Love On The Frontlines

(3) PTSD

A week later

It had been a week into the pandemic that swept over the world. New York was getting hit hard with it. Bucky had a surgery that wasn't one of his non emergent surgeries he had lined up.

So the nurses on the floor were left without their department head. As Brooklyn was changing gloves as she came out of a patient's room. She heard a few of her nurse colleagues saying.

"Sir you can't be up here without a mask. We have new protocols in place right now."

Brooklyn saw the man she walked over to him.

"Mr Taylor you can't be up here without a mask. And two Joy your sister in law is here with George. We turned the machines off this morning.." Brooklyn said

"You did it without me! He's my brother! Where is he? Joy?." He said in a raised tone.

"Do you want me to call security?" Emma whispered

"No I got this." Brooklyn said in a low tone.

She followed behind him. "Mr Taylor please go home..we are only allowed to have one family member in the room when it comes to end of life care. I know that's not what we talked about two weeks ago but as you can tell we weren't aware of this virus." She said

"Just shut up. I want to know where they are. This isn't what we discussed Ms Dallas." Mr Taylor said as he continued to roam the hall.

She went to grab his shoulder when he back handed her across the face. He grabbed her arm.

"Don't you touch me. I don't give two shits about your protocols Ms Dallas. That was my twin brother! I wanted to be here we have done everything together!" He said in a raised tone.

"I will advise you Mr Taylor to kindly remove your hand off me." She said through gritted teeth.

"Tell me where my brother is!" He yelled

"I said no. You are not allowed in the room. Now remove your hand off me." She said

Mr Taylor tightened his grip on her arm. She took her right hand and grabbed his hand on her left arm. When she did she bent his arm behind him and had him in a hold.

Bucky was on the elevator with security on the way up. Fury found him on the surgical floor to inform him that there was a situation on his floor. When the doors opened Emma lead them over to where she was with Mr Taylor.

"Brooklyn! Let him go!" Bucky said

When she let him go he saw the blood seeping through her mask. The bruise forming on her arm.

"Did you assault one of my nurses?" Bucky said

"She wouldn't let me see my brother Dr a Barnes." He said as security cuffed him.

"Because we have new protocols Mr Taylor." Bucky said

Security began to haul him off. "You will be hearing from my lawyer Ms Dallas." Mr Taylor said

"Go ahead I will say it was self defense..and you just assaulted a former military officer I'm Corporal you sob." She said as she walked off.

As she was cleaning up her lip in the locker room. Emma came in. "Brooke Dr Barnes said that you are to meet him in the chiefs office."

Brooklyn looked down. "Thanks Emma.." she said as she picked up her scrub top and put it back on.

When she walked in Bucky was standing in the middle of the room. "Ms Dallas..come in." Fury said

She walked over to where his desk was. "I just had a lovely phone call with Mr Taylor. And I've watched the security footage. I understand that you were acting in self defense but you were told last week to call security if there was a problem. Not handle it like we are doing military training." Fury said

Brooklyn looked down. "Dr Barnes how many nurses do you have on your staff?" Fury said

"16 if you count her." He said

"So you will be okay if you are short one for two days?" Fury said

"Yes sir." Bucky said

"Good. Effective immediately Ms Dallas you are suspended for the next 48 hrs." Fury said

"Seriously! He was breaking all kinds of protocols he assaulted me and I'm not allowed to do anything about it." She said

"This isn't a war zone Dallas you had him a choke hold." Bucky said behind her.

Brooklyn shook her head as she slammed the door when she walked out. She was wiping tears when she got to the elevator. When she got back to the floor she went to the locker room and got her stuff.

Bucky was at the door. "Brooklyn..you." He said but she brushed right pass him as she left to go home.

He followed her to the elevator. "Brooklyn you got in trouble because of how you handled the situation." He said

"Whatever.." she said as she hit the closed door button.

Bucky looked down then walked back to the main icu/CCU floor. Sam came up with more COVID patients.

"Hey man..what's up with you?" Sam said

"I just had one of my nurses suspended.." he said

"Damn which one?" Sam said

"The blonde you pointed out two weeks. Brooklyn..she apparently is a former Corporal and when one of a patient's  family members assaulted her she put him in a choke hold." He said

"That tiny thing is a former military officer damn.." Sam said

"Yeah." Bucky said as he read a page.

Three days later..

"When we get home baby..we are going to start our family. Make us some gorgeous babies.." Josh said

"Mmm I can't wait..no more shower sex for us when that happens." Brooklyn said as they kissed.

"Mmm not that I mind baby. Cause I have my gorgeous wife by my side..kicking ass like the bad ass she is." Josh said as they made out in the shower stall.

Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz

Brooklyn woke up with red eyes that was one of many recurring dreams. Her last morning with her husband when they were overseas. She turned off her alarm and got ready for the day.

Half way through the day she walked out of a patients room. When she did she was standing in the middle of the hall as people from the morgue carried out body bags. Her mind wasn't putting up the walls she uses to keep her triggers at bay after her morning dream.

So everything was a mess in her mind. Emma saw her going pale. She walked over to her.

"Brooklyn..Brooklyn." Emma said

Brooklyn walked away without a word she went running towards the stairs. She slid down the wall when she got to a foyer. Bucky seen the whole interaction he stood at the door.

"This isn't real. I'm in NY.." he heard her whisper.

He looked down as his own mind had been a mess that day. It was hard watching all those body bags leave. When she stood up she shook it all off when she got to the door.

"You good?" He said

She just opened the door without a word. That night she took a sleeping pill and went to bed. Bucky was up the hall doing something he probably shouldn't of been doing which was having a video chat with Nikki while they had phone sex.