Chapter: 6

It was a strange thing for him to see her in that state. She was completely at rest and calm looking. With all they knew of her past and her skills, it was easy to forget that she was, for lack of a better word, human. Looking at her laying on the hospital bed though, Clint didn't waste the opportunity to truly examine her without fear of her reaction. The muscles in her face that were usually forced into a blank expression were relaxed and soft. It made her seem younger than she had before and more fragile than she appeared to be while awake. Her red hair contrasted brilliantly against the white pillow and the overall dull colors of the room. He noticed again just how small she was and found himself wondering again how this could be the same woman in those reports he had read. He shook those thoughts away and sat in the chair next to the bed. It was his turn to be on watch in case she woke up and though he wasn't required to be in the room with her he wanted to avoid the waiting room. He could hear the humming of the computer monitors and glanced at the numbers on the screen. All of her vitals were back to a normal level. The doctor had said that after they removed that device they had found everything began stabilizing within twenty minutes. He wondered how the technology worked but didn't dwell on the fact. If he allowed himself to think about it too much he might just find himself checking over his own body for implanted devices. That would get him a lovely trip to the psych ward, and he enjoyed that place almost as much as medical's waiting room. Still, the human part of him was curious about it all. The agent part of him didn't want to know. He couldn't imagine what her past must have been like if this is what their employers did to them, and the thing that Coulson and mentioned about her not knowing how old she was, that was a bit bothersome.

"Agent Barton,"an older looking nurse with short, curly brown hair, and a stern look on her face came into the room. Clint didn't know whether he wanted to smile or groan at seeing the woman, they knew each other well. On his trips to medical, no matter what nurse he started with, she would be assigned to him before the end of it. The first time he met the woman he had just managed to reach the went in his room, with a broken leg and a gunshot wound in his shoulder, and was planning to make an escape. She made him sit down and rolled the bed back to where it was suppose to be then threatened to strap him to it if he didn't sit still, but so did a lot of nurses and none followed through. When she left he immideatly got back to work and slowly managed to get the bed back under the vent. It was then that she came back into the room and he found out just how serious she was. It was that day he had decided that he hated the woman. The next time they met however, he had recieved some pretty bad burns to his arms and was arguing with the nurse he had been assigned. He didn't want the pain medication, he didn't like it when they drugged him. The young nurse was insisting and was even getting the needle ready when she had walked in. She stared directly at him as she told the young nurse to put the needle away. She said that if he was good and rested like he was suppose to then she didn't see the need for the drugs if he was so against the idea. It was that day he decided that he respected her. They had an understanding with each other. She knew that he would try aand escape if he was up to it, and while she always tried to stop him when she caught him, she never tried to find him and drag him back when he did manage. Though, she would if he was seriously injured and not thinking right. She knew how he worked when it came to medical adn one look at his charts told her whether he would be ok physically. She didn't bother with the emotional things and he was glad for that. She also asked if he wanted the drugs and respected his wishes when he said no.

"Nurse Grant," he said with a slight nod.

"Visiting hours are over Barton." She walked over to the EKG machine and wrote some things down on the clipboard she carried.

"I have clearance," he said taking out the official paper he knew she'd want to see. They knew each other well. She took a glance at it and nodded then turned back to what she was doing. "We're waiting for her to wake up."

"So, I've heard." She finished writing stuff down and put the pen behind her ear. "The whole base is buzzing with rumors Barton."

"I've never cared for the latest gossip."

"Well this is all about you," she said and looked down to where Natasha laid still in the bed "and her."

"It'll die down in a week or two," he said and she shook her head.

"I don't think so Barton. No ones quite done anything like this before. She's a well-known russian assassin who has hidden in the shadows for years but somehow you managed to get her to willingly follow you back here with no trouble." Clint scoffed at that comment.

"I have bruises that proves I had some trouble convincing her."

"But she didn't kill you," Grant pointed out"and you didn't kill her. It's the first time you didn't follow orders and no one knows why, especially for her."

"I'm still trying to figure out why myself." Clint mumbled softly but she heard anyways and nodded.

"I think a majority of them are afraid of her." She said after a moment and he looked up at her.

"What about you," he asked "are you afraid of her?"

"She looks like a child compared to my old age," Grant said "So do you for that matter." He smiled a bit at that. The woman was in her late forties but could still put up with even the most stubborn of agents, he knew, she was good at her job. She was the best and he did hope that she would be the one to look after Natasha. She was a pain in his ass but she was the best.

"That doesn't answer my question," he said and she chuckled.

"I put up with you don't I? I'm not afraid of her Barton." She said and began to walk towards the door "I volunteered to be here. Get some rest kid." With that she was gone and Clint shook his head in amusement. He thought, if she wasn't a devil woman when he was the one in the bed, they would've actually become friends.

Down the street from the SHEILD base where Clint kept a careful eye over their new recruit, a dark figure was crouched on the roof of a building. He kept his eyes trained on the SHEILD base, even when he felt the presence behind him.

"She lived," the new arrival said.

"The boss won't be happy about this."

"He's already not happy," he said to the man behind him. "She was their greatest accomplishment." He heard the man chuckle behind him but still kept his eyes trained forward.

"I know a certain blonde woman who'd kill you if you said that in front of her."

"She could try," he replied.

"What do you think the boss is going to do about this?" the man asked and came to sit beside him.

"I think we both know what he's planning to do about this." He answered in a cold voice. "You know that you'll be picked for this." The man said after a slight pause. "Can you..."

"Don't question my abilities." He snapped and glared at the other man. "You just focus on your part and I'll worry about mine when the time comes."

"What do you think she'll tell them?" A silence fell between them then as the man waited for him to give an answer that he honestly didn't know. It infuriated him to no end just how well she could hide her thoughts from even him. He never would have expected her to do something as stupid as what she did. A part of him wanted to go in there and kill her himself. Another part of him, one that he kept burried deep inside of himself, wanted to go in there and just shake her untill she got her common sense back. That part of him hoped that this was just her pulling a stunt to get to the organization by herself, a way to show off to the rest of them that she didn't need help taking them down. The other part of him, the one not so burried deep, was furious simply because he knew somehow that it wasn't an act.

"Whatever she wants." He finally answered and stood up. "I need to check in with the boss." He said and looked back at the other man. "You need to be going back." The man nodded and they parted ways.

Sorry this is a bit shorter than the others. I do hope you enjoyed reading it though let me know what you thought. :)