On the plus side, with me taking longer, that means more reading material for you.

Don't forget - 2 weeks until Hawkeye!

"Natasha? How much damage can one body take before it gives out?" Mikayla asked, sitting at Clint's bedside, waiting for him to wake up from yet another coma. "Are we sure there's no super serum we can give him? I'd even give him the little I have if it would help." Laying her head down next to his shoulder, Mikayla let out a sigh, trying not to cry.

"His body?" Natasha replied. "He's made it this far. He's not going anywhere, too much motivation to stay." She turned her attention to the table next to the bed, filled with photos of the Barton family – Clint, Mikayla, Katie, and Phil. The table also held pictures of their Avengers family. Natasha, standing across from Mikayla, reached over and placed a comforting hand on Mikayla's arm. "We didn't give him permission, remember that." Mikayla nodded, not looking up as Natasha left.

"How did you get into this mess, Clint?" The couple had agreed not to go on missions together unless the whole team was needed; that way, one of them would always be home with their kids. Unfortunately, that meant when one of them got injured, the other one wasn't there. All Mikayla knew about Clint's mission was it involved an AIM warehouse; not even Steve had any details. Mikayla looked over Clint's body, diagnosing the injuries she could see - dislocated shoulders, broken ankle, several bruised or broken ribs, broken fingers, and a wound on his thigh that resembled one caused by an arrow. Mikayla vowed revenge on whoever had injured her Hawkeye.

Several hours later, after Mikayla had dozed off, still next to Clint, she felt the bed move. Looking up, she saw Clint stirring and trying to turn onto his side. "Babe?" He groaned, blinking his eyes to focus.

"Friday? Dim the lights, please." Mikayla knew having the room dim would help Clint's eyes adjust. "Hey," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair that needed trimming.

"Kids?" Clint's eyes, even barely opened, scanned the room.

"They're with Pepper and Morgan." Mikayla lifted his hand, softly kissing his palm. "You're back home."

Clint nodded. "Are you OK?"

Mikayla scrunched up her face, wondering how he could be worried about her when he was the one on the mission. "I'm fine, Clint."

Clint sighed. "Good, means I got them." He fell back asleep before Mikayla could ask him any questions.

"Who did he get?" Mikayla asked herself. She leaned back in the chair and thought about it. Why was he so concerned about her because of a mission related to AIM? There was something more going on with the mission, and she needed information. Picking up her phone, Mikayla reached out to both Hill and Fury, but all they would tell her was it was on a need-to-know basis, and she didn't need to know. In frustration, Mikayla threw her phone across the room.

"I don't hand these things out like candy, you know." Mikayla looked up as Tony walked into the room, handing her phone back to her. "What's bothering you, Maid Marian? Though, guess that should be Matron Marian since you're married now."

"What the hell was he doing on that mission, Tony? If it truly were infiltration of an AIM complex, he would've had backup." Mikayla looked down at Clint. "It was a suicide mission. I think it had something to do with me." She raised her head. "He asked about the kids, then asked if I was OK. He never does that, not in that tone of voice."

Tony walked around the bed and stood next to Mikayla, furiously typing on his Starkpad. "Recognize these guys?" Tony handed her the Starkpad.

After a few minutes of staring at the photo, Mikayla started shivering and shook her head as if trying to erase something. "Boss? Agent Mikayla's heart rate is increasing, and she is having trouble breathing."

Tony hurriedly glanced around, finding a portable oxygen machine with a mask attached. "Here," he said, forcing her to take the mask and place it over her face. Tony helped her hold the mask until her breathing returned to normal. She tried handing the mask back to him. "Nope, hold onto it. What did you see?"

"A flashback to when Barney kidnapped me. Those guys were there. They waterboarded me." Mikayla fought not to curl up into herself.

As she started retreating, Tony spoke up. "Friday? Send Thor and Barnes down to medical, please."

"On it, boss."

Tony kept an eye on Mikayla as she started shivering, wrapping her arms around herself. "Stark?" Thor asked Bucky right on his heels.

He pointed to Mikayla. "Flashback to the kidnapping."

"Enough said." Thor and Bucky rushed over to Mikayla. Thor, kneeling in front of her, began rubbing her temples. "Lady Mikayla, it's Thor. You're in the medical bay in the tower, keeping watch over your archer. Master Stark and Sargent Barnes are here. Your children are with Lady Pepper." Bucky knelt next to the chair and put his left arm around Mikayla.

Soon, Mikayla pulled herself together, uncurling herself and no longer shaking. "Thanks," she said, grabbing Thor's and Bucky's hands. "I'm back."

"Can you talk about it?" Thor asked, not letting go of her hand.

Mikayla nodded. "Tony showed me a photo." The two men looked up at Stark, who held out his Starkpad.

"You know these men?" Bucky asked.

"I don't know their names, but they were part of Barney's crew. They, they waterboarded me."

"I hacked into Clint's computer," Tony said. "I saw where he was researching these guys."

"That must be why he went, then," Bucky said, "to take care of them. Does it say where they were?"

"Chicago," Tony said. Wordlessly, Bucky and Thor exchanged glances, then both left. "Well, guess they'll clean up any trash Robin Hood left behind." Tony patted her on the back. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Tony." Mikayla heard Tony leave the room, turning her attention back to Clint. "He'll never stop protecting me, never stop fighting my battles. You'll always be my superhero, Clinton Hawkeye Barton." Mikayla laid her head on the bed, held Clint's hand, and fell asleep.