feverish
Sometimes Bobbi curses her big mouth. It often gets her into trouble and leaves her with the consequences of her own actions.
In fact, the biggest consequence is currently in her arms and is running a fever.
Bobbi told Maria she wanted to take over training Yelena because she was mad that May was upsetting her friend. She honestly hadn’t expected Maria to say yes.
Now she’s carrying a sick teenager through the halls. Yelena’s very warm face is pressed against her shoulder, her breathing labored and wheezy.
Bobbi heads toward where she knew Natalia was training, opening the door with her shoulder.
Clint and Natalia were inside. Natalia froze at the sight of Yelena before making a beeline toward them.
Bobbi lets Natalia take Yelena from her arms. Yelena murmurs something in Russian to Natalia.
“She passed out while training,” Bobbi informs Natalia. “We’re just about to go to medical.”
It’s the first time that she’s ever seen Natalia flinch. Natalia pulls her sister closer, obviously not used to carrying her sister around for more than a minute at a time.
“What’s wrong?” Clint approached, reaching out to touch Yelena’s face.
Bobbi’s never heard a person hiss. She isn’t sure the noise was actually made by a human but it leaves Natalia’s lips, a feral warning against touching what was hers.
Clint holds his hands up. “I’m just worried about beanie baby.” He said. “She’s not looking good.”
“She’s fine,” Natalia growls and Bobbi doesn’t point out that Yelena was very obviously not fine.
“She needs medical,” Bobbi insists, tilting her head to the side as she watches Natalia. “It’ll be fine.”
“It’s not safe!” Natalia snaps and Bobbi recoils at the venom in her tone, reminded that she was dealing with an assassin. “There were recruits trying to harm Yelena when she was capable of fighting them back, what would others do if she couldn’t?”
Bobbi doesn’t have a good answer to that. “I will personally stand guard outside of the door the whole time.” She swore but Natalia shakes her head. Bobbi watches as her arms shake under the weight of her sister. “She needs help, Natalia.”
“I know what she needs!” Natalia hissed at Bobbi and starts to move toward the door. “It’s not that.”
Bobbi glances at Clint helplessly, unsure of what she should do.
Yelena pleaded to not go to medical. Natalia was obviously against it. Bobbi heard of the ‘great escape’ when the two assassins had to get their physicals.
They were scared and while Bobbi didn’t know why, she knew that they needed to go to medical.
Bobbi nods at Clint for him to follow them before she heads to the commander's office.
Bobbi has to wait, standing in front of Maria’s desk as she waits for her to finish up a phone call. Finally, Maria sets her phone down and looks up at her. “You should be training.”
“It’s about that. What are protocols on forcing agents to see medical?” Bobbi questioned and Maria lets out a long sigh.
“What happened?” Maria asked, straightening.
Bobbi explained what had happened with Yelena and then her interaction with Natalia.
“She passed out?” Maria taps away at her computer and Bobbi nods her head. “And she’s with Natalia?”
Bobbi nods again. Maria pursed her lips, pausing for a moment as she thinks.
“Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. If Yelena hasn’t shown up to training tomorrow then you come to find me,” Maria orders.
“You’re going to leave them be?” Bobbi blurts.
Maria levels a stare at her. “Are you questioning my decisions, Agent Morse?”
Bobbi shakes her head, cursing her big mouth once again. “No, ma’am.” She said and quickly walks out of the room when she’s dismissed.
The table where the sisters sat with Clint Barton was empty that night at dinner. Bobbi worries for them.
Yelena obviously needed medical attention. Bobbi wondered if they’d let a doctor come to them instead.
Bobbi doesn’t sleep well that night, worried and anxious. Even if Yelena did show up the next day for training, there was no way Bobbi would let her. Bobbi was her superior and she had the final word.
Yelena misses training the next day and Bobbi shows up at Maria’s office.
Maria doesn’t exactly dismiss her so Bobbi follows the woman down to the quarters that the sisters shared.
Maria overrides the door when nobody answers.
Bobbi’s not sure whether she’s surprised to see Clint with a bucket of ice in his lap. The two sisters are wearing tank tops and shorts, the little sister curled up and cradled close to her big sister.
Natalia’s face scrunches up when she sees them, pulling Yelena closer to her. “Get out.”
“I’ve heard from Agent Morse about Rookie Agent Belova’s fainting spell yesterday. I’ve come to see how she is,” Maria steps forward into the room.
“Still has a fever,” Clint angles himself in between Maria and the sisters. Bobbi isn’t sure who he’s trying to protect more. “She’s not very lucid but it’s not bad.”
Yelena mumbles something in Russian and Natalia frowns, stroking her sister’s damp hair.
“We have doctors for a reason, Agent Romanov,” Maria spoke and Natalia glares at Maria.
“We don’t need them,” She said, her voice clipped as Yelena whimpered slightly.
“Your sister’s raging fever says otherwise,” Maria takes a few steps forward. “Let me see.”
