Never Alone Again |N.R|

What?

It had been a couple of days since I'd woken up in the Med Bay dazed and confused. Natasha had helped me walk back to our room this morning, since Bruce said he was happy for me to continue my recovery there. Although he pleaded with Natasha for her to keep an eye on me, as they couldn't risk me having another seizure with no one present. My injuries that I gained in Russia were still healing, so overall I was still quite weak. But the pain didn't seem to matter, instead my mind took the lead. I felt angry inside, but I couldn't for the life of me work out why. Hopefully that would come with time, as for now I was still reduced to relying on Natasha for just about everything.

She lifted me up onto the bed and pulled the covers over my aching body as I sunk into the pillow. I felt like I could actually relax here, let my guard down. Natasha sat next to me on the other side, a laptop in her hands as she typed away. I felt bad for keeping her here when she'd probably find it much easier to work elsewhere. "You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to. I'll be fine on my own." She raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at me. "You heard Bruce and plus, the second you're out of my sight you'll get up to no good. I'm not leaving you for a second." I hummed in reply, already having my eyes closed as I leant back into the soft pillow hoping to fall asleep. "Sleep tight" I heard Natasha say as I finally drifted off.

I hadn't been asleep for long before I was awoken by a throbbing pain in my head. When I opened my eyes it was worsened by the bright lights on the ceiling, so I snapped a hand over them and attempted to soothe the ache by massaging my temples. "Headache?" Natasha asked, but I could only nod in reply as the pain made me suddenly nauseous. Before she could say anything else I sat up and jumped from the bed, stumbling to the ground before picking myself and rushing into the bathroom. I threw up, but since I hadn't eaten in over a day there wasn't much there. Instead my stomach cramped as I leant my head on my arm, suddenly dizzy from standing up so quickly. Natasha was beside me quickly, pulling my hair back from my face and rubbing my back. My skin was clammy and hot to the touch so I slumped back onto the ground and rested my head against the cold tiles. It immediately soothed me. After a while Natasha decided I needed to get back to bed, "come on Rue, lets get off the floor." I moaned as she lifted me up by my underarms, leading me back towards the bed.

After a while I kicked the covers off, my body felt like it was on fire. Natasha leant over and placed the back of her hand against my forehead, I welcomed her cool skin against mine. "Oh my God Rue, you're boiling." When I opened my eyes to look at her I felt disorientated, seeing two of her for a moment before my vision settled to just a light blur. "I don't feel good." That was when I became conscious of the pain in my lower stomach. When it first started I'd just assumed that it was from me throwing up, but it was worsening now. As I took a breath the pain became sharp, like someone had stabbed me, and I was forced to curl up in order to lessen it. "Ahhhhh" I moaned as the throbbing refused to subside. "Rue, I'm taking you to Bruce right now." Usually I would've protested, but I'd never felt so ill in my entire life.

Natasha scooped me up in her arms and I wrapped my hands around the back of her neck, pulling myself into her. She asked FRIDAY to call Bruce to the Med Bay as she ran, and he was there when we arrived, clearly having run himself. I didn't pick anything up after that, the pain in my head and my stomach sending me into a darkness where those things didn't exist.

Natasha's POV

"Bruce what's happening to her?! She had a headache, then she threw up, then she was boiling hot and now she's got stomach pains." He looked at Rue worriedly as a nurse worked around us, placing an IV into her arm that would deliver her fluids.

"My best guess is that she's got an infection, where they carried out the surgery." Our eyes met briefly before he busied himself again. Lifting Rue's shirt slightly and pressing down on her stomach gently. When his hands leant down on the very centre of her fresh scar, her eyes shot open and she screamed in pain. She struggled for air as it overwhelmed her, pushing his hands off of her in an effort to stop it. "Get off of me, that hurts." Her voice started as a shout but was quickly reduced to a near whisper as her eyes fluttered closed again.