Wakanda's Outsider - King T'Chaka's Bodyguard

What's The Damage?

Your POV
You must have fell back too sleep as the next thing you remember is your eyes flickering back open, gently and slowly this time no where near like before. You felt 'normal' this time as you let your vision slowly adjust to the bright lights of the med bay above you. You were lying back on the bed, your upper body slightly raised so you were comfortable with your ribs. Your left arm was completely restricted as you began to groan and shift as your body woke up fully. As your eyes flickered open you felt someone's hand in your right one as it laid beside you on the bed. Your eyes were now open enough to look around the room, as you did you noticed a certain red head in the chair next to your bed, curled up in a ball as she slept with her hand resting in yours. A small smile growing across your lips as you see how peaceful she looked, but it faded easily seeing her tired and puffy eyes. She has either been crying or not sleeping.. Or both.

You tried to move your upper body but ended up letting out a loud groan as your ribs restricted your movement. Through gritted teeth you managed to move your head to look down at your bandaged body, noticing your left arm in full sling as well as a cast on your ankle as it was hanging from the ceiling in a support. You sighed loudly before turning your attention back to the girl asleep in the chair beside you and a tear instantly escaped down your cheek. You squeezed her hand tight in yours as you groaned a little, your body feeling weak but you wanted to see her bright emerald eyes again looking back at you. You cleared your throat before finding some raspy hushed words to try and get her attention. "You look adorable when your asleep Romanoff.." Your voice instantly catching her attention as her eyes pinged open to see you awake. She gripped your hand tightly as she sat forward in the chair to face you. Tears rolling down her cheeks immediately as her bottom lip began to tremble.

"Hey come on Nat.. Please don't cry.." You pull her hand towards you, urging her to come close. She stands up from the chair as you pull her closer. She wipes her tears away as she looks down at you. You reach up, gently rubbing your thumb against her cheek as she just looks back into your eyes. "I missed you Natasha.." Your words set her off again as she shakes her head against your palm, trying not to cry again but it doesn't work. "Come here.." You tell her in a hushed voice as you lower your hand down her arm and guide her close to you. Wrapping your good arm around her body as she gently wraps her arms around your neck to cuddle you back. She begins to sob into your neck as you hold her tight, never wanting to let her go again. Her tears soak your good shoulder as you let her cry before she pulls away, sitting on the bed next to you before finally finding her voice again. "You have no idea how much I missed you Y/n.. I'm sorry I couldn't.." You cut her off mid sentence. "Don't do that Natasha. There was nothing anyone could do. But I'm here now and that's all that matters right now." She nods in reply before taking your hand back in between both of hers.

"How are you feeling?" She asks as she studies your face. "Some pain but nothing too much right now.." She smiles softly in reply as you don't break away from her gaze. "Peter and Wanda have missed you so much.. To be honest the team hasn't been the same with you gone.." You smile, feeling as though you are really apart of this family. "I've missed everyone.. Have you spoken to T'Challa or Shuri?" She nods and smiles in reply. "Tony told them as soon as you were back. I have spoke to Nakia and Shuri everyday on the phone updating them.." You nod as your smile fades a little thinking about how worried everyone must have been about you. Nat's hand squeezes yours as her other traces patterns up and down your forearm.

You - "How long have I been back?"

Nat - "Just over 2 weeks.."

You - "Wow okay.. what's the damage..?"

Nat - " Bruce and Dr Cho ran some tests and found you have 3 broken ribs, 2 fractured ribs, dislocated left shoulder, broken left collar bone and a fractured right ankle as well as some severe bruising and cuts all over your body.. and some burns covering most of your back.."

You - "Better than what I thought to be honest.."

Nat - "You were severely dehydrated and malnourished when we got you back but Bruce put you on fluids as soon as he could so your body wouldn't shut down.."

You felt your eyes brim with tears thinking about what they did to you in the cell. You can see Nat wanting to ask you what happened but your not ready to talk about it right now. You sit in a small silence before Nat breaks it. "I was so scared I was going too loose you Y/n.. Please never leave me again.." You hear the pain behind her voice as you see her eyes bloodshot from all the tears. You reach up to hold her cheek in your hand, turning her to face you. "I'm sorry Natasha.. I'll never leave you again." Then without warning she leans forward, resting on the bed beside you as she connects her lips with yours. Pure emotion seeping into the kiss as you kiss her back with all the pain from missing her. Passion filled the kiss as it was gentle and slow, you could feel she didn't want to hurt you but needed to feel close to you again. Your hand running round to the back of her neck as you pulled her body closer to you as tears run down both your cheeks. After minutes go by a sudden shift in her weight catches you by surprise, causing your body to jump and instantly the pain in your ribs and collar bone causes you to pull back and groan in agony.

