Chapter 7
Misty and Natasha were the first to visit the next day. Natasha brought Clint a change of clothes, and Misty carried his breakfast on a tray. "Go take a shower, Barton. She'll still be here, and so will your breakfast." Reluctantly, Clint agreed. Tony had built the medical wing with several showers since most team members didn't like to be alone in medical. Having the showers close meant no one would have to return to their suites to shower.
The two women sat in plastic chairs beside Mikayla's bedside. "Are they sure they can fix her hands, Natasha?"
Natasha nodded. "Tony's bringing in the best surgeons, plus Shuri's here. He's probably already creating new hands for her in his workshop if that's what it'll take. It's his way of keeping his mind occupied, a coping mechanism."
"Okay," Misty said softly, still trying to understand what had happened to her best friend. "Get some rest, M. You deserve it."
"That'll help her more than anything." Natasha ran a hand through Mikayla's hair. "Go get some yourself. She'll need us at our best to help her." Natasha looked over at Misty. "I'll let you know when she wakes up, I promise."
Misty sighed in resignation. She stood up and then turned her attention to Mikayla, who started to stir again. "Don't argue, M," Mikayla said in a raspy voice.
"Hey there," Misty leaned over and touched Mikayla's cheek. "A sight for sore eyes."
"You, too." Mikayla went to lift her hand to put over Misty's, then realized her hands were wrapped up. "Hey, Nat."
Nat smiled, realizing Mikayla knew who she and Misty were. "Hey."
"Get them?"
"The ones who did this to you? Yes. The bastards HYDRA got you from? Working on it."
"How…free…HYDRA?"
"Not now," Natasha said. "Get some rest." Mikayla nodded, closed her eyes, and fell back asleep. When Natasha looked at Misty, she saw a few tears trailing down her cheeks. "Focus on the fact she's back."
"I am." Misty wiped her face. "They're tears of joy and relief that she's back and remembers us. We've been through so much together. I can't imagine my life without her." Nat nodded in agreement, feeling the same way about Clint. Black Widow, who once vowed to have no ties or loyalties to anyone but herself, ended up with a best friend of her own, Clint Barton. Life didn't always turn out how you wanted it to, but it could be better than you hoped.
"Did she wake up?" Clint had come into the room without either Natasha or Misty noticing.
Natasha nodded. "For a little bit. Recognized both of us, asked if we got the bastards, then went back to sleep."
"Good, sleep will be her best friend right now. That way, she won't worry about her hands or what she does or doesn't remember." Clint bent down and kissed Mikayla's forehead.
Natasha tugged on his sleeve, then stood. "Sit, eat." She motioned over to Misty, who also stood. "We'll let others come in." Misty leaned over, kissed Mikayla on her forehead, then left. Natasha stopped to have a brief conversation in Russian with Clint, ending it with, "She's got this, and we've got her," and then left.
Clint grabbed a muffin from the tray and nibbled on it, even though he wasn't hungry. He wanted to focus all his energy on Mikayla, on getting his wife back. After finishing the muffin, he took a slice of bacon and munched on it while watching Mikayla sleep. Soon, Clint heard the door open. Looking up, he saw Steve and Bucky come into the room. "Hey."
"She wake up?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, Nat said she did, recognized her and Misty, wanted to know if we'd got the guys, then went back to sleep."
"Mind if we stay a bit?"
"Nah. Have a seat." The two men pulled up chairs and sat down. "Any word on them yet?"
Steve shook his head. "Not yet. Tony's got feelers out, and Nat let Fury know, so he and Hill are working on it from their end."
"Feels like we should be doing more, though," Bucky said. "We need to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else."
