Well, I'm back. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! I'm glad so many of you were honest about crying! I don't think I've ever been able to make anyone cry before I even got a few death threats, which was cool. But now it's time to put all that aside and get on with the penultimate chapter of Taken! I'm super depressed cuz there's only gonna be one more chapter plus and epilogue after this :'( What am I going to do with my life? Okay, one last thing, then I'll let you go. I just want to remind everyone that THIS IS FICTION! Anything can happen, got it? I've had this story planned out from day one and this is how I've always wanted things to go (but now, judging by people's reviews, I'm worried that people aren't going to like this chapter). Just keep all that in mind… anyways, here's chapter 14!
P.S. I'd like to send my prayers out to the families of the twenty children that were killed in Newtown, Connecticut at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Friday, December 14. No child should be taken from this world like they were, and I hope that God is with those who are suffering from this tragedy.
Chapter 14-There's Still Time
**Bruce**
Bruce watched as Steve walked up Clint and crumpled to the ground next to him. He gently touched her pale face as he tried to stifle a sob. Bruce just stood there, shocked. How could this have happened? Natasha couldn't be dead. There was no way someone as strong as she was could just die.
Eventually, Bruce joined the others as the huddled around Natasha's body. He knelt down next to them, noticing the tears that were streaming down the other two Avenger's faces, as well as the tears that were burning in the backs of his own eyes. He blinked furiously, not wanting the others to see him break down. Out of all the Avengers, Clint and Steve had been the closest to Natasha, so he could only imagine what was going through their minds right now. Especially Clint. They'd had a baby together! Bruce ran his hand through his hair as he thought about Mara growing up without a mother. That was something no child should have to go through.
After a few minutes of silently mourning their fallen friend, Bruce finally spoke.
"Clint," He said softly, placing a hand on the archer's shoulder. "We need to go." Clint responded with a slight nod. Steve removed his jacket and placed it around Clint's shoulders to cover his bare chest. Bruce gently lifted Natasha's head off the ground to try and pick her up, when he noticed all the warmth had not yet left her body. That was odd. It only took five minutes for a human body to go cold after the heart stopped beating, and that was in an area where it was at least 72 degrees. It was much colder down here. Bruce's heart leapt as he gently placed two of his fingers on Natasha's neck. He waited, and waited, and waited, until finally he felt something. A pulse. It was very faint, but it was a pulse nonetheless! "Oh my God." Bruce whispered to himself before yanking off his jacket.
"Bruce?" Steve asked as he helped Clint to his feet. "What are you doing?" The doctor began carefully wrapping Natasha's lifeless body in his jacket as an attempt to keep her warm, as well as hide her wounds.
"She has a pulse." He exclaimed, carefully lifting her off the ground.
"What? But she's not breathing!" Clint yelled, finally coming out of his shocked state.
"She is, you just can't tell. Her heart is barely beating." Bruce told him.
"How?" The archer pleaded for answers.
"I honestly have no idea!" He exclaimed. "Judging by her injuries, there is no way she should be alive right now."
"Who cares if it's possible or not? The point is that she is alive and we need to get her out of here now!" Steve said frantically. He rushed over to Bruce and gently took Natasha from his arms. "You help Clint. He can barely walk." Bruce did as he said, wrapping his arm around the archer's waist for support. They all hurried out of the cell and in the direction of the nearest exit. Clint seemed to be going into shock as he tried to keep up with Bruce who was half dragging him through the tunnel.
"Will she be okay?" He mumbled, staring ahead at the dying assassin in Steve's arms. Bruce wasn't sure how to answer him. Natasha had lost a lot of blood, and there was almost definitely internal bleeding. The fact that she was even alive was a miracle and there was a very slim chance she would even make it to the plane. But how was he supposed to tell that to Clint?
"Maybe." He said cautiously, not wanting to get his hopes up, but not wanting to crush him either. Clint gave a mechanical nod as they came to a stop in front of a ladder which they had passed earlier.
"This is it." Steve told them. He gently tucked Natasha into his side so he could hold her with one hand and used the other to climb. Clint went up after him and was then followed by Bruce. When they reached the top they opened the trapdoor and climbed out of the hole which was concealed behind a couple of tombstones. They were in the cemetery a few blocks from the party, just as Tony had said.
