Is This Love?

Chapter 26 - Adoption

Steve's POV

After I had cleaned myself off from the mission, I decided to head down to the medical wing and check on the baby that we saved from a building rigged to blow.

Once I got down there, I saw Tony and the rest of the medical team running tests on the still sedated baby. Tony looked up when I walked in and came over to greet me.

"Capsicle! Good to see you!" He greeted whilst taking off his gloves and disposing of them. We walked over to the bed that the baby was laying on. It looked even tinier in the medical bed that was designed to fit a grown adult.

"So how is our little fighter?" I asked Tony. After everything that the child has gone through, the fact that it is alive and well is a miracle.

"Doing really well. We are lucky you found it when we did regardless of the explosives as it would have only survived a few more minutes in that rubble. Anyways, we have done a full exam, other than some scrapes and bruises and some dust on the lungs the baby is completely fine." Tony informed whilst fiddling with the machine next to the bed that was displaying all of the baby's vitals.

"Dust on the lungs?" I asked worriedly. It made sense as it was in the rubble for who knows how long before we got to it but I don't think that dust on the lungs is just nothing.

"Yeah, but we have cleared them and there is some medicine that we can give the baby to help with that. In fact, it should start waking up in the next few minutes." As if on cue the baby started stirring. Tony quickly got the tube out of the baby's nose so that it wouldn't suffocate now that it was conscious and breathing entirely on its own.

A few seconds later the baby started screaming. No doubt the injuries it had sustained and an unfamiliar environment was making the baby really uncomfortable.

"JARVIS get Nat down here now and tell her it's is very urgent. If the baby doesn't calm down then it is going to tear the stitches and we will be back to square one." Tony ordered trying to keep the baby as still as possible but to no avail. A few minutes later Nat ran into the room.

"Nat get here now and calm the baby down, if it stays this distressed it will tear the stitches. She did as she was told and picked the baby up, cuddling it into her chest. Again, the baby calmed down immediately.

Tony and I just sat there shaking our heads in disbelief at how well the baby responded to Nat. Within a few minutes, the baby was asleep in Nat's arms.

"So, what information do we have on this child?" I asked quietly, ensuring I didn't wake the baby up.

"Not a lot, unfortunately. We know that it is a female and that it is 3 and a half weeks old. It doesn't have a name and we believe that it was an orphan since birth and that Hydra had taken it in, no doubt to try and turn it into a weapon." Tony informed bringing up some records.

"So what are we planning on doing with her?" I asked curiously, Tony shrugged.

"We will probably have to give her over to child protection services and let them find a home for her," Tony said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nat's eyes widen.

"That is not going to happen! I am not having this baby put in some random home and then risk it going through the same kind of hell I did! I would rather take it in myself if it meant that I could prevent it from ever going through what I did." Nat whisper shouted. I should've known the whole thing would hit a nerve for her, her past was traumatic after all and this baby was probably reminding her of herself.

"Why don't you then? She seems to respond to you so much better than anyone else..." Tony suggested. Nat placed the baby back on the hospital bed before turning back toward Tony and me.

"I will think about it." She said before turning and going over to the elevator. I decided to go after her and make sure she was ok. I was her boyfriend after all. Once I got up to her room, I knocked on the door and heard a soft 'come in'.

I opened the door and saw Nat on her bed with her head in her hands. I crouched down in front of her and pulled her hands away from her face and held them in mine. She hadn't been crying but she definitely was quite upset about the whole thing.

"How are you doing?" I asked gently looking into her emerald green eyes. She sighed before replying.

"Ok I guess, this whole thing is just bringing back painful memories of when I was an orphan and what I went through. Well, that and...." She paused taking a deep breath. I stayed silent and waited for her to continue. She wasn't going to talk before she was ready and so giving her time was the best thing I could do.

"And, in the Red Room as part of the graduation ceremony they... t-they s-sterilize you." She choked out. I suddenly knew where this was going, no wonder she was so upset about the whole thing.

"I can't have kids Steve. This baby, it's my chance to have a child anyway. I just don't know how to be a mother, I have never had the chance, I didn't even really have a proper mother in my life and I don't know how to be a good one." She admitted. I leaned up and pulled her into a hug.

"I understand that becoming a mother would seem scary for you. But I think this is your perfect chance to learn how. You are surrounded by people in this tower that love and care about you. I know that none of us are perfect, but we would all support you in becoming a good mother for this child. There won't be a better time to try and be a mother to this child and if you decided that this is what you want to do, then I will be with you every step of the way." I assured her. I could tell that she was truly contemplating what I was saying. A smirk spread across her face.

"Well if I am going become this child's mother, she is going to need a father." She playfully suggested. I smiled, I knew that Nat cared about me but I was honored that she wanted to raise this child with me.

"Oh really, do you have anyone in mind?" I playfully asked, my smile growing larger by the second.

"Well I was thinking of asking Sam," She said her face growing serious. My face dropped.