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Chapter Text

It was barely 5pm when they received the news. SHIELD had to move now. The North Institute, a research center in suburban Ohio, had burned under suspicious circumstances. The files inside were burned, but a copy was missing. After less than twenty minutes, they had orders. A man, a researcher for the institute. Only issue? He didn’t seem to exist prior to working there. His social security, passport, all fakes. He was a ghost. And just like that, they knew.

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If you had asked Natasha Romanov that morning about her plans for the weekend, she would’ve told you that she was going to the movies with her mother and sister. Yet, by the time Alexei was home, it was made clear that all of her future plans were gone. At just twelve years old, a mere three years since first departing, she was going to be cycled through The Red Room again. Her poor baby sister was going to be weaponized before her eyes. She was so angry, but that didn’t matter. No one cared for her opinions. They never had. So, just before going, she grabbed the only thing she could think of- a picture of her and Yelena, her baby sister. A reminder of what once was.

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By the time nightfall had come around, SHIELD had everything they needed. They sat quietly, waiting for the family to pull into the airport. None of the airplanes were registered under a known alias, but that didn’t matter as they sat by the entrance. It was the nearest non-commercial airport, and the only one of its kind for at least 100 miles. Eight cars, hidden surrounding the street entrance. A name flashed on Maria Hill’s phone, “Phil”. She answered.

”Please tell me you have good news” she said, looking around the small airport.

”Not quite,” he responded, “I have a complication. We just found, out, we have two female minors with him, as well as a suspected female spy. It appears from the house although they had some kind of family unit. The kids shoes are gone, wife’s aren’t, but she seems more supplied with articles than the children likely were”

Maria inhales sharply, looking over to May, who just shakes her head.

”Orders remain the same sir?” She asked.

”Yes Hill, for now. Two ambulances are in route, god forbid anything happens” he said.

”Of course sir” Maria said, hanging up the phone, looking over to May, who was staring straight ahead. 

She tried not to think about it. She knew she needed to focus on the mission at hand, no matter the age. But she couldn’t help but think about how young those girls were. And the fact this likely meant babysitting duty…

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Natasha held her breath as they parked quietly, a short distance away from their plane’s hanger. They would have to go through the fence of course, but Melina knew that if anyone had connected the dots, they’d be waiting by the entrance to the airport in order to arrest them, not the hanger itself. Plus, cutting the fence wasn’t hard. They crept quietly into the hanger, knowing that turning anything on too early, or opening the hanger door too loudly could mean arrest. Melina and Yelena had run to remove the blocks from under the plane wheels, and the three of them were loaded into the plane, buckled up tightly. That was when they heard it… sirens. Melina started the plane and aimed them down the runway, but Natasha could see the cars chasing them. She could hear the guns firing at them, she could see an Alexei out on the wing. All of a sudden, Melina went down.

”Natasha- I need you up here” she said between gasps.

She scrambled into the cockpit, fumbling for the controls.

”Pull back” Melina told her. Natasha tried to do as she was told, she tried to pull back with all her might. Finally, the plane started going up. She thought they were finally safe. Until they started going down. 

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Maria watched, eyes wide, as the plane began falling. 
“Free fall, free fall, we need EMS, Fire, and Rescue” blared from her walkie as the plane hit the ground. Maria began running towards them before she could even realize what was happening. 

“We have two minors, ages unknown” she yelled to the other agents as they began to reach the wreckage, the flames luckily not too large yet. She saw as they grabbed the man who was out on the wing, hurt, but conscious. They put him in handcuffs and led him away as they continued to search. 

Next out was a little girl with golden blonde hair. Maria gasped quietly as she saw her, she couldn’t have been older than five or six, her face covered in soot. 

Maria found the next girl, a slightly older girl, teenage at best. She fumbled for a pulse, sighing in relief when she found it. 
“I need EMS now!” She yelled “I have a female victim, age unknown, unconscious with thready pulse”

She felt as they took the girl from her arms, but followed them closely. She entered the back of the ambulance without asking, holding the girls hand as they connected wires to her small body.

She barely understood anything, not the orders over her walkie, not the questions from the medics, nothing. All she understood was that she couldn’t leave the little girl. 

Chapter Text

Maria was fuming. After the girls had arrived safely, she had been pulled into a debrief with the team, Phil Coulson, and Nick Fury. SHIELD had searched the home and found more intel regarding the family, and combined with everything else, it enraged Maria. The girls, Natasha and Yelena, were 12 and 6. The man who had been acting as their father was a super soldier whose real name is Alexei Shostakov. Somehow, he was relatively unharmed despite the days events, and he sat in a SHIELD holding cell. He had been sent by the Red Room, a group known for espionage training and human trafficking. Phil didn't have to acknowledge what that meant for the girls, but its implication was the same even unmentioned. The wife, a spy named Melina Vostokov, had been seemingly trained in the Red Room as a child. She wasn't as unscathed, but she was conscious and contained within a medical room down in holding as well. It was unknown whether either of the girls were trained, but it was clear that they were neglected by both parents. It was clear that training had been their fate, up until the crash. It made Maria so angry every time she thought about it. But she knew that anger wasn't solving anything. So instead she went and sat in their hospital room, waiting for them to wake up, ensuring they weren't alone.

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After three days, it was decided both of the girls could be taken off of the sedatives and slowly woken up. Nick Fury knew Maria had been hiding out in the children’s hospital the girls were taken to, waiting for them to wake up, but he sent Bobbi Morse over there too, just in case two of them were too much to handle. Maria thought it was overkill, until Yelena began coming out of it. The little girl woke up slowly at first, but once she was aware of her surroundings, she began to shake and cry. Maria's Russian was too rusty to keep up with the little girls cries, but Bobbi was by her side almost immediately, listening to her, wrapping her gently in blankets, and doing all that she could to make the girl more comfortable. Eventually, Yelena began to settle down, listening to Bobbi and quietly hiccuping. From what Maria could tell, Bobbi was telling stories to Yelena. That's when Maria noticed Natasha beginning to stir.

"Hey Bobbi, watch your left, she's coming out of it" Maria said quietly.

Natasha shot up rather quickly, yelling at them, first in Russian, then in English.

"Don't touch me! Don't touch Yelena! I will end you, don't you dare touch us!" she yelled.

