Chapter Fifteen
Natasha was dizzy, she recognized the symptom's she was feeling. She had been sedated. Son of a bitch. Someone was going to pay for this.
Opening her eyes, she thought against the burning from the bright lights and blink several times before she could fully take in the silhouettes around her.
"Who sedated me?" she croaked. God, was that her voice?
"Natalia?"
She froze, it had been far too long since she'd been called that and even longer since she'd heard that tone directed towards her.
"My Soldier?"
Turning her head, she finally took in the scene around her, her heavy body fighting to get into defensive mode at the sight of the soldier holding a wounded Barton by his neck, his fingers digging sharply into him drawing a lot of steady leaking blood.
"What are you doing?"
"They were drugging you, I had them wake you" he explained like that made up for the scene she was currently waking up to.
She was torn a part of her wanted to help Barton but another part recognized her soldier was back.
"Let him go Soldier" at his hesitation she added "I'm awake now and they aren't going to do anything are you" her tone left no room for them to argue. Agreeing murmurs spread throughout the room.
Reluctantly the solider carefully removed his embedded fingers from Barton's neck, Barton groaned aloud and Sam was quick to move forward and catch him pulling him back to them. Banner went to work on applying pressure to his neck.
"Go" Steve said to them "Stark and I can handle this"
With a nod Banner and Sam helped a wounded Barton leave the room. Pulling herself up in bed Natasha unattached herself from the machines, ignoring the beeping that followed as she threw back her covers and slid her legs over to the side.
She took in her outfit.
Whoever had dressed her in this ridiculous peach pink shorts and white tank top was going to get a beating when she was fully healed.
"Alright so what have I missed? And why the hell was I sedated"
"Ask Capsicle here?" Stark said with a warily expression.
"Steve?"
"We had a meeting, it was obvious you had been keeping secrets and I wanted you nowhere near Bucky"
"I see"
So clearly a lot had gone on before and during her sedation, it was clearly a group effort. It hurt her more than she'd like to know that they had gone behind her back instead of just talking to her. Even Barton.
"You guys didn't think to just ask me?" she did her best to hide the hurt in her voice but with the way Steve's expression soften she knew she had failed.
"If you were going to tell us you would have already, I'm sorry Natasha but when it came to Bucky I couldn't trust you"
The soldier himself was motionless, facing Natasha, looking at her every move and detail. She couldn't help herself.
"Do you remember me?"
"I think so" but he didn't sound certain.
"It's okay soldier, we got all the time in the world"
And they did, they finally did.