Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 3: Familiar Feeling

''Thanks for this by the way.'' Katya limped through the corridors of SHIELD HQ. The pressure on her leg had caused it to start bleeding again. Natasha offered to help her, but Katya refused. She didn't want people to see she needed help to walk. So Natasha walked next to her silently, ready to catch her if needed.

She shrugged, all kind of emotions playing with her head. She couldn't believe this was happening. ''You were running away, so I had to do something. Be glad it wasn't your knee.''

''Wow, I feel a lot better, thanks.'' Katya sarcastically replied. Her long braid had released a lot of pieces of hair. They kept falling into her face, but she needed her hands to not fall over.

Natasha didn't answer, just pushed the button for the elevator, waiting for it to arrive. Luckily, it was empty, less explaining to do that way. ''Infirmary,'' she said to the ceiling.

''Confirmed,''  a fabricated voice replied. Slowly, the doors closed and they went up a couple floors, Katya staring at the numbers above the door. The silence wasn't awkward. She knew that with Natalia, you didn't need to talk. 

They had talked for some time until Natasha was called away by the man she came to know as Barton. She had left Katya in the room for 26 minutes if she had counted correctly, until she came back and unlocked her cuffs. It was weird to have the Russian touching her again, but it felt so familiar and good.

What the two SHIELD agents had talked about behind the mirror must have been good, because they didn't throw Katya out of the building. Instead, they were fixing her up by bringing her to the infirmary. Natalia was deeply lost in her thoughts, Katya could see that. She let her think, hoping whatever she decided was good.

She couldn't help but glance over to her every now and then. Natalia had changed but was still the same, if that made any sense. She felt the same, she felt safe.

A doctor awaited them in a sterile room, greeting them as they walked in. He looked at Katya in mistrust, but she couldn't care less about what he thought of her. She hopped up on the bed easily, starting to unwrap the bandage. She had patched herself up so many times, she was almost a doctor herself. 

''Maybe you should let me do that.'' The Doctor wanted to push her hands away, but the nasty glare Katya threw at him made him back up. 

His words didn't stop her from unwinding the gauze. ''Leave the needle and pliers,'' she ordered him around. She knew she had no right to, but she didn't trust others with fixing her up. Her body, her decision. Too many people had mistreated it.

''But-''

''Just do it.'' Natasha, who held some sort of power here, interrupted him. He nodded stiffly and put the equipment on the bed, then walked to the other side of the room, pretending to be busy with something. People were afraid of the Russian here, not wanting to get on her bad side. Katya didn't know whether to be proud or not, Natalia finally taking the reigns for herself.

Katya studied her leg from both sides. No exit wound, so she would have to pry the bullet out, great. ''You couldn't have at least shot it all the way through?'' she mumbled to Natalia. Her right hand picked up the pliers, a quiet hiss leaving her when she poked it into her skin. 

That sound triggered something in Natasha, something concerned. ''You sure you don't want him to do it?'' she asked, jabbing her thumb at the doctor. She stood too close to the bed to be a objective onlooker. She cared. 

''Why?'' Katya turned her head to the side when she didn't answer, a smirk visible on her face. ''Be careful, Natalia, or I will think you actually care about me.''

Natasha crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the brunette's jab. ''It's Natasha.''

Katya narrowed her eyes at her, studying her face carefully, then returning her attention to her leg. ''No, it's not.''