Only a Memory | Bucky Barnes

Chapter 20: Another One?

Before I start, I forgot to change the title for the last chapter. All my chapters already had titles before I even started writing this story, and before that chapter was supposed to be about Rumlow and Pierce. Anyway, it's pretty much irrelevant now because by the time you see this I will have already changed the title. It was 'bullies' before.

Sorry if that caused any confusion, because the title definitely didn't match the content. Lol did anyone even notice?

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Bucky couldn't help but assume the worst when he sped down the highway to the nearest hospital. Steve tried to offer him some comfort, but it didn't do much to ease Bucky's mind. Still, Bucky was grateful that Steve insisted on coming.

Winifred was waiting for the two boys outside, pacing back and forth. She looked slightly distressed, but not as much as she had sounded on the phone. She had sounded so panicked and worried that Bucky's mind had immediately jumped to the worst conclusions.

"Bucky!" Winifred shouted as soon as she saw the two approaching. She gave him a quick suffocating hug before letting go and heading inside, expecting Bucky to follow.

Bucky did, with Steve close behind. His worries had been eased slightly, but it all came back as soon as he was overwhelmed by the white walls and hospital smell. He hadn't been to a hospital since his own accident, not even to check on his metal arm, and had never really thought much about them sense. It quickly became apparent that he definitely hated them.

"What happened?" Bucky asked Winifred, a slight waver to his voice.

"There was a car accident," she said. "But Rebecca is going to be fine."

Bucky finally let out a breath of relief. "But you sounded so worried on the phone."

She sighed. "Before, all I knew was that she was involved in an accident. I didn't know how bad it actually was. We don't know details yet, and Rebecca won't tell us anything."

A sudden realization hit Bucky, and he couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of it before. When his mom told him on the phone that Rebecca got into a car accident, she didn't mention anything about anyone else involved . Bucky had just filled in the gaps, assuming that she was in a car with someone else. Thus far, there had been no mention of who was driving.

It was Rebecca. Bucky just knew it.

Though Winifred still looked fairly distressed, it wasn't to the point she would have been at if her daughter was physically harmed. Rebecca couldn't even drive, and she had only just turned fifteen.

Maybe Bucky was completely off, and there was someone else involved in the whole thing. But his theory made sense. Winifred had also said that Rebecca wouldn't tell them anything, but shouldn't there be other people involved that could? Unless, of course, there never was anyone else. And if the driver was too injured to be offering answers, wouldn't Winifred be worried about them, too?

It seemed to take forever just to get to where Bucky's sister was staying. At once point, Steve's hand brushed again his, and then Steve interlocked his fingers with Bucky's. Bucky let him because he needed the support, even if his sister was apparently okay.

Winifred eyed their interlocked hands, though she didn't say anything and her expression didn't change. 

Just before they walked into the room, Steve squeezed Bucky's hand. He let go, prepared to allow Bucky some time alone with his sister. Bucky wasn't even sure that this was what he wanted. If Rebecca really was fine, then he supposed that he would be okay without Steve at his side. Besides, Winifred would be there and it wasn't as if he needed Steve to function.