Tangled Paths | Bucky Barnes

Chapter 17: Walter Grant

17
Walter Grant

When the group got back to the hotel Darla ended up gathering some things and showering in Bucky and Sam's room because she didn't want to be alone. When Darla was done she collected her things and left the bathroom with her hair in a towel. Bucky looked at her cut to see it already scabbed over.
"How are you healing that quickly?" Bucky asked her from his bed.
"It was something Zola injected me with before putting me through what he considered training. I could heal a broken leg in 4 days. My ribs will be fine by tomorrow night as long as I don't fuck them up any more than I already have." she explained. "Do you guys wanna get some dinner?" She asked at the end of her explanation.
"Not really. I'm still feeling groggy from those tranques. Why don't we just order some room service and watch a movie?" Sam offered.
"Sure," Darla said with a small smile as she flopped down on the couch in their room.

The three called down and ordered dinner to the room and ended up watching a movie that had come out earlier the previous year called that Sam picked called Ride along. Once they finished eating Sam closed the curtains so the only light was emanating from the tv.

When the movie was over Sam got Bucky's attention and motioned at Darla who was completely passed out and looked like she was gonna fall off the couch. Bucky sighed and crawled off his bed and moved to the couch to pick Darla up. He lifted her gently in an attempt to not wake her up then turned around and carefully laid her down in his bed and threw his blanket over her. He stood there for a moment and watched her sleep.

"She's been dealing with a lot mentally, She needs to sleep. Plus we gotta catch our flight at 10 anyway." He said to Sam. Sam stared at him in disbelief. "What?" Bucky asked quietly as he stacked all the files they'd be taking with them by the front door.
"That is the most I've heard you speak I think ever," Sam replied jokingly. Bucky rolled his eyes and left the room.

Darla woke up just after midnight. She looked over to see Sam asleep in the bed to her left and realized she was in Bucky's bed. She looked around the room from where she was laying and noticed that the boys were fully packed and the files were all stacked by the door. She sighed and sat up. She was unsure what to do with herself so she decided that she might as well go use the hotel's amenities. She climbed out of bed quietly and slid the door open to the balcony then tiptoed across to her room. Once inside she saw Bucky passed out in her bed in his boxers, he was spooning with the bunched-up comforter as if it were a person.
Darla smiled softly and quietly walked over to the couch in her room. She grabbed the blanket that was on the back of it and threw it over Bucky making sure he was covered. Once she was sure that she didn't wake him up she dipped into her bathroom to change and packed a bag of things she'd need then grabbed her room key and headed down to the pool.

When she got down there the lights in the pool area were off but the lights in the pool were on. She looked around the door area for a sign of the hours but she couldn't find one so instead, she pressed her key card against the door and the light buzzed green to indicate that she was allowed inside. Darla entered the pool deck and the smell of chlorine filled her nostrils. She saw a nearby plastic chair and dragged it over to the side of the pool then tossed her towel on the chair with her room key and bag. She pulled out her phone and began to play music from a playlist Natasha had made and shared with her. She put her phone down on the chair and then dove into the pool and for a moment everything was silent. Her mind, the world, the only noise that could be heard was the gentle slapping of the waves she made against the edges of the pool. She liked that, the fact that everything just sort of disappeared and how free she felt suspended there floating. She turned on her back so she could breathe but kept her ears underneath and zoned into the ceiling then simply lay there in the water for a while escaping her mind.