Steve walked the hall of the hospital. He had decided to pay his mother a visit at work for a birthday surprise. He had a small bouquet of flowers that he planned to give her. He looked up when he heard his mom's voice from one of the rooms and walked over to greet her.

She was inside a patient's room. She seemed to be lecturing them about something. The patient was a young woman who seemed to be around his age. She was very beautiful even in a hospital gown and bed hair. "Steven, what are you doing here?" His mother's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"I came to bring you these and wish you happy birthday." He replied nervously as he hoped the woman didn't notice him staring at her.

His mother smiled as she took the flowers from his hand. "These are beautiful son. Steve, this is Natasha, one of my patients here at the hospital. Natasha this is my son Steve."

"Oh so this is your kid. The military boy." Natasha smiled. "So Stevie have you beat up someone yet?" she asked excitedly.

"Uh, no. I am still in training." Steve stammered out.

"Hey if you need anyone to train with I could help you. I know how to box and Happy could help too." Natasha did some small jabs to prove her point.

"No boxing. Your condition will get worse if you do." Steve's mother explained to her.

"Hey, I'm sure I will get a heart soon. After that I can back to living my life." Natasha smiled as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"Even so, we just need you to be careful." Steve's mom began to push him out of the room, "you get some rest now." she told the young woman.

"It was nice meeting you Natasha." Steve told her.

"You come and see me soon Stevie." Natasha waved as he left the room blushing at the nickname.

That night he took his mother out to dinner and didn't think about the strange girl he met that day until he went to bed. He thought about how her smile held just the right amount of amusement and mischief. About how her black hair was held in a messy ponytail that seems to fit her wild personality.'Maybe I will visit her again.' He thought.

It wasn't until a month later that he was able to visit her again. It took him a while to find her room but when he did he found her drawing on a tablet. He knocked on the door frame to let her know he was there. When she looked up she smiled. "And here I thought you forgot about me Stevie." She set her tablet aside and sat straighter. "Did you bring me a present?" She asked.

Steve smiled as he walked in and showed her the small bouquet he brought. "As a matter of fact I did." He said. She seemed surprised and blushed as he put the flowers down on the nightstand.

"Oh, um, thank you?" He took a seat in one of the chairs in the room.

"So you like to draw?" He asked her. She seemed confused by his question until he gestured to the tablet and her eyes lit up in understanding.

"Oh, I was working on some blueprints." She grabbed her tablet and showed him a blueprint for some sort of device.

"Imagine a robot small enough to fit into the palm of your hand but can go into the wrecks of buildings and deliver food and water to people suck in the wrecks until rescue comes." She explained as waves of excitement rolled off her.

"You are an inventor?" He asked after they spent a good hour pouring over the small robot design.

"Yup. Natasha Stark, genius, billionaire, playgirl, philanthropist." She proudly exclaimed.

Steve stared in shock. He recognized the name. He would have to be an idiot not to know. "Wow, the news said you were out traveling the world. What are you doing in a hospital?" He asked and then realized it came out as rude and was about to apologize before Natasha waved him off.

"I was going to leave but then I collapsed. My staff quietly brought me here while making it look like we left the country. It would look really bad for our company if the people found out I was here." Natasha explained. "Now I am just here waiting for a new heart."

"A new heart?" Steve asked

"Yeah, turns out the old pump is about to give out and I need to replace it soon." Natasha was doing a really good job of acting as if wasn't a big deal. "You aren't a undercover reporter are you? Because if you are, I'm going to have to get rid of you."

Steve's eyes widen and he shook his head. She laughed and eventually Steve managed to let out some chuckles of his own. Soon though visiting hours were over and he had to go. "I will visit soon." He told her.

"Soon as in next week or next month." She asked. Her tone may be joking but her eyes showed she was serious.

"Next week." He couldn't be sure but he swore her eyes brightened as his answer.

