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

Chapter Seventy-Seven: New York, It's A Helluva Town

Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers – New York, It's A Helluva Town

Bucky Barnes leaves The Smithsonian determined that when he returns to his motel room he is going to start to go through the notebook she has left him. But by the time he gets back to his room he is in a bad way again. He cannot understand why his injuries are making him feel so terrible; he knows he should be on the mend by now. His system is overworked and having trouble keeping up with the damage to his brain that his headaches are causing. He is not eating properly and is severely dehydrated. He falls into his room and staggers to the bathroom, taking off his jacket on the way. What he had taken for sweat on his teeshirt is actually blood. He takes off the shirt and his hands come away bloody. Luckily his jeans are black; the left hip is sodden.

"Shit, shit!" He grabs one of the towels and tries to clean the wound so he can see it, but the towel is already stiff from before and will not soak up the new blood. He feels faint, darkness threatening the edge of his vision, and staggers to the sink to throw water on his face. He sees his reflection in the bathroom in the mirror, and the scene goes fuzzy, he cannot get a clear view and he turns, blinking. He needs to tidy up; if someone were to see this they would probably call the police.

He lets go of the sink meaning to go to the shower, perhaps that will refresh him, but he manages two steps forward and then goes down on his knees. He sees flashes of light in his vision, his ears are humming and he crumples to the coolness of the floor and that is the last he knows.

*

"I really feel a lot better," Steve is trying to argue the case with Sam, but Sam wants Steve to stay in the hospital. Steve wants to go home. Natasha is looking on with an amused look on her face and Tony is, well Tony.

"And if you have a relapse?" Sam asks.

Steve laughs and then groans. "I'm not going to have a relapse. Look, I'm on the mend." His ribs are still broken and his cheek discoloured, but the scratches are starting to look better. It is the gunshot wounds that most concern Sam.

Natasha adds her penny's worth. "It's not a good idea for you to go home alone; you need someone to keep an eye on you for a couple of days at least..."

Steve smiles that shy heart dropping smile of his as he looks at her, "Are you offering?" She tuts and smiles to show she's amused.

Tony claps his hands together as if something has been decided. "Right then children, it's settled. Sam, pack his bag. He's coming home with me."

They look at him and he sighs. "Chop, chop, come on, time waits for no man and all that. I have things to do."

He turns to leave the room, already speaking to Jarvis, arranging for Steve to move in. Natasha is already staying with him and then Tony suddenly stops, turns and looks at Sam. He points at him whilst telling Jarvis to make a room up for Sam as well. "And you can play nurse. Might as well have you all under one roof whilst you're trying to make up your minds whats going to happen next."

If Steve is honest with himself, he would admit he would rather be back in New York.

All of the Avengers have at some time stayed at Stark Tower. After the damage sustained to it in a previous escapade, Tony rebuilt and included a whole floor dedicated for use by the Avenger team. They have allocated rooms and adding Sam to the Assemble would be no problem. Tony can think of no safer place for Steve Rogers at the moment...and he can keep an eye on him as well.

Steve arranges with Sam to visit his apartment on the way to pick up some things first, and by evening they are all installed in Stark Tower. Sam is impressed. Not only do they have their own rooms but they also have a gym, lounge, kitchen, library, theatre room, kick-ass lab (okay he wasn't so thrilled about that) – they even have their own Quinjet.