Bound By Purpose

Lullaby

---Bucky's POV---

There are about ten soldiers with me in my cell. Most of them sit with their elbows resting on their knees but not me. I'm waiting to hear or see anything that will suggest that Evelyn is alive. It's been about 20 minutes since we've been locked in here and the men are already getting anxious. No one has even attempted to reassure me and I don't blame them. I think we're all feeling a little hopeless. I pace until the silence of our holding explodes with the sound of the cell block doors creaking open. I fall onto the bars, gripping them tightly, and leaning out slightly so I can see. Two guards enter, dragging Evelyn between them. My throat becomes dry and I am frozen in the moment as they bring her closer and closer. Her left upper arm clearly has two bullet wounds painted across it. I squint as they pass us by. They weren't bullet wounds. I've seen more than my fair share of those and those weren't it. There's hardly any blood and there's no exit wound which any close range shot would be accompanied by. They stop at the cell across the way from mine. They tilt her head up, but she seems to be unconscious because it immediately falls forward again. They open the cell door and carelessly push  her inside.  The men, led by Dugan, catch her before she hits the ground and slowly lay her on the floor. I grip the bars in front of me waiting for the guards to depart. When they do I watch the cell earnestly. All the men except for one that I don't know the name of clear the way.

The man crouches down to her side and now I see the medical symbol wrapped on his sleeve. I watch him carefully. He shakes his head up at the watching soldiers. She couldn't be dead. I press my head through the bars trying to hear more. "Definitely not bullet wounds." He moves his hand to the holes and gently tugs on the skin. I see her whole body twitch at his touch. "There's clearly something in there... I could maybe get whatever it is she was shot with out of her, but I don't have the tools and she would feel all of it. And if she screams the guards will hear and run back and probably kill her. But on the other hand we don't know what it is and it may easily kill her." The situation runs through my head. Chances are we're all going to die anyway. I see Evelyn begin to stir. I try to get closer to her but it's physically impossible the bars restrict anymore movement forward. 

---Evelyn's POV---

I wake up to the dull throb of my shoulder and eyes of the whole 107th staring down at me. Remembering what happened I quickly try to sit up then hands are there to help me stand. I so desperately want them to be Bucky's but they aren't. I shake off the stranger's hands and stumble forward to the cell bars. As the initial dizziness passes, an annoying pain screams in my shoulder and down my arm. I look down at it seeing the disgusting black and purple around the wounds. The blood has all but stopped. I wince feeling something shift inside. I hear my name whispered so I look up across the small space to the next cell. Bucky is pressed up against the bars staring at me. I take deep breaths as I try to get out any evidence of being okay. "I'm okay. I think it was just some special tranquilizer to shut me up." I smile to try to mask the truth. I can't pretend that I don't think I'm dying from what he shot into me. I can feel it, but there's nothing to do. Bucky looks at me doubting every word from my mouth. 

The hours drag on and the bleeding finally stops completely. I try my best to get in on the conversations being carried on by my cell mates, but I can't focus on anything. I'm extremely dizzy and my eyes are always across looking at Buck. He continuously looks over at me constantly checking on me. As the men around me finally start to fall asleep I curl up in ball in the corner of the cell. The lights are dim adding to my exhaustion. Who knows if I'll wake up if I drift off. 

I hear Bucky but I can't see him at all. "Evelyn?" He asks.

"I'm awake." I say. My eyes are lightly shut but I am very much aware. 

"Do you think you could do something for all of us?" I try to situate my body to a more comfortable position, but it's no use.

"Yeah." I say trying to keep the growing pain out of my voice. "What do you need?" I'm not sure what he expects of me, but I would do my best.

"Do you think you could sing for us?" He asks. The way he had asked that as if he were just a boy... I felt like I was back home in Brooklyn in 1935. 

I know he can't fully see me but I turn my head to him confused anyway. "What? I don't think I've ever sang in front of you before." I don't think I've sang in front of anyone.

"I don't care. I just want to hear your voice." The pain sharpens again as I try to sit up straight.

"Bucky I don't know..." I say looking down the open corridor for guards.

"Please sing princess." I turn to my left to Dum Dum who is also clearly exhausted.

"Okay but only for you." I say sarcastically with a bit of a smile.

I listen for any sound, but I hear absolutely nothing. If I started to sing would the guards care? Without thinking too much about my punishment, I let out a breath and think of what to sing. The answer comes to me within a few seconds. I lay my head back against the bars and close my eyes.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..." I listen to my voice echo down the cell block and when I hear no complaints I continue. "You make me happy when skies are grey..." Slowly but surely other men join in and soon a beautiful yet eerie choir can be heard all through the cell block. My voice becomes fainter as the song continues as does most of my surroundings. "You'll never know dear how much I love you, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." The last line seems to linger in the air longer then the rest as I finally drift off to a painful sleep.