Till the End of the Line

Stay Alive.

Becca didn't feel the pain at first. Just this white hot numbness where her bicep connected with her shoulder. She could see the blood, see it leaking out of her shoulder and down her arm, bouncing off the snow before soaking into it turning the pure white red. She could see the flash of panic in Bucky's eyes, his icy blue eyes returning to their emotionless expression so fast she wonders if she'd imagined it. 

Then the pain set in. White hot, pulsing waves of agony. It almost made her wish she had a metal arm like Bucky's just so she didn't have to feel this. She staggers to her feet, having the sense to apply pressure to her shoulder, her vision has black spots around the edges from the pain and she nearly collapses again. Bucky is at her side in a heartbeat.

"You're shot."

"I'm fine."

"You took that bullet for me. You should not have done that."

Becca's eyes flash with annoyance.

"A simple 'thank you' would be appreciated.

Bucky grunts in response and rummages through his pack, finding a T-shirt that he'd packed. He ties it around her shoulder, trying to stem the bleeding. Becca hisses and tries to push his arm away, but his grip was strong. Damn that super soldier serum. 

"It hurts." She admits softly.

"It's a bullet wound. It will hurt. Now stand." He commands. Becca gives him an incredulous look, but complies. Instantly her vision starts to spin and she nearly vomits from the pain. 

"You are losing blood, we need to get back to base. The drop point is 14 miles from here. You will need medical attention that I cannot give you. Come."

Bucky starts towards the outcropping of trees, expecting Becca to follow suit. Becca sighs, even with a gunshot wound to the shoulder, her mentor still wanted her to walk it off. She sighs and starts walking after him, the pain from her shoulder slowing her down significantly. She couldn't feel her shoulder, and she was leaving a trail of blood drops in the snow, but she put on a brave face and tried to make her mentor proud.

"How much further?" 

She finally ventured, trying to keep her mind off the pain that was worsening every second

"12 miles, give or take. You're losing more blood." 

He says bluntly. He always spoke his mind with her. She'd never seen him act like this with anyone else, always silent and stoic, those icy blue eyes showing little emotion.

But with her...it was different. She put aside what that might mean for now, focusing on putting one step in front of the other, and not keeling over and passing out. Finally Bucky spoke again.

"Why did you take that bullet for me? I've been shot before, I would have been fine."

Becca stops to think. Why had she taken that bullet? It was a split second reaction, like an instinct, but why? Why had she willing put herself in harms way for this man? The man that made her fight every day without breaks or food? 

"I...don't know." 

Was all she could say. She could barely stand up now, her vision was spinning.

"I can't feel my shoulder anymore. Can we stop for rest?"

Bucky's head whips around to look at her. The makeshift tourniquet was now soaked through with blood. He was getting worried. He shook his head.

"No breaks, you need to keep moving."

Becca groaned, trying to mask her pain with attitude. But then her knees gave out and she tumbled into the snow. 

"Dammit." She groans. "Now I'm gonna be all cold."

The next thing she knows, Bucky's scooped her up in his arms and presses her close to his chest, carrying her bridal style. 

"We need to keep moving, you are losing too much blood."

There was no emotion in his voice, but his body language told her all she needed to know. He was worried

They keep walking in silence. Becca's silver hair had fallen out of her bun, the blood from her shoulder tinging the ends of it pink. After a while Becca grumbles

"This is humiliating."

Bucky looks amused.

"I thought all girls wanted this."

She looks at him, not understanding.

"Wanted what?"

"A big strong handsome man to carry them."

Becca rolls her eyes and tries not to smile.

"If my arm wasn't out of commission I'd slap you for that."

They walk in silence for a while, it felt like hours, but in reality it was most likely minutes. Finally Bucky broke the silence.

"Do they?"

"Do they what?"

"Like to be carried like this."

"I'm sure most girls do, but I'm not most girls."

Bucky chuckles at that.

"True, you're the most infuriating, disrespectful, independent woman I know."

Becca grins, then winces at the pain again.

"You forgot insufferable."

"And insufferable, and the best damn student I've ever taught. I need you to stay alive Becca. Please. You're my responsibility and I can't lose you."

She's so close to him that she can see his breath puffing in the cold, see the stubble on his chin. She wondered for a fleeting second what it would be like to run her hand along that chiseled jaw, but she quickly pushes it out of her mind.

"I'm getting tired Bucky. It hurts."

He looks at her. He looks scared, panicked.

"Please just hold on a little longer, we're almost at the drop point. Just another half a mile or so to go.

His hold on her body seems to get tighter. His stride seems to become faster, his eyes filled with more emotion. Becca would have been flattered at how worried he was if she wasn't in so much pain. Her vision was getting blurry and she could barely keep her eyes open. 

"Just stay alive for me Becca okay? I can't lose you. Not now."

She nods, but her head starts to dip. The tomahawk comes into view, and Bucky is all but running towards it now. He gets to the helicopter and starts yelling in rapid fire Russian, but she's too out of it to understand what he's saying. She could still feel his toned chest pressing into her side, but her shoulder hurt so much...and she was so tired...the last thing she remembers was the look of pure fear on Bucky's face before she blacked out completely.