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There was wreckage everywhere. The Potomac was on fire and Steve Rogers was last seen on the helicarrier that was now sinking to the bottom of the river.
"Hill, I need a location on Rogers!" Natasha yelled through the coms, as though if she said it enough times Maria would miraculously have a location for her.
Fury lowered the helicopter so they would be able to search the water. Natasha's eyes racked the river and its shore until she saw him. A small blue figure laying completely motionless in the sand.
"There!" She said, pointing at him and standing from her seat.
Fury landed the helicopter and Natasha didn't spare a second jumping out and sprinting towards Steve. Her heart dropped when she saw him. His face had been seriously beaten and there was blood seeping from a wound in his chest, shoulder, and leg.
"Fuck," she mumbled, putting pressure on the wound on his stomach and feeling for a pulse.
"Captain Rogers is down. We need medical right now on the east bank of the river," She said into her comm. His pulse was faint but it was there. She wouldn't- couldn't -let him die. Not now. Not after he had gone and made her care for him.
Sam was by her side a second later, putting pressure on the gunshot wound on his leg while she kept pressure on his stomach.
"Stay with me Steve," She whispered, watching his chest rise and fall ever so slowly.
Medical arrived a few minutes later and Natasha tried to steady her breath as they took him away in a gurney. Her stomach was doing flips and she felt like she could vomit. Steve was strong, he wasn't supposed to get hurt like that. Seeing him an inch from death made her feel like she had just walked in on something she shouldn't have.
Fury had to go back into hiding before authorities arrived but Sam and Natasha were quick to drive to the hospital Steve had been taken to.
She walked into the hospital with her mind set on making sure he was okay but a. SHIELD nurse who clearly had no idea who she was quickly blocked her path.
"I'm sorry ma'am, only staff is allowed past this point."
Natasha's jaw clenched but before she could say anything, Sam stepped forward, "We work for the government and we were sent to check on Captain Rogers' status. Now our boss is gonna be pretty pissed off if we can't confirm that he's alive soon. So we could make this easy and you can just let us through or I'll have to make some phone calls and complain to your boss that you held up two government officials."
The poor nurse shook her head quickly, "My apologies sir, right this way."
She led them to a room at the end of a hallway and opened the door, "Captain Rogers is in operation right now but will be brought here when he's done. He's in stable condition right now."
Sam thanked her and Natasha took to pacing back and forth in the small room. She was grateful for the fact that Sam didn't say anything and instead took a seat in the corner of the room and stared out the window while she paced.
Her heart was racing and while she knew Steve was tough, she was terrified that he wouldn't make it. On the shore he had looked completely lifeless, so unlike the man she had talked with in Sam's guest bedroom less than a day ago.
Their conversation ran through her head. He trusted her. Trusted her to save his life if it came down to it. Now she just wondered if she had found him in time to do so.
About an hour passed before the doctors brought Steve into the recovery room.
He didn't look much better. His face was still swollen and his skin was still unusually pale, but the steady beeping echoing through the room was reassurance that his heart was still beating. He was alive.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Sam asked.
The doctor nodded, "He's just gonna need a day or two to recover. After that he'll be good as knew. Damn lucky to have that super serum though. Anyone else and they'd be dead."
Sam thanked the doctor while Natasha took a seat in the chair next to Steve's bed.
She took a deep breath and sighed, finally feeling the worry weighing on her shoulders ease slightly.
Natasha and Sam sat in silence for a few more minutes before Sam finally spoke up, "You alright?"
Looking up, Natasha nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine."
Sam gave her a look and sighed, "You don't have to be. I don't know what's going on between the two of you but being worried about him is normal."
Natasha shook her head, "Nothing is going on between the two of us."
Sam laughed, "Yeah okay, nothing's going on. I gotta get my eyes checked then."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Natasha asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
Sam shrugged, "I'm just saying that I've spent the last two days with you guys and you two don't act like two people with nothing going on between you."
Natasha looked down at Steve and then back at Sam, "I care about him. We're friends. That's all."
"Okay, sure. Whatever you say," Sam said with a knowing glint in his eyes that Natasha kind of hated. He looked down at Steve and then back at her, "I'm starving so I'm gonna go check out the cafeteria. Want anything?"
Natasha shook her head despite the fact that she too was starving.
Sam shrugged, "All right, I'll be back then."
He walked out of the small room, leaving Natasha alone with Steve.
She could hardly stand the eerie silence of the room so she grabbed the remote and turned it Jeopardy, which was the show she always watched during her recoveries from bad missions.
Looking back at Steve, she took his hand into hers and closed her eyes, letting out a breath she'd been holding since she saw him on the shore.
She ran her thumb over the back of his hand and looked closer at the injuries on his face.
