Taming The Ghost

Chapter 8

After breakfast, Steve briefed me on what he wanted me to do in my rehab sessions with Bucky. I was to (and I quote) "hang out with him" to help him to calm down and come to terms with normality. I need to try to help reclaim as much of his lost memory as possible. I can do that. At least I think I can.

As I walked down the corridor towards Bucky's cell I began to feel increasingly nervous but I had no idea why. I'd been around him a couple of times the previous day and he seemed to be quite friendly with me, or at least a bit less cold than he was towards anyone else.

I approached his cell door and swiped my card into the security system to unlock it. I was greeted by the sight of Bucky sat cross legged on his bed in his new S.H.I.E.L.D. Clothes that I got him yesterday, almost identical to the ones that I was wearing with the exception of his being black and not grey, with his back to the door.

"Bucky?" I said quaintly. At the sound of my voice he twisted his torso around to look at me and smiled. Something about this is contagious because I instantly smile too. A real, genuine smile. It's not very often that happens nowadays.

"You managed to get rehab detail then?" he asked in a rough voice, standing up. I wondered if that was the first time he'd spoken today.

"Yeah, I did. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." he replied with a brief laugh,

"Come on then." I smiled in response, guiding him out of his cell.

I told him to wait by the door for a minute while I had told the guard that was going to be following us around for safety reasons to keep his distance so that Bucky didn't see him and accidentally go into Winter Soldier mode. After I did this, I got Bucky from the door and we set off down the hall. I didn't exactly know where we were going, I was just wandering aimlessly around the base trying to find something to do that wouldn't be triggering for him. I needed to train but that could wait until tomorrow since I technically trained out in the field yesterday. Combat, even in its most basic form, was probably not something that Bucky wanted to see or be anywhere near right now. Instead, I stumbled upon what seemed to be a staff room. Its walls were bare sheet metal and the door was an old wooden one with a rusty handle and squeaky hinges. Inside, there were two low grey sofas and a coffee table that seemed to be as old as the door. What really caught my eye though, was a little square, brown table right at the back of the room with a dusty chess board on top and chairs. "Hey Barnes, you any good at chess?" I asked the man next to me with a grin

"Who's Barnes?" he replied, looking at me with his eyebrows crumpled together in confusion. My heart sank when he said this as I realised that I was probably one of the first people to call him by his real name in 70 years. Before that, he was nobody. He must have seen my face drop and thought about what I'd said before saying "Oh, I'm Barnes, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you are." I replied sadly

"What's my full name?" Bucky asked, more inquisitive now than confused. He began walking over towards the table I was eyeing up before and picking up the pieces in his metal hand and dusting them off cautiously with his human hand, allowing him to examine them. He seemed scared to touch them for fear of him crushing them in his grip. I took a moment to watch him squint at each one to try and determine what it was before walking over to him and sitting down in one of the chairs, gesturing for him to do the same. Once he was sat down I moved a pawn forward two spaces and then said

"Your full name is James Buchanan Barnes, but your friends called you Bucky."

"Damn, my parents couldn't have picked an easier name to remember could they?" he said while reaching over the board and moving the pawn that was next to the one I'd just moved forward two spaces as well, then he looked over at me as if he were asking if he'd done it right. "Wait. Does that mean we're friends?" he said. I chuckled as I moved the pawn back and a confused look fell over his face.

"Sure, I don't see why not." his eyes lit up as I said this and I smiled before explaining his mistake to him "You move the black ones. The white ones are mine because I'm sat on the side of the table where they are and you're sat on the side where the black ones are so they're yours."

"Oh, okay. Sorry. I haven't played any games in a long time."

"It's ok, don't worry. I'll teach you." I replied

"You will?" he smiled

"Yeah, of course I will. We can't have you loosing every game to me can we?" I grinned.

We played chess for about three or four hours because Bucky was determined to play at least one game without me assisting him. In between me informing him what each piece did and where it could move, we talked about Bucky's life before Hydra, or should I say Bucky asked questions and I answered them. He was quite eager to learn about himself. "Where am I from?" "When's my birthday?" "How old am I now?" "Who's this Steve I keep hearing people talk about?" "He was my best friend?" "I tried to kill him..." This was the final statement we ended on. I was about to explain to him that it wasn't his fault when Natasha came storming in with another guard in tow to inform us that it was dinner time and that she had come to escort Bucky on Captain's orders. She was about to move him out of the room when Bucky said "Wait." The guards flinched and pointed their guns to face him as he turned to look at me with pleading eyes. "Will you eat with me?"

"Yeah," I said feeling slightly shocked that he wanted to spend more time with me. Usually people in rehab due to things such as this shy away from other people and want to be left alone. I know I did. "Yeah, of course I will." I said before standing up and walking towards the dining room with Bucky by my side; Black Widow and two armed guards behind us.