Knives
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel.
Author's Note: Yes! I did it! I uploaded on time! Sorry the chapter's a bit short, the next one should be a bit longer! As always, I love reviews, and any constructive criticism is welcomed! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 4 - Surviving
Steve held his head in his hands, worrying his way through the wait for Clint to come out of surgery.
In his mind, any injuries suffered by his team were a personal failing on his part. However many times the rest of them told him it wasn't, he would blame himself as long as he commanded this team, and probably a little longer.
"When did this even happen?" He asked Tony, who had brought Clint back.
"Near the start of the mission." Was his gloomy reply.
"How? It was a nearly three-hour mission!"
"I dunno. I guess he's better at hiding injuries than any of us thought."
"Not all of us." Natasha said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Now Steve was really confused, and he wanted answers.
Natasha sighed before continuing.
"He's always been this good at hiding injuries. He once dodged a medical at the end of a mission, and three weeks later, after another two missions, we discovered that he'd badly broken his leg, and had been running, walking and climbing on it all that time. He hadn't even been limping, all because he didn't want to be taken off field duty and had figured it would heal itself."
She gave a hollow chuckle at that.
"He needed three surgeries to fix it. After that I promised myself I would start keeping track of him better, and not let him do that to himself for the sake of a mission ever again." Her expression was grim as she finished, and she turned away from the rest of the group.
Steve realised with some shock that she saw it as her fault. But why? There was nothing that any of them could have done to stop it, and she hadn't even seen him since the start of the mission, so how on earth was she supposed to realise he was hurt? As he thought this through he realised that all of his logic applied to him to. But this is different, I'm the leader. Still, a small voice in the back of his mind kept nagging him that it wasn't any different, and that it was logically all Clint's fault.
Just then a nurse came from the direction of Clint's surgery, immediately catching the attention of everyone in the waiting room. She looked weary, but hopeful.
"He survived the surgery. I'm not sure how he made it here alive, but if he's stubborn enough to survive the next few days, he'll be alright."
Steve sighed with relief and looked around at his team. Natasha's face hadn't moved, but the tension had gone out of her posture. Tony was grinning like a maniac and talking with Thor about how stubborn Clint was, and Thor was laughing and agreeing. Bruce was still sitting in a corner, looking tired as ever, but unmistakeably relieved.
Author's Note: I should be uploading the next (and last!) chapter next weekend, but no promises! Although I'm a little sad there's been no reviews yet, I always love to hear from you!