"Where do we go?" Bruce asked.
"Tony, are you there?" Steve said into his comm. link.
"Yea, I'm here. Thor and I are waiting on the plane. Did you find them?" Tony replied.
"Yes, we found them but Natasha is in really bad shape. Where's the limo parked? We need to get her back as quickly as possible." Bruce told him.
"I told the driver to park in front of the cemetery you come out in. He should be waiting at the entrance." The billionaire answered. "He knows where to go, so just let him know when you're in."
"Great, thanks." Steve said as they began hurrying to the entrance of the cemetery. Sure enough, the limo was waiting for them just like Tony had said. Steve gently place Natasha in a seat before climbing in next to her and helping Clint sit down. Bruce was the last one in, so he closed the door behind him and stuck his hand out the window to signal the driver that they were ready to go. In no time they were speeding through Paris streets heading for the airport.
"Tony," Bruce said as he moved over to Natasha to check her pulse. It was still extremely faint. If they didn't do something quick she wasn't going to last much longer.
"Yea?" Tony answered.
"I need you to get some medical supplies ready for me." The doctor told him as he adjusted the blood-soaked makeshift bandage over Natasha's stomach and applied pressure to it, turning his hand a scarlet red.
"You got it. What do you need?" The billionaire replied.
"I'm gonna need an IV drip, a needle and stitches, probably some staples as well, an oxygen tank and mask, and blood." Bruce listed off.
"How much blood?" Tony asked.
"All you have for Natasha." The doctor ordered.
"What the hell happened?" Tony exclaimed. That was a good question. They hadn't exactly had time to get the whole story from Clint.
"We'll tell you later. Just have everything ready by the time we get there."
"I'm on it." Tony could be heard rummaging around on the other end of the line, preparing the 'infirmary' for its incoming patient.
"How is she?" Clint asked weakly from the opposite corner of the cabin.
"She's lost a lot of blood." Bruce told him. "I hate to say it, but I'm not sure she can make it to the plane."
"She'll make it." The archer said positively. "She's a fighter." Bruce shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Don't get your hopes up." He mumbled. Ten minutes later the limo came to a stop and Steve gathered Natasha in his arms once again and climbed out. Clint got out next, followed by Bruce. The limo had driven around to a private runway where the jet was waiting for them. The rushed up the stairs to the plane and threw open the door. "Take her to the back." Bruce ordered.
"Holy shit." Tony murmured as Steve carried Natasha past him before following them towards the tail of the plane. Thor stood awkwardly in the corner and watched them take the lifeless assassin to the makeshift infirmary while holding Mara in his arms.
"Mama?" The infant called out when she saw her dying mother's face.
"Don't let her see!" Bruce exclaimed, not wanting the child's innocence to be taken from her at such a young age. "She shouldn't have to see this." Thor nodded and turned the baby girl towards the front of the jet so she wouldn't be able to see them work on healing Natasha. When Bruce reached the back of the plane, Steve had already set her down on the table.
"What do we do first?" Tony asked frantically.
"Get the oxygen mask on her." Bruce ordered. Tony grabbed the mask and placed it over Natasha's nose and mouth. The doctor checked her pulse, but could only feel an occasional pump of blood go through her veins. "She's fading fast." He mumbled. "We need to stop the bleeding. Steve, get me that needle and some stitches." Bruce pointed to the tray that contained the materials he needed. Steve grabbed the tray and carried it over to the doctor as he pulled back the cloth over Natasha's stomach and cut away the remnants of her dress that surrounded the wounds.
"What's next?" Tony asked as he finished ensuring the oxygen mask would stay in place on the assassin's face.
"I need you to set up the IV drip to prevent infection. You know how to do that?" Bruce asked as he cleaned off some of the blood on Natasha's stomach and began threading his needle. Tony nodded and quickly did as the doctor had told him, sticking the IV in her wrist and hanging the bag of anti-bacterial fluids on a stand next to the table.
"Okay, done." The billionaire said shakily when he finished.
"Great, now go tell the pilot to prepare for take-off. As soon as I'm done with these stitches we need to be on our way." Tony nodded and rushed back towards the front of the plane. Meanwhile, Bruce carefully began to sew up the multiple slits in Natasha's stomach. This would temporarily stop the external bleeding. He didn't even want to think about the amount of internal bleeding she probably had, but there was nothing he'd be able to do about it until they got back… or if she even made it back. The chances of that were growing slimmer by the second.