"I'm so sorry.." You chuckle whilst still in pain as Nat jumps back from you. "It's okay.. It was worth it." You see her smile as you shuffle your body to get back into a comfortable position as she climbs off the bed to get you some water and medication. She gives you it, taking a big drink of water as she stands beside your bed making sure your okay. "I'm going to let everyone know your okay.. I'll be back in a minute." You nod as she leans down, kissing your cheek before leaving the room. You lie back, groaning in pain before finding a comfortable position being sat up in the bed. You close your eyes for a few seconds before hearing the doors to the med bay swing open as someone bursts through them in a hurry. You jolt your head up in surprise but smile instantly as you see Peter and Wanda standing in the doorway. They both just freeze and look at you, eyes wide and puffy. Tears rolling down their cheeks. "Miss me?" You smile as they both laugh in reply before rushing to your bedside.

Wanda - "NEVER! Do that again!"

You - "I won't I promise.."

Peter - "We were lost without you.. Everyone missed you!"

You - "I missed you all too.. I'm glad to be back.."

Wanda - "We're glad to have you back safe.."

You reach out to hold Wanda's hand as she squeezes it in return, careful not to move any of the wires the back of your hand. You pull her close for a hug before Peter jumped in to join your both. You groaned in pain but neither of them moved straight away, making you chuckle before they moved at all. Wanda sitting in the chair at your beside as Peter sat at the end of your bed, his usual place since you were allowed visitors. "How you feeling?" Wanda asked as she studied your body. "I'm okay.. Better than I thought I would be to be honest." You see her eyes study your face as Peter tries not to get upset. "I'm here now. There's no need to be upset, either of you, okay!" They nod and smile softly as they start telling you about anything you have missed as you listen and smile, being with them again making you happy.

Nat POV
I went out to tell everyone Y/n was awake. Wanda and Peter instantly jumping up to go see her. I let them have some time with her without me being there as I went to find Tony. I got to his office and seen him on a call. I entered quietly as I sat not too far from him as he finished the call. Once he lowered his phone to his desk his attention was on me again. "Was that T'Challa?" He nodded in reply. "He wanted an update." I nodded before taking a deep breathe in reply. "She's awake." I said plainly as his eyes widen in worry. "How she doing?" I smile a little. "Okay actually. I don't think she realised what happened earlier. She's in pain but that's to be expected. Peter and Wanda are with her now." He nodded as a sigh of relief left his mouth before he sat back in the chair. "Shuri has offered to do some more tests to try and figure out what happened to her if we can't find anything more." Tony explained making my heart sink. I don't want to be apart from her again. "How are we going to tell her Tony?"

He shook his head in reply, sadness filling his eyes. "I don't know Nat.. But she needs to recover properly before we drop this on her." I nodded in reply. It's going to be a long recovery for her before she can try and come to terms with what Tony and Bruce have to tell her. "I think Nakia and Shuri will want to come see her now she is awake." Tony smiled at the thought. "That will be good for her. We'll arrange it once we get her out the medical bay." I smiled in reply. "She'll be okay Nat. These things happen. We are all here for her as well as her having T'Challa and her other family. She has enough support to get through this." I nodded as I started to overthink everything. "I know I shouldn't share this without her but she suffers from Night-terrors.. What if they get worse Tony..?" He nodded in understanding. "Then we all deal with it with her. Together. Like we always do. She has you Nat. I see how much you care for her. And we all do too.." I smile knowing she has everyone's support. "I think I love her Tony.." I admit as he smiles. "I know you do.. She loves you too. Which is why I know she'll get through all this." We both got up and hugged. Tony got me more than most. I trusted him. He was a good friend.

Your POV
You were eating a yoghurt Bruce had brought you in to see how your body reacted to some type of food as Wanda stayed with you after Peter had to head home. Bruce was carrying out some initial checks on your readings as you carried on chatting with Wanda, not wanting to distract Bruce. She was catching you up on what you had missed since being gone, which wasn't a lot since the team spent most of their time looking for you but you didn't mind listening to her. You finished the yoghurt as Bruce finally turned to talk to you. "Sorry to interupt but is it okay if I ask you some questions Y/n?" You nod as Wanda gets up from her chair. "I'll leave you to it. I'll come back soon okay?" You nod and smile as she squeezes your hand. "See you later Maximoff.. Thanks for the company." You both smile as she leaves the room so you can talk to Bruce and answer his questions.

Bruce - "Okay so I know Nat told you about your injuries so first of do you have any questions about them?"

You - "How bad are the breaks?"

Bruce - "So your ankle is a clean break, no re-setting needed. You'll need to have the cast on for another 3 weeks then I'll fit you with a boot to give you some support whilst you get moving again. 3 of your ribs were also clean breaks, as well as the fractures. No re-setting. Just plenty of rest as they fix themselves. You shoulder was just dislocated so I re-set that for you.."

