Title: raindrops on glass
Fandom: Hawkeye Comics
Characters/Ships: Clint Barton/Kate Bishop
Rating: Teen
Length: 979 words
Written For: fan_flashworks challenge #378: “rimjhim (n. Hindi) the gentle tapping sound made by rain”
Summary: In the hospital waiting room, Kate is watching the rain and waiting to find out if Clint is going to be okay.
CW: blood and injury, hurt/comfort
Originally Posted: August 02, 2022
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Standing at the window, Kate focused her attention on the faint tapping sound of raindrops hitting glass. She'd nearly succeeded in tuning out the rest of the world when she heard footsteps approach from behind her. Someone cleared their throat.
Kate turned around. The woman standing before her had a seriously stern look on her face, light brown hair twisted into a tight bun, and an ID badge clipped to her blue scrubs that claimed her name was Margie. She kind of looked like Kate's third-grade teacher Mrs. Pine. Kate really hadn't liked Mrs. Pine.
"Ms. Bishop?" The nurse asked in a rough voice.
Kate nodded her head and steeled herself for the worst.
"Mr. Barton is out of surgery. If you come back during visiting hours tomorrow, you should be able to see him."
Clint was okay? No wait, she didn't say he was okay, she said he was out of surgery. The rest of the woman's words slid into focus."Tomorrow?" Kate couldn't keep the anger out of her voice. She couldn't come back tomorrow. She needed to see Clint now.
"Yes, tomorrow, hospital policy." The woman looked down at the tablet in her hand and frowned. "You're not family, come back tomorrow."
Kate was about to start lecturing the woman about the true meaning of family when another nurse rushed into the waiting room, pushing Margie out of the way. Her ID badge read, Kayla. Kayla was tall, brown-skinned, with black hair streaked with neon pink highlights, and pulled back in a braid. Margie narrowed her eyes. Kayla ignored her, instead focusing her attention on Kate. "Excuse me, are you Kate Bishop?"
"Yes." Miraculously Kate's voice didn't shake.
"You're with Hawkeye, right?"
Kate nodded as she dug her fingernails into the skin on her arms to keep the tears from falling.
"Could you come with me please?" Kayla turned around and sprinted down the hall she came from. Ignoring the protestations of mean nurse Margie, Kate followed her.
Quickly catching up with Kayla, Kate asked the question she most desperately needed the answer to. "Is Clint okay?" Her mind had been torturing her with worst-case scenarios since that asshat had shot pulled a gun on her and Clint had jumped in and pushed Kate out of the way.
"He's stable and long as he stops trying to get out of bed, he should remain that way." The nurse slowed to a walk. "He woke up asking for you. I don't think we'll be able to get him to calm down until he sees that you're okay with his own eyes." She stopped and looked Kate over. "Of course with all that blood on you, I'm not sure you'll be quite the calming presence I was hoping for."
Kate looked down at herself. It was a lot of blood. "It's not mine."
The nurse made a skeptical noise.
"Clint jumped in front of a bullet for me," Kate said.
"Well, that explains a lot." She pointed to the door a little ahead and to the right. "We're here."
Kate braced herself. She hadn't seen Clint since the ambulance ride. That had been hours ago, possibly longer. Hospitals had a way of making time seem meaningless.
When the nurse didn't make a move to open the door, Kate pushed it open. "Clint?" He was sitting up in bed, his legs dangling over the side. He looked like he was about to make a break for it. "Get back into bed right this minute, Hawkeye."
The relief in Clint's face was painfully clear. "Kate, you're okay?" His voice was hoarse and unsteady. Maybe it was all the blood she was wearing.
"Yes, dummy." Kate helped him get his legs back on the bed, and under the thin hospital blanket. "You're the one who got shot." She shook her head. "What were you thinking jumping in front of someone with a gun?"
He ignored her question and asked one of his own. "Back in the ambulance, did you tell me you loved me?"
Kate's cheeks felt hot. "Yeah, that was me." She fluffed his pillows, pulled the chair closer to the bed, and sat down.
Clint leaned back. "Oh good, I thought maybe I'd imagined that." His eyes started to drift closed. "And I really wanted it to be real."
Kate took his hand, gently and tried not to jostle his IV. "Not your imagination."
"Good to know." Clint's voice was soft. He sounded like he might fall asleep at any moment. Kate leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. How long had she stood in front of that window, listening to the rain?
"Um, why are you covered in blood?" Clint must have opened his eyes again.
Shit. "Don't worry, it's not mine, it's yours."
"Oh, that's okay then," Clint mumbled.
"No, it's really not." Kate had held him in her arms while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. He'd lost so much blood. It had been a very long time since she'd been that terrified.
"I'm okay." Clint squeezed her fingers. "More than okay, not only did you tell me you loved me, you also kissed me."
Crap, crap, crap. "You remember that too, do you?" Kate thought about brushing it off, telling him she'd only done it because she thought he might die but she couldn't bring herself to lie to him. Not after everything that had happened. "I meant it," she said and because she was trying to be honest, she also signed it. Just so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings.
He smiled. "Good, because I love you too."
Before she fell asleep in the super uncomfortable chair, Kate leaned forward and brushed a kiss against Clint's lips. She sat back down, clutching Clint's hand in hers, and no one dared try to kick her out of the hospital again.
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