𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐄━︎━︎ C. Barton ✓︎

❝︎CHAPTER SEVENTEEN❞︎

▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 ━︎━︎ 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘 four months along and she hated waiting for anything and waiting for her child to grow was more infuriating than anything she'd witnessed. She just wanted the child to be there, in her arms, smiling up at her. She'd had multiple doctors appointments that she had to go to to make sure her baby was healthy and every single time the doctor had always smiled at her. Clint had started going back on missions, and although he'd wanted to stay with her, she had assured him multiple times that there was nothing he could do.

Eloise came over as often as possible, spending time with Theo so that she wasn't alone in the house. Although the woman liked the peace and quiet, and she liked the colors on every wall, it did get a little lonely without Clint being there 24/7. Right now, Clint was on a mission somewhere on the other side of the world, and Theo had the appointment coming up that would tell her the gender of her baby.

She wasn't showing as much as she expected, and it made her a little nervous. There were clear signs that she was growing a child, but her stomach wasn't nearly big enough and it made her terrified. Eloise had been quick to calm her down, telling her it was different with every person and sometimes people didn't begin showing until the pregnancy was almost over with. Theo had felt a little better after that.

Laying in her bed, still asleep, Eloise knocked on the front door and when no one answered she used the spare key that she'd been given in order to get inside. Closing the door behind her, she noticed how quiet it was. It was always a change of scenery for her when she walked in the home, compared to the loud atmosphere that constantly surrounded the base, her shoulders always relaxed when she walked through the Barton-Knox home.

     "Theo?" Eloise called, checking the time. "Theo, we're going to be late for your appointment." When there was still no response, she sighed and made her way up the steps. She pushed open Theo's bedroom door to see that she was still asleep. She walked over to her friend, gently shaking her. "Theo, wake up." Eloise smiled when she saw the lack of gloves covering her friends hands. She never wore them in the home and it never failed to bring a smile to Eloise's face.

     "Go away."

     Eloise chuckled. "As if." She pulled the covers off of the woman. "Come on. Your appointment is in an hour and it takes forty-five minutes to get there. I know how much you hate being late to these things." Finally, Theo opened her eyes and glared at Eloise. Eloise only smiled in response. She walked over to the closet, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, knowing Theo simply didn't care what she looked like. She tossed the clothes to her friend and Theo let out a sigh before pulling them on.

     Eloise frowned slightly when she saw her put the gloves on, but it was to be expected. Eloise grabbed her hands, pulling her from the bed and moving out of the way so she could go to the bathroom. When Theo was done and her hair was brushed, she looked at Eloise with annoyance before following her down the steps. They got in the car and Eloise began the drive. Glancing at her friend, she finally asked, "How are you doing?"

     Theo shrugged. "Fine."

     Eloise hummed. "You're upset that Clint isn't here."

     "It's not his fault." Theo answered. "I was the one that told him to go back to work, and I didn't exactly tell him about the appointment. Besides, I know Natasha was beginning to miss her mission partner so it only felt fair to give him back."

     "It's going to be okay." Eloise placed a reassuring hand over Theo's, offering her a small smile. "You've got this."

After a long drive they finally made it and Theo was growing nervous with each passing second. The duo walked in and checked in before sitting in the waiting room and waiting. Eloise had opened a magazine, boredly flipping through it, and Theo was sitting there anxiously with her leg bouncing up and down.

     Eloise glanced at her before looking back at the magazine. "Theo, I love you, but if you don't stop, I'm going to break your leg." Theo stopped after that, deciding to mess with her gloves instead. Eloise stopped her. "It's going to be okay. Just take a deep breath."

     A woman walked out with a chart in her hand and a kind smile on her face. "Theodora Knox?" Theo looked up immediately and Eloise stood up before glancing at her friend and forcing her from the chair. They made it to the room and Theo laid there with a hand on her stomach. The doctor did an ultrasound.

     "I see you're here to find out the gender, yes?"

     Theo nodded. "Can you uh, can you put it in an envelope or something. I just want my boyfriend to be with me when we find out. He's away on business and doesn't come back until tomorrow."

     The doctor smiled. "Of course." She wrote the gender down, putting it in an envelope like she had requested before handing it to her. "The baby looks healthy, you are free to go, Miss Knox."

     Theo thanked her before leaving with Eloise in tow. Theo held the envelope in her hand and let the music from the radio fill the car. When they made it back to the home, the women got out of the car and made it inside. Theo stopped when she heard voices. Clint and Natasha's voices to be exact. She walked around the corner, finding Natasha and Clint standing in the kitchen. "Natasha? Clint?"

     Clint turned to look at her and smiled. "Surprise." He walked over to her and gave her a kiss before pulling her into a hug. "We finished early so I thought we'd come back. Natasha's been wanting to see the house anyways."

     "I heard you found out the gender today." Natasha said, leaning against the wall.

     Theo nodded. "Yeah."

     "And?"

     Theo held up the envelope. "I didn't want to know without you." She turned to look at Eloise, handing to her. "Open it?"

     Eloise smirked. "With pleasure." She opened the envelope, pulling out the folded paper before reading the word. A smirk pulled at her lips before she folded the paper and looked at the couple. "It's. . . a girl."