Mikayla's subconscious brought more of her captivity to the forefront as the men talked. She could picture the cold and damp cell with a chain around her ankle. Mikayla tried to remember how long she'd been there, but it was getting harder and harder since no light was coming through any window where one couldn't tell whether it was day or night. "I'm so weak, but I'm trying to stay strong. I'm scared the treatment will work, and I'll be an empty shell. I have to keep believing the team will rescue me." Mikayla swore she heard the glass cell door open, could feel her captors free her ankle, then drag her to the lab, where she was given another injection. She began to feel dizzy and spaced out, and that's when she knew the drugs were taking effect, causing her to dread what came next. Her captors, who she knew now were HYDRA, strapped her arms down, shoved in the mouth guard, then began placing electrodes around her head. Mikayla couldn't move her arms but began violently twitching her torso back and forth. Once the halo was lowered to her head, she tried to scream. As soon as the cushions of the halo touched her head, her eyes flew open, and she found herself struggling to breathe. "Oh, God, this is it, I know it. When I wake up from this one, I won't remember anything. They'll win, and I will have lost everything. I love you, Clint. Please don't forget me, and I'm sorry. I want your face to be the last thing I see, the last memory they take."
The trio looked down and saw Mikayla violently shaking and opening her mouth as if to scream, but her vocal cords were so strained it came out as more of a squeak. "Mikayla!" Clint screamed, trying to break through her dream, flashback, whatever it was. "You're home. You're safe." Steve stepped back, not sure how he could help. Clint began rubbing her temples and repeating that she was safe and that this was real. Bucky helped how he did in the past; he placed his hand, the metal one, against her arm, hoping she'd remember that feeling. Friday had alerted the medical staff and the rest of the team. Dr. Cho and Bruce soon appeared as the group gathered in the waiting room. "Come on, babe. You've got this. I've got you, not letting go."
After several minutes of struggling, Mikayla's breathing returned to normal, and her eyes fluttered open. "Clint? Real?"
Her husband smiled and nodded. "Real. What do you feel?"
Mikayla thought for a minute. "Your fingers, the IV, and, and…" She struggled for a few seconds to answer again. "Metal. Bucky?"
'Another person she remembers,' they all thought. "Perfect. What do you smell?"
"Antiseptic, soap, your shampoo." Mikayla smiled, realizing she remembered the scent of Clint's shampoo.
"Good, now what do you hear?"
"You talking, monitors beeping, metal?" They realized she'd heard the plates of Bucky's arm shifting.
"Perfect. What do you taste?"
"Copper, blood, and…." Mikayla had to think, but another taste came to her as she licked her lips. "Salt."
"Can you open your eyes more for me?" Mikayla nodded, blinked a few times, then looked around. "Good. Tell me what you see."
"You, Steve, Bucky."
"Welcome home." Clint leaned over and kissed her cheek. Steve, who'd moved closer, laid a hand on her leg, and Bucky patted her arm.
Mikayla sighed. "Home." A few tears streamed down her cheeks. "Home sweet home." Her voice cracked, and she scrunched up her face.
"Want some ice?" Clint asked, then looked at Dr. Cho, who nodded that she could have some.
"Please." Clint picked up a styrofoam cup from the bedside table, dipped a plastic spoon in it, then fed Mikayla a few ice chips. She slowly let them melt down her throat. "Better?" Mikayla nodded, opening her mouth slightly for another spoonful, which Clint happily gave her. Steve and Bucky watched on, happy to see their friend, who they both saw as a little sister, back with them, ready to help her return to becoming herself again.
Over the next few hours, the rest cycled in and out. If Mikayla weren't alert, whoever was visiting would try to hang around until she came to. Thankfully, she was able to recognize all her teammates. Thor beamed when she whispered his name. Tony, of course, strutted around, bragging how he knew he was unforgettable, even though everyone knew he was covering up how worried he'd been about her. Wanda sweetly smiled and placed a hand on Mikayla's cheek. Sam snickered when Mikayla was strong enough to threaten him if he ever hurt Misty. Even Rhodey was touched that Mikayla had remembered him. Mikayla struggled a bit and had to be reminded of the names of the Wakandans. She apologized as best she could, and they readily forgave her, explaining she had nothing to be forgiven for. During the visits, Clint never left her side, encouraging her, feeding her ice chips, and grounding her in reality.
Once everyone except for Morgan and Pepper had cycled through (Nick had called), Dr. Cho chased everyone out of the room, including Clint. "I need to run more tests, so please clear the room. You can wait in the waiting room. Now, go."
"You know," Tony snipped, "it's my tower. She could be a little less bossy."
