Retnikopf: Widow Of Siberia (old Version)

Chapter 6 - Holding On

Two days later

Bucky Barnes sat against the wall, his wife between his legs, leaning on his chest. Natasha wouldn't move more than ten paces from Vienna's room. She didn't want to be too far away if something changed.

"She's your kid," Natasha said quietly as he stroked her hair, trying to comfort her while they were both stuck waiting, "I should be the one comforting you."

"She's your little sister," Bucky said, then paused as he thought about how that sounded, "I don't think I'm ever going to get past that. But still, you've known each other most of your lives, I found out she was my daughter like two months ago. I care about her I do, we supported each other in Siberia but, we've only ever been friends. I don't think we've ever considered each other family. "

Natasha gave a nod as she listen to him. If they wanted to, they could build up a relationship as Father and daughter but it wasn't necessary really, especially now that Vienna was an adult and had been for a while. But Vienna had to live if that was even going to be a chance for them.

----

Melina refused to leave Vienna's bedside. Even when others would come in to see her, Melina would stay in her seat, holding on to her daughter's hand.

Vienna had a tube down her throat helping her breath while she recovered. It was a waiting game but every second felt like a miracle with how potent this poison was.

Melina lifted her head when Stephen Strange walked in holding onto a syringe. He raised it to show her.

"This should do the trick," he said as he went around the bed and took out a tourniquet and a cotton ball, "it'll kill the vemon cells in her body but the body still has to recover. It attacks the nerves and brain primarily, she may wake up with deficits."

"I understand," Melina nodded as she stood from her chair, not letting go of Vienna's hand, "give it to her."

Stephen took a deep breath before putting the tourniquet onto her arm and held the needle to the vein in the inside of her elbow. He was still holding the cotton ball to the small hole that the needle had left when Vienna began to choke.

"Well look at you," Stephen laughed as he quickly went forward to take the breathing tube from her throat, "she's fighting the tube, this is good."

Melina nodded, letting him help her as Vienna began to take short shallow breaths on her own and then build up to deeper, longer breaths.

Her eyes began to open slowly, only getting half way before her pupils lulled back and her head rolled to the side. Stephen caught her and watched the monitors anxiously but they held steady. She was stable for now.

"Just passing out," he nodded as he continued to glance between the monitors and Vienna. He lifted her eyelids and checked her pupils, equal and reactive. "That's okay, that's good. You're either a miracle kid or Wanda lied to me."

Strange looked up to see Melina smiling with tears in her eyes, stroking her daughters face as she sat back down in her chair.

"She's doing well Melina," he told her, glancing back at Vienna as the already pale woman went sheet white and her jaw pushed forward.

Using his magic, Stephen sat her up and brought a bucket forward for her. Vienna threw up what she needed to and then Strange laid her back down after lifting the bed a little so that she wasn't laying flat.

He could see that she was only semi-conscious as tears fell from the sides of her eyes.

"Okay, don't try to talk, one blink for yes, two for no," he explained, moving himself so that she could see him properly, "if the pain is too much, I can sedate you."

Vienna just stared at him.

"Odno morganiye - da, Dva miganiya - net," (one blink for yes, two blinks for no) Melina told her, getting up from her chair and showing her one and then two fingers as she spoke, "Vy khotite, chtoby vas uspokoili? Bol' slishkom sil'naya?" (do you want to be sedated? Is the pain too much?)

Vienna gave her one blink immediately. It felt as though her every nerve was on fire and if she tried to move it only made it worse.

"Okay," Stephen said, giving her a nod, he turned and grabbed the sedative.

He gave her a light one so that she could still build up her strength while she rested. Her eyes closed as she went back to sleep.

"She always found English hard," Melina muttered, her voice and hands shaking as she brushed her finger through Vienna's hair, "she's probably too tired to translate anything."

"She'll come back to you," Stephen told her reassuringly, "she's really strong, it's kind of impressive."

"She always has been."