Bobbi did her best to back up a little from Yelena, but at this the younger girl's lip began to quiver, and Bobbi knew she couldn't fully comply with Natasha's demand.

"It's okay, you're safe, no one here will hurt you," Maria said, her arms raised to show she didn't have anything to harm them with, "My name is Maria Hill, you are at SHIELD's medical bay, you are safe, you are in America, Yelena is directly to your right, as is my friend Bobbi Morse. She's not hurting her, she only is over there because she speaks better Russian than I do, I promise."

Bobbi moved to let Natasha see that Yelena was safe in her arms. Maria didn't move from where she was standing across the room. Natasha was clearly surveying, probably trying to determine if they were lying.

'Well, that answers that question. Definitely trained' Maria thought to herself, sharing a knowing glance with Bobbi.

Natasha noticed the monitors and IVs in her arms and immediately started trying to remove them.

Maria rushed forward "oh no, lets not touch those," she said, reaching for Natasha's wrist. Natasha immediately swung at her, and Maria caught her fist. However, as she reached over, it left her duty weapon exposed and Natasha grabbed it with her free hand.

"Shit, gun!" Maria said, backing up with her hands up. Bobbi immediately backed away from Yelena, mimicking Maria and backing up. SHIELD agents and medical professionals from outside quickly flooded the room, but Maria yelled for them to stand down.

"Natasha, please can you put the gun down?" Maria asked. Bobbi said something in Russian that Maria believed was likely a translation. The girl didn't move, standing like a marksman, aiming at the agents. Natasha removed the IV and wires, causing monitors to blare loudly.

"Natasha, please, if you put the gun down, we can talk about this. You aren't in any trouble" Maria said gently, not daring to take a step.

"I don't want to talk, I want to leave!" Natasha yelled.

"Okay, okay, we can talk about you leaving then, I just need the gun on the ground, please, for your and Yelena's safety. You know you are outnumbered. You will not just be able to leave by shooting one of us. This isn't how you get what you want" Maria said gently.

Natasha was angry, but part of her knew Maria was right. Slowly, she turned the safety back on, and put the gun on the floor.

"Can I come grab it? I won't touch you, you can even push it towards me if you want" Maria said. Natasha kicked the gun towards her, and Maria retrieved it. She turned over the weapon to Phil, and Bobbi did the same with her service weapon. Then, Maria ordered them all to leave. Only her and Bobbi stayed.

"Natasha, do you want us to stay over there, or can we come closer so we can all talk about this" Bobbi asked.

"Stay." Natasha said gruffly, so Maria and Bobbi sat on the floor.

"Alright, I know your goal is to be able to leave. My guess is they gave you some good pain meds, because you are on your feet, but considering how you being able to stand is surprising me, you probably wouldn't last long out of the hospital right now" Maria says. Natasha rolls her eyes.

"I'm fine" she says sharply, "it doesn't even hurt"

"Yes, generally that is how pain meds work" Maria said sarcastically, "but trust me, a broken leg, 3rd degree burns, and three bruised ribs will hurt without pain meds."

Natasha barely notices as Yelena begins to move away, getting closer to Bobbi. Bobbi tries to get her to stop, but soon enough Yelena is clinging onto Bobbi's leg as Natasha watches. There is an exchange between Natasha, Yelena, and Bobbi that Maria can't fully understand. Something about Yelena objecting to them leaving without Bobbi. Both of them are definitely still coming off of anesthetics, and if it weren't so scary, the exchange may actually be kind of cute. Suddenly, Natasha kind of slumps back on to the bed, causing Maria to rush forward. 

"Are you okay?" she asks, an edge of nervousness in her voice.

"Fine." Natasha spits out, before rolling to face the wall and curling up. Bobbi and Maria share a look, which causes Bobbi to turn and ask in Russian if Natasha is really okay. Her voice breaks as she replies, causing Maria to move closer to her.

"Honey, the IV you removed has pain medication in it. You had surgery and have been out for two days, you need that medication. If you don't want it in IV form, I can work on figuring out an alternative, but you need something sweetheart, I'm serious." Maria said gently.

"No, I- I'm fine" Natasha said harshly.

Bobbi picks up Yelena and lays her in the same bed, close to Natasha. She says something Maria can't hear, and suddenly Natasha turned back over, sticking out her arm with her head still turned away. Bobbi gently replaces her IV, before escorting Maria out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Chapter Text

"How did you get her to do that?" Maria questioned with excitement.

"Easy," Bobbi shrugged, "Told her we wouldn't leave her alone until she took some form of relief, and offered to have her and Yelena left alone to sleep for another hour"

Maria chuckled, "And here I was thinking you were some child whisperer"

Bobbi shoved her playfully, "Still better than you"

"Okay smart ass, so what do we do when she wakes up? We can't leave them alone forever!" Maria said jokingly.

"That is called a 'you problem'" Bobbi said, running off. Maria playfully chased her until they both made it to Maria's makeshift office, only slightly out of breath.

"Seriously though, we are running down the clock, what are we going to do?" Maria asked, flopping onto the couch

"Well, the way I see it, I think we should continue annoying the hell out of her. Then we always have the bribe of leaving her alone" Bobbi said.

"That could work," Maria said, chuckling, "I mean she just looks at you and-" Maria was cut off by a pillow to the face, making both her and Bobbi laugh.

"Whatever Hill" Bobbi said with a grin, "I should just have you talk to her for two minutes and she'll be set for life"

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When the hour had passed, Maria and Bobbi tried to get back in the room quietly, but for a pair of spies, they were surprisingly loud enough to wake Yelena. Natasha, unsurprisingly, had already been awake. The moment Yelena saw Bobbi, she began making grabby hands, calling out for her in Russian. Bobbi looked to Natasha before coming over to hold Yelena. She gently took the girl in both arms, and her heart melted as Yelena melted into her chest. Natasha on the other hand was not necessarily as cute. Maria looked towards her, trying to make sure that Natasha wasn't going to repeat her past... adventures.

"Is there anything I can do for you," Maria asked softly, "Wanna snack, ice cream, board games, anything?"

Despite the fact that Maria wasn't talking to her, Yelena suddenly perked up to excitedly yell "Popsicles!", which made all three women laugh.

"If Lena wants popsicles, that would be good. I'm fine" Natasha said.

