First Love || Bucky Barnes

Chapter Seventeen: Heartache

~June 7, 1941~

Steve arrived at the church, feeling even more heartbroken as he walked inside. The atmosphere not only looked gloomy but felt it as well. Everywhere he looked there were no smiles.

I hate this. Why did she have to die?  Steve thought momentarily before he took his seat at the front. Even the pews weren't very comfortable. 

But what was there really to complain about. It was a sunny day, with birds chirping and flowers blooming. His mother would have given anything to see this day.

Besides, all of her coworkers from the hospital, church friends and former classmates came to the funeral. Steve's mother clearly left a lasting impression on all of the people that were attending the funeral. She was the friendliest and sincerest person you would have ever met. 

The moment he tuned out the chattering and noise. Steve noticed something right in front of him. What he came here to see...the casket. 

The casket was closed now seeing as the viewing happened an hour ago where everyone was able to see her one last time as they bid farewell to the woman they once knew and loved.

Steve jumps as he feels a hand on his right shoulder. He turns to see a solemn looking Bucky. Bucky didn't say anything as he took his hand off Steve's shoulder before sitting down right next to him. 

The two friends sat there in silence as more people filed into the church for the service. He was thankful that Bucky was still by his side as he recalled the rough two days he had ever since the passing of his mom, Sarah.

On June 5th, when Sarah passed away, he sat alone in the hallway of the hospital, his head on his knees and cried for hours. The nurses not knowing who to call expect for one of Sarah's close friends. She immediately looked up the numbers of his friends, called them and regretted informing them of the heartache news.

After the phone calls were made, twenty minutes later, Steve felt two people sit on either side of him and wrap their arms around him. He didn't need to lift his head up to see who they were. In his heart, he knew it was Bucky and Elizabeth as they held him. For another hour, the three childhood friends sat there on the floor in the hallway, letting the tears fall freely from their eyes.

Steve snaps out of the flashback as he hears someone sitting down on the pew. He turns his head to see Elizabeth and Grandpa Jack, next to Bucky.

Steve looks away, tears filling up in his eyes. He clears his throat. "Y-you three know that the front r-row is for family only, right?" 

Steve feels a hand on his knee and looks over to see that it belonged to Grandpa Jack. "Kid...we are family," he tells him as he patted his knee before pulling his hand away. Steve then looks over at Elizabeth and Bucky. "We're not going anywhere," Elizabeth tells him as Bucky nods. 

The music starts playing, signaling that the funeral was about to begin. Everyone stood up, as the funeral director and the pastor walks in and begins the service.

++++++

After the somber funeral, the pallbearers carried it on their shoulders to the hearse. Steve immediately gets up and quickly follows after them while the guests took their time to collect their belongings. 

Bucky and Elizabeth gets up and cast a look over at Grandpa Jack who was now joined by Bucky's parents. "Go on, we'll meet you out front," Grandpa Jack tells them as Bucky and Elizabeth thanked their family members quickly before slightly pushing their way through the crowd to get to Steve.

Bucky and Elizabeth walk out of the church, hand in hand and runs down the steps. They step onto the sidewalk and frantically scan the crowd for Steve but to their luck, they couldn't find him. 

Bucky runs his right hand through his hair as his left hand squeezes Elizabeth's right hand for comfort. The two were obviously worried about Steve since he had just lost his mother two days ago, meaning her passing was still quite fresh and hard on all of them. 

"Bucky! Elizabeth!"

The couple turns around; expecting Steve but it was their family, walking down the stairs. They met them halfway.

"Where's Steve?" George, Bucky's father asks him. "We wanted to offer him a ride to the cemetery," Winnifred, Bucky's mother tells them.

Elizabeth lets out a heavy sigh as she shakes her head. "We don't know." "He probably needed to be alone...to take everything in," Grandpa Jack explains as Bucky and Elizabeth's eyes sadden at the thought of Steve being lost in his thoughts by himself. 

++++++

"There he is, Bucky," Elizabeth tells him as she spots Steve walking up the stairs to his apartment. Bucky takes her hand into his, pulling her along as they followed after Steve. The two had been waiting around his apartment building for two hours.

"Steve!" Elizabeth calls out as Steve stops halfway on the stairs and turns his head to see his two best friends. He lets out a sigh and continues walking up the steps, knowing that they were right behind him.

"We looked for you after," Bucky tells him as they reached the top of the stairs and walks towards Steve's apartment. "My folks wanted to give you a ride to the cemetery." 

"I know, I'm sorry. I just..." Steve trails off as he stares down at his shoes. "I just kind of wanted to be alone." "How was it?" Elizabeth asks him softly. "It was okay. She's next to Dad." 

"I was gonna ask-" 

"I know what you're gonna say, Buck, I just..."

"We can put the couch cushions on the floor like when we were kids," he tells Steve as Elizabeth smiles. "Oh! And we can put the blankets over on top as well and pretend that we're camping. It'll be fun." 

Bucky nods. "All you gotta do is shine my shoes, maybe take out the trash," he lists as the three finally reach the apartment door. As Steve tries to find his keys, Bucky kicks a brick aside, picks up the apartment keys from under it and gives it to Steve. "Come on," he pleads.

"Thank you, Buck, Lizzie, but I can get by on my own." 

Elizabeth pulls her hand out of Bucky's hold and stands by Steve's side and takes a hold of his right hand gently. "The thing is, you don't have to," she tells him as Bucky stands on Steve's left side and gives him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "I'm with you to the end of the line, pal."

Elizabeth smiles. "That's right, you two are. But the three of us...we're the three musketeers, all for one and one for all." "What she said," Bucky tells Steve as he manages to crack a small smile on his face.

He didn't know how he got so lucky to have Bucky Barnes and Elizabeth Johnson as his friends but he thanked God every day for bringing these two special people into his life. 

[Published 7/23/19]