21 Days [A Hawkeye/ Clint Barton fic] [HEAVY EDITING]

I Just Want to Go Home

Silence.

As soon as Clint's eyes fluttered open, he immediately noticed he was facing a white ceiling above him.

He knew exactly where he was. Another damn hospital.

The archer winced as he turned his head to the side to see Natasha asleep on the dark grey couch against the wall. "'T-Tasha?" He seemed confused as his eyes fell on the bandages scattered across the female assassin's forearms.

She stirred awake when she heard him call her name. Her grey eyes met his blue ones, then widened once she fully realized he was awake. "Clint!" The Black Widow leapt off the couch and rushed over to the open door to call for a doctor. However, before the words could escape her mouth, her attention was turned onto Clint, who was coughing violently into his hospital sheet-covered hands.

"Clint?" The female assassin gently placed her hand on his back while trying to offer a plastic cup of water with the other. Her friend just shook his head and tried to control his coughing.

The only thing that mattered was that he was alive, but Natasha would not say what still scared her. The doctor who had operated on Clint was in SHIELD's custody. As soon as her friend was out of the woods, he would be taken back for the removal of the implants the facility doctor had placed in his body. The facility doctor would be forced to assist SHIELD's doctors.

"Y-you've been asleep for sixteen days..."

Clint glanced down at the white bandages covering different patches of her forearms. White patches covering needle punctures. Based on the red stains on them, some were fresher than others. The archer weakly pushed himself up to get a better look. "W-what did you do?"

"3 pints...damn doctors wouldn't let me give you anymore. Lies. She had given much more. I forced them to take more than one pint, even though I nearly passed out. I didn't care. I needed to help you, Barton." Natasha glanced down at the arm restraint on Clint's right wrist, and the archer's eyes immediately followed hers.

"W-What the hell?" Clint used his other hand to try to push up on the edge of the arm guard. Natasha gently pushed his hand away.

"They're afraid you'd rip out your IV when you woke up. They customized it just for you for...reasons. You know how you can usually get out of anything..."

Clint squeezed his eyes shut tightly for a second, but when he opened them, he stared at the open doorway.

Natasha followed his eyes and glanced out the door as well before turning back to Hawkeye. "Are you afraid?"

"Where's Steve?"

"He's being interrogated by Fury. He let them do this to you, Clint. Clint, they lost you on the operating table three times before you were stabilized..." she sighed, "and if the doctors clear you today, you're going back in for another surgery tonight."

Clint panicked and sat up in bed as much as he could. "Nat, it wasn't—"

"Well, it's good to see you awake, Agent Barton." The archer turned his head toward the door again, now seeing Lincoln Campbell leaning against the doorframe with a clipboard in his hand. He took a few steps toward Clint and Natasha. Agent Daisy Johnson stood behind him, and Natasha knew exactly why she was there. She was backup in case Clint attempted to fight or kill again.