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Chapter 34

Bucky watches from the corner of the hospital room as one of the nurses begins removing the bandage around Jo's thigh. His bottom lip between his teeth, gnawing on it nervously, arms crossed over his chest. Jo's eyes meet his momentarily to give him a reassuring smile before she looks back down at the fading wound. Still a little bruised around the cut but where a deep gash used to be, was a bright pink scar.

"Sweetie, I don't know what they've been feeding you, but I think we can take out those stitches now." The nurse smiled brightly up at her. Jo didn't miss the flash of curiosity in her eyes before it quickly faded.

"They've only been in for two days?" Bucky spoke up from behind the woman.

"Take a look for yourself." She said, taking a step back as Bucky was already stepping forward. Jo watched as he inspected the site. His fingers grazing ever so slightly over her skin, causing goose bumps to travel up her spine. She missed his touch but right now the worry that seeped over his features made her sick.

He stepped back and nodded, agreeing with the nurse as she left to grab the supplies to remove them. Bucky had stitched himself up more times than he could count and even now he could tell she didn't need them anymore. His wounds typically took a couple of days to heal if they needed sutures and as the realization hit him, he felt her hand slip into his, pulling him from his thoughts. "You still don't remember anything?" He asked before she could say anything from her already parted lips.

Jo's eyes met his, shaking her head softly but he could tell she was already connecting the dots. "No, I don't." He nodded again, eyes tracing back over the bruises that littered her body. Most of them turned a yellowish green now, signs that they've healed faster than they would have before. "You don't think..."

His eyes snapped to hers again, "My body heals this fast too, Jo." She knew this, he knew she knew this. "I—maybe Shuri can—", Bucky rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "She's gonna need to run tests."

"To see if I have the serum—a serum"

His expression fell slightly at the hint of anger in her voice, "To make sure you weren't given the same one that killed Brandon."

Jo's mind quickly flashed back to their conversation; a twenty-five-year-old man turned eighty years old from whatever he was injected with. Her hand dropped from his as she pressed her palms into her eyes, trying to keep herself from freaking out. If she was injected with the same serum, she didn't know how much time was left. She could feel her heartbeat start to quicken. "Bucky what if—", his large hands engulfed hers, pulling them from her eyes as they both looked at each other.

"It's not."

"You don't know that."

She was right. He didn't, but he silently prayed to God—who even though had never listened to him before—hoping that it wasn't the same serum Brandon took. The nurse stepped back into the room, switching spots with Bucky as she began cleaning the site and removing the sutures. Jo watched as she did so, wincing slightly at the feeling of them being removed from overly healed skin. The nurse whispered apologies, feeling the glare Bucky was giving her from his corner every time Jo whimpered. Her body felt normal and that should have been her first clue and when the little dull aches and pains came back, she assumed it was normal. Her body's way of reacting to the trauma it had been through.

Bucky's jaw ticked watching as every form of worry began spreading across her face. "Will you be okay for a few minutes while I find Shuri?" Jo nodded softly, his hands cupping her cheeks and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'll be right back, doll."

"Okay." The smallness in her voice broke his heart as he stepped through the door.

The walk to Shuri's lab felt longer than it had before. His mind raced through every worst-case scenario as he stomped down the corridors. Every so often, throwing a nod to one of the Dora Milaje soldiers that stood guard the further he made his way into the palace. Doing everything he could to keep the bubbling feeling of anger and sadness brewing in his chest. Tears threatened his eyes as the image of Brandon's body flashed through his mind. He couldn't see her end up that way. He wouldn't. Shuri could help. She had to be able to. Shuri helped him; she could help Jo. He told himself as he stepped through the gliding doors of the lab, hands balled into fists at his side.