Bobbi sensed the atmosphere in the room, and scooped Yelena up, saying "lets go find popsicles!" while Yelena cheered. Their absence left Maria and Natasha alone.

"You feel alright?" Maria asked.

Natasha nodded.

They sat awkwardly for a moment in silence, before Maria contiued, "I'm sorry, for all of this, for everything that happened"

"Not your fault" Natasha muttered.

"Not my fault doesn't make it suck any less. I know it probably doesn't help, but if I were in your shoes, I'd be scared too" Maria said.

"Not scared" Natasha muttered.

"Okay, well, could we keep that between me and you, because according to the paperwork I just filed, you grabbed my firearm because you were scared, because if that's the case, I don't have to arrest you" Maria said, jokingly.

"Hmm, okay" Natasha said

"I don't want to assume anything, I just am saying that I think I'd be having a hard time. I'd have questions, opinions, and I'll be honest, I'd probably be a little ticked that this all happened" Maria said.

Natasha nodded slowly, "Well, its just that it all makes sense. Alexei is an idiot. We got arrested, probably at the airport. The gaps are there, but its easy enough to fill based on all of this"

Maria nodded. They sat in awkward silence until Yelena and Bobbi came back with popsicles and chocolate milk. Yelena's sticky fingers are stuck to Bobbi's shoulder, covered in popsicle juice.

"Natty!" Yelena said, reaching towards her sister, "Bobbi is the best. We got popsicles and chocolate milk!"

Bobbi held out the chocolate milk towards Natasha, who swatted it away, annoyed.

”Okay, so you’re cute,” Bobbi said, looking to where Yelena was perched on her arms, “and you’re spicy nice, got it” she said, looking towards Natasha with a grin. The girl rolled her eyes and Hill had to stifle a laugh.

"It's getting close to dinner time, if you have any requests," Maria said, "I can't promise the cafeteria is great, but they tend to have a pretty decent sandwich variety"

"Mac and cheeeeeeeese?" Yelena proposed, her slightly toothless grin making Bobbi laugh.

"We can go look for mac and cheeeeeese, if you'll eat it" Bobbi said to Yelena.

Yelena nodded. Maria approached Bobbi, saying something the girls couldn't quite hear.

"Okay bug," Bobbi said, setting Yelena down on the bed, "Mia said that we may have to do dinner in the room, so some folks can come check on the two of you. What do you think? Picnic in the room?"

"No! No people!" Yelena yelled, making Natasha look up.

"Lena," Bobbi started.

"She said no!" Natasha said.

"Doctors need to come take a look at you before bed. This isn't a debate" Maria said, an edge to her voice.

"No!" Natasha said.

Bobbi, realizing the situation was escalating, said something to Natasha in Russian. Her, Yelena, and Natasha went back and forth for several minutes, before Natasha reluctantly nodded.

"Okay, here is what we are going to do," Bobbi said, "The girls are gonna get dinner, outside of the room. Then, we are going to come back here, get into our PJ's, and then we will bring in Dr. Ash, because shes the nicest one"

Maria nodded curtly. She could work with that.

Chapter Text

Yelena is thrilled going to the cafeteria. Natasha- not so much. The cafeteria isn't quite full, but its certainly not empty. Not to mention that Natasha has to drag around her IV pole, while Yelena is basically free. Yelena gets a big bowl of mac and cheese, and befriends a cafeteria lady nearly immediately, resulting in her also being offered an ice cream from the back. Natasha is offered one too, but turns it down, opting for all prepackaged food. Some chips, a pack of fruit snacks, and a juice box. Maria wishes she'd eat something actually nutritious, but she knows that now is not the time.

Bobbi helps Yelena carry her tray to a back table that is more out of the way. Natasha and Maria trail behind them. The table she chooses is a small round table with only 4 seats, perfect so no one can interrupt them. Although Fury had already sent out multiple emails regarding their presence at the hospital to all medical personnel, and the fact that the girls, while cute, were deadly. Bobbi hoped that maybe it would help, and luckily they weren't interrupted, shy of Clint Barton, who was there supervising the exterior agents, who Maria all but shooed away.

"I love mac and cheeeeeese," Yelena said, "Do they have this every day?"

"Yes," Bobbi said with a chuckle, "but if you eat it everyday you might turn into cheese"

Yelena giggled at the silly jest, while Natasha looked at Bobbi, evidently annoyed.

"Aren't you gonna be hungry?" Bobbi asked, looking at Natasha's chips.

Natasha glared in response, and Maria told Bobbi to leave her alone.

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Once Yelena and Natasha were done, they went back to their room, Yelena skipping ahead as Natasha dragged her feet. Maria prayed that maybe Yelena would make this easy enough, so they could focus on Natasha. She knew that the girls likely had some form of medical trauma, based on Natasha's initial response when waking up. However, she could hope that they would be able to counter it, at least with Yelena.

"Alright, bugs in beds" Bobbi said, picking up Yelena and gently tossing her into her bed, making the girl giggle.

"You wanna get in your bed?" Maria asked, turning to Natasha.

"I can get there myself" Natasha said, glaring at Bobbi as she climbed into her bed.

There was a knock at the door, and both girls flinched instinctively. Maria opened it to find a stack of freshly warmed PJ's for the girls.

"Do you guys wanna change in the bathroom while Bobbi and I find a show for you to watch?" Maria asked, handing Natasha and Yelena the pajamas.

"They're warmmmmm. And soft!" Yelena exclaimed. Natasha shot her a glance.

"The bathroom is fine." Natasha said, gathering their clothes and taking Yelena with her, only slightly slamming the door.

"We're doing so good" Bobbi mouthed to Maria, who snorted at the joke, playfully smacking Bobbi's arm.

They turned on SpongeBob while the girls were getting changed, and soon Yelena came bouncing out.

"They have foooooooties!" she exclaimed, nearly falling trying to show Maria and Bobbi the slippers on her feet.

Looking over to Natasha, Maria was relieved to see the nurses did not leave her footie pajamas. She could only imagine how poorly that would've gone over. Instead, she had some fluffy pants and a warm t-shirt. The girl seemed to have navigated disconnecting her IV pretty easily as well, seeing as the tube wasn't through her sleeve.

