Finding Love in France (Alternate Version)

Part 49: Bedtime Stories

Mila kicked the foot of the bed to make sure Bucky was out. She then asked the nurse to sedate him, reporting that he was getting agitated and trying to get out of the traction. Thankfully, Bucky had been unruly enough during his stay in the infirmary that the nurse believed her without checking. Mila stayed outside the room until she heard him start to lightly snore and got to work.

"Please let me in, damn it..." she sighed, as she planted herself on the bed next to him and tried to read his mind. The sedation helped him not be able to block her. As she began to hear him, she winced at the pain and chaos. She put her head on his shoulder and squeezed his right hand, as he began to groan and shake in his nightmares. "Tell me everything, my love..." she gently kissed his head. The horrors that replayed were enough to make her tremble. She feared he might go insane the longer he stayed trapped in these gruesome places.

Then, to her surprise, he started to dream about her. She listened intently as she heard her own voice play in his head. He was replaying every detail he could remember about his time with her. He was trying to calm his tortured mind dreaming of her...

Mila listened until he was finally able to rest peacefully and went back to the lab.

Howard was pouring over some books on torture when she walked in. "Hey, Doc, didn't expect to see you back here until the morning. Scotch?" He offered her a glass.

"Yes, please." She gratefully sipped the strong drink and sat down on the beat up leather sofa next to his desk. "A little light reading before bed?" She motioned towards his stack.

"Bedtime stories! Fairytales are so boring...how is he?" Stark refilled his glass and sat down on the sofa. "Still putting up a fight?"

Mila sighed. "Only until I had him sedated..."

"That's my girl!" Howard smirked. "Hey, Doc...can I ask you something?" He took a deep breath. "When you broke his arm, was that just adrenaline? Or is there something else?"

She was nervous but relieved. "How long have you known?"

"Suspected for a while, known? The last ten seconds..." he sighed in relief. "So...how much of it did you get?"

"Try the other way around, Howard." She smirked.

"No! That's how Abe Erskine did it?!?!?!? He had a source!" Howard was trying not to jump out of his seat in excitement. "Tell me everything!"

Mila laughed nervously. "Can I trust you with this? You're not going to turn me into a weapon, right?"

"No promises, Doc..." he deadpanned. "...why would you even ask me that? You're the best research scientist I've seen and you could probably kill me without breaking a sweat!" Stark laughed. "Plus, you're one of the few people in the world who can tell me to go to hell without causing an international incident, Mila...and one of the only people I trust with the keys to the candy store." He winked at her.

She threw her arms around him in relief. "Thank you, Howard! You are truly one of a kind..." she unloaded the truth about her abilities and what she had read from Bucky that evening. She got serious for a moment. "Please keep this between us, okay? Just because you aren't going to turn me into rocket fuel doesn't mean others won't try."

Stark laughed. "They'll have to come through me first! Does Barnes know?"

"Yes, and Steve, but no one else. Please don't tell Peggy. I don't want her to worry anymore than she already does." Mila begged. "So, I think I know where to start on the unscrambling..."