Behind Blue Eyes

01

Sam Wilson was jogging around Washington, D.C. when Steve quickly caught up to him, passing him. Jane trailed a distance behind. Her father had made her come for an early run, and she was not enthused by either the run itself or the time.

"On your left," Steve said.

As Sam continued to jog, Steve came around again after another lap and said, "On your left."

"Uh-huh, on my left," Sam replied. "Got it."

As Sam was still jogging, Steve came around from behind again.

"Don't say it! Don't you say it!" Sam told him.

"On your left!" Steve said.

"Come on!"

Jane let out a tired sigh. "Dad, stop messing with him."

Sam got angry and tried to catch up to the super-soldier, but after a few seconds, he was unable to carry on and stopped to rest.

As Sam rested, catching his breath against a tree, Steve and Jane walked over to him.

"Need a medic?" Steve asked.

Sam laughed. "I need a new set of lungs. Dude, you two just ran like 13 miles in 30 minutes." He looked at Jane. "Impressive for someone so young."

"I guess we got a late start."

He hesitated a moment before taking sarcastically, "Oh, really? You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap. Did you just take it? I assumed you just took it."

"What unit you with?" Jane asked, getting a similar sense of war with the man like she got with her father.

"58, Pararescue. But now I'm working down at the VA." He lifted a hand to shake. "Sam Wilson."

Steve gave Sam a hand to shake, pulling him up. "Steve Rogers. This is my daughter Jane."

"Yeah, I kind of put that together," Sam said. "Must have freaked you two out, coming home after the whole defrosting thing."

"It takes some getting used to. It's good to see you, Sam."

As Steve and Jane turned to leave, Sam said, "It's your bed, right?"

"What's that?"

"Your bed, it's too soft. When I was over there, I'd sleep on the ground and use rock for pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed, and it's like..."

"Lying on a marshmallow. Feel like I'm gonna sink right to the floor."

Jane looked down and fiddled with her hands. "Um, it feels like it's sucking me in. I don't like it."

Sam smiled, looking at Jane sympathetically, and nodded his head before Steve asked, "How long?"

"Two tours," Sam replied.

After an awkward silence, Sam asked, "You two must miss the good old days, huh?"

"Well, things aren't so bad," Steve said. "Food's a lot better, we used to boil everything. No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. Jane and I've been reading that a lot trying to catch up."

Sam looked up to think and raised a finger. "Marvin Gaye, 1972, Trouble Man soundtrack. Everything you've both missed in one album."

"I'll put it on the list."

Steve pulled out his small notebook and pen and wrote it on the list which included - I Love Lucy (Television); Moon Landing; Berlin Wall (Up + Down); Steve Jobs (Apple); Disco; Thai Food; Star Wars/Trek (with Star Wars crossed out); Nirvana (Band); Rocky (Rocky II?).

Jane rolled her eyes as she looked at her father's list. "That's such an old man thing to do."

"It'll be helpful," Steve told her.

Steve got a text. 'Mission alert. Extraction imminent. Meet at the curb. :)'

"All right, Sam, duty calls," Steve said. "Thanks for the run. If that's what you wanna call running. Jane, go back to the apartment. Sam, if you wouldn't mind taking her..."

Sam nodded as he shook hands with Steve and asked, "Oh, that's how it is?"

"Oh, that's how it is."

He laughed. "Okay. Any time you wanna stop by the VA, make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know."

"We'll keep it in mind."

"Okay."

Natasha pulled up in her car by the curb and rolled down the window and said, "Hey, fellas, ma'am. Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

"That's hilarious," Steve retorted.

Jane laughed. "It's totally hilarious."

Steve walked over to Natasha's car and got in.

Sam gave Natasha and her car an appreciative look before asking, "How you doing?"

"Hey," Natasha greeted.

"Can't run everywhere," Steve said.

"No, you can't," Sam replied, watching as Natasha quickly pulled away and drove off.

Jane waved to her father and watched him and Natasha drive away.

Sam looked at the teenager and asked, "You hungry?"

Jane nodded. "Starving. Can we get pancakes?"

"Sounds good to me."