"Alright, looks great. I hope you don't mind, I put on spongebob. Its a little annoying with his accent though, so I'm happy to turn on Russian subtitles." she said. Yelena nodded, grateful Maria understood her, while Natasha was still annoyed.

The girls got back into their beds, and Maria and Bobbi sat in chairs between their beds. They'd only been watching spongebob for a few moments before there was another knock at the door.

"Come in" Maria said, much to Natasha's dismay.

Two women step into the room. One is in black scrubs, with brown hair and a badge holder that reads 'Tiny Humans are my favorite'. The other woman has pink scrubs, pink hair, and is smiling ear to ear. Natasha thinks that she looks like she was attacked by some freakish fairy godmother. The brunette introduces herself as Haley, and says she is a pediatric nurse. The freakish fairy godmother woman introduces herself as Dr. Ash. Natasha is somewhat relieved. She knows she can scare the crap out of her easily at least.

"So let me guess. You are little, so you must be Yelena," Dr. Ash says, gesturing towards Yelena, "And you are bigger and must be Natasha."

Yelena smiles shyly at her, trying to hide her face behind Bobbi's chair, while Natasha glares at her.

"Yes" she says, clearly annoyed.

"Well I'm glad I got that right, I mean, it would've been really embarrassing to be wrong," Dr. Ash laughs, "Although my sister has been taller than me basically my entire life, despite being younger,so its happened." she continued, ignoring Natasha's annoyance.

"Okay, lets start with you my younger friend" Dr. Ash says, turning to Yelena.

"No!" Yelena all but screeches, suddenly attempting to bury herself behind Bobbi, "No, no, no, no, NO!"

"Its okay, its okay," Dr. Ash says, raising her arms to show she means no harm, "I get it, I came in a little quick. You didn't like it. How about this? What if nurse Haley and I talk to you guys first, figure out kinda what you are comfortable with, what you aren't, and we go from there?" she poses.

Bobbi stokes Yelena's back, and says something to her in Russian. Yelena nods, her head still buried into Bobbi's side. In return, Bobbi nods towards Dr. Ash, which she takes as a cue to continue.

"Okay, how about this first. Do you girls have any questions for me?" Dr. Ash asked kindly, "Or is there anything you want before we start?"

"Will it hurt?" Yelena asked quietly

"Oh honey, no, I promise. Anything that might even pinch we have a solution for. We have pain meds, we have a spray made with a drug called lidocaine, which makes your skin go to sleep, we have all kinds of things. I promise we don't want anything to hurt!" Dr. Ash said quickly

"If you hurt her, I'll hurt you" Natasha said quietly.

Maria tries to speak, but Dr. Ash stops her, saying "I promise I will not hurt her or you, Natasha. And we can stop anytime. I know you both are scared, and that's okay. I promise, I will be gentle, and we will go at your pace. I love my pediatric patients, and my entire job is caring for folks like you. I haven't hurt them, and I won't hurt you either."

"I'm not scared" Natasha said defiantly.

"That's okay too Natasha. However you are feeling, I want to make sure you know that's okay" Dr. Ash says.

"I'm angry, no one here listens" Natasha says, an edge to her voice.

"I'd be angry too," Dr. Ash says, "I can only imagine how this all must feel. And if you want to be angry with me, if that helps you, I will do whatever I can to help you with that."

Something in Dr. Ash's voice was different from that of Bobbi or Maria. Her voice wasn't some form of empathy, or pity. It was understanding. And it broke something in Natasha. She tried not to show it as a tear rolled down her face.

"Oh love, come here" Dr. Ash said, pulling her into a hug. For once, Natasha didn't pull away from the touch.

"I'm sorry" Natasha mumbled.

"No, no, you do not apologize for this, you are allowed to cry" Dr. Ash said kindly

After a few moments, Natasha gathered herself, trying to pretend like she hadn't just broken down. Dr. Ash seemed to understand this and moved along.

"Do you have any more questions for me? I'm here for anything and everything" Dr. Ash said.

After a moment, it was Bobbi who spoke, "Maybe you could explain to the girls what is going to happen?"

"Of course!" Dr. Ash said, "Has anyone been in to speak with you at all? Someone from day shift?"

"No" Maria says, "We had an... accident when the girls woke, and so we haven't had much of a chance"

"Oh! Okay! Then I'll start from the beginning. I'm sure you and Barbra already know from their charts, but Yelena and Natasha deserve to know too," Dr. Ash says, turning to face both girls, "So, i'll start with you Yelena. You have some smoke inhalation injuries to your lungs, some minor burns, and a fractured rib. Natasha, you are dealing with some more major burns, hence your IV hookup, and you also took some damage to your leg and hip, which is still being evaluated for course of treatment" Dr. Ash said.

"What does that mean" Natasha asked quietly.

"We are trying to figure out still how we can best help you," Dr. Ash said, "We need more scans and tests to determine what exactly will be helpful"

Natasha nodded, and Dr. Ash continued.

"So, for tonight, Yelena, I'd like to wrap your ribs, and also give you an IV, just so we can administer some things for pain, dehydration, and to prevent infection. I'd also like to redress both of your burns, and Natasha, I'd like to put you in an air cast before you go to bed, just so your leg stays still. In addition, I'd like to refill your pain meds, and we can give you some medication for sleep if you'd like?" She said. Natasha shook her head. "That's alright too honey"

Dr. Ash notices Yelena staring at her. "Do you have a question hon?" She asked kindly.

Yelena nodded, saying, "A-an IV won't hurt, right?"

"Of course not!" Dr. Ash said quickly, "We have a spray we can use, it'll make your arm feel sleepy, or maybe cold? Kids describe it various ways. But you won't feel anything, I promise"

Bobbi rubs Yelena's back gently, trying to comfort her.

"Now, I know this is your first night here where you are awake," Dr. Ash, "Or where you are choosing to sleep here at least. So, I'd like to talk about how we could make you more comfortable. I work night shifts primarily, as does Nurse Haley. That means part of our job is making kids feel safer and more comfortable at night. I see you already got your PJ's, but is there anything else you may want? We have stuffed animals for kids, we have a variety of night lights, we keep extra soft blankets in the warmer, and we are happy to get anything else you need"

"Really?" Yelena asks

"Oh yeah!" Nurse Haley chimes in, "If you want, we can go pick a stuffy after we are done here, we have a closet full of them. And I'll be in to check on you every two hours tonight. More if you want it"

Yelena smiled at her, her goofy grin seeming to come back for the first time since Nurse Haley and Dr. Ash came in.