As soon as Bruce finished the stitches, he placed the needle onto the tray Steve was holding and immediately began preparing the needed materials for a blood transfusion.
"Steve, get me one of those blood bags." Bruce said over his shoulder with a nod to the multiple bags of blood Tony had set aside for Natasha. The soldier obeyed and grabbed one of the bags, hurrying it over to him. Once the bag was hooked up to the needle by a long plastic tube, Bruce connected it to the transfusion machine Tony had brought and inserted the needle in her wrist that didn't have the IV in it. He flicked on the machine and monitored it for a few moments to make sure everything was functioning properly. When the blood began to enter Natasha's body, Bruce checked her pulse again. There hadn't been any significant change, which was good because it wasn't getting any worse, but bad because it wasn't getting better either. As the seconds ticked by, Bruce became less and less hopeful that she would make it seven whole hours back to New York.
"Bruce, are we good?" Tony asked as he breathlessly reentered the 'infirmary'. "The pilot is ready to go."
"Tell him to go ahead and take off. There isn't much else I can do for her until we get back, so the sooner we leave the better." The doctor replied as he worriedly watched the unconscious assassin. The billionaire hurried off once more, followed by Steve who no longer felt needed in the crowded infirmary. Bruce sat down next Natasha and monitored the transfusion machine as it pumped blood into the dying red-head. He pulled off his bloodied gloves and threw them in the nearest trash bin before running his hand through his hair. It was going to take a miracle to get her back alive.
"Do you think she'll make it?" Clint asked quietly from the corner of the infirmary, where he had been sitting unnoticed the entire time.
"It's hard to say. She's lost a lot of blood and I'm not sure if we'll be able to replenish it fast enough. Then there's also the issue of likely internal bleeding which I'd have to go in and fix surgically…"
"I'll take that as a no." Bruce was cut off by the distraught archer. He gave him a sympathetic look.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Clint. Things aren't looking too great. I'm still shocked she's survived this long. Her injuries are far more severe than I could have guessed." The doctor said sadly.
"How much time would you say she has?" Clint asked, keeping his eyes glued on Natasha.
"A few hours at the most. Probably less, though." Bruce answered.
"Is there anything else we can do?" He pleaded. Bruce shook his head.
"All we can do now is keep her as comfortable as possible and change out the blood bags when they're empty." He told Clint. The archer nodded slowly.
"Can I have a minute?" He asked, shoving himself out of his chair and limping over to Natasha's bedside.
"Sure." Bruce said, walking towards the curtain that separated the front of the plane from the back. He paused and glanced over his shoulder before walking through. "If anything happens just holler." Clint nodded and sat down in the chair Bruce had been sitting in, taking Natasha's hand in his. The doctor turned and walked through the curtain, giving the archer his requested privacy.
**Clint**
"Natasha," Clint whispered. "If you can hear me, I wanted to tell you that you need to hold out just a little bit longer. If not for yourself then for Mara. She needs her mother. Plus, there's no way I can take care of her without you. I don't know the first thing about raising a kid." Clint rested his head on the table and sighed as tears began to stream down his face.
"Please don't leave me." He cried softly. "Not again. I don't know if I'll be able to move on this time. Especially if I have our daughter to take care of as a constant reminder of what I'm living without." The archer picked his head up and stared at Natasha as her pale face began to regain some of its color due to the blood that was being pumped into her system. He stroked her hand, silently hoping that that meant she was starting to get better. Clint wanted nothing more than to see her open her eyes and reassure him that she was going to be fine, but something told him that wasn't going to happen. He wouldn't give up hope, though. There was no way he was going to let her slip through his fingers again.
"Natasha," Clint sniffled as he reached out to stroke her face. "There's something I need you to hear. I told you this three years ago, but I'm not sure if you heard me, so I'm gonna say it now." He squeezed her hand gently and looked directly into her closed eyes. "I love you." He whispered. "I've loved you since the day I was assigned to be your partner. I've loved you through everything. Even when I swore I hated you for leaving me the way you did three years ago, I loved you. I love you now, Natasha, and I need you here with me." Clint's eyes filled with tears again when Natasha's body remained still and lifeless. "Please," he begged, "I need you."
