Forbidden Love

Chapter 37: Shot

TW: mentioning of blood, someone being hurt

Pov y/n

Natasha's fingers tap the steering wheel impatiently as we wait at a red light. The blankets from earlier are in the backseat and so are the drinks and snacks.

I've never seen her this anxious before and it scares me. Usually, she is good at keeping her calm but right now it seems like she can't.
If she didn't freak out about this, I would be worried. The call she received was from the hospital in the city. Maria was supposed to drive back home tomorrow, with today being her last day.

They told Natasha, as Maria's emergency contact, that Maria got shot and is in surgery right now. They didn't tell her if it was critical or not but that doesn't matter. Someone getting shot is always critical.

We haven't talked much more since the call, Natasha is very tense and her jaw is clenched. I get it, I would react the same way if this was my best friend.
Still, her silence worries me, but I blame it on having to concentrate on the traffic.

The light turns green and she starts driving again, pushing up to the speed limit within seconds.
Despite everything else, she still stays within the rules of the street and drives safely. If it was me in her place, I'm not sure I would have driven safely. I would be too consumed by the worry to do that.

Since we drove off right away after Nat got the call, there wasn't really the opportunity to change who's driving and I'm not sure she would have let me drive. She likes to be in control of things when other's are out of her reach.

Controlling the car is probably helping her more than just sitting in the passenger seat would.
Everybody is different that way. I would have preferred to sit by and not have to drive. But this isn't about me, it's about Nat.

She finds a free parking space very soon and almost storms out of the car and to the entrance. I have a bit of trouble to follow her speed and catch up to her at the front desk.

"...Maria Hill. I'm her emergency contact Natasha Romanoff." Her voice is layered with so much anxiety that I almost don't recognize it.

I look between her and the woman behind the desk, hoping she can tell us anything. Right now she is typing something, which makes Nat even more nervous.

"Yes, she was brought in here twenty minutes ago and is in surgery now. Are you family?"

The woman is totally calm but I got a feeling that's her job. She deals with stuff like this every day and is used to people worrying and maybe even crying or being angry.

"No, I'm not family. But I need to know how she's doing," Nat says firmly but the woman behind the counter shakes her head in apology.

"I don't have any updates yet, you will have to wait until they are done with the surgery. Please, take a seat in the waiting area." She gestures to a room across the hallway, labeled waiting area.

I nod in thanks and take Nat's arm. But Nat doesn't seem quite finished with talking, she asks again if she can have any information and says she has a right to know.
Her frustration bleeds into desperation and she stops fighting me.

The woman behind the desk can't change anything right now, all we can do is wait. It's easier for me to see that as I'm not as emotionally involved as Nat. I am shocked and worried but I've seen Maria once, Nat knows her for a lot longer.

The waiting area is almost empty, save for one young man who sits on the chair closest to the door. His leg bounces and his hands are a little shaky around his phone. Looks like we aren't the only ones having to sit through this torturous waiting.