The Guide To Moving On

Chapter 22 - Close call

I winced slightly as the jet made contact with the ground but quickly covered it up, showing pain was a weakness after all.

Everyone stood up as the engines turned off, grabbing their belongings.

"Who's taking Nat to medical?" Bruce asked as he grabbed his stuff.

"Right here you know. And I can take myself." I replied coldly, there was something about Bruce that rubbed me up the wrong way.

"I'll take you, I have a few cuts I wouldn't mind getting looked at anyway." Steve piped up. I huffed and rolled my eyes, I am a strong, independent woman and could take myself to medical but at least he talked about me like I was there.

Steve and I both walked off the plane together in silence and headed in the direction of medical. We got into the elevator and Steve pressed the button for the correct floor.

"I can take myself down to medical, it doesn't even hurt that much," I told Steve as we rode down to medical. All he did was smirk at me which was even more infuriating.

"For an injury that doesn't hurt that much you do wince at even the slightest movements," he commented matter-of-factly. I was slightly taken aback, I had tried so hard to hide my pain and yet he had seen it anyway. Either he is observant or the pain is prohibiting me from fully hiding my emotions, maybe both.

"I am a strong, independent woman who can take herself to get treated, Steve," I replied sighing as I did so.

"Yeah, you are a strong, independent woman who needs to allow people to help sometimes, especially when she is in pain," Steve remarked. I walked off the elevator ahead of Steve to hide just how much is his words affected me. Just maybe he was right. Maybe.

"Ms. Romanoff. Mr. Rogers. What can I do for you?" A nurse asked as we entered. I smiled weakly at her.

"Bullet wound treatment please," I replied as sweetly as I could considering the amount of pain I was currently in.

"Ok come right through both of you." The nurse said and guided us into one of the rooms. I got up onto the hospital bed and Steve took a seat on the chair next to the bed.

A doctor entered the room and I tensed a little, I had never like hospitals or doctors, ever since the Red Room. If you encountered a doctor there, it never led to anything good.

Steve must've noticed because he sent me a concerned look. I chose to ignore his look and return my gaze to the doctor.

"Ok, Ms. Romanoff, I am just going to take an x-ray to check where the bullet is and then we can treat it. But I am going to need you to get changed, a hospital gown preferably." The doctor said as he put on some gloves.

"Absolutely not. I can take my suit off, I have clothes underneath, but there is no way you are getting me in a hospital gown." I answered forcefully. The last time I was in a hospital gown, I was- well it wasn't good. They brought up painful memories and flashbacks that I didn't want to have, especially not when I had a teammate next to me.

"Of course, I will send a nurse in to help with that, but let me take an x-ray first," He said, grabbing a machine and fiddling around with it. A few seconds later he moved over to a screen and studied what I assumed was the x-ray image.

"Well, Ms. Romanoff, the bullet has just missed the bone and looks to only be tissue damage which is a good thing. We will be able to treat it fairly easily." The doctor reported. At least it was nothing too major.

He stood up and left the room right as the nurse re-entered the room to help me change. Steve promptly left the room to give me some privacy which I was immensely grateful for and the nurse got to work.