"You don't pay her to be bossy, Tony," Rhodey responded. "You pay her to take care of this motley crew medically."
Steve smirked. "He's got a point." Tony ignored Steve, crossing his arms and leaning against the door jamb. The group chuckled, glad to finally have a reason to smile and laugh after the events of the past several months.
After a few minutes, Dr. Cho advised that Mikayla could have visitors again. Clint immediately sat beside her and then began stroking her cheek. No one wanted to spoil that moment, so the group slowly left the waiting room, knowing they'd hear about any updates.
A couple of hours later, Mikayla's eyes fluttered open. "Hey," she said, her voice a little less raspy.
"Hey, beautiful." Clint straightened up in his chair.
Mikayla slowly looked around. "Where are they?"
"Taking a break."
"You?"
"No place else I'd rather be."
"If I fall, you'll catch me."
Clint smiled. "Always." He stroked her face again. "You sound better. Want some ice chips?"
Mikayla nodded. "Please."
Clint looked over at the nightstand. "These melted. I'll be right back." He leaned over and kissed her. "Love you."
"Love you, too." When Clint left, Mikayla thought she'd try to sit up but couldn't figure out how to punch the button with her wrapped-up hands. "God, I hate being helpless." Mikayla was still muttering to herself when Clint returned with some fresh ice chips.
"Here you go." Clint leaned in with a spoonful of ice. Mikayla opened her mouth and let the ice chips fall down her throat.
Once the liquid was gone, Mikayla looked over at Clint. "My arms? They look okay?"
Clint looked down at Mikayla's arms with a puzzled look. They were pale, skinny, and had needle marks, but they appeared okay, besides her hands being bandaged. "Yeah. Why?" He scowled. "They didn't?"
"No, no, no." Mikayla's voice quivered a little, but it sounded stronger. "They'd drag me from the cell, figured there'd be bruises. Serum was enough, I guess." Mikayla's eyes opened wider. "More serum?"
"My turn to answer no. They didn't give you any. The only drugs found in your system were Midazolam and Tetrodotoxin-D. Docs are flushing those out of your system, which will also help with your memory issues." Clint moved closer to the bed. "Feel like talking about what you do remember? From before?"
Mikayla nodded, not ready to talk about her ordeal just yet. "This." She looked around. "I remembered here, the farm, Philadelphia, Vegas, California," she shivered as her ordeal with Barney came to mind. "When I figured out HYDRA had me, I would repeat everyone's name." When Mikayla looked up at Clint, her eyes were wet. "Through it all, I never forgot you. The last time they tried to…to make me forget, my last thought was of you. Clint, you were always my first and last memory." Clint was speechless. He had no idea how to respond to something like that. She smiled at him, a sight he didn't think he'd ever get to see again. "Do me a favor. Take the nasal cannula off. Nose is dry and itchy."
"Sure." Clint removed the oxygen from her nose, placing it on the nightstand. He followed that with a quick kiss. "I love you."
"Love you, too." Mikayla shivered, scared she was never going to hear those words again. She leaned into Clint's hand, which he held against her cheek.
"You are still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Nothing's going to change that."
"Getting you glasses for Christmas." She grinned, recalling their banter from a prior hospital stay. "I forgot to add the most important thing I remembered, other than you. My name. My name is Mikayla O'Hara Coulson Fitzgerald Barton." She sighed relievedly. "It's coming back to me. I remember Doctor Cho. I remember the Wakandans, playing soccer, meeting Chewie, then Talitha at our wedding." She began crying. "It's back, Clint. They didn't win."
Clint wiped the tears away with his thumb. "I knew you could do it, my kick-ass woman."
"Agent Barton, your presence is requested in the conference room."
Clint hung his head. "I knew it was too good to be true. Damn, the bad guys have horrible timing." He put his forehead against Mikayla's. "I'll get Pepper to keep an eye on you. She's been anxious to see you but wasn't sure if you were ready for Morgan." 'Or if you remembered who Morgan was,' he thought.
"Go do your job, Hawkeye. Come back to me. I'll be waiting." The couple kissed, and Clint left for the conference room.