Chapter Text
Tony has been looking on his phone's screen for God-knows-how-long. He was just there, right outside Natasha's room and standing along the corridor of the hospital, alone. The reason why he stepped out was to make a call... to the person he never imagined he ever would: James Buchanan Barnes. Natasha's ex-boyfriend...
Yeah, his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend.
Last night, Tony was notified by the city hospital that Natasha was involved in an accident. She was in the backseat of a car going home from work when it was bumped off-track by another car whose driver was drunk. Natasha was immediately given medical attention and her employer was contacted, which helped trace him as her emergency contact person, being the only "family" she had in the US.
He had barely slept since the previous night and she was unconscious, until earlier when she woke up and started asking what happened. His girlfriend looked fine except for bruises on her right arm and head which hit her side of the car's window. She was also on neck brace due to whiplash. Good thing, she was wearing her seatbelt when the accident happened, else, she could have been worse.
But the unusual occurred to him when she spoke further.
"Where's Bucky?" Natasha asked.
His eyebrows furrowed. He even thought she misheard her... but it was clear.
"Why are you looking for him?"
She shrugged. "Why not? I had an accident. My boyfriend should be here by now."
He tensed. It has hardly registered in his mind when she asked again.
"Does he know what happened?"
Tony swallowed a lump in his throat and refused to answer. Instead, he dialled on the room's phone and called for her doctor. He needed an explanation on what was wrong with Natasha...
Why would she look for the man she has broken up with two years ago? And all the more why would she pertain to that man as her boyfriend?
Soon enough, Dr. Cho got in the room, did the vital signs check-up first and went on asking her questions afterwards. Tony stood a few feet away from her bed, observing.
"Can you recall what happened before you were brought here?"
She shook her head lightly, hindered by her neck injury. "No... But Tony said there was a car accident."
"That's right. And do you know what date it is today?"
"Today... I... I don't actually."
"I have a pen and a pad here. I need you to write your full name and address."
There was hesitation in her eyes, but she picked up the pen, stared on the pad, and started writing slowly. By the nod of the doctor towards Tony, he figured that Natasha got the information accordingly. It took her longer than it should though.
Until the doctor asked the next questions.
"Do you know him? His name and who he is?" she pointed to him.
"Yeah, that's Tony. My best friend."
Tony literally felt a pang in his chest. He could not move. He could not even speak to correct her.
"Aside from him, are you expecting to see anyone else here?"
"My family's away. They're in Russia. I live here alone with my dog, Luca. But my boyfriend... Bucky should be here any moment. Right, Tones?"
His jaw clenched but he managed to nod once.
The lady doctor stood up from sitting on the edge of Natasha's bed. "Okay. I think you should get some rest for now. I will be back later to check on you again." Then she turned to the nurse who assisted her. "Can you look after her for a while? I just need to talk to Mr. Stark here."
The next thing Tony knew, he was outside the room listening to Dr. Cho's explanation.
"We still need to observe her tonight until tomorrow and run a series of tests to confirm her condition. In the meantime, I need to know your thoughts about her responses which you heard."
He let out a tired sigh before he replied. "She's right. I am her best friend... and boyfriend for a year now. Bucky's her ex - they broke up two years ago. Luca was her Pomeranian dog, which died a month ago due to old age. It's true though that her family's in Moscow. She's living independently."
"It seems like Natasha is suffering from selective amnesia, Tony. She remembers things from the past, and thinks they still exist to date."
His fingers raked his hair backwards as he shut his eyes. "I-is that... Is that serious? Is that going to be permanent?" He questioned heavily. "What..."
"It can be a temporary condition - days, weeks - but in some cases, it can last longer."
It was the last straw before he let his back rest on the wall, as if his legs were already failing him soon.
"What should we do?"
The doctor's expression spelled understanding. "For now, we need to support her physical recovery. Her mental state follows. I suggest we do not rush her to recalling everything immediately and getting back on track. We need to be patient; else, she might not receive the present positively. It can lead to anxiety, or worse, depression."
Tony let out another exhausted sigh. Just the thought of Natasha not remembering who he really is to her and what they have broke his heart.
"Our mind has the ability to repress unwanted memories or deny reality when these stress us." Dr. Cho continued to explain. "There might be a reason why Natasha remembers her past, one to two years ago, but forgot her present. That, we might or might not figure out. But for now, let's give her time to rest."
He nodded forcefully.
"The man Natasha thought as her boyfriend, would you have a way to contact him?"
If he had a choice, he never wanted to. He did not dare share that anymore.
"I can find a way."
"Not to put our hopes up, but if she sees him, it might help her remember or feel the things that aren't the same anymore."
And so, here he was, reaching out to Bucky.