The men were easy enough to get rid of, especially since the hulk and Thor got to them before anyone else could move. By the time Tony, Clint and Steve made it to the shed there were only a handful of men left. All of the men entered the shed to find Natasha slumped against a metal pole, her red hair hanging limp covering her face. She wasn't moving. Tony lit up the room and Steve stepped forward.
"Tasha?"
No response
"Natasha"
She looked up, eyes sunken in and dark. They were droopy. The hulk was gone and Banner stepped forward.
"She's drugged, we need to get her out of here."
Tony untied her wrist, both of them seemingly broken. Steve scooped her up, she whimpered and tried to get out.
"Its me Tasha, its Steve."
Clint slipped off Steve's mask and let Natasha see that it really was Steve.
"my back"
He noticed it was dripping with blood. He repositioned her so that her back would not be touched and followed Tony and Clint out of the shed towards the hidden Stark jet.
"Tony?"
"yeah little red?"
"thanks for coming"
Steve brushed her hair with his fingers and kissed her forehead, holding her close. As soon as they got on the jet Bruce started to sterilize her back and patch her up.
"We need to get her to a hospital."
"Take the jet to London bird boy, I donated a crap load of money to a hospital and they are still groveling, probably won't mind giving Tasha the best care."
Steve was feeding Natasha and helping her drink her water. Bruce was doing anything he could do to alleviate the pain. Even though Natasha would never admit it, the pain she was in was probably excruciating. Thor sat across from them thinking up of ways to entertain Natasha when they got home.
"just hang in there little red"
"I have to, I still haven't made Steve's life miserable for being unprofessional and taking out his aggression on me during our last mission"
Steve chuckled, he took a deep breath, it felt like it was the first time he could truly breathe since Natasha had been taken. Tony had been right when he said the hospital would give Natasha the best care. She had been taken in right away and the group had been allowed into her room as soon as she was out of surgery. Steve was lying in bed with her. Thor was sitting in the floor and Clint was sitting on the foot of the bed with Bruce, Tony was looking around the room thinking of all the things that could be improved. When the doctor came in he explained what Natasha's injuries were.
"We had to stitch up your back quite a bit because of the gashes, both wrists and both ankles were broken but they are healing at an impressive rate. There are many laserations all over your body, there was also some internal bleeding, you have a concussion. Your right femur was completely shattered and you had some bruised ribs. You very narrowly missed puncturing your lung. You also have a broken collarbone and there were several indications of rape. You are also malnourished and dehydrated. To be honest miss Romanoff you are lucky to be alive and although you are healing at an incredible rate I still recommend at least 3 weeks of bed rest. However what I find the most shocking and what I believe that you will be happy to hear is that your baby is fine. We took an ultrasound and ran some test, congratulations."
Natasha looked like a fish out of water, her eyes wide. She looked up at Steve and he nodded.
"medicals came back. Its all up to you now Tasha."
She knew he meant it but she could see the desire in his eyes.
"It's just a lot to take in…dad"
The look on his face and the smile that spread was comical. Natasha looked down at Clint and he sent her a meaningful look paired with a grin that only he could pull off.
"I call teaching the kid archery."
She rolled her eyes and was told that she had to stay overnight. She had expected Tony and company to leave for a hotel, she looked confused when Clint helped the hospital staff bring in 5 cots to stuff into the room.
"You don't think were gonna leave you do you little red, we just got you back. You're gonna be sick of us in no time."
Natasha rolled her eyes but Tony could see the smile tugging on her lips and the tear that escaped her eyes. Steve walked up to her and brushed the hair out of her face.
"You can sleep now tasha, youre safe."
She smiled and was out like a light, the exhaustion finally taking over. When she woke up again the avengers were crowded around her waiting for her to wake up.
"up and at em' princess, get ready and lets go home! Clint promised to make waffles"
Natasha smiled and looked to Steve to help her, she wasn't going to be very useful for some time. He gladly took her in his arms and carried her to the bathroom where he helped her get dressed and brush her teeth.
"as soon as we get home I want to shower and put on comfy fluffy warm pajamas."
"your wish is my command Nat."
She looked down at the clothes she had been informed that Tony had chosen. An iron man t-shirt and Hulk pants paired with Thor slippers and a Hawkeye sweater. Steve hadn't failed to notice that she also had captain America underwear.
"You know Stark, your sense of style is really unmatched."
He shamelessly winked at her and started spinning around in what seemed to be her wheelchair which had been decked out in a bright red and gold fuzzy iron man throw cover and a big pillow. Steve set her in the chair and Thor happily pushed her down the hallway, she signed out as Tony left a big check as a thanks and for 'renovations'. Natasha actually fell asleep as they boarded the jet again and didn't even move until the landed on the roof of Avengers tower. Thor carried her downstairs and Steve helped her shower and get clean. When he carried her to the living room Tony was passed out on the couch and Bruce was nodding off as Thor taught Clint the dance moves to Jai Ho. Natasha looked up at Steve for an explination.
"Thor was so angry on the plane ride to Siberia that he was causing thunder so Tony played Slumdog Millionaire, Thor fell in love. Tony hasn't slept at all trying to find you, I think he's been living on coffee and Bruce hasn't been far behind."
Natasha's face softened as Steve set her down on the couch and went to the kitchen to make her some tea and soup.
"Barton, I think you need to pop your hip a little more, bounce that tooshie..there you go"
Natasha's laughter filled the room, it warmed all their hearts. Clint did as he was told and Thor and Clint continued to dance even thought they were tired simply because Natasha's laughter was worth it.