"Do you guys have a preference on who goes first?" Dr. Ash asked "We can also just work separately to work fastest"

Natasha looked at Yelena, "Whatever she wants".

Maria gently grabbed and squeezed Natasha's hand, trying to reassure her.

"Fastest" Yelena said quietly, "Then we get stuffys!"

"Alrighty, and I promise, we will explain anything we are doing before we do it"

Nurse Haley and Dr. Ash approach Yelena and Natasha. Bobbi and Maria work carefully to reassure them. The team works very fast, getting bandages replaced, wrapping Yelena's ribs, and getting Natasha into an air cast so she can sleep. Natasha is surprised with how gentle they are, something she'd never experienced before. Nurse Haley is surprisingly sweet with both the girls, her hands are gentle and soft. The team was working well, with shockingly little issues, until they went to place Yelena's IV.

"Noooooo" Yelena said when asked if she was ready. She began sobbing into Bobbi's shoulder. Shockingly, Natasha didn't move, instead trying to just reassure Yelena that it was okay.

"Lena, Lena, its okay," Natasha said, "they won't hurt you, remember?"

Nurse Haley gently rubbed Yelena's back, trying to stop her tears. Bobbi tried to help, but felt completely helpless, knowing how scared she must be. Once Yelena finally stopped crying, she sat next to her, trying to show her something.

"Yelena, this is a special freeze spray" Nurse Haley said, holding up a small aerosol can, "It makes your skin go to sleep, so you can't feel anything. If you'd like, I can show you on your arm or your hand. We won't do the IV there, it's just so you can see what it feels like and try it"

“Promise” Yelena asked quietly

“Pinky swear” Dr. Ash said, “If you want, I can show you on my hand too!"

“Ok” Yelena said

Dr. Ash let Nurse Haley spray the small can onto her hand, and she let Yelena feel the ice cold surface on her hand. Yelena reluctantly stuck out her hand to let Nurse Haley spray it on her.

“Its so cold!” Yelena said surprised, touching her skin.

“But you can’t feel anything, right?” Nurse Haley asked.

Yelena poked at her skin, “No!” she said, amazed.

“So do you trust me that you won’t feel the IV?” Nurse Haley asked.

“Maybe” Yelena said. She reluctantly stuck her arm out, closing her eyes tightly. Bobbi took the opportunity to sit next to the girl, gently holding and comforting her. Natasha, still being attended to by Dr. Ash, was secretly grateful someone went to hold her.

“Do you wanna know what I’m doing? Or do you just want me to do it?” Nurse Haley asked.

“Just do it” Yelena said quietly through sniffles, Bobbi still holding her.

Nurse Haley set up quietly, laying out everything she needed out of sight of Yelena. She tied the tourniquet around Yelena’s arm, causing her to flinch back.

“What was that?” Yelena asked

“Its just a tourniquet, its like a small band that I use to make your veins pop out a little more, nothing bad, I promise” Nurse Haley said. Realizing that guiding Yelena may be easier, she said, “Now I’m wiping with an alcohol wipe, it shouldn’t hurt at all, but it might feel a bit cold"

“Don’t forget the freeze spray” Yelena said quietly. 

“Of course!” Nurse Haley said, “It’s going to feel cold, okay?"

Yelena nodded. Nurse Haley sprayed the aerosol can onto her skin, before quickly slipping the IV in.

“Did you feel it?” Nurse Haley asked. Yelena shook her head.

“I’m just drawing some blood, and then I’ll connect your IV, okay?” she said.

Yelena nodded. After a few moments, Nurse Haley announced they were done. Yelena finally lets go of Bobbi, and wipes her eyes.

“Now can I get a stuffy? Please?” Yelena said.

“Absolutely” Nurse Haley said, grabbing her IV pole.

Chapter Text

Yelena followed Nurse Haley right out the door, excited at the possibility of seeing what she could get. Dr. Ash stayed with Natasha, even after she’d finished her work. She asked Natasha if she wanted to go with Yelena and nurse Haley, but Natasha shook her head, exhausted from the days events. 

“Do you guys want me to set up cots in here, so you can stay here overnight?” Dr. Ash asked Maria and Bobbi.

“That would be amazing,” Maria said, “Thank you"

Dr. Ash steps out to grab the cots.

“Are you okay?” Maria and Bobbi asked Natasha almost simultaneously.

Natasha nodded, before saying “I’m sorry…about earlier"

Bobbi quickly stops her, “Please don’t apologize for anything. This isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault"

They sat in silence briefly, before Natasha said, “Dr. Ash wasn’t wrong, I am angry, but not with you guys. Well, a little with you guys. But also with the universe” 

Maria nodded, “I get that, I was pretty angry myself when I came to SHEILD"

“Really?” Natasha asked.

Maria nodded, “Yep. My dad wasn’t the greatest guy, and then I went to the military trying to get out, only to get discharged midway through my first deployment. Seemed like the universe was trying to piss me off"

“The universe sucks” Natasha said.

“Yes it does” Maria said.

“You wanna talk about it?” Bobbi asked, “I mean, it's understandable that you’d be angry, it just sometimes helps to get it out, and Yelena won’t be back for a few minutes, I’m sure, she’s gotta be having the time of her life in the child life closet” she chuckles. 

“Not really” Natasha said, “I’m just tired"

“Understandable” Bobbi said.

“While Yelena is gone, can I ask you something? I wanted to ask earlier, but I didn’t want to distress Yelena” Natasha said.

“Shoot” Maria said.

“What happened to Melina and Alexei? Are they here somewhere?” Natasha asked.

Maria sighed before saying, “They are okay. Melina had a gunshot wound, I’m not sure if you remember. Alexei somehow was relatively unharmed. Melina is still getting the care she needs, but both are in SHEILD custody at a different facility. You never have to see them again if you don’t want to, you are safe from them here.” 

“Thank you,” Natasha said, absorbing it all, before continuing, “If Yelena asks about them, just please, tell her that they are okay, but can’t see her right now. She doesn't need to know everything"

Bobbi and Maria nodded, “Of course” they said.