7 hours later…
Clint forced his eyes back open after keeping them closed for too long. He had had to keep himself from dozing off for the entire plane ride. The archer had refused to leave Natasha's side, despite Bruce's protests. The doctor had come in every once in a while to check her pulse and change out her blood bags. Despite his predictions, Natasha had somehow managed to survive the extent of the plane ride.
"I don't believe it." Bruce whispered when he came back in to check on her one last time before they landed. "I actually think she's gotten better. There's a lot more color in her cheeks and her pulse is much stronger than it was before." He said in amazement.
"Does this mean she'll make it?" Clint asked in hopeful exhaustion.
"It's still unlikely." Bruce said, completely demolishing the archer's excitement. "She still has to make it back to the tower, and then there's the surgery. Her chances may be better now that her pulse is stronger, but they aren't that much better. Like I've been saying, it would take a miracle." Clint leaned back in his chair, utterly exhausted. Natasha had to make it. There was no way she was going to last this long just to end up dead in the end.
"Attention all passengers. Please take your seats. We will be landing in five minutes." The pilot said over the intercom. Bruce sat down in one of the chairs next to Natasha and settled in for the decent.
"Tony called ahead and got an ambulance that will get me and Natasha back to the tower so we can get her into surgery as soon as possible. The rest of you will follow behind in the two cars we came to the airport in." Bruce explained as the plane declined. As soon as the jet landed and came to a full stop, Steve had entered the infirmary and begun helping Bruce unhook her from the transfusion machine and IV drip before quickly carrying her off the plane. Clint followed closely behind them with Tony, Thor, and Mara in tow. He watched as Steve gently lifted Natasha into a waiting emergency vehicle. Bruce climbed in after her and shut the doors behind him before the ambulance began speeding off the runway towards Stark Tower.
"Let's go." Steve ordered when he rejoined the others. He grabbed Clint by the waist to help his exhausted legs move faster as the remaining Avengers rushed towards the private garage in which Tony had parked their cars. In less than five minutes, Steve, Thor, and Mara had piled into one of the cars with Tony and Clint in the other. Tony led the way, backing out of the garage and turning sharply towards the exit of the airport parking lot. Steve followed suit and soon both cars were speeding off after the ambulance that had left before them.
Clint was in a daze for the duration of the ride to the tower. He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. But he had to stay awake. He wasn't going to rest until he knew Natasha was okay. By the time Clint had pulled himself back into reality, Tony had parked their car in the parking garage underneath the tower and was unbuckling his seatbelt.
"Clint, c'mon!" The billionaire exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "We need to get upstairs." Clint dragged himself out of the car and hurried after his teammates and daughter as they crammed into the elevator. During the ride up, the archer glanced over at Mara, who was looking around curiously in Thor's arms. She looked over at Clint and stared at him, a scrutinizing look crossing her face as she observed him. He smiled at her, remembering that Natasha would get the same exact look when forming her opinion about something. It was amazing how much she looked like her, minus the blue eyes and brown hair. Mara saw him smiling and gave him a shy smile in return before turning away from him and burrowing her head in Thor's shoulder. Just then, the elevator dinged and the Avengers rushed out and into what looked like a small waiting room.
Pepper was there waiting for them, and when she saw them get off the elevator she nearly collided with Tony, throwing her arms around his neck and stifling a sob.
"I saw Natasha." She whimpered as Tony tried to soothe her. "How could this happen?" Everyone turned to Clint as he realized that he was the only one who could answer that question. He gave a tired sigh and walked over to one of the hard plastic chairs that was lined up against the wall and leaned his head back. The rest of the team sat down as well and looked to Clint expectantly.
"After Varkov led us into that back room. That's when everything started to go wrong." He began as everyone settled in to hear about Clint and Natasha's dreadful experience.
1 hour later…
"And that's when you and Bruce came in." Clint said looking at Steve as he finished his story. Everyone stared at him in horror, trying to comprehend everything he had just told them.
"Oh Clint," Pepper whispered as tears trickled down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry you both had to go through that." She reached over to him and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "And, I'm no doctor, but after hearing about everything that happened to you, I'd recommend getting yourself checked out. Your nose looks really bad." Clint reached up with his free hand and gently probed his swollen nose. The slightest touch caused it to shriek with pain, signifying that it was most definitely broken.
