Nat called Clint while he was in the hospital cafeteria retrieving breakfast for himself and Rhodey, so he called her back when he'd returned to the room. "What's up?"

"Pepper wants to see him."

"Not a good idea," he said immediately, staring at the still figure on the bed. Between all of the medical equipment, his pallor, and not shaving for several days, Tony hardly looked like himself.

"That's what I thought. Ask Rhodey."

"Here, do it yourself," Clint said, putting his phone on speaker and holding it up between him and Rhodey.

Nat repeated her question. Rhodey repeated Clint's words, then added, "She'll freak out if she sees him like this, you know she will. She's never been good at handling the messy parts."

"I know. That's why I'm already talking her out of flying here."

"Will a photo be enough?" Clint asked.

"Take a few and I'll decide."

"Check with Laura, too. She's good at that sort of thing."

"Yes, I'm aware." Nat sounded amused. "And I have good news: you're going to be popular with the staff once Steve gets back to the hospital."

"Oh?"

"Wanda has been helping Vision learn some new recipes. You're going to have baked goods in plenty."

"Awesome. Maybe bribery is the way to get them to tell us things."

"Can't hurt." Nat fell silent. "I should go. I'm supposed to be the seeker for hide and seek with the kids."

"Who's winning?"

"Vision. It's difficult to find someone who can phase through solid objects."

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed."

When he was done eating, Clint moved his tray and stood to take a few photos of Tony. Rhodey had a few useful comments about angles and lighting, then helped him decide which of the options to send to Nat and Laura.

That task complete, they returned once again to waiting.

.

Steve returned just after noon with lunch and a bag full of baked goods to share. Most of the containers he took out to the nurses' station. He was gone far longer than Clint thought he should be, so he went to investigate after he'd finished his share of chili.

Rhodey was still eating when Clint returned. "Didn't expect you back so soon," he commented.

"Neither did I, but it looks like Steve is having a heart-to-heart with a pretty nurse and who am I to get in the way of that?"

"Right," Rhodey said dubiously.

Steve reappeared about fifteen minutes later. He stood at the end of Tony's bed and just looked at him for a moment, then turned his attention to Clint and Rhodey. "He's improving, little by little," he said.

"Who was that?" Clint asked.

"The nurse supervisor on duty," Steve said offhandedly as he sat in his chair. "Her name is Nikki and she really liked the cookies. There are things she told me that I don't understand, but she definitely said his numbers are better than they've been in the past forty-eight hours."

"Good," Rhodey said with a heavy sigh. "That's . . . that's good."

Doctor not-Bruce confirmed what Nikki-the-nurse-supervisor had said during his daily visit that evening. "He is responding reasonably well to the current medication regimen and we have seen some improvement in his condition as a result," he said vaguely.

"So he's getting better," Steve clarified.

"He has progressed a few small increments, yes, but he remains quite ill and the tables can turn quickly."

"So he's not out of danger," Clint interpreted.

"Correct."

"Is it safe to let the rest of the team visit?" Steve asked.

The doctor hesitated. "We would prefer to keep visitors at a minimum for contamination reasons. Any additional strain on his immune system would . . . not help."

.

The third day was much like the second, except it was Clint's turn to go back to the compound for a while. He ate breakfast with the rest of the team, then spent the remainder of the morning with his family, which included a nap with Nathaniel while Laura did school stuff with Cooper and Lila.

Clint returned to the hospital around mid-afternoon, already aware that there continued to be minute improvements in Tony's condition but nothing dramatic had happened. Which was fine; slow improvement was better than a dramatic decline. But was it really too much to hope for dramatic improvement?

That night after Rhodey was asleep, Clint and Steve debated how to convince him to return to the compound for a few hours. He'd not left the hospital since arriving, had barely even left Tony's bedside, and the strain was visibly wearing on him.

Clint had an idea that Steve was willing to allow, so Clint sent a message to Laura briefly explaining what he hoped to do. She called him as soon as she was awake the next morning to discuss it, and agreed it just might work.

When Rhodey woke up, Clint surreptitiously notified Laura. A few minutes later, Clint's phone rang. "Good morning," he said cheerfully. Clint's family calling him each morning had become part of the routine, so Rhodey didn't even glance over as Clint briefly talked to Laura and each of the kids in turn.

Then Clint turned to Rhodey. "They want to talk to you," he said, offering his phone.

Rhodey looked surprised, but took it. Clint knew roughly what would be said, so he stood up and slowly made a circuit of the room while Rhodey talked to the kids and then Laura. Finally, Rhodey sighed heavily and said, "All right, if you insist."

"What's up?" Clint asked as he returned to his seat after Rhodey had hung up.

"Don't give me that, you put them up to it," Rhodey retorted as he tossed Clint his phone.

"Only a little. I told you yesterday everyone was asking about you and that still wasn't enough, so we had to resort to the big guns."

"I'm not sure what it says about your parenting that you consider your kids big guns."

"They're master manipulators. I'd blame Nat, but they seem to have been born with that skill."

Steve made a show of sitting up and stretching; Clint had noticed he was awake while Rhodey was still on the phone. "Morning, Steve," Clint greeted him. "Uncle Rhodey is going to go have breakfast with the kids. Want to drive him?"