Brooklyn - Steve Rogers X OC Spinoff

7 - Maddison

This week was particularly exhausting, it was clinicals week in school. So everyday she was an hour late to work, throwing off her entire schedule. This week it was work from 9 am until 5pm, then home from work at 6pm, back to school at 9pm until 3am followed immediately by clinicals until 8:45am. So everyday this week she'd only gotten 2 hours with Avery a day, in the evening before taking her to Scott and Jackson's house. She was miserable, she missed her baby girl. She was exhausted. Her only sleep was on the subway commute from school and work and her hour lunch break at work.

Steve had called and texted every day, he'd offered to take her out last weekend, but she declined. She wanted to, she really did. But she knew she'd miss Avery this week so badly, she wanted to soak up every second she had with her last weekend. Steve understood, of course he did, he was so sweet and he was being so patient  with her. She loved it. Honestly, she was torn this weekend between doing the same and sleeping so long that Jackson would worry she went into a coma. Both sounded amazing.

It was already Thursday, she'd been on this exhausting schedule for the last 4 days and she was halfway through her work day. She was almost to her lunch hour, the best part of her day. She could take an hour nap in the break room as long as nobody bothered her, but Oncology was pretty small, only 5 employees and Emilia was out, the other 4 knew she was struggling and would avoid the break room if she needed them to.

When Maddison reached the break room, she was heartbroken to see a sign that said the breakroom was closed due to a busted pipe, directing everyone to the main cafeteria downstairs. Everyone used the cafeteria, patients, staff and families. She almost cried in frustration, no nap for her. She headed outside instead, sitting on one of the benches right outside the main entrance so she could soak up the sun and the gentle breeze of fall. But it didn't last long, her exhaustion and frustration had her in full tears within minutes of sitting down. She just wanted to sleep for a week, she was so tired that her head hurt.

"Maddison?" She heard someone say. When she looked up she saw Bucky, Emilia's husband. He had on a black leather jacket, black gloves, black jeans and a deep blue shirt. Damn, he was gorgeous. Even not dressed up in a suit like he was at their dinner, he was a hall of a man to stare at. She felt so grateful that her boss had such a gorgeous and attentive husband. When he came and sat next to her, she stiffened. When he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, she almost panicked. She didn't know him well enough for him to touch her, but she was crying hysterically on the sidewalk, so what did she know about anything?

Maddison accepted the hug, crying out her frustrations onto his shoulder, soaking the leather in a way she was sure annoyed the hell out of him, but he said nothing. He just sat there calmly, his hand rubbed along her arm as she sobbed against him. "I'm so fucking tired." She blurted out.

"What's going on?" Bucky asked calmly. His voice was so smooth and soothing, but also stern and warm, letting her know it wasn't optional to answer. She shivered, wondering if he spoke like that to Emilia in the bedroom. If so, good for her.

Maddison choked out a sob, forcing herself to stop crying. She was an adult, 26 years old. She didn't have time to fall apart, not until the weekend. Saturday night when Avery was asleep in her crib, she could cry until it hurt if she wanted to. But not now. "I haven't slept in like 3 freaking days, I'm so fucking tired and I've barely seen Avery at all. This week sucks, and they closed the break room upstairs so I can't even nap." She whined.

"Okay, how much longer is your lunch? You can nap in the back of Em's car. That's a start, we'll go from there and see what else we can do." Bucky said calmly.

"55 minutes, but I'm fine. It's fine." Maddison insisted. It wasn't true, but who would abandon their car for an hour so someone they barely knew could nap? No logical person.