Clint was on the early shift that day; working the morning rush at the food stall, while Natasha was on the close at the jewellers; starting mid-afternoon, she was due to stay after hours in order to help change the layout of some of the displays.
They'd decided to meet up inbetween their shifts to grab some food, spend some time together and swap any relevant information regarding the mission. After sandwiches and coffee (of which Clint insisted he didn't want any, only to steal the last bit of Natasha's before she could finish it) they parted ways as Clint went back to their shared flat, while Natasha went to start her shift.
She greeted Cathy on her way into work, she was a young girl who'd started working at the shop a few weeks earlier. Natasha had been on shift less than five minutes when the feeling hit her; and it hit her hard. Her vision blurred and breathing became hard. She clutched at her throat as she scrambled desperately for breath. Everyone was staring at her now; both staff and customers, concern plastered all over their faces. Natasha briefly saw Cathy move tentatively towards her before her vision disappeared completely and the floor seemed to slam into her; taking with it her last bit of breath.
She could feel people crowding round her, heard someone on the phone asking for an ambulance. All she could think of was where Clint was, that she needed him here with her. She didn't understand what was happening; she could hear but her muscles, sight and speech all failed her. She felt trapped and with no way to contact Clint she was worried; concerned about the mission and Clint's safety.
It seemed like forever, but the paramedics eventually arrived. One of them placed an oxygen mask over her face while the other leaned low to whisper in her ear:
"Nat, its me and Steve. We got you. You're safe" it was Bruce. A soft hand gently stroked the side of her face. As she was rolled onto a back board and lifted from the floor.
The ambulance sped away from the bustling town center; swerving round traffic and skipping red lights in its haste to get to its destination.
"Nat, Natasha, squeeze my hand if you can hear me? ... Nothing. Damnit, Steve step on it!"
The breaks squealed as the van halted suddenly.
"Steve? What the hell -"
"The road's blocked!"
"Put the sirens back on! Its an emergency! Damnit Nat keep breathing!"
Bruce tightened the oxygen mask around her face before jumping up to help Steve.
"There! Go through there!" he said gesturing to a gap in the traffic
"I can't! There's -"
"Move!"
Bruce slid into the recently vacated drivers seat and slammed the acceleration pedal down. Steve stumbled backwards at the sudden acceleration. It turned out the road was blocked because one of the fire hydrants had burst; spilling water all over the road. It didn't stop Bruce, he drove through the road blocks; sending traffic cops jumping out the way, a tidal wave of water soaking any passers-by as Bruce drove through the deep water.
"Bruce! She's not breathing!"
"Shit! Swap again!"
He stopped suddenly in the middle of the road, causing several cars to swerve to avoid them.
They finally pulled into the Chicago SHIELD office as Bruce got the intubation tube in. He slowly squeezed the ambu bag; manually breathing for his friend. When she was whisked away by the medical team a tear rolled down his cheek.
"She'll be okay Bruce, she has to be..." Steve said solemnly.
"I should have been quicker, it took too long! I'm out of practice..." Bruce said angrily. His hands clenched into fists, he shook with rage, and his skin tinged green as he took deep breaths to try and calm himself.
"Bruce, its Steve. Focus on my voice... We need you right now, not the other guy. We need to figure out who did this. We need to fix this... Just breathe"
Bruce focused on his words, using them to anchor himself; breathing deeper and slower. Natasha needed Bruce right now; the other guy would be needed later. He felt his control growing stronger, the monster inside settled.
"Thanks" he muttered, turning to follow the doctors up to the medical bay.
