Like a slap in the face
January third rolls around and Robin picks up a cake and a few balloons at the grocery store for Yelena’s birthday. The day had been going well and Yelena had been having a lot of fun before there’s a pounding on the door.
It’s not a knocking but demanding slamming of a fist against the wood moments before there is the sound of the lock being turned.
Robin is off the floor from where she had been playing with Yelena and Natasha and making her way toward the door just as it opened.
Robin’s breath catches in her throat at the sight of the General himself standing on the doorstep. He hadn’t dared to show up himself. “General…”
“My pretty songbird,” He grins at her before stepping aside to reveal one of his other doctors cradling Antonia in his arms. “I need your assistance.”
“Of course,” Robin agrees, turning to peer at Melina who had grabbed the kids at his voice. “Take them upstairs to the nursery and do not come out until I come to get you, is that understood?” She orders.
Melina quickly ushers Natasha and Yelena past them and upstairs. Robin turns to face General Dreykov. “What’s wrong?”
The doctor, Miguel Sanchez, pushes the child in his arms toward her. Robin reaches out to take the girl from him, pulling her close. She can immediately feel the flush of fever against her skin radiating off of the small girl.
“She’s getting worse. She’s not allowed to go to a hospital,” Miguel explained and Robin swallows hard. He starts to run down a list of symptoms she had. Antonia’s breathing is raspy and Robin glances at the General.
“Work your magic, pretty songbird,” General Dreykov tells her, and Robin glances at Miguel.
“What have you done to lower her fever?” Robin orders and Miguel shrugs helplessly. “Doctor Sanchez!”
Miguel owed Robin a lot of favors. His specialty was drugs so he would pass patients to her in return for favors and debts. He wasn’t good at stab wounds or surgeries. “Cool cloths.”
Robin moves toward the stairs and carries Antonia upstairs and into the master bedroom, the General and his men following her. Robin moves into the bathroom and turned the water on ice-cold before she steps under the spray of the shower with the child in her arms.
Antonia lets out a yelp that turns to a coughing fit, squirming in Robin’s arms. Robin’s played the wiggling game with Yelena plenty of times before, pulling Antonia close. “Shh. I know it’s cold.” She pressed the child’s face against her shoulder.
Robin glances at Miguel. “Second bedroom on the left, fetch a pair of pajamas from the dresser.” Antonia would have to borrow some of Natasha’s clothes. And while Robin would like to not have strangers rifling around her daughter’s room, she didn’t want to take Melina away from their daughters. “Now, Doctor Sanchez.”
Miguel disappears from the room and Robin grits her teeth as the cold water rains down on both her and Antonia.
“My office is at the end of the hall, please fetch me a thermometer. Did Doctor Sanchez give her anything?” Robin glances at the General.
“Fever reducers,” He replies as he gestures for one of his men to obey Robin’s request. Antonia’s squirming faded quickly as she uses up all the energy she can muster. “And cough medicine.”
Miguel returns with a set of pajamas while one of the men returns with the thermometer. Robin turns the shower off, her own skin starting to go numb from the icy spray as she reaches out to wrap Antonia up in the towel.
Robin takes her temperature and changes her into the dry change of clothes before twisting the shower handle again to the hottest setting, waiting for the bathroom to fill with steam. “It’s the croup.” She knew just by hearing Antonia cough. She passes the dry child to Miguel and starts to strip out of her own wet clothes. If she made a big deal about privacy then the General would notice so she strips and dries off and changes. “She just needs to breathe in the steam. Doctor Sanchez, I’ll show you the section in my book that details it.”
Miguel follows her down to her office and Robin pulls out the correct textbook to show him the treatment. She doesn’t even realize that the General didn’t follow until Antonia lets out a barking cough and looks around wearily.
“Papa?” Antonia questioned hoarsely and Robin spins around to peer at the empty doorway. Robin exits her office just as the General ascends the stairs and Robin pauses at the look of discontent on his face.
“Would you like to tell me why there is a cake and balloons on the table downstairs?” The General hits her so hard that Robin tumbles backward, tripping over nothing and landing with a grunt. “They are not your real family. You are not their savior. Get up.”
Robin climbs to her feet, her back and face throbbing. She squeezed her eyes shut when he grabs a fistful of hair and drags her down the hallway. Robin can do nothing as the General shoves the door to the nursery open. The three figures inside freeze and Melina hurriedly scooped Yelena up to stop her from running to Robin.
“This woman is not your wife,” General Dreykov tells Melina, holding his hand out. Robin’s eyes meet the thin bamboo cane from her office as it’s set into the General’s hands. “She is not your mother. She is a doctor and my soldier.”
He lets Robin’s hair go and Robin falls to her knees, curling her fingers into fists as she braces herself.
The General doesn’t hold back, sending the first hit to Robin’s back. It connects with her skin with a crack and Robin muffles the gasps that escape her lips. Melina pushes Yelena’s head into her shoulder to shield her eyes and covers her ears as General Dreykov sends the next hit.
Then he hits one tender spot and Robin can’t hold back the cry of pain. Natasha lurches forward. “Stop it!”
Melina grabs Natasha’s arm, yanking her back into place but the General gestures for Melina to let her go. “What did you say?” He asked Natasha calmly.
Natasha peers down at Robin before looking back up at the General. “Stop it…” She repeats before adding on. “Sir.”
“Or what?” The General asked before hitting Robin with the stick across her face. Robin chokes on the sudden blood that pools in her mouth, gagging as a tooth clinks onto the floor. “She is your handler, is she not? What do Widows do for their handlers?”
“They protect them with their lives,” Natasha said to the General.
“Now, I can’t kill her yet. She’s much too useful,” He tuts, reaching out to grab Robin’s jaw. Robin peers up at the General, tears of pain welling in her eyes as he squeezed her bruised face. “But she is not god. She will tell you lies but she doesn’t love you. She is not your mother. She will return you back to me at the end of your mission and you will never see her again.”
He drops Robin to the ground. Robin pushes herself up onto her knees with shaking hands, refusing to let him turn his attention to Natasha.
“She is a woman.” A grin crosses the General’s face. “And she is mine. And I will not let her forget it.”
He hauls Robin up by her hair, shoving her over the dresser and pushing her shirt up.
“No!” Natasha cried out and Melina grabbed her arm to jerk her away.
General Dreykov holds his hand out and the bamboo stick is replaced with a knife. Robin meets Melina’s eyes across the room before she ducks her head down in shame, clenching her jaw as the knife touches her skin.
There is a sharp burning as the General twists the knife around and slices into Robin’s skin on her back. When he finishes, he drops the knife and inspects his work before he steps away and gestures for his men to leave. Miguel passes by, Antonia cradled in his arms once again. He drops something on the way out, the orange object rolling until it hits Robin’s feet.
As soon as the front door closes, Natasha jerks away from Melina and crosses the room. “Robin?”
Robin wants to be strong but her legs are jelly under her body and she lets out a soft gasp as she slides down to her knees.
Robin peers down at the orange object by her feet, picking it up with a shaking hand. She turns it over in her hand to reveal that it’s a bottle of antibiotics Miguel had anticipated she would need.
The laugh she lets out quickly descends into a sob.