Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 75: Good Cop, Bad Cop

A lot of screws and a couple metal plates was what it took the doctors to force the bone into the right position so it could heal again. The skin was stitched closed neatly and it didn't require a cast, to Katya's relief. 

She didn't have to go under general anestesia, since numbing her leg alone would be sufficient. This was also a huge relief, because as a spy, she wanted to stay alert and conscious all the time. It was weird to have doctors dig into your leg while not feeling anything. She didn't watch, she didn't feel the need to.

Her left hand was cuffed to the railing of her bed, and there were two guards positioned by the door at all times. Natasha wasn't allowed inside. Not even after she threatened them. How she was here and not in prison was a surprise. Maybe T'Challa hadn't told Ross what had happened inside the hangar, but that was unlikely.

Katya had no outside information, no idea what had happened to Steve or Bucky or the rest of her team. Although she could guess where they ended up: jail. 

Occasionally, Tony glanced inside her room as he passed it, but never once went in. It was hard to read him, to know if the glares he gave her were because he was angry about the side she picked, or because she helped Barnes escape. 

But overall, he looked tired and distraught and the fact that he was in the hospital for so long told her there was someone else here. Someone from their team. But who?

Katya grew restless as the hours passed after her operation. She knew they'd come for her, the cuffs around her wrist said so. Of course she could slip out of them, and she was sure even on one leg, she could take out the guards, but then there was a whole hospital to run through, and with Tony in the hallway, she'd never make it.

But she was also tired of fighting, of explaining herself to everyone and making excuses for her behavior. Letting Steve and Bucky go was the right decision. Hopefully they made it to Siberia and took care of the problem.

Exactly two and a half hours after surgery, a squad of heavily armed men waltzed into the room. Katya had no idea why they thought she would be able to fight all of them in her condition -there must have been at least six- but nevertheless, here they were.

They uncuffed her and pulled her out of the bed roughly. She hissed in pain as the blood flowed to her leg at once and did her best to keep all her weight on the other one. She was forced out of the room, three men on either side of her, like a criminal. She guessed that's what she was now.

Tony was the first one she passed. He looked her straight in the eye, but it made him uncomfortable. He wasn't glad or happy, in fact he was broken and sad to see one of his closest friends get dragged away. He knew where she would end up, unlike the rest of the world. To them, half of the Avengers just went missing, never to be seen again.

Instead of snarling at him, she just smiled. It wasn't all his fault, what had happened. And she wasn't so blind she didn't see where he was coming from, that he believed the Accords were good.

The next person she passed was Natasha, who looked about ready to take out the whole squad and drag Katya through the hallways herself, but the brunette subtly shook her head, telling her not to do something stupid. 

Who knew when they were going to see each other again? Maybe Natasha wouldn't be allowed to visit her in prison. They weren't married yet, so she couldn't play the family card. 

But when their eyes met, Natasha said, ''I'll see you soon.''

Katya furrowed her eyebrows and wanted to turn around and ask what she meant, but the men had already dragged her around a corner. The last thing she saw was her red hair.