It Started with a Cupcake

Testing

"Please take a seat." Dr. Banner said, sitting across from him on a stool, the soldier awkwardly sitting down and requesting some air conditioning as it was late June and he was burning up. Bruce suspected he had a simple fever but he couldn't be sure.

Several others were in the room, including Natasha, Bucky, Sam and Phil. They were mainly there so their curiosities would be ended. Except for Phil.

Phil was just a little shit.

"Okay. It has come to everyone's attention you have been feeling sick and dizzy and tired the last few weeks and do not try to defend yourself because we have all caught you throwing up your dinner into the trash can 'secretly' and, we have kept you from hitting your head during dizzy spells." Bruce opened, making the Captain shift uncomfortably on the examination bed.

"Now. We need you to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Natasha spoke, standing next to the doctor. "What is this a court ro-?!" "No. But you have been lying for weeks about how bad this actually is to spare us from worry and we need you to speak honestly alright?" Bruce finished.

The soldier looked around the room nervously, opening his mouth to object before submitting, taking a gulp while nodding up and down, "alright. I will..." He said, sheepishly looking to the floor.

"Now. We need to take your weight, blood pressure etc. before we continue." Banner said, walking him to the old fashioned scale, honestly just finding it more trustworthy. "You were what..." Bruce mumbled, looking down at the chart. "220 before?" "Yes." Steve answered calmly, "229." The doctor read off of the scale. "Nine pounds?! I'm throwing up everything I eat! I haven't even been able to train!" He exclaimed louder than he probably should've, followed by quickly covering his mouth with his hand to keep him from saying anything else stupid.

"Exactly, that is why we are running these tests. Something is off about you." Sam explained simply, looking at his friend nervously. The super soldier stepped off of the scale and sheepishly returned to the bed, getting his blood pressure and temperature taken.

"Alright, extend your arm because we are going to take a blood sample alright? And then the restroom is just down the hall for the urine sample." Bruce explained to him calmly, though it made the soldier blush ever so slightly.

His arm was carefully sterilized and the needle filled up with blood and he shuffled to the restroom to relieve himself into the cup. He walked back into the room, handing the bag to the doctor and leaned against the wall. "Can I go now?" He asked. It was of course set in his brain to hate hospitals, as he spent a good amount of time in his childhood in one. "Just let me take your heart rate alright? Remove your shirt." He said calmly, sterilizing his stethoscope. The soldier did as such. His chest appeared ever so slightly swollen as did the area underneath his abs.

The doctor raised an eyebrow internally but knew such actions always tended to upset the patient so he held back. He pressed the stethoscope to the left side of his chest, the soldier taking a quick hitch of air ever so slightly. "Did that hurt?" The doctor asked, his hand retaliating. "No." "The truth." Bucky reminded him. "Well... A bit. It's just sore." He said gently, "maybe I slept wrong."

"Uh huh." The entire room seemed to say in skeptical unison.

Steve started to feel very uncomfortable under all of these eyes. Friends or not.

Bruce just raised his eyebrows quickly and let out a short puff of air before returning to hearing the other's heartbeat. He felt his face stretch out and scrunch up ever so slightly at the echo though. He slowly switched to the soldier's back, dragging it down and telling him to cough.

Nope. Not odd palpitations.

Slowly he dragged to to the front, towards the swollen area, his eyes widened as he paled significantly. "Just as I thought." He whispered to himself. All of the actions were making the super soldier understandably terrified. "What?! What is it?" He asked, panting with fear as the dual heart rates seemed to speed up.