Chapter 15
Mikayla's face lit up. "I figured it'd be you."
"Who else would be willing to bathe you?" Misty smirked. "Can it, Clint. You don't count."
Clint leaned over and kissed Mikayla. "See you in a bit."
When he left, Misty spoke. "It's been a while since I've had to do this," Misty said.
Mikayla groaned. "Don't remind me. I still can't believe I tripped and fell down the stairs on campus."
"I'm sure if I looked through old photos, I could find proof."
"Please don't. I'll pass on reliving that part of my college years." Doctor Cho appeared carrying a basin of water, soap, a washcloth, and a towel. The two friends thanked her, and Misty set about bathing Mikayla.
When Misty finished, she gently helped Mikayla put on the clothes. Clint returned and found Mikayla sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed, and wearing compression gloves. "Looks like the bath helped."
Mikayla smiled and nodded. I'm beginning to feel more like me."
Clint knew this outing would be a real test for her. It'd be her first time outside the tower since the team had rescued her from HYDRA. Since Tony had rented out the entire zoo, he hoped there wouldn't be any surprises, but he knew the team would be prepared if something happened. Clint went to the next room and returned with a wheelchair. "Ready, babe?"
Mikayla took a deep breath. "Yep." Misty held the wheelchair steady as Clint helped Mikayla into the wheelchair. It was a mild day for New York in December, but Clint grabbed a coat for Mikayla and wrapped it around her.
"I'll go grab the elevator," Misty said.
"No need, Ms. Randall," Friday spoke. "It's already waiting for the three of you."
Misty shook her head. "No matter how often I'm here, I'll never get used to that." The trio chuckled as they got on the elevator and took it down to the garage.
After helping Mikayla into the sedan, Misty jumped into the back seat, and Clint walked around to the driver's side, got into the vehicle, started it, then drove to the zoo. "Good, no snow in the forecast," Clint said, ensuring Mikayla was bundled up before helping her settle into the wheelchair. They entered the zoo and found Pepper and Natasha waiting for them just inside the gate. "Let the party begin. We're here now," Clint smiled.
Pepper jumped up from the bench and came over to Mikayla. "You're here!" She leaned down and hugged Mikayla, then turned and smiled at Clint and Misty.
"About time, birdbrain," Natasha added. Clint punched her arm. "Everyone's waiting in the penguin enclosure. When we left, Thor was comparing the chinstrap penguins to Cap when he's in his uniform."
"Sounds like Thor," Mikayla said. "So, where are the penguins?"
"This way." Pepper pointed and began walking, the rest of the group following. Mikayla spent the time taking in her surroundings, noting the various enclosures and zoo employees feeding the animals and cleaning out cages. Suddenly, her shoulders tensed up, and she inhaled sharply.
"Mikayla?" Clint asked. "What's going on?"
"Grey hair," Mikayla whispered. "Enclosure, right side."
Clint surreptitiously glanced over and saw two people dressed in khaki overalls worn by zoo workers. One was a female with light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. The one Mikayla mentioned was a man with grey, wavy hair. "Him?" Mikayla nodded. Clint took a cursory glance as they passed by and noticed the lack of weapons. "Just a zookeeper, harmless unless you're one of the animals."
Mikayla slowly let out a breath. "Thought it was one of them."
Clint walked at a little faster pace. "Your captors?"
Mikayla nodded. "Jack."
"Swordsman," her husband growled. "Trust me. It wasn't him." Clint knew he'd never forget Jack Duquesne, one of his mentors. Of course, the last time he saw Duquesne, the man was fleeing the circus, leaving with Barney and Buck Chisholm, all assuming Clint was dead or dying.
"Am I going to see them everywhere?" Mikayla asked as they continued down the path to the penguins.
"For a while, probably," Clint remembered after the Chitauri battle; he'd cringe whenever he saw a tall, thin man with long, dark hair or heard a male speaking with an accent. He swore he saw Loki everywhere he went. At that point, Thor was reassuring him daily his brother was locked up in the bowels of the Asgardian jail under the watchful eyes of both Heimdall and Odin. "If you think you recognize someone, let me know, and I'll check. I'm sure Tony won't have a problem vetting people whenever we go somewhere."
"Did that already, Barton." The couple looked up to find Tony beside them, holding Morgan as she squirmed, trying to reach out and pet the penguins. "They all passed with flying colors."
"Thanks, Tony," Mikayla said softly, then smiled when Morgan started babbling. "How's my niece today?"
