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The D in Apartment 23

I'll Always Have You

“You got this Natasha.” Bruce whispered to her, as a distant Natasha nodded slowly staring down at the gushing hole in Harry’s front. Her mind was take back to when the Winter Soldier shot through her to kill his target. She saw the snowy mountain top, the dip that she had successfully controlled the roll into. She had just gotten him out, searching the area for the ghost story responsible for her car flipping. She was sure she saw him; she put herself in between the target and shooter, thinking it would buy her some time. She quickly realised his moral compass was off and nothing would stand in the way of a successful mission when the bullet pierced her skin. She could feel the now heeled scar burn at the memory of searing skin as she coughed to snap herself out of it. She looked up when Bruce put his hand over hers, “Are you okay?” He asked the pale Black Widow, who nodded weakly. “I got you.” He whispered again squeezing her hand softly with reassurance that reminded her of their lullaby. It was Sam who had answered Bucky’s phone call and sure enough after him pleading to hurry the team arrived and Dr Banner instantly got to work. They were in the car on the way back to the facility and Natasha was applying pressure to stop the blood from pouring out of an unconscious Harry. Bruce quickly patched up Bucky’s back wound the mention of gravity being on their side – as well as his heeling factor. He had just finished up applying the pack when Natasha called his name out, turning quickly to notice Harry had started fitting. “She’s gone into shock.” Bruce remained calm as he instructed everyone not to touch the young doctor, he watched her carefully thankful that the backseat of the van didn’t have any hazards for her to hurt herself more.
“She’s going to be okay, right?” Bucky asked, his face broken as he watched her at her most vulnerable, he was sure she was teetering on the face of life and death and that thought terrified him. The doors swung open once they’d pulled up, preventing his question getting answered.
“We’ve got to get this bullet out of her and blood into her now.” Bruce spoke quickly as he carefully lifted her on to the waiting medical bed. He quickly rushed off with her as Steve helped to get Bucky out, insisting he lay down on the next bed that was there.

Harry had been in surgery for several hours, and Bucky made no attempt to move from the room at the side of the theatre, it had a connected glass panel meaning he could watch everything.
“Bucky, you should go get some rest, we need to go through what happened.” Steve suggested knowing he was trying in vain. There was nothing that was going to get the assassin to move until he knew she was safe. Steve stared at him for a few moments not sure if he heard him or was ignoring him, either way he wasn’t moving from his position. Natasha sat quietly in the corner of the room her mind flashing back to the times he took aim at her, the cruel reality of karma coming back around for him. She watched the scene unfold as Bruce assisted Helen in the operation, knowing full well Harry had done this many times for others. The room was silent except for the noises of the machines and instructions coming from the room they were all focused on. That all changed when the door was slammed open and Tony took long strides over to Bucky, who had just turned around to see the reason for the loud noise, Tony wasted no time in grabbing him by his shirt and slamming him into the wall. The billionaire noticed Steve step closer to stop him but he shot him a look daring him to try, Natasha looked at Steve and shook her head indicating to leave this one to them. Tony and Bucky’s relationship was still on rocky grounds, they had started to get along – but the team knew they would never be best of friends; Tony was highly critical of Bucky and still didn’t fully trust him.
“What did you do to her?” Tony shouted in Bucky’s face who didn’t even put up a fight back. One swipe of his hand and he wouldn’t have sent the famous Iron Man flying across the room; something they both knew from previous experiences. “I swear you better start talking! Why were HYDRA there?” He shouted louder, again no response came from Bucky making Tony even angrier. “You working for them? Did they get in your head?” He shouted pulling the super soldier forward and slamming him back into the wall.
“Tony.” Steve shouted, but, once again Tony glared at him.
“I don’t know why HYDRA were there. I took care of everything back then, there was no reason for them to be there.” Bucky started once Tony’s attention turned back to him.
“You took care of what?” Tony spoke out through gritted teeth. Bucky hesitated, shaking his head knowing him admitting it to Tony would drag back what he did to his own parents. It was like history was repeating himself. “I’m warning you frosty you better speak now or I’m putting you in that chamber and never letting you out.” Tony threatened as Bucky’s eyes diverted away from his.
“I killed her parents.” He whispered as realisation hit Steve like a tonne of bricks. Natasha was up in an instant to intervene not being quick enough to stop Tony from punching Bucky square in the face.
“You just can’t help yourself, can you? What is it your trademark? You just can’t stop tearing families apart can you!” Tony screamed as Natasha pulled him away from an already beat Bucky.
“Tony get out. Sam come and get him!” Natasha shouted down the hall whilst shoving her teammate backwards to the door and into Sam’s hands.

