Just two boys from Brooklyn

Hello Tommy

"Oh Winnifred he is beautiful" Sarah smiled as she greeted the newest member of the Barnes family "what's his name?"

"We named him after George's father, Thomas" Winnie placed hew newborn baby in the curb " but we decided to call him Tommy"

"What a wonderful name! How are the other two dealing with this?" Sarah sat on the couch behind her

"Well Becky is a little disappointed that the baby is a boy and James isn't exactly jumping wth joy that he will have to change diapers when we are at work, but you should have seen their faces when they met their brother. Oh it was magical" she sat beside her friend

"God! James changing his brother's diapers. That's something I really want to see" both women laughed

"Winnie I" Sarah's laugh was replaced by seriousness "I need to talk to you"

"Oh sure thing honey! What's up?" Winnie turned to her friend

"Well there is no easy way to say this" Sarah started "as you know I've been spending the past month only in the tuberculosis ward"

"Ah yes. What a horrible disease am I right?" Winnie shook her head

"The thing is...I've been having some symptoms lately. I'm positive it's tb. I can't stay here not with the baby and Steve's health so I'm going full time in the hospital. What I wanted to ask you is whether you could take care of Stevie. Don't worry he is independent enough. He will stay at my house but I'd appreciate if you made sure he was ok every now and then" Sarah said

"Oh Sarah. I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help with your health. You focus on getting better and leave Steve to me" Winnifred smiled at her friend but behind her smile she was ready to cry. She knew almost no one recovered from tb and those who did ended up with very bad health problems.

"Thank you" Sarah sighed. She didn't want to leave he son but she knew that staying with him would only have a negative outcome "and one more thing. Please don't tell Steve about this. Just tell him I'm working full time in the tb ward"

"Are you sure this is a good idea? He is your son he should know about this" the Barnes mother asked

"He should focus on his studies right now. Not this. It's my job to take care of him not the other way around Winnie" Sarah replied

Winnifred just nodded understandably and waved her friend goodbye as Sarah left for the hospital.

"James" she then yelled

"What?" His voice came from his room "I'm studying"

"I've birthed you James Buchanan I can tell when your lying. Now come out here before I come in there and find out what you're really doing" she ordered him

A small giggle came from his room and within the next couple of seconds he was out, walking to his mother

"What's up?" He asked joyfully

"Do you know where Steve is? Don't answer that I know you do! Go fetch him please. I'm cooking dinner and Sarah won't come home tonight so he'll be eating with us" she pointed at the stove in the kitchen

"Meatloaf again?" Bucky whined

Winnie shot him a deadly look and he immediately run out of the house to find Steve

"That boy" she shook her head

Bucky wandered around for an hour or so. Where the hell was Steve? He had checked at home, at the park, downtown, in the art class and still nothing. He decided to head home but suddenly he heard a noise from an alley to his right

"I said leave her alone. I won't ask again" that is Steve's voice, he thought.

"What will you do about it punch me?" Another man spoke "I doubt you'll be able to but you're welcome to try" he laughed

Ah shit not this again, Bucky spoke to himself and run to the alley

He was too late though. The girl was running away and the other guy was punching Steve mercilessly in the face

"Hey" Bucky yelled

The guy turned and saw Bucky. Or more accurately Bucky's fist. He hissed in pain but didn't give up

"Aw look your boyfriend came to the rescue" he laughed "I gotta give it to ya fairy you've got taste" he went to punch Steve again but Bucky blocked him and threw him down

"Shut up dick" he kicked him in the ribs

"Bucky stop" Steve went to grab his lover

"Do you like that? Having your ass kicked? Huh?" Bucky continued, ignoring Steve

"James enough" Steve shouted and Bucky turned to face him

"What? He was beating you up" he pointed at the man on the floor

"Yes and he got what he deserved. Now stop before you kill him" Steve said more calmly this time

"But" Bucky started but was cut off

"No buts. Come on it's getting late we should head home" Steve took Bucky's hand and guided him out

"That's right you fucking queers go home. Run like the filthy rats you are" the man laughed

"Oh shit" Steve murmured to himself

Bucky didn't hold back. He let go of Steve's hand and turned to the man. He smiled at him mischievously and started beating the crap out of him.

When Steve saw that Bucky wasn't stopping even when the man started pleading for him to do so he decided to take more drastic measures

"Bucky stop. You're gonna kill him" he shouted but Bucky did hear him

"Bucky you're acting like your father" Steve said eventually

At that Bucky stopped. He didn't care what people called him he never did. The only thing that could ever get under his skin was being compared to his father.

"What?" He asked almost broken

"Look at him. Look what you did Buck." Steve pointed at the bleeding man

"Oh God" Bucky was coming back to reality now "what have I done" he was on the verge of breaking

"Can you walk?" Steve turned to the man on the ground

"Yes" he spat at the two of them

"Ok. Go to the hospital and ask for Sarah Rogers she will take good care of you. And if I ever see you again harassing anyone I won't stop him" he pointed at Bucky

The man stood up, cleaned himself up and with slow unsteady steps he left and walked towards the hospital

"Bucky you ok?" Steve turned to him

"Uh...yea...yea I'm fine. Um ma is making dinner and she sent me to get you. She said Sarah took full time shift or something I didn't quite understand" he looked at his hands. They were covered in the man'a blood

"Come on. We'll stop by my place first to get you cleaned up and then go to your house" Steve guided Bucky out of the alley and to the house