You - "So they will all fix themselves now?"

Bruce - "Yes as long as you rest properly. Now, for your collar bone. I don't know what happened but instead of a clean break, about 60% of the bone was shattered through some brute force."

You - "So what does that mean?"

Bruce - "It meant that some fragments of the bone had to be removed to avoid infection. I managed to save about 70% of your bone, which meant we needed to replace 30%."

You - "How did you manage that?"

Bruce - "Well Dr Cho, myself and Stark went through some possibilities and we came up with a simple one. After talking with Shuri and King T'Challa they sent over some Vibranium which we then implanted to merge with your remaining bone. Shuri walked us through how to do it and it worked. You now have a full collar bone infused with Vibranium to help it heal fully."

You - "Wow okay.. That's a lot. But if I know Shuri I know she wouldn't do this if there was any risks."

Bruce - "That's what we all thought. But all the tests so far have shown it has been successful. We just need to keep up with regular check ups. It's going to be a hard recovery for you but we'll get there."

You - "Thank you for all this Bruce. It means a lot."

Bruce - "It's no problem, your part of the family. That's what we do for each other. Now.. Any other questions?"

You felt yourself becoming more and more nervous for your next question. Ever since Nat mentioned about the burns on your back you knew they were bad by the look in her eyes. You can vaguely remember how they did them too you as parts of your time there kept coming back in little bits. You take a deep breathe to get ready to ask about your back but just before you do the sound of the doors opening catches both your attentions. You look over, her smile easing your nerves slightly as she had some strawberries in her hand. She looks between you and Bruce, knowing she has interupted something. "Sorry should I come back?" She asks a little shyly, making Bruce look at you for an answer. You trust Nat with your life. She makes you feel safer. "Of course not. Come sit." You tell her and she smiles before walking over to sit in the chair next to you. Putting the strawberries on the table beside you before taking your hand in between hers. You take another deep breathe before turning back to Bruce to answer his question.

You - "Okay so.. How bad are my burns?"

Bruce - "Right.. Well there are some extensive burns on your back and sides. Myself and Dr Cho have treat the burns but you may need some skin-graph work done depending on how your skins heals. But we won't know for a little while yet.. Can you remember how you got the burns? It may help us treat them better."

**You glance over at Nat who gives you a comforting smile and nod. Letting you know she is there for you. She squeezes your hand tighter and you do the same back. Sighing gently before answering Bruce.**

You - "Yeah I remember some of it. The burns on my sides were from Car Battery prongs. They would clip them under my ribs at times and just leave them there.. As for my back. It was a mixture. Sometimes it would be cattle rods. Other times heated knives. And I think some sort of Acid maybe I'm not 100% sure."

Bruce - That's okay. I can work with what you remember. Now your back will stay covered for another week before we uncover your bandages to see how the healing is going."

You - "So how long am I going to be stuck in this bed?"

Bruce - "At least another 2 weeks. Maybe more. We need you monitored for now. I know it's not the best place to be but you need to heal and recover as best you can."

You - "It's okay thank you Bruce. Is there anything I can do to help myself?"

Bruce - "Try not to move really.. Just not yet."

You - "No offense Bruce but I really need a shower.."

Bruce - "That can be arranged.. I'll sort out the bathroom with some adjustments to help you but someone will have to be there just in case."

You - "Okay.. Thanks Bruce."

Bruce - "Now, I'll set out your medication so you can keep track of it yourself as well as using your Morphine drip when it gets really bad. Just press the button I showed you. No more than 4 times a day though. Plenty of fluids and as much food as possible. I'll be in 3 times a day for check ups."

You say thank you again as Bruce fills out your chart before leaving the room so it's not just you and Nat. you rest your head back and let out a huge sigh. Feeling both relieved and exhausted. At least now you know the extent of everything that you went through and how your going to get better. After a minute or so of quiet you finally turn your head to see Nat watching you, her eyes red as the tears threaten to roll down her cheeks. "Hey what's wrong?" You ask her gently as you squeeze her hand. "It's just.. Hearing what happened too you.. It's hard. It shouldn't have been you.." You shake your head gently as she starts to tremble a little. "Stop thinking that way Nat please.. Your going to start me off again." You smile and see her chuckle behind her tears before wiping them from her cheeks. "Sorry.. How about I get you something to eat and we can watch a movie? I'll bring in my laptop?" You nod and smile as she stands up. "Don't be long.." She shakes her head, kissing your cheek before she leaves. "Don't go anywhere." She teases before leaving you alone. You can't help but looking down at your body as you lift your t-shirt up, uncovering the huge amount of bandages wrapped around your torso. 'Sh*t that's a lot..'