“I don’t understand.” Steve started breaking the silence of the room after about 10 minutes. “Did you know her all this time? Why?” Steve shook his head as he walked over to his best friend. Natasha was leaning against the door her head resting back as she took a deep breath, this was going to be a hard one to come back from.
“No. When we went back it jogged my memory, it came flooding back. Her parents were working on a navigation system that could hack into HYDRA’S location, HYDRA knew this but couldn’t prevent it, they sent me to take care of it. I told her everything and we were arguing next thing I realised was they were outside in a car. I kept myself between her and the window, but they took the shot anyway.” He stopped his eyes filling up with tears, regret and sorrow. Something Steve had never seen a mixture of. “Tony’s right.”
“Tony was angry.” It was Natasha who spoke out, pushing herself off the door and over to Bucky. “Something tells me either they are newbie’s or very bad aimers. The shot they took pierced her lung, you don’t aim for the lung to kill.” She carried on, speaking from experience. “Doesn’t matter who the wall is you know where to aim on someone else to inflict the damage needed on to your actual target.” She shrugged as Bucky looked up at her.
“Like I did to you.” He whispered, his eyes meeting hers, she directed her gaze elsewhere so he didn’t see the hurt in them.
“Which suggests they have a different motive.” Steve pieced it together. “We need to know what that motive is.” He confirmed as Natasha nodded just as Bruce snapped his gloves off and walked out of the room.

“How is she?” Bucky asked the doctor when he walked into the room.
“Stable.” Was the short response Bruce gave. “The bullet shattered her rib and penetrated her lung meaning it filled with fluid. She lost practically two thirds of her blood. The bullet broke on impact meaning that there are shards still in her one of which is embedded in her muscle wall near her artery that feeds blood to her heart and legs. If we try to remove it and nick that artery it could lead to paralysis, or, even fatal. Leaving it in means muscle damage.” He went into detail trying to explain it so that they would understand. He wasn’t a medical doctor, just read in books throughout his time in hiding. “What I’m saying is she’s stable, but, I don’t know how long for.” He bit his lip looking down. “We’ve done all we can do today, we’ve got to see how she responds to the treatment Helen’s giving her overnight.” He told them truthfully as Bucky’s eyes fell on to the motionless body of the woman he loved being moved. “We need to keep watch on her throughout the night.”
“I’ll do it.” Natasha spoke out before anybody else could, Bruce eyed her knowing something was wrong but nodded anyway. “Steve take Bucky to his room get some rest, it’s gonna be a long couple of days and she’s gonna need us all when she comes around.” Natasha instructed, opening the door as they all walked out, she immediately walked down to the room she knew Harry would be in.

She’d been sat at the side of Harry’s bed for little over three hours when the door opened revealing Bruce with a little tray full of food. “Hey.” He smiled placing the tray on the table. “You okay?” He asked as she nodded a small smile on her lips at his concern. “You blocked out back in the car, want to talk about it?” He asked as she grabbed the can of coke, opening it and taking a big gulp from it.
“It just took me back to when he” she subconsciously placed her hand over the scar Winter Soldier had caused, “I know he wasn’t him back then and I’ve long accepted that, but, seeing it happen again it just brought it back you know?” She asked as Bruce nodded trying his best to understand. “We’ve never spoke about it, it was like an unspoken rule; but, right after Tony stormed in he acknowledged what he’d done to me and it just kind of hit me if you get me? I don’t blame him in any sense, I know Bucky and I know he’s mortified and shamed by what he was forced to do; but there was something about it not being secret that affected me more than I thought it would.” She spilled out what she was feeling, something she never did with anyone. She felt like with Bruce she could tell him anything, because, there was no judgement whatsoever. Bruce always thought his indiscretions were the worst thing that anyone had ever done, he saw himself as a monster; and so did Natasha. There was a mutual understand that no matter how much you could tell the other that they weren’t a monster, their mind wouldn’t change. She trusted Bruce with her life even after Hulk tried to kill her, but, more importantly she trusted Hulk too.
“You know I meant it.” Bruce spoke out surprising Natasha from her thoughts. “I’ll always have you.” He smiled at her, her face softening with a smile.

Notes

Comments

So cute! ☺️

Trista Sterling Trista Sterling
10/27/17

I love this story!!!!!

VRSFANFICTION VRSFANFICTION
7/25/16