It's My Fault
Bucky burst into the lab, screaming for Bruce, Loki and Steve right behind him.
“What happened?” Bruce asked as Bucky laid her on the table.
“I don’t know. I came down to their apartment to see Loki and Steve beating the shit out of each other, Kat started clutching her stomach and then collapsed.” Bucky told him, his hands shaking. Bruce got her hooked up to a monitor and her heartrate was very high. Kat’s back arched as she screamed out in pain. Steve felt like he was going to be sick and Loki wasn’t much better.
“Bucky, I want you to go to the cabinet right there and get me out a bottle of morphine. I have to get rid of some of this pain so she can be still for a scan.” Bucky did as he was told, finding the bottle and handing it to Bruce. He got an IV in and injected the Morphine, and in a few minutes, Kat relaxed slightly. Her hand reached out for Bucky’s and she squeezed it.
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay doll, you’re gonna be okay.” He told her.
“Friday, please do a full scan on Kat.” Bruce asked. The doors slammed open and Nat walked in, pushing Loki and Steve out of the way.
"What the hell is the matter with you two!" She yelled, moving over to Kat, brushing her hair out of her face.
"Nat, how did you even..." Kat asked.
Nat sighed. "I asked Friday to notify my if you were in distress of any kind, and I'm thankful she did." She turned to Loki and Steve. "And YOU two. You should know better. What the hell is the matter with you? She's pregnant and doesn't need the two of you fighting like cavemen around her!" Steve and Loki cowered away like children being scolded and Kat would have laughed if not for the pain.
The scan only took a few seconds, and then x-rays and other test results were popping up on the screens.
“What’s happening Bruce?” Kat asked, her voice strained.
“It looks like two of your ribs are broken and your spleen is bruised.” He told them, his brows furrowed.
“How could this have happened?” Loki asked.
Bruce looked over at the ultrasound pictures that were just taken, letting out a small gasp. “The baby is bigger than it should be. A baby at 22 weeks should be about a pound or so in weight and roughly 11 inches long.”
“How big is Kat’s?” Nat asked. Kat didn’t have a good feeling about this.
“Kat, your baby is measuring at about 5 pounds and 16 inches long.” Kat turned her head to Steve and Loki, locking eyes with Steve. They both knew in that moment that it was his baby and that the baby was hurting her.
“So, the baby did this to her.” Steve said, his voice cracking. Bruce nodded, coming back over to Kat, checking her side for pain.
“Judging by the size of the baby, I’m gonna say it has the serum in it. That’s the only explanation.” Bruce told them. They heard a door slam and Kat looked over to see that Loki was gone.
She closed her eyes to stop more tears from coming. She had always had a feeling deep down that it was Steve’s baby, but since Loki had said he didn’t care, she didn’t either. Now it was here staring them in the face.
“Bruce, what can we do?” She asked. He sighed and looked over the scans again.
“Well, because of how fast the baby is growing, I don’t think it’s likely you’ll make it to term, so you’ll deliver early.” He told them. “It looks like you’re already starting to heal, the baby must be sharing the serum with you. I also want to put you on bedrest until you deliver because we don’t know what else could happen.”
Kat nodded, taking in all the information. Of course this would be happening to her. She tried to sit up, wincing when she did, and Bucky was right there to help her.
“Can I go back to my room Bruce?” She asked. She needed to talk to Loki. She needed to talk to Steve too.
“That should be fine, but I mean it, bed rest. You can get up to go to the bathroom and shower, but you really need to stay in bed most of the time. Call me if there’s more pain, and I’ll bring more meds up.” Kat nodded and Bruce got a wheelchair for her, and Bucky wheeled her into the elevator, Steve and Nat trailing behind. He was looking down and Kat could see the tear stains on his face.
He felt guilty about this, she knew he did. He was going to blame himself. The doors opened and Bucky wheeled her into the kitchen. She stood with his help and looked around, placing a hand on her stomach.
"Are you gonna be okay?" Nat asked. Kat nodded and gave her a hug. Nat turned and gave a look to Steve before she got in the elevator and went back to her own floor.
“Loki?” She called out but got no answer. He wasn’t here. “Bucky, will you go find him please?” She asked.
Bucky hesitated, looking from Steve back to Kat. “Are you sure?”
Kat nodded. “Yes Bucky, I’ll be okay.” Bucky nodded and turned to leave, leaving her alone with Steve. He was looking at the floor, leaning against the couch.
“Steve, I know that look, will you talk to me?” She said softly.
He looked up at her, his eyes red. “This my fault.” He choked out.
“Steve, this isn’t your fault. We didn’t know this could happen.” She told him, holding out her hand. “Will you please come here?” She asked. Steve walked over and placed his hand in hers. She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. Steve’s eyes widened when he felt a kick, and he slid to his knees and put his other hand on her stomach.
“This is my baby.” He whispered. Fresh tears fell down his face. He placed a kiss on her stomach and she ran her hands through his hair.
“I’m so sorry Katherine. For everything. I’ll never be able to make it up to you, but I hope you can forgive me.” He whispered, his forehead resting against her stomach. Her heart broke just a little for him. She was still angry, no question, but for right now, she could give Steve a grace period. Having his hands on her made her feel calm and safe, just like it always had. She had missed him so much.
“We should get you into bed Kat.” Steve told her. She nodded and let him guide her into the bedroom, getting her situated in the bed and getting extra pillows for her.
“Are you hungry? Thirsty? Do you want me to get you anything?” Steve asked her. Kat thought for a second, realizing she was hungry.
“Yeah, maybe you could order some food? And a water would be great.” She told him. He nodded and leaned down to kiss her on the top of the head. He turned to leave but she grabbed his wrist gently.
“Hey, I know things are crazy right now, but we’ll figure it all out okay?” She told him. He nodded and smiled, kissing her hand before going into the kitchen.
She reached for her phone to message Nat to tell her what happened when she heard a knock on the wall. She looked up to see Loki standing in the doorway. He looked like he’d been crying.
“Oh Loki…” She said, holding her arms out for him.