Begin Again | Sam Wilson

Chapter Ten

"This was Riley and I at basic." Sam told Brianna as he handed her a photo from the worn shoebox.

She took it from him and examined it carefully. He looked so young and very thin. She couldn't even believe that it was Sam. "That's you? They let that scrawny kid into the Air Force?"

Sam chuckled. "Alright. If you're just going to pick on me, I'm not showing you anymore photos."

"Okay. I'll be nice. Promise." She said.

"Riley and I, it's funny that we were friends," Sam began to tell her. "We were total opposites. He came from a family of divorced parents, I didn't. He lived in New York, I lived in the South. I actually thought he was an asshole until I learned more about him. He joined the military because he watched his dad die in the towers on 9/11. He worked in one of the buildings. Never found his body. I realized that he was just trying to prove himself to his father."

Brianna frowned. "That's awful."

"We were conducting a training course in the snow one day. It was so damn slippery. No one could get over this wall we had to climb. Riley was last on the course. He kept falling and falling. No one would help him. So, I walked over to him and could see his hands were cut up. I helped him over and we kind of became brothers after that. We knew each other for ten years before he died."

Sam shuffled through the box until he found a single dog tag with a chain attached to it. He handed it to Brianna and she ran her thumb over the raised letters; Riley Franklin. "This was his?"

Sam nodded his head. "His mom and step dad gave it to me after his funeral. I told him that it wasn't mine to have, but they kept insisting. It's really the only piece of him I have."

"Where's he buried?" She asked curiously as she pulled her knees to her chest on his couch, trying not to wince in pain from her side.

"Arlington."

"Shit." She said surprised. "Wow. That's an honor."

"Yeah. It is. I named Redwing after him. My code name was Falcon, obviously. His was Redwing. The only other person who knows is my sister."

Brianna's heart sank at the revelation. "Oh, Sam. I see now why Redwing is so important to you. I can't even imagine how hard that must of been for you."

"Well, it certainly wasn't easy. I developed PTSD from watching him die amongst other things I witnessed when I was on my tours. Eventually, with the help of my sister, I got the help I needed. That's how I got involved at the VA. I wanted to help others who had similar experiences. If Riley hadn't died, I would have never joined the VA therefore never meeting Steve and joining the Avengers. It sounds bad, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Everything happens for a reason."

"You're good with words, Sam. You have such a good perspective despite going through terrible things. I can see why people listen to you. You're going to be a good Captain America."

Sam pretended not to flinch at her calling him Captain America. It was still something he was considering. "Um, how about I show you some more photos?"

"I would love that." She said.

She knew she fucked up when she mentioned him becoming Captain America. Sometimes she forgot that it was a sore subject. She watched the way his eyes looked askance and how he changed the subject. She decided to just let the subject go completely and instead listened to the sound of his voice explaining various pictures or medals in the box. She felt her eyes growing heavy. It had been days since she had any real sleep. It also didn't help that she was given pain killers for being shot. Eventually, she just let sleep take over.