'Till The End Of The Line

Help (Part 3)

(Warning- Some strong language)

Shit. What was he going to do? If he didn't say something now, then Steve would get suspicious. Think Bucky, think. 

His mind raced as he searched for something to say: 'Should i tell him?' He thought. 'Natalia said that i should...'

"Dammit!" He cursed under his breath, the stress beginning to show as he ran his fingers through his hair in a deep thought process.

"Bucky?!" Steve stared at him, confused. What the hell is happening? 

"Uh, right  okay" Bucky turned to face him. "Steve. Okay, can we go somewhere a little more private for this?" A concerned look flickered across Steve's eyes, but he followed Bucky back up to his bedroom so that they could talk.

Steve shut the door behind him and glared at Bucky, seemingly clueless. "Bucky wha-"

"Just, shut up Steve." He scolded angrily. "This is important and i don't have time for your adorable rambling okay?" At this, Steve's look of concern grew and he frowned heavily, confused at the mention of 'adorable'.

Bucky took a deep breath, and sighed heavily. "Steve, I-"

Suddenly, the world went black. After a few seconds, Bucky regained consciousness and moaned in pain as he struggled to look around him at the rubble that was once his bedroom. "S-Steve?" He whimpered. "Steve!!" His voice grew louder as he noticed Steve's body emerging from underneath a collapsed wall. "HELP!!" Bucky screamed as he tried to drag the pile of bricks, plaster and splintered wood off of his body, pulling Steve through the gap that was once the door. "STEVE!!" 

The sound of his excruciating pain ripped through the halls of the building as tears tore their way down his cheek. The image of Sam and Natasha rushing into the room was just a blur as his weakened body was unable to move.

"Gas leak. That's what forensics are saying caused the explosion." Natasha stood with her arms folded, watching Steve in his hospital bed through the window to the private room.

"Can they be sure?" Replied Tony, who had paid to have him transferred to this high-end facility. "It doesn't matter how. Not anymore." Remarked Natasha, who turned to face Tony. 

"It does if it's Hydra. Who knows what you're up against." At this, Natasha scoffed.

"Still not a 'we'?" She said, smirking slightly at him.

"Oh come on, i paid for him to be here, is that not enough? I even let Barnes in to see him"

Natasha turned back to look at Steve, noticing Bucky asleep in the chair next to his bed. "Well i don't think you had much of a choice on that. He would have given his other arm to go in and see him. He hasn't left his side. He forced the nurses to attend to him in that room, all the while watching  Steve, waiting for him to wake up. "

"And when will he? Wake up, i mean" Asked Tony intently.

"We don't know. Could be today, could be in a year." The silence echoed through the halls as they both looked to the ground, Steve's beeping heart monitor being the only thing left to hear.