Doctor Stark (C. Barton)

Chapter Seventeen

Mercedes worked for days on the baby's nursery. Clint helped by putting together the furniture, since he didn't want Mercedes straining herself with it. Mercedes had painted the walls a sky blue, since she knew the color was very light, and would be a more neutral color in case the doctor was wrong on the gender.

All of the furniture in the room was a dark oak color, and it was all quite expensive. Mercedes spent a lot on the furniture to make sure the baby had the best of the best. Clint tried to help, but Mercedes claimed that she wanted his help by decorating and such, not by wanting his money on things she wanted to buy.

He had paid for the carseat, though Mercedes didn't want him to. They decided to have only one carseat, since Clint doubted they'd need one for both vehicles. Clint's was most likely going to be the one used less when he wasn't home. He still worked for S.H.I.E.L.D, and he had to go on missions sometimes.

Clint wasn't sent on any missions while he was home with Mercedes. Somehow Fury decided to let him have time off with Mercedes until she had the baby. Mercedes figured it was because Fury had withheld information from Clint and Natasha, and this was the way he was paying Clint back for doing so. Mercedes figured Fury never planned on telling her, or if he did, he'd tell her when everything became impossible for her to miss.

The entire time Mercedes was working on putting up little pictures and figurines in the baby's room, Clint was out buying something very special for Mercedes. He hoped she liked it. Honestly, if she didn't like it, this would be one time he'd definitely cry. He didn't cry often, if at all, but this time he would. He really didn't plan on crying either, so he truly hoped for the best.

Once he was able to get it, he headed back to the farmhouse. He and Natasha had talked about this for weeks, and she thought it was a great idea. On his way back to the farmhouse, he picked up some chicken fried rice from Mercedes' favorite Chinese restaurant near their house, as well as a dozen roses, and a small cheesecake from the local bakery.

The cheesecake was strawberry, Mercedes' favorite. Mercedes wasn't huge on sweets, especially now that she was pregnant. The baby seemed to like salty foods more than sweet foods, which was a blessing and a curse. The baby seemed to hate cinnamon rolls, which was one of Mercedes go to foods when she wanted something sweet. Now, every time she ate one, or even tried to eat one, she'd get sick.

Anyhow, once he pulled up outside the farmhouse, he grabbed all the food and flowers from the passenger seat and headed inside. He placed the food on the bar, and placed the flowers in a vase. He put some water in the vase and placed it on the bar as well, before grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge.

The moment Mercedes smelt the food, she put away the things she was working on, and headed to the kitchen. Soon, the woman wouldn't be able to walk up and down the stairs, but until that time, she was going to do it as much as she had the chance. By the time she was at the bottom of the stairs, she knew exactly what Clint had brought home.

She headed straight for the kitchen with a smile on her face. When Clint seen her, he smiled at her and slid the large thing of rice to her spot at the bar. Mercedes took a seat and grabbed her fork, before she began to eat the delicious rice. She loved the rice, and she definitely couldn't be happier with the food Clint had chosen for dinner.

"I also bought a cheesecake for dessert," Clint commented,"and I got you some flowers." He added, motioning to the beautiful pink and yellow roses on the table.

"What's the occasion?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Oh nothing," He answered,"just felt like spoiling my favorite girl." He smiled, which caused her to smile as well.

Once Mercedes had finished her rice, Clint cut two slices of cheesecake for them. He placed a slice in front of her, as well as a slice in front of himself. While she ate her slice of cheesecake, Clint subconsciously played with the small box in his pocket. The box felt like it was weighing down his pants, even though it was lighter than his keys in weight.

He couldn't wait any longer. He needed to do it now. He pulled the box from his pocket, and placed it on the bar. Mercedes was too engulfed in her cheesecake to pay attention. When she looked over though, her fork practically dropped to the plate. She watched as Clint slid the little box over to her, allowing her to open it herself.

"Clint...it's beautiful," She murmured,"Is this...?" She trailed off, looking up at him.

"Mercedes, I love you with all my heart. You and I are having a little boy together, and for the past few weeks, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this. I knew I wanted to be with you, since the moment I met you. I knew we were meant to be together, even if that sounds corny," He chuckled nervously,"Will you marry me?" He asked, though he tried to sound confident and not nervous.

"Yes. Yes, I will." She answered, as tears stung her eyes.

Clint carefully slid the ring on to her finger, before he walked around the bar and pulled her to him. He placed a kiss on her lips, and she hummed happily. She hadn't expected him to ask her to marry him, but she couldn't be more surprised. He was truly made for her. He was a gentleman, and she loved him...