Double Life | Natasha Romanoff

32. MVP

Your POV
The last few days Natasha has been spending the majority of her time with me, only going back to SHIELD to drop off a few things before coming back. She would always come home with something, it could be something small such as keychain or flowers, most of the time it was food.

"How are you feeling?" Natasha asks out of nowhere.

"What? What do you mean?" She hasn't asked this for a few days and I didn't show any sign of sadness, leaving me confused.

"The pain. You are always clutching your chest at random times of the day. Does it still hurt that much?" She pulls down the sleeves of my shirt to reveal the bruises littered all over my body.

This leaves me very flustered with her being so close to me, I wasn't prepared for this. "Uhhh, yeah... I- I wish it would go away soon." She looks back up at my puzzled face and lets out a chuckle.

"You nervous?"

"No... Not nervous, just surprised." I put my arm around her shoulders. "Who asked you to look so beautiful?"

"Let's go out tonight."

"Tonight?! I mean okay..." I reply hesitantly. I haven't stepped out of my house since that day.

---

"Where are we going?" I ask as she takes the driving wheel.

"Just a stroll down the beach. You need to get out more often." She holds my hand and rubs my knuckles with her thumb.

We walked down the sandy beach and let the sea breeze hit us. The sky is tainted with shades of orange hue as the sea swallows the sun. We hear the wave crushing as we enjoy each other's presence even in silence.

Natasha POV
It was a peaceful night out. I wanted to let Y/N relax and start coming out more often instead of staying cooped up in the house. She needed more interaction. I know it's not easy but we can start small by just walking and slowly increase from there. Her sleeps are shallow, often sleeping for a couple of minutes before waking up as if dare not letting herself fall too deep in. This is not going to be good for her health.

As we were walking by the beach, Y/N suddenly squeezed my hand tighter. She's crouching over, holding her chest and squealing from intense pain. I don't think the pain from a bruise would be the cause of that. She dropped to her knees, and I went in front of her,

"What's happening? Are you okay?" Trying to figure out the situation. She looks at me, struggling to breath and find words before passing out in my arms. I quickly pick her up and drive her to the nearest hospital.

The doctors immediately took her from my arms and brought her to the emergency room.

I sat at the chair with my face in my hands. I should have known something was wrong with her when she kept having pain around her chest area. If only I had pushed further, this would not have happened. I sat there praying that nothing too bad had happened to her.

Hours later, the doctor finally came out.

"We have managed to settle her heart. According to linked records, she has visited other hospital for a case of Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP). I think it'll be better to discuss this after she wakes up."

I thank the doctor and go into her room. The sight of her pale face broke me down once again. All this while she has been holding it in, suffering by herself amongst all the other things must have been very extremely stressful for her. No wonder she said she didn't have long to live. I thought she meant her actions.

I lift her hands to my face to feel her warmth, hoping that she'll wake up soon.