Doctor Stark (C. Barton)

Chapter Eighteen

There wasn't a moment where Mercedes wanted her father there more than this one. Well, she wanted him and Pepper there when she found out she was pregnant, and when she and Clint found out they were having a boy, and when Clint asked her to marry him. Those moments she wanted them there, but this was different. She wanted her father, but she was too scared to call him.

At four in the morning, Mercedes woke up feeling a bit of pain. She didn't think anything of it. She simply thought that maybe she had slept in the wrong position. It was normal, since the baby often moved around a lot now. So, she was use to waking up at all hours to pee or try to get comfortable. Hell, sometimes she'd just wake up because she was craving something.

When the pain didn't seem to go away when she began to move around, she started to worry. The pain would come and go, but it wasn't too severe. She had chosen to take a shower and try to relax her muscles. Clint had gotten her a stool to sit in the shower, so she could sit down while she shaved her legs or washed her hair.

Mercedes felt a little better after her shower, since she had sweated in her sleep. After her shower, she had carefully made her way downstairs to get a snack and a drink. The pain was still coming and going, but it wasn't too often. It was every thirty minutes or so, and she could somewhat deal with it. Yes, the pain was very uncomfortable and it hurt, but it only happened every so often.

After drinking a bottle of water, and eating a peanut butter sandwich, Mercedes decided to head back up the stairs. She wasn't feeling much better, but she wanted to lay back down. Going back up the stairs seemed to pose a problem. Everytime she went up a stair, her legs seemed to be in more pain. She didn't understand why she was in so much pain, especially since her due date wasn't for another few weeks.

After about ten minutes, Mercedes made it up the stairs. She slowly walked back to her and Clint's room, before carefully climbing into the bed. No amount of moving or support from pillows made her feel comfortable. She was very uncomfortable, and she was in pain. She didn't want to wake up Clint though, since he had been up until one fixing the sink in their bathroom.

Mercedes felt like she had laid in bed for hours, but when she looked at the clock and seen that it was only seven, she realized she had only been in the bed for maybe one and a half to two hours, nothing like she felt she had been there. She tried to sit up, but another spurt of pain ran through her. Instead of worrying, the woman reached over to her phone, grabbed it, and quickly searched up what could be causing her pain.

When she read that it was most likely contractions, she became worried. She wasn't supposed to have the baby yet, and that scared her more than anything. She was worried that the baby would have issues, like breathing problems and such, because she went into labor early. She held her breath for a moment and let the pain pass, before she thought about what she should do.

When she realized they hadn't packed her bag yet, she slowly stood from the bed and went to their closet. She grabbed the new bag she planned to use, and put some clothes inside, as well as other things she'd need. She also put some things together for Clint, since she knew he'd need stuff. She then went to the nursery and made sure the diaper bag was packed. She mentally cursed when she seen the baby's carseat was still in the crib, waiting to be put into a vehicle.

She walked out of the nursery towards her room, when a round of pain coursed through her. The pain was more intense than last time, causing a cry to leave her lips. The cry immediately alerted Clint, since it was rather loud, and he still wore his hearing aids. He hadn't taken them off unless he absolutely had to.

Quickly, he shot up from the bed and went to find Mercedes. When he seen her in the hallway, his heart began to rapidly beat in his chest. He didn't know what was wrong with her. He knew something was though, and he was determined to help her.

"What's wrong? What happened?" He asked, his eyes wide and worried.

"I need to go to the hospital, I think I'm having contractions." She said, and Clint nodded.

Mercedes watched as he grabbed the bags she packed, before he helped her down the stairs. The stairs hurt, but once she was down them, she couldn't help but sigh in relief. Clint quickly drove them to the hospital, and it was right on time. The moment Mercedes had stepped out of the car, her water broke and she knew for a fact she was having their baby.

Mercedes was brought to a room soon after, and she couldn't help but cry knowing her father wasn't there. He couldn't be there, because he didn't know anything. If he had known, he would've been there, rather he was angry at her or not. He deserved to know about his grandson, but Mercedes was too emotional to call him to come.

Hours later, Mercedes held a small bundle in her arms. The baby was adorable, and she absolutely loved him. He looked a lot like Clint, but she had the same dark hair that she and her father had on their heads. The little boy was absolutely perfect, and that's all anyone could hope for.

"Welcome to the world, Nathan Edward Barton. You're more loved than you will ever know. You'll never have to fight or want for anything. We'll always be with you, my little bean."