A Little Calm...

16 Weeks

Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye

Straight after your lunches with Sam and Alice, you and Bucky met back up for your 16 week scan at the doctors. This is the second scan in the pregnancy and the first time Bucky's come with you to an appointment. You can tell by his constant fidgeting that he's nervous. Even once you're in the actual room waiting for the doctor, Bucky's foot is tapping as he sits in the chair next to yours. Both of your heads shoot up when two doctors walk into the room, one being your midwife, Mary, and the other you don't know.

Mary
"I just thought I'd come and say 'Hi' but this is Dr Carl, the synographer who'll be giving you your scan today."

Dr Carl
"Hi there, shall we get started?"

Both you and Bucky nod your heads eagerly as you get up to go towards the angled bed which has already been prepared for you.

Lucky - Jason Mraz

Carl
"Okay y/n, if you could just lower your jeans slightly and lift up your shirt for me."

You do as he says and watch as he fiddles with various buttons before grabbing an ambiguous tube of gel.

Carl
"Now this is gonna be a little cold and then I'm going to apply gentle pressure to your abdomen which may be a bit uncomfortable."

You watch as he splurges a generous amount of the clear jelly on your stomach before burying the hand held scanner deep into your skin. Upon the unsettling feeling, you reach for Bucky's hand which he gladly takes. You both watch the doctors face as he studies the screen hidden from you both. A large amount of time passes before he finally speaks again.

Carl
"Sorry, sometimes baby is in an awkward position so it's hard to get a good image. Do we want to find out the gender today?"

Y/n
"Uh no, we wanna wait."

You turn towards Bucky with a smile, trying to reassure his nervousness which is still very present on his features.

Like I'm Gonna Lose You - Jasmine Thompson

About a minute passes before Carl presses a single button and the machine begins to let out a whirring, white noise sound. It's not too loud but it's enough to cause you and Bucky to lurch slightly in worry.

Bucky
"What's that?"

Carl
"That is your baby's heartbeat."

Upon the realisation, you and Bucky look at each other for only a second before smiling widely in astonishment. Drawing your attention back to the doctor, Bucky places a soft kiss on your knuckles of the hand he still holds.

Carl
"Ah, here we are."

Turning the screen to face you, you're greeted with a clear image of a baby. You can see the outline of a nose, a mouth, arms, legs, everything.

Carl
"Have you guys thought about names yet?"

Bucky
"We had a couple in mind..."

Noticing your distracted nature, Carl smiles at your stunned expressions before looping the video and excusing himself.
Now alone in the room, Bucky finds a chair close to the bed and sits next to you, still holding your hand. Both of you stare at the screen, at your child. Breaking away for only a moment, you look at Bucky to see his soft expression. Knowing that he's the man you're about to start a family with, is the greatest reward for the struggles you faced to get here. You turn your head back to the screen and imagine what it would be like to have a mini Buck running around. The perfect mesh of the both of you, with a hint more Bucky. What it would be like to watch the two of them learning to ride a bike, or use Bucky's arm as a climbing frame.
You don't notice when Bucky then turns to look at you. Of all the things he's seen in his life, this is by far the most beautiful. The woman he loves more than anything in this world, carrying his child. He thinks about how lucky he is, for everything that led him to this moment. Everything that he regretted, including his time at Hydra, suddenly felt unimportant. If a single thing changed to lead him away from where he was right now, it wouldn't be the life he wanted.