————————————————

Before long, Yelena comes skipping back into the room, with Nurse Haley dragging her IV pole and a wagon. She leads Yelena over to the bed, tucking her back into bed, and handing her a stuffed pig, which Yelena snuggled tightly.

“Alright, while Yelena was picking out her stuffy, I found a few things I thought you girls could try for your first night here, if you wanna try it” Nurse Haley said.

Yelena nodded excitedly, and Natasha nodded along to support. 

“Natasha, I hope you don’t mind.” Nurse Haley said, “Yelena said you liked wolves, so I picked you out a wolf stuffy” she said, handing the small plush to Natasha, making her smile.

“Thank you,” Natasha said, taking it in her hand gently.

“Okay, so I wasn’t sure about your sleep routine at home, so I brought some nightlight options, some fluffy blankets we can stick in the warmer, and some books and music that we can listen to” Nurse Haley said.

Natasha smiled, trying to be enthusiastic for Yelena’s sake.

Nurse Haley shows them a star projector, which makes Yelena squeal with delight, leading it to be set up on their floor for the night. Dr. Ash returns with the cots just as Nurse Haley is throwing the fluffy blankets into the warmer for bed. She helps Maria and Bobbi set up their cots while Yelena and Natasha are listening to a story recording from a CD player. Finally, the chaos of the room is dying down, and its almost time for bed. 

“There we go” Nurse Haley says as she lays a warmed blanket over Yelena, then another over Natasha. She leaves the CD player on with some music, before turning down the lights to allow the girls to get some rest. Before she left, she connected both of them to some stronger pain meds, ensuring they have a peaceful, pain free night. 

————————————————

Every two hours, like clockwork, Nurse Haley comes in to take vitals and ensure all is well. She is grateful as her first two rounds go by without incident. Natasha, Yelena, Maria, and Bobbi are all eventually asleep, the only sounds in the room being the occasional click of the nightlight, or a quiet chime from an empty IV bag. Sadly, Nurse Haley’s third round isn’t as simple. She walks into the room, just as quiet as before, but something is amiss, and that is when she hears it. A small sniffle. 

“Natasha, honey,” Nurse Haley whispers, approaching the bed, “what’s wrong?"

Natasha sniffles again, “I-I’m fine” she says quietly. 

:”Oh sweetheart” Nurse Haley says, hurrying to her side. Natasha glanced at her, tears in her eyes. “Honey, let's go outside, we can talk” Nurse Haley said.

She grabbed Natasha’s IV stand, and gently helped Natasha out of the room, eventually sitting her on a chair in the nurses station.

“I-I’m sorry” Natasha said, finally calming down.

“Don’t be sorry honey, what happened? Are you okay?” Nurse Haley asked kindly.

Natasha nodded, “I’m fine, I’m sorry"

Nurse Haley rubbed Natasha’s back, “Its okay if you don’t want to talk about it right noe, but how can I help? You don’t have to go back to the room if you don’t want to. You can stay out here if you want. I can bring you a coloring book or something” she said kindly. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever’s fine” Natasha said, nodding slightly.

“Alright hon, I’ll be right back, you stay right here” Nurse Haley said.

Natasha nodded as Nurse Haley got up to go get supplies for Natasha. However, when she returned, she found the girl sound asleep in the chair.

“Alright baby” she said quietly, wheeling the office chair Natasha was on into her room again, “You clearly need the rest. Here is your bed honey, sleep tight” she said, as she gently transferred Natasha under the covers, before gently brushing her hair from her face as a final goodnight. 

Chapter Text

When Natasha woke up the next morning, Bobbi and Maria were already up. Natasha was slightly disoriented, but slowly remembered as she looked around the room. Yelena was still asleep, lightly snoring beside her. Bobbi approached Natasha quietly, not wanting to wake Yelena.

“Wanna get some breakfast kid? Bobbi asked.

Natasha nodded, and Bobbi helped her up with her IV pole.

“Wanna eat in the cafeteria, or do you want to find somewhere quieter?” Bobbi asked as they left the room

“Quieter” Natasha said. 

Bobbi took Natasha to a quiet side room, before leaving to grab their food for a moment. When she came back, she had brought Natasha a yogurt, some packaged cereal, and some eggs.

“Hope you like it,” Bobbi said, “If not, I can always get something else"

Natasha used her fork to poke at the eggs for a little while, before opting to open the mini cereal box instead.

“Want some juice?” Bobbi asked, holding out a box of apple juice.

Natasha nodded and reluctantly took the box.

“Did you sleep well?” Bobbi asked.

Natasha nodded.

“Thats good” Bobbi said, “I have some news about today"

Natasha placed down her juicebox, eyeing Bobbi.

“I have a friend coming to meet you and Yelena today” Bobbi continued, “Her name is Laura, she works with Maria and I, and she is going to stop by later"

“Why?” Natasha asked.

“Because friends are good for you” Bobbi said jokingly.

Natasha rolled her eyes, but picked her juice back up. 

————————————————

When Bobbi and Natasha finished, they went back to Natasha’s room. Yelena was still asleep, and Nurse Haley was talking with Maria in a hushed voice. 

“What’s wrong?” Natasha asked, an edge to her voice.

Nurse Haley turned around.

“Nothing is wrong, I was explaining to Maria that sometimes after… events, such as those that you and your sister have been through, kids bodies can need more rest, which explains why Yelena isn’t awake yet.” she said, “I’ve been monitoring her, her vitals are still good, she’s completely fine."

“Okay, thats good, right?” Natasha asked.

“Yeah, we can wake her up anytime, I just am letting her rest” Maria said.

Natasha nodded.

“Sooooo, Bobbi said someone is coming in to see us today?” Natasha asked Maria.

Maria glared at Bobbi playfully, “Yes, her name is Laura, she’s very nice” Maria said.

“Why’s she coming” Natasha asked.

“Because she wants to” Maria answered plainly.

Annoyed knowing Maria wasn’t going to give anything more than Bobbi, Natasha rolled her eyes and resigned to her bed, defeated.

A few moments later, Yelena woke up coughing. Nurse Haley rushed to sit her up. 

“Whats wrong with her?” Natasha asked, a slight panic in her voice.

“Nothing is wrong, it's alright.” Nurse Haley said, “Remember how Dr. Ash talked about smoke inhalation? This happens sometimes to kids with those injuries. She just needs to couch a little, its okay."