He did visit next week. And the week after that. Soon every Friday he could be found in room 217 talking to Natasha Stark.

"Can I draw you?" He asked her one day.

She was on a different set of medication and tired out more easily lately. She was on her tablet so it took her a second to understand the question. "What?"

"Sorry, it is just I wanted to draw you." Steve was worried she would say no and looked down to his sketchpad.

Natasha meanwhile was blushing, she never had someone ask her something like that. "Yeah, if you want." Steve smiled and opened his sketch pad.

"You don't have to pose. You can go back to working on your tablet." He told her. She did just that and tried to ignore the feel of Steve's eyes on her.

She wondered what he saw. Did he see the bags under her eyes from years of insomnia? What about the bruises the needles left and the wires and tubes that keep her alive? The tangles of mess her hair has become after spending weeks in bed.

She tried to focus on the diagram in front of her and it took her a while to relax enough to forget that Steve was in the room. The two young adults were so focused that they hadn't moved until a nurse brought in Natasha's medicine. "Visiting hours will be over in two hours." He told them.

Natasha felt sadden by the reminder that Steve needed to leave. Lately Steve visiting has become the highlight of her time. And now overtime he leaves she finds herself wishing she could walk out of the room with him. Walk out of the hospital. To spend more time with him. These feelings are entirely new to her and they both frightened and exited her.

"Do you want to see my drawing?" Steve's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

Natasha smiled and she moved aside to make room for Steve on her bed. Steve's picture took her breath away. It was simple but elegant. She almost couldn't believe it was her. Her hair was a mess, her eyes had bags under them and she lost some muscle mass. But the picture still made her look proud? strong? Natasha didn't know.

"I'm sorry." Steve soft voice and touch broke her train of thought. "I didn't mean to upset you." It wasn't until he handed her some tissues that she noticed she was crying.

She ignored the tissues and hugged him. "You didn't upset me. Your picture is beautiful."

Steve blushed liked a wild strawberry and hugged her back. (And defiantly didn't smell her hair.) When the two separated they looked into each other's eyes. They don't remember who moved first but they were suddenly kissing and Steve swore it was the best thing that ever happened to him. He didn't want to let go but they had to. "I would give my heart to you." He told her.

"Is that your way of saying you love me?" she asked, not letting herself hope.

"Yes it is." He kissed her again.

When they pulled up for air she was smiling, "I already gave you my heart." She kissed him this time. "Visiting hours are over Picasso." Natasha told him after they separated.

Steve gave her one last kiss before whispering to her, "I will be back soon." he promised her.

Over the next two months the two became closer. They learned more about each other and celebrated Steve's promotion to Captain. Yet as more time passed the weaker Natasha became. They needed to get Natasha a hart and soon.

Natasha was showing Steve some of her old inventions when Natasha's main doctor walked into the room. They exchanged pleasantries before giving them news that they have been hoping for. "We found a heart for you, a perfect match." He told them. They smiled widely at each other and thanked the doctor as he told them they would be prepared for surgery soon.

"Isn't this great?" Steve asked her.

Natasha was happy and full of energy she hasn't felt in weeks. "It is. I am ready to get out of this place." Steve laughed but he was thinking of the places he wanted to take her. "Hey can I ask you for something?"

"Anything." He told her.

"Well in that case I want a country named after me and I want to be king and you shall be my queen."

"Tasha."

"Okay, joking." she cleared her throat before asking her real favor, "Can you take me to the roof?"

"The roof?" he asked confused.

She nodded and pointed to the wheelchair in the corner of the room. "I want to see the city before surgery. It is kind of good luck tradition that I do every time I go under the knife." She explained. "I know it dumb but," before she could continue he had already got up and got the chair.

"Let's go. We need all the good luck we can get right?" He smiled as he help her into the chair and they went out into the hallway.

On the way to the elevator they passed a room with a young girl in bed connected to a number of tubes and wires. The doctor in the room was the same as Natasha's and there was a crying family surrounding the girl. "Please doctor, what do we do?" The mother cried.

