New Era

The Downfall of John Walker

       I had passed out from the amount of pain I felt when Walker broke my arm. Walker had shoved me so hard into the ground that my arm had broken in two places, and I had to be taken to a hospital to have emergency surgery. When I was unconscious from the surgery, Bucky and Sam had gone to confront Walker about his gruesome actions, which weren't going to be taken lightly back in the States; he was due for severe consequences, I didn't know Nico for that long, but he didn't deserve to die for something he didn't do. I knew Walker would be too prideful to admit it. I felt guilty that I wasn't able to save him.
    Today was one of those times when I was hoping that somehow Steve would return to be Captain America again, but he has been dead for a while. Having him as a close friend gave me hope when the world seemed dark, and it was because of him that mine and Bucky's paths crossed, and it was one of the many things that I was eternally grateful for from him. Anthony missed him as well. Even from his young age, he remembered the stories that Steve would tell him. Bucky and I had vowed to help make a better world for our son, and that's one of the biggest things we were fighting for to make the world better.
  I decided to call Darcy to talk to Anthony; I wanted to tell him what was going on. "Hey, Mom!" Anthony exclaimed. "Hey sweetheart, how are you?" I asked with tears prickling in my eyes. "I'm good. I miss you and Dad," he said sadly. "We miss you too, so much," the tears betrayed me, and I began to cry. "What's wrong, Mommy?" Anthony asked, concerned. "Mommy got hurt fighting a bad guy, and she's in the hospital right now," I said. I sniffled and wiped my tears with my good arm. He gasped, "I'm sorry, Mommy, did Daddy kick him?"
"Yes, Daddy got mad at him and kicked him," I chuckled. Bucky came into my hospital room just as I said that he was exhausted from battle, but he smiled when he saw me; I smiled at him and put my phone on speaker so Anthony could talk to him. "Hey, sport!" he greeted excitedly. "Hey, Daddy!" Anthony said with excitement. "Mommy told me she got hurt, and you kicked the bad guy for hurting her!" The things that made our son excited made us chuckle. "I sure did; no one hurts your Mom on my watch,"  said Bucky. He smiled warmly at me as he said that, "Your mother and I are coming back to the States tonight," he told him. "Yay!!" Anthony exclaimed. "We can't wait to see you," I said to our son. "I can't wait to see you too. Can we go to Coney Island when you get back?" he asked hopefully. "Depending on how your mother feels, I don't see why not," Bucky replied. "I'm sure I'll better in time; the doctor didn't say anything about not riding amusement park rides," I assured Anthony. "We'll see you in a few hours," Bucky declared. "Okay, I love you guys!" Anthony said happily. "We love you too," Bucky and I said.

     Calling our son lifted our spirits, although we would have to wait until the doctor discharged me from the hospital.
   Bucky laid down next to me on my bed and carefully held me, avoiding causing any pain to my arm.
    "I was so worried about you, when I saw John shove you to the ground like that, I hoped that he would get what was coming to him for hurting you," he stroked my hair. "I don't know what came over me, I thought I could save Nico, but I couldn't. Walker was too strong," I said shamefully. I looked at my husband with guilt, "I tried," "I know you did, and it's not your fault. You did your best, and that's what makes you a good hero," he smiled lovingly. "You think I'm a hero? Even before I got my powers?" I asked, touching his face. "Yes," he smiled and touched my face. I beamed bashfully and kissed him, "Bucky, you make me feel like the most powerful woman in the whole world because I'm yours forever, and you're my partner in crime." I carefully snuggled up to him, and he kissed my forehead. "I love you so much; I'm so grateful for you," he gently stroked my hair and kissed me softly. "I love you too, Mr. Barnes," I flirted in my transatlantic accent. He chuckled, "You keep getting more adorable every day," we both giggled and kissed. We were able to get some shut-eye for a little bit until I was discharged from the hospital, and we took the first flight out of Latvia and back to New York. Sam stayed behind because he had some things to take care of and would join us in the States when he could.

   Back in Washington, D.C., Walker was being charged for his crimes against Latvia and killing Nico. His punishment was getting his title as Captain America taken away, and he was under restrictions. He was not happy; he was livid. I felt terrible that he lost his friend, Hoskins was the only one out of the two of them that I liked, but Walker could have had a more level head when dealing with his death. That's what caused his downward spiral.

Bucky, Anthony, and I spent the next day at Coney Island as we had promised. We rode all the rides, including the Cyclone. We played games, and Bucky played the strongman game, and he hit the bell with the hammer so hard that it almost fell off! It was so cool to see! He won prizes for Anthony and me, and the prize Anthony chose was a stuffed Captain America toy, and I chose a stuffed puppy. It was dear to my heart after hearing the bedtime story Bucky told Anthony. Later, we met up with Darcy for dinner, and she happened to have Jane and Dr. Selvig with her! Jane was so happy to see me after eight years! "Sadie!" she exclaimed. "Jane, oh my goodness!" I practically ran to hug her. "It's been so long!" My cousin choked back tears. "I know! It has!" I said. I looked at Bucky and Anthony and introduced them to Jane, "This is my husband, Bucky, and you've met our son, Anthony," "Nice to meet you," she shook Bucky's hand and then gave Anthony a high five.
"Nice to meet you too," Bucky said. "How long have you guys been married?" she asked with a hint of excitement. "Seven and a half years," Bucky and I said. "Awww! They're speaking at the same time!" Darcy gushed. "We do have a lot to catch up on," Jane said in awe. "Indeed we do!" I replied. Jane and I were close growing up, and even as grown adults we were still best friends.
It was nice to have family time after so much chaos. I almost forgot about the Flag Smashers and Walker.