"I'll have someone look at it as soon as I know if Natasha is okay." He promised. As though he'd been waiting on cue, Bruce walked into the waiting room, still wearing his scrubs. Everyone stood as soon as they saw him giving him the same hopeful, expectant stare. "What happened?" Clint asked. Bruce sighed and gave them all a disbelieving look.
"A fucking miracle." He said. "She made it." Everyone nearly collapsed with relief, except for Clint who actually did collapse. Bruce rushed over to him and helped him to his feet.
"Can I see her?" Clint pleaded, but the doctor shook his head.
"She's recovering right now. We've managed to stabilize her but she's going to need a few hours of undisturbed rest." He told him. "As for you, I'm going to need to take a look at your nose. I'll need an X-ray to see how damaged it is, then I'll give you some painkillers to numb the pain." Bruce began leading Clint towards the door in which he had just come out of. "After that, you're going straight to bed."
"No, I want to see Natasha." Clint whined as Bruce showed him into the X-ray room.
"If you don't get some rest soon you're gonna crash." The doctor warned as he began switching on the machine. "And, if you refuse to do as I ask, I have a couple different sedatives that will knock you right out." Clint narrowed his eyes.
"You wouldn't." He challenged.
"Try me." Bruce replied.
"Someone should be there with her when she wakes up." Clint said as he got in position to take the X-ray.
"I'm sure one of the guys will be more than willing to sit with her until she comes to." Bruce told him as he aimed the machine towards Clint's face.
"What about Mara?" He pressed on.
"Thor has actually become pretty attached to her. He knows how to feed her and with Pepper there to help him, I'm sure Mara will be fine. Now quit trying to come up with ways to get out of R&R and hold still so I can take this." Bruce ordered as he clicked the button on the machine to take the picture. A few minutes later they were both looking at the X-ray as it hung in front of a light. "Yep, multiple breaks. Looks like you're going to need a nose brace." The doctor said with a smirk. "C'mon, let's go get you patched up." Clint sighed and followed Bruce from the room. As they walked down the hall they passed the recovery room. Clint glanced inside and briefly saw Natasha sleeping soundly with various tubes and IVs sticking out of her body. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her steady heart rate on the monitor next to her bed. Clint grinned, knowing that Natasha was out of the woods. She was going to be okay, and that was all that mattered to him.
PLEASE READ THIS! When I first started writing this, I never intended on killing ANYONE except the bad guy. I can't stand it when the main character in a story dies, unless the story was written specifically for that purpose. Now, I don't want anyone reviewing this saying how it's completely impossible for her to survive being stabbed like that, because you're right. A normal person wouldn't be able to survive this, but none of them are normal people. I've had a lot of people tell me how unrealistic this story is, and I tell every single one of them that this is a story about super heroes meaning none of it is going to be realistic. It's fiction. Also, I understand that some people are going to be upset that she isn't dead, which is strange, but true. I've seen reviews of stories where people thought it would be better if the character had remained dead, but I really didn't want to do that. I like the drama and reaction you get when you think someone is dead, so that's why I did this. I actually recently read a fanfiction where the main character appeared to be dead, but they weren't, and it actually worked out perfectly. I'm not sure if the same will happen in this story, or if people will be totally pissed about it, but that's their business. Oh, and for the people who are going to say that I lied about the character death in the chapter 12 author's note (I know someone is gonna say something!), I DIDN'T LIE! Varkov died and he was a character, therefore there was character death. Natasha, however, did not die, so it looks like I pulled a fast one on you guys! Sorry bout that if you're upset. Anyways, this has gotten a little long so I'm gonna leave you with a little preview of the final chapter. I don't have a name for it yet so you're just gonna have ta take what I give you.
Chapter 15: The Avengers recover from the events that took place in Paris.
Yea, that's all I got. Chapter 15 has the potential to be really long, so sorry if it takes a while. I want to end it well! Thanks to all of you who read this chapter after the main character death scare last chapter! I was worried I'd turn a lot of people off. You guys are the greates fans EVER and I hope you tune in next time for the final chapter of Taken! Peace out! PS: I hope I don't sound snarky. The last thing I want is for people to think I'm mean, but I really just want you guys to understand where I'm coming from, ya know? Until next time… TTFN!