"I'm sorry the only option now is a heart transplant. She will be put on top of the waiting list." He left as the family burst into the tears.

When he turned around the saw Natasha and Steve he tried to smile for them. "Hello Natasha, getting some fresh air before surgery?"

"Yeah…, what blood type is she?" she asked.

"AB negative."

"Can she take my heart?"

"Natasha what are you doing?" Steve tried to interject worried.

"I don't know, you know there are many factors that go into this-"

"Check, if she is a match then she can take my heart."

"You know there is a time limit."

"Then why are you wasting time here with me? A little girl needs a heart we have one. Go see if she is a match." The doctor shook his head as he head out to do as he was asked.

"Why would you do that?" Steve asked. He couldn't understand why Natasha would give away her life.

"Hey weren't we going to the roof?" Natasha tried to sound excited but it came out as tired.

When they went to the roof Steve stood in front of her. "Why?" The sky was covered in clouds. It would start snowing soon.

She sighed as she pointed to Stark tower that stood proud in the darkening city. "That is my tower.

"I designed and help build it. I love to build things. One of the many things I built was also weapons. There are so many weapons we made. One of them almost killed me. When I came to the hospital one time a woman came up to me and told me her son died because of one of my creations. I've had reporters showing me pictures of children who were ripped apart because of my weapons." She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I stopped my company from making weapons and then they turn their backs on me and shut me out of my own building. When I first got sick they were more worried about stocks then me. My friends came around in the beginning but haven't been here in months.

"I don't have anything out there for me now. But that little girl has a future. She can have a life. Really though, I just hope that maybe if I can give a life back it can make up for one I took."

She didn't notice that she was clenching her hands to tightly that her nails cut her skin. Steve took her hands into his. They were so big and warm. "You do have something to go back to. I still have to take you on a date remember?"

He wiped a tear off her face and kissed her. The snow began to fall and they made their way back to her room.

The little girl was a match and she received a new heart. That night the family who overheard Natasha demanding the doctor to give them the heart came and thanked her until visiting hours were over.

Steve kissed her and told her she more than made up for everything in his mind and left on his motorcycle.

The next day the he didn't show up. Nurse Rodgers also didn't show up. Three days later and he still hadn't shown up. Natasha was beginning to worry. The next day Nurse Rodgers came in and sat down with her. "They found a new heart for you. I hope you don't give this one away too."

"Not unless you are hiding anymore people who need it more than me." Natasha joked. Nurse Rodgers had bags under her eyes and she looked liked she hasn't slept in days. Her eyes were also red and it was obvious she had been crying. "Are you okay, nurse?"

"Call me Sarah, you were dating my son. I think we can be more familiar." Sarah smile was watery and she held onto Natasha's hand.

"Yeah, well he has't visited in a couple of days. I think I need to punish him. Maybe make him give me a massage." Natasha tried to ignore how she said were, she tried to ignore the horrible feeling she has felt for the last couple days. "A new heart."

She and Sarah talked about small things until the doctors came and took her away o surgery. For some reason she didn't want to wake up from this surgery, she felt that if she did, her heart would be more broken than when she fell asleep.

She did wake up. She woke up to the sounds of Sarah's tears. She tried to move her hand to comfort her. "Natasha dear. I'm sorry. I am just really tired."

"It's okay." She tried to say but her throat was dry. Sarah handed her a cup of water and help he sit up.

"Will you be alright? I need to go use the lady's room to freshen up." Natasha nodded and noticed the papers Sarah left behind. She decided to check what made her so upset.

She wished she didn't. She wished she took that first heart. She wished she could rip this new one our of her chest and give it back to the person it beyond to. She wished Steve left later or sooner or not at all. She wished that his words weren't so literal now. "I would give my heart to you."

What does she have now? She has Steve Rodgers heart.