Saving Bucky (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter 99 - A Horrid Truth

It smells like smoke. Maybe not smoke, but...something's been burnt. It's nice. Warm. Sweet, yet at the same time heavy with spice. You try to take a deeper breath to get more of that thick, sweet smell through your nose. But your chest is heavy. Too heavy. It's hard to breathe. 

"Y/n."

Your heart thrums in your chest as a familiar voice calls out to you from far away. 

"You need to breathe," it says. "Wake up."

The voice is worried. Nervous. You try to force your eyes open, but only a glimmer of light slips through as your lids flutter weakly. But they're just so heavy. And you're tired.

"C'mon princess. You gotta wake up."

It's James. James is here.

The realization itself seems to take the weight off your chest. A few gentle flutters of lashes let in a blinding white light. You blink several times as the room comes into view. Big, blurry screens with glowing symbols in orange and blue are mounted on steel walls. And a steady hum of beeping machines sing you awake. 

"Good," James hums from somewhere nearby. "Now breathe."

At his command you force yourself to take a deep breathe that rattles in your lungs. Immediately you start coughing - wet and throaty. The cough turns painful as your entire body spasms and something thick and viscous gets stuck deep in your throat. The second you manage to cough it out your breathing gets easier, and you gasp for air.

"Good job. You're okay now."

You glance over to find James sitting in the chair at your bedside. You watch him for a moment as his blue eyes gently hold yours. But as clearly as you can see him, the space around him is still blurry. Out of focus. Caused by a throbbing headache.

"Where am I?" you exhale, voice weak.

James smile. "Where do you think you are?" he asks.

You take another deep breath, struggling to swallow past a dry and sore throat. "I-I don't know," you exhale, as your eyes start to close once more.

"Yes you do," James says. "Look."

Forcing your lids open, you blink several times trying to bring the world into focus. Tall, embellished ceilings stand out against their plain, metal jackets. Across your body is a white blanket. And nearby are tables covered in small machines and glass tubes. You're about to deny any knowledge of this place until you recognize a tablet that lays on one of the metal tables nearby.

"Shuri," you whisper. 

"Yes," James answers. 

"We're in the lab?" you question, dazed. 

Confused and disoriented, you shift in the bed. The second you do, a burning pain shoots up your side, and suddenly your vision is flooded with flashes of memory. A knife at your throat. Blood pooling on the ground. A cold, cruel laugh. With a panicked gasp you force yourself upright, ignoring the pain as plastic tubes are torn from your arm, slipping from beneath a bandage. Machines start sounding alarms and high-pitched beeping.

"You need to calm down," James says, standing from his chair. "You're safe."

"Steve," you say, panicked as your breathing once more grows challenging. "Where is he? Is he okay? What happened?"

But James just stands there, watching as you grab your chest and start coughing once more, desperate to find some air. 

"She's awake!" a woman's voice shouts from across the room. "Cebisa, get in here!"