Captain America Bucky Barnes Winter Soldier Steve Rogers Fan Fic - The Constant

Chapter Eighteen: Together Now In Death As They Were In Life

The Nurse & James Barnes - Together Now In Death As They Were In Life

You do not know what Doctor Lehmann is planning, but you know Zola does not want to be here when it happens. He is squeamish. That frightens you. What could be so terrible that even the head of the project wants no part in it? During his time here, the patient has been tortured, burnt, assaulted, starved, and continually pumped full of a serum which would make him into...what?

What could be worse than what he has already been through?

You still do not know all the outcome of the project - although you have your suspicions. You know how his body has became stronger, how despite wounds so bad that they have festered it has fixed itself. You know they need to have him under almost constant sedation as he gets stronger. For the last few days it has been getting worse. Lehmann has been making the sedation stronger and stronger until once again he is almost always bed-ridden, barely able to move or to comprehend anything. You feel the pace has increased. The building work is complete, the machinery in place.

All this for one man. James Barnes.

Their Winter Soldier.

                                                                                                     *

The day starts badly. Your patient has been in a lot of pain since the last batch of whatever they have injected into him. He barely sleeps that night, and when he does he has terrible nightmares which leave him screaming. You thought the serum trials were over. But if so, then what are these latest injections about?

You sit by his bedside, trying to let him know you are there, that he is not alone; but you don't know if he even knows where he is any more - not that any of you truly know where you are. He was calling out Steve's name again. It is something that happens more and more.

Come the morning James looks so haggard and grey. Lehmann does not visit to give him the morning sedative. Instead you receive a message via Marinov. You and Stefan are to bring the patient to a room you have never been in before. The room in question is the recreation room used by the guards. Marinov does not know any more than you do. He had been ordered along with two of his guards, to assist Lehmann in setting the room up and can tell you no more.

What has Lehmann got planned?

James is so tired that it is an effort to get him out of bed so you and Stefan use the wheelchair to take him there. When you bring James into the room you see that the tables and chairs have been cleared to the side and a projector has been set up in the middle of the room. The far wall of the room is to act as the screen. Stefan looks at you, and is as puzzled as you are.

You are told to put the patient's wheelchair in the middle of the room, in front of the screen, and you are both to stay. You pull up chairs, one either side of him.

Doctor Lehmann smiles to himself; it's as if the nurse and orderly are trying to protect their patient. Do they really think they can?

What are they doing? James looks questioningly at her, his eyes tired and bloodshot.

"I don't know," Freya whispers to him, and he sees concern and fear in her eyes. The pit of his stomach drops. He knows he is near the end. He knows they are determined to win.

Doctor Lehmann approaches them.

"Sergeant Barnes! We thought it has been a long time since you had news from your home, and we decided it is unfair for us to keep the truth from you. There are things you should know." He turns and points at the blank wall, where the projection is to be. "We have put together a few things; American newsreels that we feel you might like to see, news you have the right to know. This is, how do you say; straight from the horse's mouth. It is rather old news, I'm afraid, but still better late than never."