Natasha calmed down as Yelena stopped coughing. Nurse Haley offered her some water and gently helped her to rest back against the bed, which was now in a sat position.

“So when is this ‘Laura’ lady coming?” Natasha asked. Bobbi laughed.

“This ‘Laura lady’ is going to come in like an hour, if that's okay” Bobbi said.

“Who?” Yelena asked quietly.

“My friend, Laura,” Bobbi said, “She wants to meet you so you can have some new friends"

“Oh,” Yelena said, “okay"

“Do you want some breakfast?” Maria asked

Yelena shook her head.

“Thats okay, it’s normal for kiddos to not be hungry, especially with your injuries right now” Nurse Haley said.

Yelena yawned.

“Seems like we may be taking a bit of a rest day again, which is totally okay,” Nurse Haley said, “Do you want a new warm blanket, or some coloring books maybe?” 

“Mmmm, warm blanket” Yelena mumbled. 

Nurse Haley grabbed a warm blanket out of the warmer, and changed it out with Yelena’s blanket from the night before. Yelena snuggled into it, content again.

————————————————

A while later, a knock came from the door. Bobbi placed down her tablet and ran to open it.

“Laura!” she said, wrapping her arms around the woman who stood in the doorway, “Natasha, Yelena, meet Laura” 

“Hello” Natasha said quietly. She looked towards where Yelena was, expecting her to say hello, only to find her asleep. “that’s Yelena” she said simply. 

“Well its nice to meet you both, I’m Laura, I work with Bobbi and Maria” Laura said, walking more into the room.

“Why are you here?” Natasha asked.

“You really don’t trust anyone, do you?” Maria asked sarcastically.

Laura sat down in a chair between the beds.

“Well, I have a feeling you’ve already been told why I’m here,” Laura said, “But if you want to hear it from me, thats fine. I heard about what happened with you two, and I wanted to come and see if you need anything. My husband and I foster kids through SHEILD, and I know sometimes changes like these are scary”

“Thats it?” Natasha asked.

“Yes, thats it” Laura said, “Your baby sister is very cute though."

“She’s sleeping” Natasha said plainly.

Laura nodded, unsure what to say.

After a moment, Bobbi cut through the awkward tension.

“We are having a rest day, so Yelena evidently wanted a nap” she said with a smile. 

“I figured, she's adorable though” Laura said, “Bummer that I’ll have to meet her another time"

“We get it, Yelena is cute, moving on” Natasha said, annoyed by the commentary.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend” Laura said, “I did bring you gifts though Natasha. Both of you actually, but you can open yours now"

Natasha froze at this, not responding even as Laura placed a black cat stuffy into her arms. When she eventually looked down at the soft toy in her arms, her eyes started tearing up.

“Thank you” she said quietly.

“It’s called a warmie. You can heat it in the warmer, or the microwave, or sometimes in the summer, I put them in the freezer” Laura said “I have one for Yelena too, but she seems to still be very asleep"

“You... you could stay. Just until she wakes up. To give it to her I mean.” Natasha mumbled.

“Okay,” Laura said with a smile.

As she settled into her chair, her phone buzzed and a singular text shone across the screen. 

“From: Bobbiiiiiii

Guess I was right on her being a cat person ;)"

Chapter Text

Laura stayed for over an hour. In fact, it was only when Dr. Ash came in and asked to speak to Natasha that Laura left. Natasha had secretly hoped that Yelena would wake up, and that she would make Laura stay, but no such luck occurred. Bobbi knew it was to be expected that Yelena sleep for a period given what her body had gone through, however neither Bobbi nor Maria expected Dr. Ash to come in to talk to Natasha. As Laura left, Dr. Ash took her place in the chair set between both beds, facing Natasha.

“Hello dear,” Dr. Ash said, “How did you sleep?"

Natasha shrugged, knowing Dr. Ash was stalling. 

Dr. Ash sighed.

“Well, Natasha, I want to be honest with you, and with Bobbi and Maria, and I figured it may be easiest to talk about this while Yelena is still asleep."

“What is wrong?” Bobbi asked, worried.

“Natasha’s scans from the crash came back” Dr. Ash exhaled slowly, “she needs surgery"

Natasha felt like her world was crumbling. She heard Bobbi and Maria asking follow up questions, but it was like she was underwater.

“Natasha?” Maria finally said.

Natasha looked up, but didn’t respond.

“Natasha, do you have any thoughts on this?” Maria asked again gently.

“No,” Natasha said quickly, “No, I don’t want this, I’m not doing this"

“Natasha” Bobbi said gently, reaching for her arm. Natasha pulls back immediately.

“I said no!” Natasha yells

Yelena wakes up at the noise. She looks around startled.

“Natty? What’s going on?” Yelena asks quietly. 

“Nothing Yelena, go back to bed!” Natasha snaps, making Yelena upset. 

“Lets get some breakfast” Bobbi says, scooping Yelena into her arms and carrying her out of the room, dragging the IV poles and monitors carefully out of the room with her. Natasha is secretly grateful. She didn’t want to blow up at Yelena. She never meant to.

The moment that Yelena is out of the room, Maria turns to face Natasha.

“I know this isn’t your first choice,” she starts gently.

“This isn’t my any choice!” Natasha interrupts, “I’m not doing it, you can’t make me!"

Maria turns to Dr. Ash.

“Can you explain the alternative, I’m not sure she heard you the first time” Maria says, her voice still gentle.

“Sure can. Trust me Natasha when I say this is no one’s first choice. However, your scans came back, and it shows the damage from your leg and into your hip is… well, its extensive,” Dr. Ash says with a sigh, "To say the least. The bones in your leg are pushing into your hip socket, causing a misaligned pelvic fracture, a misaligned femoral fracture, and extensive damage to the muscles and ligaments in your leg. Now, I haven’t forgotten our first conversation, and I know you likely still are feeling some anger. So, I’d like to offer back some level of control, if you are willing to go through with surgery. Now, regardless of if you take surgery or not, you have a choice here. So, I want to make sure you are educated on this issue. If you deny treatment, we are looking at a lifetime of chronic pain, potential amputation, potential infection, misaligned bones, snapped ligaments and tendons, and much more. Without surgery, you likely will be extremely limited in your mobility. Walking later in life will be excruciating, if not impossible. I’m not saying this to scare you, but I want you to know what you are choosing."

