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Chapter Forty Three

Natasha's P. o. V:

April 1st

The ride to the hospital is a blur. Coulson and Clint do their best to comfort me when contractions come on, and I do my best not to shout at them. This isn't their fault. They're just trying to help me. I repeat this mantra over and over again, trying to force myself to believe it. At last, we arrive at the hospital. Coulson lets Clint off at the door to check us in and get me a wheelchair. I'm grateful for this, because I'm not sure that my legs will support me. Coulson parks the car, and Clint comes out to us while pushing a wheelchair. They both help me to get situated before pushing me into the hospital. I ride out another contraction, biting back the urge to scream. This is the most painful thing that I've ever experienced in my life.

Once I am wheeled through the doors, a nurse takes over, pushing me towards a room. I whimper, not eager to be separated from my mate. "Don't worry, sweetie. Once we get you all settled in, your mate can come visit, okay?" I nod. She brings me to a little room and helps me onto the bed. No sooner do I lay back before another contraction rips through me. My hands tighten against the sides of the bed, my knuckles white. The nurse counts for me, coaching me through the breathing. Finally, the contraction ends. The nurse helps me into a hospital gown, and I settle back into the bed as best I can. She checks my dilation and nods in approval. "You're about 8 centimeters dilated. It won't be long now. Do you want me to go get your mate and the man that brought you in?" I nod.

"Please do." The nurse leaves, and I try to get comfortable. Just as Clint and Coulson walk in, another contraction begins to wrack my body. Clint rushes to my side, and my mate's presence helps to calm me down a bit. Coulson coaches me through the pain, and at last, my body relaxes. Clint kisses my forehead and brushes my hair back.

"You're so beautiful, Nat. I love you so much. You're so strong." Coulson sits back and watches us interact.

"Clint, I love you so much. If anything happens to me," I begin, but Clint cuts me off.

"Don't talk like that. You're going to be fine. Nothing is going to happen, and you're going to have a beautiful baby girl to take care of."

"Clint, please be realistic. I'm so young. There's a good chance that something will go wrong, and I want you to be prepared. If something happens to me, will you take care of Alex? I can't stand the thought of another child being put in the foster system." Tears well up in my eyes as my abdomen begins to tighten again.

"Shh, honey, you're okay. I promise that I'll take care of Alex, but you'll be here with me. I won't let you go. We're going to raise this child together, do you understand me?" I nod, squeezing Clint's hand as I ride out the rest of the contraction. As the contraction ends, there is a knock on the door.

"Come in," I call. A doctor pokes his head in.

"Miss Romanoff?" I nod, and he fully enters the room. "Hello. I'm Dr. Barnes. I'll be helping you through your delivery, okay?" I nod again, still trying to catch my breath. "Do you mind if I check your dilation?" I shake my head, and he positions me so that he can get a clear view of my cervix. "You're about nine centimeters dilated. Almost there. Are you okay? Any unusual pain during contractions?"

"No, not that I've noticed. Then again, it's so painful that I probably wouldn't notice if something felt weird," I grumble. Dr. Barnes chuckles.

"Believe me, you'll know if something is wrong. Do you want an epidural?"

"No, I'd prefer not to. I like to be control of my body," I say, shuddering as I remember Mr. Richards and Austin.

"That's perfectly understandable. I've got to check on some other patients, but if you need me, go ahead and press that button over there, okay?"

"Thank you," I reply, managing to give him a small smile. After he leaves, I turn to Clint. "I really need to go to the bathroom. Can you take me before another contraction causes me to pee myself?" Clint laughs, but carefully helps me out of bed. Coulson watches us the whole time, making sure that I'm okay. Clint waits outside the door as I use the bathroom. As I'm getting ready to wipe, I feel a new set of contractions coming on. The first one hits, and I feel a trickle of liquid exiting my body. "Clint?" I call out, after the contraction releases.

"Yeah, Nat? Are you done?"

"I'm done, but I'm pretty sure my water just broke."

"What color is it?" Coulson asks. I look in the toilet.

"I think it was clear, maybe a little yellow. Is that okay?"

"Yes, that's perfectly fine." Clint comes in and guides me back to the bed. Coulson leaves to go tell a nurse that my water broke. Within seconds, the nurse appears.

"Let's check your dilation again, okay?" I nod and settle back as she checks my cervix. "You're at nine and a half centimeters. I'll go get the doctor. You should be ready to start pushing within the next half hour or so."

"Thank you," I reply, and the nurse leaves. "I have to do this for another half hour?" I moan. Coulson smiles.

"Maybe it won't be that long," he reassures me.

"I sure hope not," I grumble back.

Sure enough, I reach full dilation within twenty minutes. Dr. Barnes reappears and coaches me through the delivery. I don't remember much about the delivery, other than a lot of pushing, pressure, and pain. Alex's first cries were music to my ears, and I finally allowed myself to relax for the first time since going into labor. Miraculously, I managed to deliver naturally, with very little tearing. As long as I take it easy, I should recover fairly quickly.

Alex is cleaned off and evaluated before she is handed to me. I hold her in my arms, tears pricking at my eyes. "You're so beautiful," I coo, stroking her red hair.

"Gorgeous like her mama," Clint says, coming to sit beside me.

"Do you want to hold her?" I ask him. Clint gives me a hopeful look.

"Can I?" I nod, gently transferring Alex to Clint's arms. He cradles her expertly, and she snuggles against his chest. Coulson leans down and gives me a hug, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Congratulations, Tasha. You were amazing."

"Coulson, I know this is sudden, but would you be willing to be Alex's godfather?" Coulson's face lights up with joy.

"I would be honored." Clint offers Alex to Coulson, and he gladly accepts her.

"Say hello to your godfather, Alex," I whisper. My heart swells with joy as I look at my little family. Things have been rough in the past, but I've been given the chance to start again, and for that, I am thankful.

So, this is it. Like I said, I may do a sequel, but I'm not sure. This story has taken me on a journey, and I hope that it has done the same for you. This ending is vastly different than the one I had in mind when I started writing this story, and it ended up being a lot happier. If you guys have any questions, please feel free to ask me. Any last reviews would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all for taking the time to read this story :)