"Idiot," She mumbled, brushing her other thumb over the yellow bruise just below his eye.
Natasha wasn't stupid, they were from Bucky and from the looks of it, Steve hadn't fought back. She had worried about his ability to fight his childhood best friend, even if Bucky had no memory of Steve. Steve was the type to die before he would fight someone he loved. If she was right about this, then he almost had.
She let go of his hand and sat back in her chair when she heard Sam on the other side of the door, trying to justify the fact that she had been holding his hand because she was worried and not because they were anything more than friends.
Sam entered the room and tossed her a bag, "I know you said you weren't hungry but I got you a sandwich just in case you changed your mind."
Natasha was internally very grateful for Sam's ability to read people, "Thanks," she said, pulling out the PB and J.
"You think he fought back?" Sam asked.
Natasha shook her head, "No."
Sam sighed, "He's lucky that didn't get him killed."
"Yeah," Natasha said, wondering why it didn't. The Winter Soldier was efficient. If he wanted to kill Steve he would have, "I think he got Bucky to remember him. Otherwise he probably would be dead."
"Either way, he's an idiot."
Natasha nodded and took a bite from her sandwich.
It was another three hours before Steve woke up. Jeopardy was playing silently in the background, Sam was playing Marvin Gayes Troubleman soundtrack, and Natasha was doing her best not to doze off in the chair on the right side of Steve's bed.
Steve's voice woke her up instantly, "On your left," He told Sam, then turning to her with a small grin as though he hadn't been beaten within an inch of his life.
Sam chuckled slightly and shook his head while Natasha couldn't help but smile back for a moment, filled with utter relief that he really was okay.
"God I'm hungry," Steve mumbled and Natasha shook her head with a smirk.
"You deserve to be after that stunt you pulled," She said, trying to sound as nonchalant about the whole thing as she could.
Sam nodded, "Yeah you had me thinking you weren't gonna pull through for a minute there. Lucky for you there's a hot nurse working at the cafeteria so getting you food is a perfect excuse for me to go talk to her again."
Steve grinned as Sam walked out of the room and then turned to Natasha, "You alright?"
Natasha raised her eyebrows, "Me? I'm not the one who let his childhood best friend beat the shit out of him. When I found you, you looked dead Steve. I think I'm the one who should be asking if you're alright."
"I'm fine. He remembered me. I know he did. He pulled me to shore."
"After he almost killed you," Natasha said, her chest tightening again at the thought of it.
Steve nodded, "I couldn't fight him Nat."
Natasha bit her lip, "Wouldn't. There's a difference. And you didn't have to fight him. Ever heard of self defense?"
"He was my best friend," Steve said, a pleading tone in his voice like he wanted her to understand.
Natasha nodded, "I know. I'm not saying you should have fought him. I just wish that you hadn't almost died before he remembered who you were. You had me worried Rogers."
Steve's lips curved upwards, "Didn't know you cared Romanoff."
Natasha glared at him, "You asked for me to be a friend. Friends worry about each other when one of them gets their ass kicked."
Steve smiled, "Sorry?"
"Mhm. Sure. You can prove it to me by promising not to try to get yourself killed again anytime soon."
"It's kind of in my nature Nat."
She shook her head, "Yeah I've noticed. Here I was thinking I was self-sacrificing. You take it to a whole new level."
"Maybe I can make it up to you?"
Natasha raised an eyebrow, "Yeah? How so?"
"I could take you out for a cup of coffee?"
Completely caught off guard, Natasha tried to keep her composure, "And how exactly is that making it up to me?" She asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.
Steve shrugged, "Well, you seemed pretty determined to get me a date earlier this week so I figured I'd save you the time of finding me a girl and just ask the one I actually want to go out with."
"All the drugs they put you on must have you feeling awfully confident Rogers," Natasha said with a smile, taking his hand in hers.
He gave her hand a light squeeze, "Is that a no?"
"No," She responded, leaning forward and kissing Steve on the cheek, "I'd prefer to go to dinner though."
Steve nodded, "Dinner it is."
She wanted to kiss his smirk off of his lips but at that moment Sam came back into the room with an armful of food for Steve.
Sam gave the two of them a knowing glance and rolled his eyes, "Just friends huh? Here's your food Steve."
"Thanks Sam."
Natasha pulled her phone out and sighed when she read through her messages.
"What is it?" Steve asked.
Natasha stood up, "I've got to do some damage control on Capital Hill. Turns out the government isn't super pleased with any of us right now."
Steve frowned, "Do you want help?"
She shook her head, "Nah, I got this. Call me when they let you out of here and we can schedule that date."
Steve smiled and Sam just looked downright confused.
"Later Wilson," Natasha said with a smirk.