Love Finds A Spider

Chapter 8 - Ambushed

Chapter 8    ... Helping Nat

Several weeks went by and then there was a new mission...

Rhodes spoke into his voice activated comset : "Ramp coming down now! " And then more urgently "Get on board! Get on board! Now! Now! Now!" Mortar rounds were coming in closer and closer. The mission was coming apart before everyone's eyes.

Steve called to Rhodes "We're coming to the ramp now. We've got Nat!"

Steve and Clint rushed up the ramp carrying an unconscious Natasha. They both eased and strapped her onto a fold-down medical treatment cot. Steve moved forward to Rhodes in the cockpit while Clint strapped Natasha down.

"Where's Pete?" Rhodes yelled.

"I'm not sure ... he said something about taking out some gun-tubes. I think he meant the mortars, 'cause that's what's giving us hell right now!"

But as Steve finished speaking, the incoming fire decreased and then ceased.

Steve looked back towards the ramp and said "I think the kid did it!"

The next instant Peter bounced up the ramp and yelled "Is everyone in?"

Rhodes turned back to his controls and peered through the cockpit window and announced "Yes and we are getting the hell out of here NOW!" He hit the controls to raise the ramp door and added throttle and adjusted the yoke to send the quinjet straight up over a hundred feet and then adjusted the flaps and began flying forward to gain altitude as quickly as possible.

Steve had scrambled into the co-pilot seat while Clint strapped himself in the seat along-side Natasha.

Peter, with his Spidey abilities, simply walked up alongside Natasha and began the first aid treatments he had been introduced to several months back. He quickly checked her over for wounds, and found no serious ones. Pete spoke into his activated comset to himself while checking her over which served to (1) help Natasha, (2) keep himself calm and (3) announce to the team Natasha's status.

Letting a breath out Peter started the examination "No bullets wounds, no stab wounds, no deep wounds, some cuts, some minor abrasions. " And then "Breathing is in the green, pulse is steady and strong ...... "I'm checking her eyes now ..... she appears to show signs of concussion." Even though the Quinjet was hauling butt and shaking somewhat, Peter remained stable kneeling next to Nat. "I'm elevating the med-cot now and am going to wake her up. " To himself he was thinking "Oh crap ... c'mon Natasha, wake up! If we can't wake you up, you'll go into shock and slip away...".

Peter adjusted her cot so that Natasha was no longer flat, but reclining. He got smelling salts, popped them under her nose and yelled "C'mon Natasha! Wake up! Wake up now!"

A concerned Clint was also yelling at her "Nat! Nat! Wake up now dammit!" He leaned forward as far as he could towards her face "WAKE UP NAT!"

Natasha suddenly breathed in deeply, opened her eyes and yelled back "OKAY for f's sake!" "I'm awake now!" And in a subdued voice "Gimmie a break guys..."

Peter, Clint, Steve and Rhodes all exhaled collectively.

Steve spoke into the comm-set "Good job Peter. Keep her awake. You know the drill."

Steve sighed and looked over at Rhodes and lipped "Thank god!"

Rhodes gave a smile back and nodded, and then focused on flying them to a rendezvous with a KC-135 tanker aircraft for refueling.

Natasha looked over at Clint and sarcastically said "I'm fine mom!" with her typical eye-roll. She looked up at Peter and said "Go grab a seat kid... take a break".