"Perfect, as always." Tony kissed the top of his daughter's head.
As Tony and Mikayla continued talking, Natasha waved Clint toward a bench. "Just got word from Nick. He wanted more solid intel."
"Budapest. I remember you told me earlier." Clint nodded.
"Yeah, I ended up not going then, but it's looking a little more solid now. We've got some trustworthy contacts in the region."
"Tash," Clint interrupted.
"You'll be the first to know, even before Fury. Don't worry. If I find them, I'll leave them for you."
Clint threw an arm around Nat's shoulder and kissed her temple. "Thanks."
"Yep." Natasha smiled, put a hand on Clint's cheek, then left.
Clint rejoined the group as they left the penguins, letting Misty push Mikayla's wheelchair, giving them time to reconnect. He kept an eye on their surroundings, not wanting anything else to spoil the outing. The group stopped at the harbor seals exhibit to see a presentation. "Want to test your dexterity?"
"O-kay," Mikayla said, unsure what Clint had in mind. She figured it out when he wheeled her closer to the pool, where a handler was bending down and starting to feed the seals. "You want me to hand-feed a seal?"
"Yep."
"This seems like a bad idea, Clint. I could get my hand bit off."
The zoo tech leaned over. "We won't let that happen. Just watch me." The employee, Matt, reached into a bucket, pulled out a fish, and dangled it over the side. One of the seals swam over to him, popped its head up, then gently took the fish from Matt. "Great job, Lucy." The seal seemed to beam at them, then nodded as if to ask for another one. "You ready?"
"I guess." Mikayla sounded unsure, but with their group cheering her on, she slowly stood. "Figure it'll be easier this way." She reached behind her, waving her hand. Clint immediately walked around the wheelchair and stood beside her, lightly placing his arm around her waist. "Here goes." Matt held out the bucket and smiled. Mikayla took a small fish from the bucket and held it up to the seal, which continued to beam, then stuck its head forward and sucked the bait out of Mikayla's hand. Lucy then made a barking noise, slid back into the water, and swam to join the other seals on the rocks in the middle of the pool. Mikayla stared at her hand as her friends around her cheered. They knew how important it was to her to begin using her hands again. Mikayla whirled around and threw her arms around Clint's, burrowing her head on his shoulder. "They didn't take my hands from me," she whispered.
"They sure as hell didn't, babe." Clint smiled, one hand rubbing circles into her back and the other carding through her hair. "They sure as hell didn't."
"You did great," Matt said. "Listen, even the seals realize it." Mikayla turned her head toward the seals, who appeared to be clapping and barking as if cheering her on.
"Mikayla, it is a rare gift to have such an effect on animals," Thor said. "You should be proud of that connection."
"We'll just call her the seal whisperer," Tony chimed in, causing people to chuckle.
"Thanks, Matt," Mikayla looked up at him.
"My pleasure, come back anytime. I could always use the help."
The group said their goodbyes, and Mikayla turned back to Clint. "Can I try walking behind the wheelchair?"
"You sure?"
Mikayla nodded. "It's probably the endorphins, but I'd like to try. Gotta build up leg strength somehow."
"Doc's here, so I don't see why not." The couple started walking behind the group, Mikayla pushing the empty wheelchair. When Pepper and Nat noticed, they started walking slower, allowing the couple to catch up. When they did, Mikayla asked, "Where are you going now?"
"Grizzly bears," Nat said.
"Think we could get Thor or Cap to wrestle one?" Mikayla jokingly asked.
"I'd pay to watch that," Misty said, hanging back to walk on the other side of her best friend. "You know, they have those contests down south in bars."
"Please don't tell me Sam tried it."
"Not a chance. I couldn't even get him to ride a mechanical bull."
"Wuss."
"I heard that, Barton."
"Meant for you to, Wilson." The two friends laughed.
"You know," Clint said, "those bulls aren't the easiest thing to ride."
"Not believing it unless there are photos," Misty said.
"Hold, please," Natasha piped up. She pulled out her phone and reviewed the photos until she found what she was looking for. "Here." She held out her phone to indeed show Clint riding a bull.
Mikayla had to catch her breath. "Oh, my."
"Hey, I beat the record and won fifty bucks!"
Mikayla immediately stopped walking and grabbed Clint's shirt, pulling him towards her. "Not reacting to the bull, birdbrain. Please tell me you still have those jeans."
Clint smirked. "For you, I'll find them." The couple kissed.
Natasha looked at Misty. "Oh, good, the sappiness has returned. She's definitely back."