Natasha listens to Dr. Ash thoughtfully before looking up at her.

“If...if I chose surgery, and I’m not saying I am, what choices would I have?” Natasha finally asked, “You said I’d get a level of control, I want to know what it is."

“Well, there’s actually quite a lot you can get a say in,” Dr. Ash said gently, “We’d need to do the surgery within the next few days, but I would say you can pick a date within the week to do the procedure. Additionally, I’d have you meet with your care team, see what choices they can offer. I know off the bat that kids your age get a say in anesthesia methods, typically either a mask or an IV. You’d also get a say in some aspects of your recovery, such as where you recover. We’d offer you to be housed either with or without Yelena, depending on how you feel and what you want. We’d likely be able to offer some other choices too, however, I can’t speak to that, as I’m not a surgeon or anesthesiologist."

Natasha nodded.

“Could I meet with that team and then decide?” Natasha asked thoughtfully.

“The full team I want isn’t on duty today, but I can bring in the pediatric anesthesiologist I’d want for you, as well as the pediatric orthopedic surgeon. They aren’t the only people who would be on your team, however, they may be a good start” Dr. Ash said.

Natasha nodded again.

“We could do that” she said quietly. 

————————————————

A short time later, Dr. Ash returned with two new faces.

“I told Yelena and Bobbi to take some time in the courtyard. The fresh air will do them some good” Dr. Ash said, looking between Natasha and Maria.

Natasha nodded, grateful Yelena wouldn’t be here to listen.

“Hello, you must be Natasha, I’m Dr. Mae” one of the new people said. She was a short woman, with long black hair tied back in a ponytail, oversized green scrubs practically swallowing her small frame, “I’m a pediatric anesthesiologist, which is a lot of fancy words for someone who helps kids go to sleep and feel no pain during procedures and surgeries."

Natasha smiled faintly, unsure.

“And I’m Dr. Lan,” the other woman said. She was taller, curly black hair slicked into two puffs on either side of her head, “I’m a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, which is someone who works on bones."

Natasha smiled faintly at her too. 

“Thank you both for coming” Maria said kindly.

“Of course!” Dr. Mae said, “I like to meet all my patients, or potential patients, prior to doing anything. I think it helps put folks at ease."

Maria nodded with a smile.

“Well, I’m not sure how we’d want to handle this, so I thought I’d leave it up to Natasha,” Dr. Ash said, “We can either start by having Dr. Mae and Dr. Lan explain a bit more about this surgery and their plans for it, or we can have Natasha ask questions and address things as they come up."

Maria looks at Natasha, who seems to be quietly contemplating. After a moment, the girl answers.

“I have questions” Natasha says firmly. Dr. Ash nods and sits back, seemingly giving her the floor.

“I understand why this surgery is needed,” Natasha starts after a moment, “but I am not sure I’m doing it as of now. I want to make that very clear to everyone before we start."

Everyone in the room seems to nod quietly in agreement.

“Okay, good,” Natasha says firmly, before continuing, “I’ve never had surgery before, but I’ve heard stories. I know your stories in America aren’t the same as mine at home, nor am I accusing you of that. However, I want to know what happens."

Dr. Ash, Dr. Mae, and Dr. Lan seem to trip over each others words for a moment, all equally eager to explain, before Dr. Mae clears her throat, and the floor.

“Alright,” Dr. Mae begins, “Well, the first part of surgery starts before we even enter the operating room. Pre-op is where we get you ready to go into surgery, so you’ll get a nice new gown, some nice socks, a blanket, everything. After that, we will take you into the OR, which is where surgery happens. I will put you to sleep using a variety of medicines. We can talk more about what you specifically want, based on what makes you most comfortable. Once you are asleep, we will put you on a machine to help you breathe. This scares most kids, but I want to make sure you know this will happen, as I know how frustrating it can be when adults lie. Now, after that machine is in place, we will use a scalpel to open your leg, likely from your knee to your hip. I will be monitoring you this entire time. Kids often worry that they will wake up under anesthesia, but I monitor you to make sure that if there is any sign of distress, from your body or mind, that it is handled quickly. Once they open up your leg, they will fix the bones inside by using a series of rods and screws to put the bones back in place and keep them there. This sounds scary, but I guarantee you won’t feel a thing. After everything is said and done, we will stitch your leg up, and we will take you back to recovery, remove the breathing machine, and wake you. Some kids do remember being taken off the breathing machine, but it is rare. Pretty soon after you can breathe on your own again, we remove it.” Dr. Mae finishes, “I know that is a lot, but do you have any questions on that process?"

“Yes” Natasha says, much to Maria’s surprise, “You all keep saying I get options in anesthesia. What are those options?"

Dr. Mae claps, looking excited. Without explanation, she hurries out of the room. Maria looks to Dr. Ash, who just smiles until Dr. Mae returns a moment later. 

“Sorry, should’ve explained,” Dr. Mae said, seeing their confused looks, holding up a vial and a mask, “We have two typical options. We either can do inhalation sedation, which is where you inhale gas through a mask which makes you go to sleep, or we can do intravenous sedation, which is a drug we inject into your IV that makes you go to sleep."

Natasha observed both options for a moment, reaching out with her hand to feel the mask. After a moment, she looks at Dr. Mae, puzzled.

“Typical options?” she asks, confused by the phrasing.

“Yes, typical. For kids who are too aggressive, but need a procedure urgently, we also have intramuscular sedation. Most kids… they don’t prefer that. It’s a shot,” Dr. Mae pauses to giggle slightly, “in the butt typically” she concludes.

Natasha looks shocked and shakes her head, making Dr. Lan laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’d never let her do that” Dr. Lan said.

Natasha looks toward Dr. Lan, who has been fairly quiet until this point.

“Do I get any options with you?” she asks.

“Yes,” Dr. Lan says with a smile, “you can pick the color and design cast we put on you! I don’t have all the colors here with me, but I can bring them later.” 

Natasha nods, grateful for at least the small choice that Dr. Lan seems so excited for.

“Any other questions?” Dr. Ash asks.

Natasha shakes her head.

“I need to think” she says quietly.

Dr. Ash nods, escorting the physicians away quietly.