"I think you and I need a vacation. A real vacation. If we get this excited about a quick cross-country flight in a cramped jet, that smells like sweaty old gym socks, we need a vacation." Your nose was crinkled up at the thought, seriously considering asking for a jet for just the women on the team.

"Hey, come on! It's a nice jet! I really like this one." Clint's face looks genuinely hurt by this. "And I don't smell anything."

Laughing, you pointed your finger at him, gently poking his arm. "See? That's my point exactly! You guys don't even notice!" Your laugh slowly died away, leaving you to contemplate Clint's original thought about finally getting time for a vacation. Even a short time away from the team and the pressure of missions would be invaluable. "So, where should we go?"

He opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a call from Tony. "Hey, lovebirds, did you guys get there yet or you taking the scenic route? Again."

'We're about 15 minutes out, Stark. Calm down." You stood to prepare your gear, your goal to make a silent entrance and a quick getaway. "I'll signal you when we land, and when we're clear."

You could hear the exasperation in Tony's voice, even over your comm. "Okay," he sighed, "okay, but make it fast, kids. The item you're looking for is a highly unstable power source. It should be-"

"Woah, woah, (Y/N)! Buckle up! We're taking fire! Can you see from where?!" Clint was frantically pulling at the controls, trying to level out the jet. "Stark, I think we're gonna need some backup here!" But his words were never heard by Tony; the comm system was no longer working. You could only hope that the sudden radio silence would clue him in to bring help; help that would take two hours to even reach you.

Searching the terrain below, you couldn't spot the source. It was heavily wooded, and not the best place to try to safely land an out of control jet. "It's too dense down there, I can't see anything." The jet rocked as you grabbed the roll bar next to your head. Adrenaline was now surging thru you, your hands beginning to shake just a bit. "You know, it's times like these that I wish I had just stayed working the ER. 'Avengers Team Physician' doesn't sound so prestigious anymore. Last time I let my boyfriend talk me into things like this." A small wave of nausea washed over you, your sense of direction now just a jumbled mess.

"You can't say no to this face, sweetheart!" The jet began to shake violently now, Clint's hands barely able to maintain their grip. As another shot hit, the controls went blank.

"Hang on, (Y/N)! We're going in!"

~~~

"(Y/N)?" Your eyes opened as you heard Clint, his voice quiet and strained. How long was I out? "(Y/N), say something, please." Groaning and struggling to move, you rolled to your side to see your boyfriend, broken and bleeding at your side. He had carried you from the jet after the crash, a safe distance away, but unknowingly right into the line of fire. His bow was broken and lying next to him, his arrows spent. "I think I got 'em all." He coughed with his words, wincing in pain with each breath.

"Hey, hey, I'm awake. I'm right here." Pulling yourself to your knees, you crawled to him. The pain in your head was getting worse; you put your hand to your forehead, pulling it away covered in your own blood. "Ugh, no wonder that stings."

Looking him over quickly, you began removing his uniform to see the extent of his injuries. "Honey, I need to get supplies from the jet. Clint, open your eyes and look at me, okay?" He opened one eye slowly, for only a moment. "I'm going to be right back, I promise."

As you pulled yourself along the side of the crashed machine, you felt for your earpiece, somehow still intact. "Tony? Tony..." your voice wavered as dizziness grabbed you, making you stumble. There was no reply. You could only hope that he was on the way after your communications went down. Once inside the jet, you grabbed your medical supplies and made your way back to Clint.

"Okay, I'm back. Clint, stay awake." His breathing was labored and shallow, and his heartbeat irregular. Focusing on the wounds that were more severe, you flipped your bag over, spilling the supplies out in front of you, enabling you to work faster. His chest wasn't moving as he tried to breathe, and you could hear gurgling in his throat. "Ok, Barton, listen to me. You have blood building up in your chest. That's why it's hard to breathe. Do you hear me?" He let out a soft groan, nodding his head slightly. "Babe, this is gonna hurt, and I'm so sorry. I have to get that out of there. I'll give you a shot of pain meds first, but it's all I can do."

He was losing a lot of blood and you were beginning to panic. As the injection began to work, you could see his body relax, and you knew it was time to work. As you inserted the tube into his chest, he barely made a sound, but it was clear that he was being strong for you. A few seconds passed before the fluid began to spill out and his breathing eased. "Okay, Clint, that's working. Stay with me."

"(Y/N)?" A static-covered voice was finally in your earpiece. "(Y/N) come in. Where are you?"

"Nat, we're down, but I don't know where. Clint's been hurt, I need help quick or he's not gonna make it." Tears began to moisten your cheek, but you fought them off, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. "Just find us. Hurry."

You spent the next few minutes splinting his broken leg, when you saw him begin to shake violently. He was going into shock, and you weren't sure if you could stop it. Frantically inserting an IV, you began squeezing fluids into him as fast as you could. Ripping off the outer layer of your own uniform, you wrapped it around him to try to conserve his body heat.

"Nat, please tell me you've found us. Please."

Tony roared overhead, turning sharply to land next to you. He threw open his suit, kneeling down at your side. "What can I do?" Throwing the IV bag into his hands, you began to give directions. "Squeeze that in as fast as you possibly can, and when that's done, you do another, and another until we reach help."

You could hear the jet very close now, relief daring to come over you, but you knew better than to believe it. "Honey, you've lost a lot of blood; I need to check for other sites. Barton, open your eyes!" He moaned as you pushed your hands against his abdomen; you stopped and pulled your hands away as you found another major injury.

"Dammit." Glancing at Tony, you began to quietly sob, unsure if you could save your boyfriend from this. "Stark, hand me that clamp, right over there." He handed you a small clamp that looked like a tiny pliers. "Sweetheart, I need you to breathe, and I need you to lay still. I...I just need you, okay? I'm sorry for this."

Your fingers entered the wound carefully, searching for the vessel that wouldn't stop bleeding. Once you found it, you placed the clamp and held your hand there to ensure it wouldn't release. He was clearly in agony now, but trying his best to lay still. He gave a quiet cough and a moan as he turned his head to look at you. "So, I guess that vacation ain't gonna happen, huh?"

"Shut it, Barton."

"(Y/N), if I don't make it thru this..."

"I said shut it."

With a weak chuckle, he continued, "(Y/N), this doesn't look good, does it?" He took small breaths as he spoke. "It's okay...just...just tell me. If I'm gonna go, at least you're here with me."

You gave him a stern look. "I didn't say you could leave, now did I?" A tear dropped down from your face to his. "I didn't put all this work into you just for you to give up, you hear me?"

