Winter is for Lovers (Bucky Barnes X OC) [Book 1]

6. Back In Your Own Backyard

Rebecca found me in the lab, my eyes glued to the microscope as the clinking of the cages surrounding me were the only sounds I had heard for hours.

"You're still here?" She asked with her mouth full, a half-eaten apple in her hands.

"There's no food in my lab," I said to her, my eyes never leaving the scope.

"Why are you still here?" She asked again.

"I thought of something," I said to her. "I had a theory."

"And?" She asked, chewing loudly before suddenly stopping, her breath hitched. "Why does that rat look like it has Tuberculosis?"

"He does," I answered.

"He does what?" She asked, her tone shifting to annoyance from my very casual answer.

"Have Tuberculosis," I answered again.

"Oh... I'm sorry- what?" She asked, only this time an octave higher.

That caused me to look up, and I couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the confused, and horrified, expression on her face.

"He's part of my theory," I said, simply.

"Which is...?" She asked, annoyed at my lack of clarity in our conversation.

"Right, sorry," I swiveled around so that I could face her. "I wanted to see if I could cure him."

"You what?" She dropped the apple, letting it roll under one of the desks. "Why?"

"I had a theory," I said matter-of-factly.

She went to open up her mouth to ask another question, but I put my hand up to stop her.

"He's fine," I said to her.

"When did you come up with this theory?" She asked.

"A while, actually," I said to her. "I was thinking about my mum, about how no one had the right resources to save her, so I came up with a theory."

"You seriously came up with a theory on a cure for tuberculosis?"

"Yes?"

"Are you joking?"

"Why would I joke about that?"

"Right, sorry, forgot who I was talking to," she bowed her head and sat down to look at all of the papers strung across the desks. "How long have you been down here?"

"I dunno," I shrugged. "A few hours?"

Rebecca swirled me around to look at my face.

"Hazel, do you know what day it is?" She asked with a concerning look on her face.

"Thursday?" I asked questionably.

"Honey, it's Monday," she sighed.

I ignored the shock on her face.

"Streptomycin isn't working by itself," I let out a frustrated sigh, talking low to myself. "It's missing something... I need something else... But what?"

"Is this the first round of tests?"

"No," I took off my safety glasses, rubbing my eyes, handing her one of my notebooks I had been scribbling in for her to decipher.

"Have you taken a break at all?" She asked as she shined through the pages, absorbing it. "Eaten something, a nap?"

She put a hand on my shoulder and I instinctively rested my head on her arm.

"If I stop, I'll loose my train of thought," I said, returning to the microscope. "I have too much work to do."

"You need to go home," she said to me, "I'm calling Bucky to come and get you."