Natalia pull Yelena close, her fingers flexing as if she was ready to pull a weapon. Bobbi watches from the doorway as Clint sets the bucket of ice aside and readies himself to intervene.
Maria sets a hand onto Yelena’s face. The teenager flinches violently away, exclaiming a protest in Russian. Maria looks toward Natalia before glancing at Clint. “I’m having her moved to medical immediately.”
“No!” Natalia protests firmly, reaching out to grab Maria’s wrist and shove her off of Yelena.
“Need I remind you that I am your superior?” Maria barks and Natalia tilts her head up stubbornly.
“You will have to force me,” Natalia hissed out at her.
“I’ll take her,” Maria said and Natalia stiffened. “I’ll send her to SHIELD academy to train with the other teenagers.”
“We had a deal!” Natalia jerks and Clint quickly moves forward when Yelena lets out a whine.
“Yeah, well, if a teenager in our care dies then we’ll have much bigger issues than a broken contract,” Maria folds her arms. “Make your choice now. Either you take her to medical yourself or I will take her and as soon as she is better then I will personally drop her off on the doorstep of SHIELD academy.”
“Maria--” Bobbi finally speaks up, watching the situation quickly get out of hand.
“Be quiet, Agent Morse!” Maria twists her head to look at Bobbi.
“No!” Bobbi didn’t mean for this to happen. “That’s enough. You’re threatening to take her sister from her. You’re threatening to rip apart a family.”
Maria inhales sharply. “I cannot--”
Yelena blurts something out in Russian and Natalia immediately replies softly back in Russian, leaning down to brush the damp hair out of her face.
“Maria,” Clint starts and Maria glances at him. “There’s no need to use threats.”
“What do you want me to do?” Maria glances at Natalia. “Ask nicely? Hey Natalia, let’s take your sister to medical because she’s getting worse.”
Bobbi watches as Natalia’s jaw clenches and yanks Maria back when Natalia takes a swing.
“When was the last time you actually slept, Maria?” Clint glances at her. “You get… grumpy when you don’t sleep.”
Maria levels him with a stare. Clint holds his hands up in surrender.
“I’m just saying. You’re being mean, Maria. You’re not thinking clearly,” Clint shakes his head before sighing and looking at Natalia. “But I agree with Maria. Yelena needs a doctor to get better. She keeps throwing up anything she eats. She’s probably dehydrated.”
“No,” Natalia shakes her head, pulling Yelena closer to her.
“I know. You hate medical. Medical was a bad place where you came from. But Yelena needs help that none of us can give her, Nat,” Clint shifts closer and Bobbi watches the redhead hesitate. “Some part of you knows that you can’t help Yelena and you must feel useless and upset that you can’t do anything.”
“Going to medical was a death sentence,” Natalia murmurs and Clint nods his head.
“It’s different here. I’ll go too. We can probably grab Coulson and Bobbi will come too, right?” Clint glances at Bobbi. Bobbi nods her head. “See? We won’t let anything happen to Yelena.”
Natalia glances around the room. “You can’t take her from me.” Natalia finally says.
“Nobody is taking her from you. You can be there the whole time,” Clint swore, reaching out to set a hand onto Natalia’s where she was fidgeting with the hem of Yelena’s tank top. “Trust me, Nat.”
Bobbi knows how much Clint is asking from Natalia. The two sisters hadn’t even been there for a whole year but Natalia and Clint were thick as thieves.
Still, asking her to entrust the safety and care of her sister into another's hands was a lot.
“You won’t take her?” Natalia’s eyes flicker to look up at Maria uncertainly.
“No…” Maria lets out a sigh, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “No. I’m not shipping Yelena anywhere. That was cruel of me to say.”
Natalia lets out a slow nod before glancing at Bobbi. “You carry her.”
Bobbi blinks in surprise at the request. Maybe it was because Natalia had already warned Bobbi what would happen if she hurt Yelena. Maybe it was because Yelena trusted her.
Maria and Clint step aside and let Bobbi move forward.
Yelena was even warmer than she was the previous day. Natalia grabs Bobbi’s wrist before she can wrap her arms around Yelena. Natalia squeezed, a desperate warning.
“I’ve got her,” Bobbi whispers the promise and Natalia reluctantly lets Yelena go.
Yelena mumbles something in Russian, Bobbi thinks it’s a protest. Natalia’s voice is soft and soothing and Bobbi’s name leaves her lips with a Russian accent.
“Bobbi.” Yelena murmurs, her head rolling to rest onto Bobbi’s shoulders.
“I’ve got you kid,” Bobbi said, holding Yelena close as she moves toward the door. Clint opens the door and Bobbi feels Natalia right on her heels as they walk.
Bobbi tries not to tense up when Natalia pressed against her to keep a hand on her sister as they move through the halls. Natalia whispers in Russian whenever Yelena lets out a whimper.
They check into medical and Bobbi sets Yelena down on a bed for the doctors to check over. Clint signs Yelena in.
None of them take a moment to think about the emergency contact being alerted that Yelena was in medical. Someone that the sisters had put down right before their phsyicals.
Melinda May.