Chapter Text
You woke up sore and bruised, and you were surprised you woke up at all. As promised, Yelena sat with her leg bouncing anxiously on the edge of a bright blue chair right next to the bed. There was a large bandage around your hand and handcuffs that were fluffy and held you to the bed. There were also some around your ankles, and you wondered why. The wound on your shoulder once again had a bandage around it and was stitched and a large cast was on the opposite arm of your injured hand. You tried to move, tried to move your hand to a fist or bend your knees. You felt extreme pain and winced, failing at the task. You're really in trouble this time, you thought to yourself and cursed under your breath for being so reckless. Yelena heard you and leaped up, walking quickly to the side of the bed and put a hand on your lower torso gently, scared to touch your hand. "Hey, мышь. How are you?" She asked, drawing patterns on the little spot where your skin showed on the side of the hospital gown.
If you were to be honest, you'd say that you felt like you got hit by a 80,000 pound truck. And like you got pushed off a ledge. And fell into a meat grinder. But you didn't want her to worry, so you smiled. "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt too much." You tried and failed to move your fingers again. She saw the change in your face and a frown appeared on her face. You knew she knew you were lying, so you sighed and gave in, unable to hide it. "Okay, maybe it hurts a little." You admitted. She rubbed the top of your head, moving the small stray hairs from your face. "I know. You don't have to say it." She said. There was a small stress line on her forehead, and you could tell she was blaming herself.
"Yelena, you do know this wasn't your fault, right?" You asked, hoping she did. You didn't want her to worry about you at all, but it was worse that she thought she was to blame. She pursed her lips and shook her head. She was a good liar, but you knew she would lie about this. It wasn't hard to figure it out.
"Yelena, they captured you . You couldn't help that, and you couldn't have stopped it. You couldn't have done anything that would've changed it. But if you could've, I know you would. Don't blame yourself for this." You pleaded, but she said nothing. And for a while, it was silent. You wanted to be as far away from the stupid hospital as you could, but you knew you'd be in there for a while. But then, she shook her head.
"You want to know what got me captured?" She asked, sounding kind of guilty. You waited for her to continue.
"I went back. I went back to the place that you got sold to. After Shawn told me everything, I wanted to find the people that did that to you, and I did. I killed the leader." She paused, looking at you. You couldn't remember who the leader was, but you were glad they were dead, whoever they were. She continued when you said nothing. "The leader...he was your uncle. She already wanted to help him finish the job of..." she didn't say it, although you knew what she was going to say. Kill you. "But when she found out he was dead, she got more brutal. She wasn't going to let it go, like she originally planned. I let anger blind me. I'm sorry." She finished, sitting back down and clenching her fists. Her lips were in a tight line.
You once again were silent for a moment. Then you decided. "I don't care. People make mistakes. You didn't know." You said. She turned towards you, shocked expression. You returned it with a smile.
"You're not mad?" She asked. You simply shook your head. "It doesn't matter anymore. She's dead--hopefully--and so is the man who ruined my life. It's okay." You told her, and she half smiled.
"That doesn't change the fact that it was my fault." She said. You sighed exasperatedly. "So? Key word: was. It's in the past. I already told you, I don't care." You said, hoping she'd get the point. She relaxed slightly, but still on edge. You smiled.
You were out of the hospital after one very long month. The first few weeks Yelena stayed with you, but after that you made her go back to her regular life with nightly visits instead of the all day every day schedule she had going on. She'd tell you about her day, detail by detail and you'd listen eagerly. You also told her funny stories that happened in the hospital, like when a grumpy old man tried to sprint out the doors and when somebody accidentally left a baby in your room. She laughed along, and for the first time in your life you felt normal. Kate would come visit every day with Yelena and tell you all the crazy cool shit she did with the Avengers. You were proud of them both for accomplishing so much and wished every day until the day they let you leave that you were with them. And when that day came, you immediately called Yelena and Kate to tell them the good news. Afterwards, you all went to the local coffee shop.
"So, how does it feel to walk around by yourself again?" Kate asked you, smiling.
"Great. It sucked in there. The stupid nurse never let me walk around." You replied, returning her smile.
"Эта медсестра, наверное, была стервой." Yelena said. You laughed and agreed. "She was." You said with a smile.
"What?" Kate said, and you almost forgot she hadn't learned Russian yet. You and Yelena were teaching her, but it's only been a few days. It made you and Yelena both die laughing. And somehow, although you just met her, it felt so complete with her there with you two. It felt perfect. And for the next few years you went on Avenger missions with them and was simply happy. You of course had to convince Yelena to trust the Avengers, but it wasn't as hard as you thought. She was happy to go on adventures with you two.
Your life of course had crazy shit, like everyone's life. Before you knew it you were standing next to Yelena in front of Natasha's grave. It wasn't long after the two of you had become good friends, so it was a stinging pain that took a long time to get over, but Yelena and you got through it.
And for the first time, you were okay. With your past, with everything. You were okay.