Eyes of the Father

Chapter 8. Decisions

As Lacey was out on the tractor moving some deadwood trees she noticed Laura and Clint on the porch of their home.  It looked like they were having an argument which was unusual because they were so attuned to each other they rarely raised their voices when disagreeing.   She hopped off and unhitched the chain that dragged the dead tree, then rode the tractor to the barn.  As she drove past the other two they lowered their voices and watched her park the ancient vehicle.  She came out of the barn and stared at both of them.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Clint found something out and I think he should tell you," said Laura.  "He thinks it's need to know and you don't need to know yet."

Lacey turned her gaze on him until he finally swore.  "They found Bucky," he said.  "In Bucharest, Romania, like we thought.  The authorities have accused him of bombing a UN meeting in Vienna that killed 12 and injured 70.  He's been taken into custody and they're transporting him to the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre in Berlin.  They're connected to the CIA, so you know how this is going to go down."

"You're thinking death penalty, aren't you?" she asked steadily.

"Yeah," he admitted.  "They'll go through the motions of giving him a psychiatric assessment and assign him a lawyer but they've been itching to throw the book at him ever since they found out the Winter Soldier's identity.  I'm sorry."

"Have you heard from Steve or Tony?" she asked.

"That's the thing," said Clint.  "Steve went to warn him and try to get him to give himself up to him.  They ended up in a pretty intense fight with the elite squad that was sent.  No deaths but Bucky hurt quite a few of them.  Steve and Sam are both in custody.  Tony wants them to support the CIA taking Bucky."

"What?" asked Lacey, upset.  "When did Tony start believing them?"

"Since Secretary Ross threatened to prosecute Steve and Sam for helping Bucky," replied Clint.  "Tony thinks he's walking a middle line, being reasonable.  I don't think Steve agrees with him on this.  Neither do I for that matter.  It all boils down to these Sokovia Accords and how they're being used."

There was the sound of a baby crying and both Lacey and Laura tilted their heads listening.  "That's mine," said Lacey, checking her watch.  "He's probably hungry."

She turned around and went up to her room where 8 month old Tommy was crying.  Picking him up she held him closely, then checked his diaper.  It was wet so she changed him first before sitting down in the rocking chair, lifting her T-shirt up and helping him latch on.  She offered him her fingers to hold and he grasped them firmly as he nursed hungrily.  She had wondered if all babies were this hungry or just this one but Laura assured her all three of her children were voracious feeders until they began eating solids.   It just hadn't happened with Tommy yet, even though he had been taking solids for several months.  With her free hand she turned on the TV in her room and found a news alert on all the channels.  The Winter Soldier had been activated while in custody, went on a rampage, then escaped.  It was believed Captain America/ Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson were helping him.  The authorities were looking for all three.  It had just gone from bad to worse.  She carried Tommy in her arms as she came down the stairs to see Clint and Laura watching the same news reports.

"They'll shoot him on sight now, won't they?" she asked openly. 

"It doesn't look good," agreed Clint, whose cell phone went off at that moment. 

Looking at the call display, he answered it while walking outside.  Laura kept looking at him through the window, her face concerned, until he walked back in.  His face was set in grim determination and she knew he had made an important decision.