....

It's the following day and you actually managed to sleep a little last night in between the random rushes of pain from your body. Nat stayed with you all night, putting the two chairs in the med bay together making a small make-shift bed. You told her to sleep in the bed next to you but she refused, not wanting to hurt you. You watched movies together and ate little bits of food that you could manage as she fussed over you. Every time you woke up she was awake too helping you take your medication and making sure you were okay. It made you fall for her so much more at how she is taking care of you. You wanted to feel better before saying those famous 3 words to her. You know that's how you feel about her but it's still scary for you to admit. You got lost in your thoughts before Nat snapped you out of them. "Earth to Y/n? are you okay?" You shake yourself from your thoughts to answer her. "Sorry.. Zoned out. What were you saying?" She chuckled as she handed you some pills and a glass of water. "Time for your meds. Then the team wants to come see you if your feeling up too it?"

You take your meds before answering. "Yeah sure. I'm feeling a lot better. You make a brilliant nurse Romanoff.." You wink cheekily at her, swearing you see her blush. "Behave babe! Now do you want anything?" You smirk and wiggle your eyebrows a little making her laugh. "Come here baby." You catch her arm and pull her into a kiss before she leaves to get the team as you finish eating the toast she made you for breakfast. Your nervous to see the team but your also very excited to see there faces again. You had missed the guys joking with you as well as just simple things like training or movie nights with them all. Just as you finished your toast you looked over and seen the team all making their way into the med bay, hands filled with all sorts of gifts from chocolates too balloons. You couldn't help but smile in return as they had beaming smiles on their faces. They all come in slowly, placing your gifts on the table next to you bed before hugging you one by one before crowding at the bottom of the bed so you can see them all easier whilst Nat sat in the chair beside you.

Steve - "How you feeling?"

You - "I'm good thanks Cap."

Sam - "We all missed you kid. Especially Thor!"

Thor - "I did. It was not the same around here without my favourite Mid-guardian."

You - "Thanks guys. I missed you all so much.."

Wanda - "All that matters is that your back with us. Where you belong."

Bruce - "Yeah your not allowed to go anywhere ever again without us!"

You - "Trust me Pete, there's no way it's happening again."

**Suddenly a friendly face appears at the doorway. Someone you never thought you'd want to see.**

Tony - "None of us are letting you out of our sights again."

**You smile widely as Tony comes to the other side of your bed to where Nat was sitting, a huge punnet of Strawberries in his hand with a card attached to them.**

Tony - "Nat told me they are your favourite fruit and we need to feed you up so you can get out that awful bed."

You - "Thanks Tony. She's right they are my favourite. Thank you for all your gifts and cards. They mean the world to me."

Steve - "It's the least we can do. We are all here for you no matter what you need. Your part of the family."

Sam - "Steve's right. Whatever you need. We're all here."

You - "Well in that case, who is helping me shower?"

**You say jokingly as everyone bursts into laughter.**

Wanda - "I think Nat's got that covered.."

Tony - "Witchy is right, I don't think the angry Russian Spy is letting anyone else do that job."

Nat - "Okay calm down Stark.."

You - "I'm not complaining.."

Everyone laughs with you as you feel Nat squeeze your hand as she laughs along too. You spend some more time catching up with the team before they leave you to rest. Nat and Wanda stay with you as Bruce carries out his checks with you. Once they are done Bruce leaves and you rest your eyes as Wanda and Nat talk between themselves, leaving you to hopefully fall asleep. With your eyes closed and your breathing settled and heavy, Nat and Wanda seem to think your asleep as they begin to talk more openly.

Wanda - "How you doing though Nat? Seriously? I know this has all been hard on you.."

Nat - "I'm just so relieved to have her back Wanda.. I was so scared of loosing her."

Wanda - "We all were.. But I couldn't imagine how you have felt these past few weeks. You really care about her don't you?"

Nat - "I've never felt so close to anyone before her.. I was always taught 'love is for children' but with her, I can't help feel how I do about her. I trust her with my life. I don't want to spend any time without her again.."

Wanda - "My advise.. Tell her how you really feel Nat. I've seen the way she looks at you. She feels the same way.. Trust me."

It all went quiet after that, you were smiling so brightly on the inside but before long you ended up drifting off to sleep. Your body allowing itself to relax completely as the medication is helping your body to heal steadily. But it wasn't long until your peaceful afternoon sleep began to fill with flashbacks from your days at HYDRA. The torture and constant feeling of loneliness clouding your dreams and turning them into nightmares. Your body began to react negatively as your heart started racing and your breathing became erratic. More and more flashbacks came into your vision, the beatings and experiments playing over and over in your mind. Your body starting to move and shift on it's own. Your skin feeling like it was on fire.


"AARRGGHH!"