I'll Keep This Secret For You

Chapter 66

Four Weeks Later:

Finally.

Finally you are out of a cast. Finally Bucky is starting to show some improvements.

You guys feel more free, literally and figuratively to do things that you want and be a slightly more normal family again. Which is why, since it is a shitty, cold mid-winters day you decided to take the family to the pool.

Surprisingly enough it was Bucky's idea. He wanted to get the kids out of the house because you've all been stuck there huddled around the fire for the past few days since school was closed due to snow. 

"Ah! Mummy the waters cold!" Isla squeals the minute she dips a toe in.

"Isla sweetie we told you it would be at first remember but you'll get used to it." You chuckle at her cuteness with Theo on resting on your hip.

Of course Luke just dives straight in without any qualms whatsoever but Isla just continues to stand on the side of the pool tentatively holding Bucky's hand as he waits for her patiently.

He looks so much better now. He's back to a healthy weight and looks so much stronger again because he has been doing some light training again like running and strength, just not combat just yet to avoid any triggers. He says he's no where near where he was but the fact that he's getting back on track really helps him feel even better and gives him more trust and confidence in himself. The nightmares and confusion are still there but you're both gradually learning how to live with and handle them. It's just going to be a fact of life now and he's starting to accept that.

Looking at him now wearing just his shorts if you didn't know what he'd been through you'd think he were perfectly fine. His healing abilities mean the scars on his torso have all completely disappeared and his skin and hair looks healthy and shiny again. He's kept it longish and currently has it tied up in a bun to keep it out of his face and you think it really suits him.

"Did you want to go on my shoulders Bub?" He asks Isla sweetly.

She looks up at him with big puppy dog eyes.

"Yes please daddy." She pouts and he lifts her up onto her shoulders before starting to walk in and slowly lowering her into the water.

"See? It's not so bad. It's hardly even cold." He shrugs when she lets out a little whimper.

You follow them in with Theo who immediately finds joy in the water, splashing and kicking and giggling. You laugh at him and splash him a bit which only makes him more excited.

Luke runs up to Isla and Bucky and splashes them massively causing Isla to shriek and Bucky to gasp, caught off guard. At first Isla is upset but Bucky is such a good dad that he knows just how to handle the situation.

"Hey Isla, should we get him back?" He smirks and looks up at her just as her bottom lip starts to tremble. "Come on, we can win. It's two against one."

Just like that she breaks into a huge smile and nods eagerly.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" She cheers and Bucky goes charging through the water towards Luke with a cunning look on his face.

When they catch him a huge water fight breaks out. You stay off to the side because you have a toddler and you're pregnant so there's no need for rowdiness there. But at some point the fight turns to Isla and Luke against Bucky.

They jump all over him, splash him, try to push him under and he generally fights them off with ease and humour, sometimes fake struggling or fake getting furious and letting out a roar. Until one time when they get him under the water and hold him down for quite a while he starts to thrash and when he comes up he pushes them off of him and freezes with a panicked look in his wide eyes and you know he's not playing anymore.