~~~

The ride back in the jet was the longest of your life. Clint was still holding on; that was all that mattered to you. Your hand was still holding the clamp inside of him, Bruce had been tasked with keeping the chest tube steady, and Tony was in charge of the IV.

"You know," you began, "this isn't the kind of teamwork I was expecting when I took this gig." Now that the excitement had died down, and your adrenaline was diminishing, the pain in your head was excruciating. Holding your head with your empty hand, you rested against the wall behind you, your eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"(Y/N)? You okay?" Bruce stood to look at you, clearly worried.

"Yeah," you sighed, "yeah, I'll get checked out as soon as I know he's okay."

The jet landed on the hospital helipad, a gurney and surgeons waiting to receive Clint. With your hand still in place, you followed along side as they wheeled him away, relaying information with your fellow physician. "Blunt force injuries to the chest and abdomen. Right hemopneumothorax, blood loss of approximately 2 liters after chest tube insertion. Portal vein laceration, clamped and bleeding appears to be stopped. Left fibula fracture has been splinted."

"Thank you, Dr. (Y/L/N). We'll take it from here." The surgeon took the clamp from your hand as they rushed to the operating room. Standing in the hallway, looking down at your boyfriend's blood on your hands, you finally succumbed to your own injuries. Tony caught you just before you hit the floor.

~~~

You woke in a hospital bed, covered in monitors and surrounded by incessant beeping. Looking to your side, you saw Clint, bandaged and bruised, but alive. Pulling off the monitors, you slowly stood, grabbing the bed rail to steady yourself. Your feet shuffled as you made your way to your boyfriend, needing to see him for yourself. His vitals looked good, his heartbeat felt strong, he looked relaxed; like he was only sleeping. Bending over slowly, you kissed his lips gently, trying not to wake him.

"Get your ass back in bed, young lady." Tony was quickly by your side, holding your arm. "He's gonna make it, thanks to you. But we both know he'd be pissed if he saw you out of bed right now. Move."

You hesitantly crawled back into your bed, reapplying the monitors that you had hastily removed. Once Tony was satisfied that you would remain there, he kissed your cheek goodbye and left you to rest.

"Barbados."

"Clint?" Your head snapped to the side, unsure if you actually heard him or not.

"I never got to answer your question." His voice was a whisper and strained. "We're going to Barbados. As long as these scars don't ruin my bikini body."