Can't Shake You

(35) Karma Strikes Again

Five months later..

Yelena was on her way to pick up the kids from school and daycare after work. Bucky called her and told her he couldn't pick them up because he had a patient come in for their oral surgery and it was taking longer than he thought.

Yelena had just made her way into the intersection when a truck came flying in going 60mph and hit her on the driver's side then sped off. She was immediately rushed to the hospital.

Bucky had just walked out of surgery when one of his nurses rushed up to him out of breath.

"Dr. Barnes, they've been trying to page you," Julia one of the nurses said.

"I'm sorry Julia I was in surgery, what's going on?" Bucky asked.

"It's your wife sir, she was brought in not too long ago. Dr. Jenkins is the handling her," she replied looking down.

Bucky ran off to emergency OR department where he was told that she was still in surgery.

"Why can't I feel my legs or my feet?" Yelena said starting to panic.

Bucky looked at her sorrowfully.

"Bucky why can't I feel my legs?" She repeated.

"Because your spinal cord was severely damaged Lena," Bucky said.

"S-Sooo I-I'm p-paralyzed," she stuttered out through tears.

Bucky nodded looking at her sadly.

She sat there as tears streamed down her face.

Two weeks later, she was discharged with physical therapy orders. Bucky carried her inside and sat her on the couch then went back outside to get their stuff and her wheelchair. Once he brought everything in, he placed her into her wheelchair.

"I um I moved our bedroom downstairs to make it easier for you," Bucky said.

She nodded quietly then rolled herself into their bedroom.

Yelena and Bucky tried sex for the first time since her accident. Her doctors told them that they could still have a healthy sex life, but she felt it wasn't true. Yelena was no longer the same mentally, emotionally, physically, psychologically or sexually.

The problem for Yelena was that the orgasms never felt the same and she hated it cause she couldn't please Buck like before. They tried sex twice and she remembered what Nat said about karma.

She would reject Bucky when he would try to have sex and didn't like him taking her to physical therapy because it made her uncomfortable. He even got her a wheelchair accessible vehicle to drive where she had some independence.

A month later...

Yelena was crying in her bedroom. She pulled out an old group photo from 8th grade when they all graduated middle school from her memory box. She wiped tears as she said, "Dad you were right that night about regretting my decisions. I do regret them." She wrote a note to her parents, Natasha, Bucky, Addie and Pietro.

Then she rolled herself to the kitchen, grabbed a knife from the knife block and rolled herself back to their living room. Bucky was at work while James and Winnie had taken the kids for the weekend.

Yelena stabbed herself in the legs repeatedly as she screamed and cried. She said to herself, this is what you get for hurting Addie, Pietro and Bucky. For not listening to Nat or your parents. She kept stabbing herself.

As she slowly started to lose consciousness, Natalia and Ivan's words to her from the night they got busted on spring break and the day Nat told her she was no longer her sister began going off in her head. She cried out, Addie, I'm so sorry for not being the friend you deserved. F-Forgive m-me a-and J-James, then things went black.

Bucky came home after she didn't answer her phone. He found her slumped over her wheelchair, bloodied and the bloodied knife at her feet. Buck screamed her name then ran to her. He picked her up out of her wheelchair and cradled her body on the floor while dialing 911 on speaker. He cried while telling her to hold on as he waited for the EMTs.

Their parents met him at the hospital where they found him in the hall covered in her blood with his head resting in his hands. They walked up soon as the doctor came to update Bucky.

"Dr. Barnes?" Dr. Elliott said softly.

Buck stood up quickly as he said, "Yes Dr. Elliott?"

Dr. Elliott took a deep breath then said, "I'm so sorry. The cuts were too deep. There were several sliced arteries that caused her to bleed out. We tried to save her, but there was just too much damage. I'm so sorry again. I'll give you all some time with her."

Buck went in the room and looked at her pale face. He laid across her body while crying and said, "Lena why did you do this?! Why did you leave me and our children?! I wish I knew why you felt like you needed to take your life because I don't understand," then he kissed her forehead.

He walked out to allow Natalia and Ivan to see her. Nat and Steve were out of the country on vacation so they didn't find out until they became stateside again.

Buck went home to shower and to clean up the house. Once he was dressed, he received a first-class delivery from the hospital. He placed it on the kitchen counter then went in the living room to clean up all the blood and stuff.

Once he was finished he noticed some letters addressed to him, Addie, Nat, Pietro and Yelena's parents Ivan and Natalia. He sat down on the couch and began to read his letter.