It Only Takes a Second

- VI -

(A/N: Heads up y'all, while I have researched some things and have a bit of knowledge about the subject, I am not an expert when it comes to kidney transplants, or anything medical for that matter, but I know enough that I like to think people can follow along and pretend with me :) Also, just a quick reminded for this chapter- I am writing this story with the main Avengers as Tony, Clint, Natasha, Steve, and Bruce, as they are the only ones [obviously along with Pepper who is Tony's fiancé] that I've written as living in the Tower. Also, in this chapter it's important to remember that in this fic, Clint is not married and does not have children. I hope you all are enjoying, and thanks for reading!)

Natasha could hear everyone before she could see them.

"Hey Tash, there you go," someone encouraged, rubbing her arm gently. "Wake up Tash. Good."

Her eyelids felt as if they were made of cement, and as hard as she tried to open them, it took several attempts to crack her eyes open half-way.

"Hey there," Steve smiled, giving her hand a squeeze.

"How'd it go?" Natasha croaked, her voice hoarse because of the tube they had placed in her throat during surgery. Her mouth felt like cotton. As if he could read her mind, Steve grabbed a cup of ice chips from the counter beside him and spooned a few into her mouth.

"How's Harry?" She asked, trying to sit up and search for him. Pain rippled through her side and abdomen, making her wince.

"Whoa, shh. Lie back," Steve said softly, placing a gentle hand on her chest and easing her back down carefully. "Harry is fine. He's in the next room recovering as well. The surgery went well."

"S' good," Natasha slurred before looking into her friend's eyes seriously. "Steve, my stomach fucking hurts."

"Language," Steve teased, but he pressed the morphine pump in her hand, and she pressed the red button a few times, relaxing as the pain meds began setting in. Leaning her head back on the pillow, and she closed her heavy eyelids again.

Steve sighed as he watched Natasha drift back into a drug induced sleep, sitting back in the chair. Dr. Morris and Bruce said that the surgery had gone well, and that Natasha should be making a quick recovery, but they would have to monitor Harry closely to make sure his body was welcoming to the new kidney.

A knock at the door made Steve lift his head from his post at Natasha's bedside.

"Figured this is where you went," Clint gave his friend a weak smile.

"Didn't want her to wake up alone," Steve explained. He understood when Tony and Pepper immediately went into Harry's room to wait with him, but everything over the past 48 hours had been so chaotic-- he needed some quiet time to wrap his head around things.

"Plus, it's so depressing in there. Figured this is where the party was," Clint snorted, looking at his best friend lying in the bed. She was fast asleep, making her look so vulnerable and naïve- something she definitely was not.

Steve chuckled, standing up and patting the chair. His soft cotton shirt caught on his pectoral muscles, making them look even bigger than normal.

"Here, you wait with her. I need to go to the gym and think," Steve told Clint.

"Dude, you don't need to go to the gym," Clint joked, slugging Steve's arm gently. "But I get it. Get a few punches in for me."

Everyone that lived in the Tower had somewhere they could go to unwind. For Tony, it was his personal lab. For Bruce, it was the library and his own lab. Whenever Steve disappeared, everyone knew he was in the gym either training or sweating out any upset or angry feelings. Natasha would always sit on the roof, gazing up at the stars or watching clouds. If she couldn't be doing that, she was sparring or boxing.