Dead Man's Wish

Chapter 22: 2016

Steve nudged me gently, waking me up.

"Y/n, get up. The doctor's here." He said softly.

My eyes shot open and I jumped to my feet, quickly walking up to the man. He was around six foot tall and had on black scrubs with a matching cap, his dark hair poking out through the bottom of it in the back.

He smiled politely as we approached.

"Y/n, I presume?" He asked, holding out a hand for me to shake. I nodded and shook his hand. He looked to Steve and shook his hand as well as Steve introduced himself. "I'm Dr. Stephen Strange. I have news concerning Mr. Barnes' condition."

"How is he?" I asked.

"He's sustained a major concussion, as well as several broken ribs, a broken femur, and he has several cuts and bruises along his body. He's got it pretty rough, but he'll be alright with some time." He paused, looking at the clipboard in his hands. "He's in room 325B. He's unconcious at the moment, but will be awake shortly."

"Thank you."

I rushed past him and down the halls until I found Bucky's room. I popped my head in through the door and my heart broke at the sight.

Bucky's unconcious body lay relaxed on the bed, the sheets going up to his chest and his arms laying on top of it. He had hardly any gashes on his face and head, but multiple strewn along his flesh arm. His right leg was covered in a white cast that went up to his mid thigh and cut off at his toes, and his metal arm was on display.

I looked to Steve and the doctor, who were chatting quietly behind me.

"Do you know what exactly happened?" I asked, quickly brushing away a stray tear that was sliding down my face.

Dr. Strange shook his head. "We won't know for sure until he wakes up and tells us himself. What I can tell you, is that he is lucky to be alive. If it wasn't for the helmet he was wearing and the serum running through his veins, he wouldn't be alive right now."

I nodded and looked back to Bucky. The doctor's words sunk into my brain a few seconds later and I whipped around to face him.

"How do you know about that?" I asked, my hands clenching into fists as I glared at him.

He held his hands up and Steve placed a hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Y/n." Steve spoke, his voice gentle and calm. "He's worked with the team before. He knows about us."

I glanced between the two and slowly relaxed my hands. I turned back around and pulled the cushioned chair next to the bed before sitting down.

"He should be awake soon. I'll be back in a few to check on everything." With that, Dr. Strange left.

I intertwined my fingers with Bucky's, gently holding his hand as Steve sat down in the other chair on the other side of the bed.

After about an hour of watching Bucky carefully, I felt my eyelids grow heavy.

"Y/n, get some sleep. It's late and you've been at work all day." Steve looked at me pointedly. "He'll be okay. I'll wake you up as soon as he opens his eyes."

I let out a huff before giving in and nodding. I let go of Bucky's hand and sat sideways in my chair, hugging my knees to my chest and resting my head on the back of the chair. It wasn't long before I fell asleep.

...

The low murmur of voices withdrew me from my sleep. My eyes fluttered open and I blinked the sleep from my eyes. I was met by the loving gaze of my boyfriend.

"Hey, Doll." He smiled.

I jerked myself awake the rest of the way, a smile growing on my face as I realized he was awake.

"You're awake!" I grinned, getting up from where I was sitting and hugging him loosely. "How long have you been awake?"

"About a half hour." He replied.

I looked to Steve and glared. "You said you were gonna wake me up as soon as he opened his eyes, you bastard!"

He and Bucky laughed softly and Bucky squeezed my hand. I turned to him.

"You've been working too much recently. You needed the sleep." He informed.

I sighed and leaned down, giving him a soft peck on the lips and sitting down on the edge of the bed.