Second Chances - Book 1

Chapter 4: The Longest Day

Sleeping through half the night, Natasha woke to a quiet crying, Bruce in a deep enough sleep not to notice at all. Giving a gentle murmur, Natasha peeled herself from the hold the doctor had secured on her whilst they were sleeping. Glancing at her alarm clock, she noticed it read 6:35 am. "Early start. Thanks, Vinny." She hummed, rubbing the back of her neck whilst she dragged her feet over to the cot, resting against the bars. "Hungry, huh?" She spoke quietly, reaching in and picking up the infant who instantly settled at his mother's touch. "Let's get you a bottle." She whispered, walking him over to prepare the bottle, using cold water, and setting it in a pan of boiling water as a quick trick she'd found all on her own. "Do I get to be super-mom yet?" Natasha looked down at Vinny, a soft smile on her lips. The tinier redhead cooed to her, Natasha nodding as she shook the bottle to mix the formula and water completely. "I agree.. oh really?" She murmured, pretending to understand each and every sound. Grabbing a little white bib, rimmed with blue material and a little teddy on the front before sitting down on the bed, resting back against the headboard. "Look at him still sleeping." Natasha looked down at Bruce. "Lazybones, huh?" The redhead smiled, setting the bib around the infant before feeding his well-anticipated bottle.

Feeding time flew by, with Vinny's eagerness to fulfil his hunger, as well as Natasha's improving success rate in burping him. Soon enough, Vinny was laying on Nat's chest, his head rested, listening to her heartbeat. The new mother's hand sat just right on her baby's back, her eyes closed. Currently, her cheek was lightly pressed to his head, thin-haired curls sprouted oddly yet thickened as the days went by. Bruce remained to be flat out asleep beside them, Natasha pulling the duvet up on her a little to keep both she and Vinny warm.

Minutes felt like hours, but Natasha wasn't complaining. She was realising she thoroughly enjoyed being so close to her son. Bonding was the best part. "Now, Vinny I hope you're not sleeping because I need to explain something to you." The redhead spoke softly. "My job, it's a very dangerous one. The most dangerous in the world, but I promise you, no mission will ever be more important than you, you hear me? Nothing will ever be more important than you. I will always be here, whenever you need me, and even when you're trying to get rid of me. You're stuck with me, got that?" She whispered, rubbing his back slowly, feeling him move slightly against her chest. "You're my world now, Vinny. You'll never see a day where I chose a mission over you. Maybe I'll retire, who knows? But I can't risk you growing up without me. Because Vinny, I need you just as much as you need me." Natasha spoke so truthfully to the infant, feeling a huge bubble of emotion swell her heart 10 times its size, breaking the ice wall surrounding it.

Unawares of the scientist that had woken up just minutes before, and had heard the entirety of her vow to the youngster, Natasha planted a very delicate, and first kiss on her child's forehead. Bruce kept his eyes closed firmly, so glad he was faced away from the woman beside him. He could feel tears building up against the inside of his eyelids. He knew for certain she had fallen so deeply in love with her child, and it was an honour to think he had helped her see her potential. That she was in fact now the hero and not the monster under the bed. He felt Natasha lie down beside him, giving him the opportunity to pass a gentle sigh under the slight creak of the mattress. "And Bruce will always be here to help us, well, I hope so at least. I'm afraid to think of what I'd do without him. We do have our own little family here, huh?" She whispered to Vinny, and Bruce heard of course.

The doctor waited for himself to compose back into a functioning human being, aside from his giddiness at the fact the Black Widow had referred to him as family. His mind raced ahead, picturing a perfect family setting. He was beginning to see himself as a father. After a solid 5 minutes of daydreaming, Bruce stretched his arms and feigned waking up, glancing over to the woman beside him, giving a lazy smile to her and the infant. "Good morning." He smiled at them both, resting his head back on the pillow, deciding he wasn't quite ready to get up just yet. He had absolutely no idea how he was expected to go back to his own bed. Eventually, he knew he would have to, but aside from the annoying creaks of Natasha's old mattress, he thoroughly enjoyed staying with them. Waking up to baby Vinny in the bed was the best thing to wake up to. Aside from Natasha, for obvious reasons.