Clint Barton officially hated waiting. He knew himself to be an impatient man, he had always been a little on the impatient side. Ever since he was a small child, he could remember hating having to wait for something he knew was coming. And it was no surprise this had followed him into his adult years. Yet it still surprised him whenever he remained so impatient and so against waiting. 

But he supposed he could have given himself the benefit of doubt this time around. Because he knew at the end of the waiting period, he would be left to know what the true outcomes of Sokovia would be for himself. And perhaps it was selfish of him to be thinking this way, considering exactly where he sat and what he was waiting on, but it meant no different at this moment in time. Because at this moment in time he was waiting to see if he would lose both of his girlfriends as a result of the battle in Sokovia.

Natasha had already walked out on him just a day prior. Having chosen the man she had been having an affair with, over the relationship she had been in for over five years. And now as he waited for the effects of the sedative medication Annie had been under to wear off, he was waiting to see if there were any signs of him losing her as well. Nobody truly knew what impact the bullet had on Annie, they had been able to retrieve it from her body where it had lodged itself in her chest cavity having only narrowly missed her heart. But he still worried, the nursing staff had informed him there was a chance more damage had occurred than they were initially able to see but they would not know more until she woke up. 

And therefore, knowing she had been off sedation for a few hours and was yet to wake he felt the anxiety build. He didn't know how we could live his life without her. She had to wake up, he didn't know what would happen if she did not. He cared not if he was going to spend the rest of his life caring for her, as long as she was in it that was all that mattered to him. 

"Come on Sweetheart just a little longer." He muttered her hand held in his own as he raised it to his lips and left a small peck on the back of it. He knew that she would wake confused, in pain and unsure of where she was but he cared for none of that. As long as she woke up that was all that mattered and the longer he sat there the bigger his hope for her doing so raised. He kept an equal eye on her and the monitor which showed her vital signs. Especially as her breathing rate increased and so did her blood pressure. She was waking up.

Especially when the bedside nurse quickly moved over to Annie as the woman's eyes opened. Clint watched the nurse more than Annie in that moment wondering what she was going to say. 

"That's it Annie, you're safe. You're in ICU Clint's here beside you. You came to us after Sokovia." The nurse gently explained, and Clint watched as Annie looked confused for a moment before moving her head in a nod. The nurse seemed pleased with this movement. 

It would be another hour and half later where Clint would be asked to leave the room for a little while, to take himself down to the canteen for some coffee as they took Annie off the ventilator which had been breathing for her over the last few days. He quickly agreed with the intent to head off and let the others know that Annie was out of the medically induced coma and seemed to be heading down the right path, even if it was a long one at that. 

With a coffee in his hands he sent a simple text to Tony Stark first. The team member who seemed to be the most concerned about Annie's state over the last few days. He knew that the older man would want to hear how the youngest member of the team was doing. He also knew that Tony would pass the message on to the others as to save Clint from having to do it himself. And mainly because Clint had no intent to message either Natasha or Bruce any time soon, if ever again. And as he went to text some of Annie's friends from the Academy he was interrupted by the ringing of his own phone. He looked down at the contact to see that it was Tony calling him back and couldn't help the smile taking over his features as he picked up the call. 

"She's awake?" Tony's excited voice came through the other side of the phone and Clint considered turning down his hearing aids at the volume of which it came through. 

"Yeah, they're taking her off the ventilator now. She's followed all commands and they were happy enough to allow her to breath on her own." Clint responded and winced at the cheer coming down from the other side. 

"Oh thank fuck. We were so worried about her." Tony replied and Clint could hear Pepper in the background also having a little cheer. He wasn't sure who was also on the other side of the phone but assumed that the pair were probably not alone. 

"Yeah, I should probably make my way back up to see her, visiting hours will be over soon." Clint mumbled realising that he probably wouldn't be allowed to stay as long as he had been these previous days considering her situation wasn't that grave anymore. 

"Get back to her loverboy, you can always call us when you get home if you're lonely." Tony's words were slightly teasing but Clint knew he really meant it. After all, they had been speaking for a couple hours the last few days after Clint had been returning from the hospital. 

He buzzed himself back into the ICU and waited to be taken to Annie's bedside. Upon reaching the glass sliding doors this time he was met with a site which only installed so much more confidence within him. For sat up in her hospital bed, with only a small nasal cannula of oxygen under her nose was Annie. Brand new red glasses perched on her nose and chatting away with the nurse. She looked so much better than she had went she collapsed in his arms a few days earlier.  He knocked on the door, considering it was still closed and waited for the bedside nurse to open it for him. 

"Welcome back Clint, hope the line for Starbucks downstairs wasn't too bad."

"Thanks Hanna, it wasn't too long this time." He spoke back to the nurse before turning his attention back to the woman he was still incredibly worried about. 

"Well hello to you." He greeted her and watched as she smiled back. 

"You look like shit Clint." Annie responded and he knew instantly that she was feeling pretty good despite everything. 

"And here I was trying to be all nice to you." He joked back taking the seat he had occupied for most of the day already. 

"I've got new glasses." Annie changed the topic quickly tapping the red quartz lenses a look of confusion on her face. 

"Tony." Annie nodded in response as she took in everything he had said before her eyes flicked around the room trying to see if there had been anyone else in there other than Clint. 

"Nat?" She asked and Clint pulled a face before trying to cover it up. Annie noted it and realised that what she had feared to happen most likely had. 

"Ann..." Clint paused as he tried to think of how to respond how to break the news that Annie already knew was coming. 

"We'll I hope her and Bruce are happy."