"I CAN'T HEAR! I CAN'T HEAR!"
"Shhh…shhh its okay. You're okay." She put his hands on his face, trying to get him to calm down. He had been thrashing and screaming the whole night and if he didn't stop soon he was going to hurt himself. She sat down on the side of his cot and looked down at him.
"Hey, hey just look at me." Said Natasha. He finally looked up at her and seemed shocked, like he hadn't realized she had been by him this whole time. She started to run her hands through his hair and continued to whisper to him. Even though he couldn't hear her and even though he was clearly not okay, he slowly started to relax into her touch. Soon he was fast asleep, and Natasha found herself staying at his side for much longer than she originally intended to.
The first few weeks working at the office had been very busy, but Natasha didn't really care. It felt good to be working again. Betty was right, there were many new patients and it didn't help that Bruce now knew about the baby and was watching Betty like a hawk.
"If you need a break I'm sure Natasha and I will manage just fine," he said to her after a busy morning.
"Bruce calm down, I'm fine. There are people here who need more help than I do." Betty replied.
It also didn't help that Clint was there every day working on the roof. He would always smile at Natasha and tell her good morning and it made her heart flutter every time. It annoyed her at how much he affected her. She needs to be taking care of patients, not thinking about some boy and his smile.
Thankfully, she was able to get through the day when Betty walked over to her and said, "Bruce and I were wondering if you would like to join us for dinner."
"Yeah that sounds like fun." Natasha replied. She hadn't really had the chance to go out since she moved here and she wanted to explore the town a little more.
"That's great! Oh and Clint you should come to. It'll be a good chance to catch up." Betty said. Natasha turned around and saw that he had been standing behind her during their conversation.
"Oh thank you Betty that's very kind of you," he said.
"No problem Clint. I'll go lock up and then we can head out." She replied.
The four of them walked out and headed to a restaurant a few blocks away. It was a small brick building with a simple sign at the top. Natasha looked up to read the sign.
"Thor's? That's an interesting name for a restaurant." she said.
"It's also the name of the guy who owns it," Clint said. "Well, actually I don't really know what his real name is. Everyone just calls him Thor."
They walked in and sat down at a booth with Betty and Bruce on one side and Natasha and Clint on the other. He kept brushing his knees against hers and she needed to distract herself from it or she would go crazy.
"Banners! Barton! It is wonderful to see you all again!" A large man with long blond hair walked over to their table. "Ah! Who is your friend?" he asked. Natasha was shocked. This man looked like he was a football player, not a restaurant owner.
"Thor, this is Natasha," said Bruce. "She moved her a few weeks ago."
"Nice to meet you! I hope everyone has been treating you well!" said Thor.
"It's been great so far. I've been pretty busy though so I haven't been able to see very much of this place." Said Natasha.
"Well I hope you'll find the time. I would recommend seeing the library. It is truly a wonderful place to visit." Thor said.
Clint chuckled. "Yeah that's just cause he likes to go see the librarian," he whispered to Natasha.
They spent the rest of the night eating and exchanging stories and it was probably the most fun Natasha had in a long time. She was a little upset when she realized how late it was getting and Bruce and Betty were getting ready go home. Once they left, Clint walked up to her and asked, "Could I…would it be alright if I walked you home?"
"Yes, thank you that's very kind of you." Natasha said. He smiled at her again and offered his hand. They walked out and she couldn't stop thinking about how warm and rough his hands were. And then she was thinking about how his hands would feel in other places. But then she suddenly snapped out of it and hoped that her face wasn't as red as it felt.
"Can I ask you something?" said Clint.
"What is it?" asked Natasha.
"Why…why are you here? And I don't mean that in a bad way or anything. I mean I love having you here. But you were one of the best nurses I've ever seen. What the hell are you doing in the middle of Iowa?"
Natasha sighed, trying to think of what was the best way to tell him. "I was born in Russia. I lived there for a few years until all of the fighting started and my parents found a way to get us to the US. No one here seems to like Russians right now. They think I'm some kind of spy who's going to kill them or something. I couldn't get a job anywhere until Betty was kind enough to offer me one."
"I'm sorry so many people have treated you so badly," said Clint, giving her had a gentle squeeze.
"Well what about you?" Natasha asked. "Why are you in the middle of Iowa?
"Oh I was born here." Clint replied. "My family's farm is here. After the war I didn't really have anywhere else to go. So I came back here and started seeing Dr. Banner for my ears."
"You're hearing has improved a lot."
"Yeah he's helped a lot. It'll never be the same again but it has gotten better."
When they arrived at her apartment he told her goodnight and kissed her on the cheek. Natasha felt like she was floating on a cloud back to her room and fell back on her bed. She fell asleep dreaming about warm hands and soft smiles.