Her Greatest Protector
It’s 1am when Natasha is stirred awake by the sound of feet walking into the bedroom. With you being gone on a business trip, the footsteps alarm Natasha but she relaxes once she sees the so called intruder. But the relaxation soon turns to worry. Your five year old daughter stands by the bed, tears running down her face.
“Mama,” she whines, reaching for Natasha.
“Hey, hey baby what’s wrong?” Natasha picks her up immediately and pulls her onto the bed and into her lap. There’s concern written all over her face.
“Don’t feel good,” is all Nat gets out of her before she starts crying too hard to speak and rests her weight on her heavily.
“Shh, baby. It’s okay, it’s okay,” Nat holds her closer to her chest now and rocks back and forth, trying anything to soothe her.
She reaches for her cell phone to call you. After three rings and you still not picking up, she remembers you said you would be in meetings until late and you’re 3 hours behind her in the time zones.
After 30 minutes, your daughter still hasn’t calmed in her arms, and Nat is trying not to freak out. Sure, she’s been sick before but never when you weren’t home to somehow know exactly how to fix it.
Natasha is desperate for her to stop crying, so she calls the one other person who might be able to help.
“Nat? Are you okay?” Laura answers the phone sleepily, but concerned.
“Yeah. I’m fine. It’s just Ali won’t stop crying and she doesn’t feel good and y/n isn’t home or picking up her phone and I don’t know what to do,” Natasha rushes out.
“Okay. Does she have a fever?” Laura asks, calmly entering mom mode.
“A little one. So I gave her some medicine about 30 minutes ago, but that hasn’t seemed to work,” Nat replies.
“You did the right thing with the medicine, Nat,” Laura encourages. “Give it some more time. Does anything else hurt? Her stomach or ears or anything?”
“She says her throat, but Laur she’s only five and if y/n was here she could take one look at her and know what’s wrong, but I can’t. I can’t fix it,” Natasha says defeatedly.
“You’re doing great, I promise. Just get her some fluids and in due time the medicine again if she still needs it. She’ll be okay, Natasha,” Laura reassures.
“Okay. She’ll be okay,” Natasha says to herself more than to Laura. “Sorry for waking you.”
“It’s okay. I hope she feels better soon,” Laura says.
“Me too,” Nat replies.
By the end of the phone call, Ali has stopped crying and she’s starting to fall asleep in Natasha’s arms. She’s completely out by the time you finish your meeting and call Nat back.
“Hey baby, sorry I missed your call. I was in a meeting. It’s late there, is everything okay?” You ask her.
“I think so, yeah,” she says and you can tell her in voice that she’s shaken up about something.
“What’s wrong, Natasha?” You ask her gently. You hear her crying on the other line and instantly go into panic mode. “I need you to tell me what’s wrong, honey. Is it you? Is it Ali? Please talk to me.”
“She’s going to be okay. But she woke up sick and I couldn’t fix it, y/n. She cried for an hour before I could settle her down and even now that she’s asleep I can feel she’s still feverish,” Natasha tells you. You can hear how exhausted and upset she is in her tone.
“I’m sorry, Nat. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with a sick kid alone. But you are an amazing mom, Nat. You are very capable, I know that,” you tell her.
“It’s just really hard without you. I know it’s only been two weeks, but I miss you,” Natasha says, her voice small but her passion immense.
“You know maybe I should come home,” you say. You only have one more day of meetings anyways and you could probably do them remotely.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that, y/n. We’ll be okay for a couple more days. I just hope she doesn’t wake up sick again. I don’t know how you always know how to make it better,” she says with a sigh.
“The same way you do, Natasha. Because we’re her parents. You made her feel better tonight all on your own because you’re her mother and her greatest protector,” you tell her.
“I love you,” Natasha says into the phone, taking a deep breath.
“I love you too, Nat. It’s going to be okay, baby. I’ll be home so soon,” you reply.
As soon as you get off of the phone with Natasha, you pack up your things and drive to the airport. Even though she said she would be okay, you decided to go home anyways. You had been away from your girls for far too long.
It’s early morning when you arrive back home in New York. You enter your front door and hear laughing coming from the kitchen. It makes you smile. Especially after how frantic Nat had sounded on the phone last night.
“Mom’s home!” Ali shouts and runs to you when she sees you enter the room. Abandoning her morning waffles, made with her second favorite superhero Spider-Man waffle iron of course. If they made a Black Widow one, that would certainly be her her first choice.
“Hey baby!” You say and lift her up into your arms holding her tightly in a hug. “Seems like she’s feeling better, huh?” You ask Nat who’s now walking towards you.
“Much better. Enough to ask for spidey waffles,” Natasha says and joins your hug. You kiss her temple lightly and she melts a bit more into your touch.
“Can I go eat?” Ali asks, her voice muffled from being squeezed so tight between you and your wife. You both laugh and let her out of your grasp.
“You didn’t have to come home early, but I’m really glad you’re here, детка,” Natasha says and hugs you again.
“I missed my girls,” you say into her neck. “I’m glad she’s feeling better.”
“Me too,” Nat moves from your grasp to get the next set of waffles out of the iron. “Waffle?” She asks and you smile at her.
You all sit down for a nice, long family breakfast. You admire how Natasha talks to Ali and makes her giggle. Your girls make you the happiest woman in the world.