“Nat’s giving the report with Wanda. I came to find out how he’s doing. How you’re both doing.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Sam,” Steve growled as he paced, ashamed at his ungraciousness.
“Okay,” Sam sat heavily in one of the hallway’s chairs. He was still dressed in his Falcon uniform. “No talking.”
They waited in silence for several minutes until Steve broke.
“I fucked up.”
He stopped pacing, unable to look at Sam. He stared at the medbay door as if he could see through it.
“You fucked up,” Sam repeated neutrally from behind him. “So, make it right.”
“That’s just it,” Steve said to the door. “I made it worse trying to do the right thing.”
“Well, maybe try something else this time?”
Steve turned and Sam gave him a tired smile. Steve huffed out a laugh as Sam continued.
“Whatever was going on back there, whatever fucked up shit Rumlow was doing, I know that’s not what you were doing with him here. You love him, you were trying to take care of him.”
“Yeah,” Steve scoffed. “I did so well with that.”
They were silent again for a few minutes. Steve noticed the bruise shining underneath Sam’s right eye.
“Are you okay?” Steve asked, feeling unbelievably selfish for not noticing or asking sooner.
“Had worse,” Sam shrugged. “I’m pissed that Rumlow got the drop on us like that, but we turned it around.”
“I saw you did pretty well with the shield.”
“What, like that’s hard?” Sam smiled fully, a flash of gleaming teeth as he chuckled. “I brought it back for you, but maybe I should just keep it?”
“Hey, now!”
Steve was laughing when he heard the door open behind him. Sam sat up straighter in his chair and Steve whirled to find Bruce peering into the hallway. He greeted Sam before addressing Steve.
“We got it,” Bruce said with a hint of pride. “He’s resting now, but he’s lucid.”
Steve tried to pay attention as Bruce told him the basics of the procedure, nano-molecular regeneration pinpointing specific areas in the brain with minimal effect to the surrounding tissue, but what he really wanted to know was at the end of Bruce’s explanation.
“Helen and I think he’ll be okay. I mean, as okay as he’ll ever be with what he’s been through. He was speaking in complete sentences when we got him into the recovery room.”
“Can I see him?”
Apprehension flickered over Bruce’s face, telling Steve the answer before Bruce could speak it.
“He asked for no visitors. You’ll need to give him some time, Steve.”
Steve nodded, his mouth dry. He’d lost Bucky. To save him, he’d lost him.
“C’mon,” Sam was standing beside Steve. “I’m gonna go clean up and get something to eat.”
Steve thanked Bruce automatically. He followed Sam in a haze down the hallway. Away from Bucky.
“Wait,” Bruce called after him. “He, uh, wanted you to take this.”
Steve knew what it was before he turned and went back for it. Bruce handed him the ugly teddy bear with a sad smile before disappearing back into the medbay. Steve stared at the bear. He didn’t know what Bucky meant by the gesture, but the worst possible scenarios were running through his imagination.
Fill: Berceuse (7/?)
“Nat’s giving the report with Wanda. I came to find out how he’s doing. How you’re both doing.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Sam,” Steve growled as he paced, ashamed at his ungraciousness.
“Okay,” Sam sat heavily in one of the hallway’s chairs. He was still dressed in his Falcon uniform. “No talking.”
They waited in silence for several minutes until Steve broke.
“I fucked up.”
He stopped pacing, unable to look at Sam. He stared at the medbay door as if he could see through it.
“You fucked up,” Sam repeated neutrally from behind him. “So, make it right.”
“That’s just it,” Steve said to the door. “I made it worse trying to do the right thing.”
“Well, maybe try something else this time?”
Steve turned and Sam gave him a tired smile. Steve huffed out a laugh as Sam continued.
“Whatever was going on back there, whatever fucked up shit Rumlow was doing, I know that’s not what you were doing with him here. You love him, you were trying to take care of him.”
“Yeah,” Steve scoffed. “I did so well with that.”
They were silent again for a few minutes. Steve noticed the bruise shining underneath Sam’s right eye.
“Are you okay?” Steve asked, feeling unbelievably selfish for not noticing or asking sooner.
“Had worse,” Sam shrugged. “I’m pissed that Rumlow got the drop on us like that, but we turned it around.”
“I saw you did pretty well with the shield.”
“What, like that’s hard?” Sam smiled fully, a flash of gleaming teeth as he chuckled. “I brought it back for you, but maybe I should just keep it?”
“Hey, now!”
Steve was laughing when he heard the door open behind him. Sam sat up straighter in his chair and Steve whirled to find Bruce peering into the hallway. He greeted Sam before addressing Steve.
“We got it,” Bruce said with a hint of pride. “He’s resting now, but he’s lucid.”
Steve tried to pay attention as Bruce told him the basics of the procedure, nano-molecular regeneration pinpointing specific areas in the brain with minimal effect to the surrounding tissue, but what he really wanted to know was at the end of Bruce’s explanation.
“Helen and I think he’ll be okay. I mean, as okay as he’ll ever be with what he’s been through. He was speaking in complete sentences when we got him into the recovery room.”
“Can I see him?”
Apprehension flickered over Bruce’s face, telling Steve the answer before Bruce could speak it.
“He asked for no visitors. You’ll need to give him some time, Steve.”
Steve nodded, his mouth dry. He’d lost Bucky. To save him, he’d lost him.
“C’mon,” Sam was standing beside Steve. “I’m gonna go clean up and get something to eat.”
Steve thanked Bruce automatically. He followed Sam in a haze down the hallway. Away from Bucky.
“Wait,” Bruce called after him. “He, uh, wanted you to take this.”
Steve knew what it was before he turned and went back for it. Bruce handed him the ugly teddy bear with a sad smile before disappearing back into the medbay. Steve stared at the bear. He didn’t know what Bucky meant by the gesture, but the worst possible scenarios were running through his imagination.