Heartbeat (Completed)

Chapter: Nineteen

Bucky's feet hurt. He shivered in the icy north winds which attacked his blue skin. He'd given his jacket to a kid who had to have lied on his enlistment form. The kid's shoulder had been completely destroyed by a Nazi machine gun. Bucky had done his best to patch the kid, Logan, up with what medical supplies he had, and he gave him his jacket hoping he'd make it to the camps, but he knew it was a long shot.

The able bodied POWs were being marched on foot to wherever they were being taken. The injured were loaded up into trucks and transported to a different place. Bucky would probably never see Logan or his coat again.

"Hey, you look like you're going to freeze to death. Where's your coat?" A big, burly man inquired.

"I-I-I g-g-gave i-it aw-w-way," Bucky chattered.

"Here, use my coat for a few minutes. We can switch off every so often," the man offered, quickly unbuttoning his outer shirt.

Bucky gratefully accepted, sighing as the man's body warmth clung to the slightly oversized shirt. He rubbed his hands vigorously over his shoulders causing pin pricks to erupt over his skin. His shoes were wet and his toes were going numb, but there was nothing to do about that.

"Corporal Timothy Dugan," the man offered his name.

"S-Sergeant B-B-Bucky B-Barnes," the burnet replied.

The two traded the coat back and forth for the next six hours. By the time they stopped for the night, Bucky's hands and face were numb and his legs felt like jelly. All the men huddled together as close as they could, seeking body heat. Before he knew it, Bucky's eyes had closed, his body resigning to his fate.

~

Bucky squinted as dust plumed just ahead of him. He'd never seen weapons like the ones that were employed against them just then. People completely vanished - not even their dog tags were left behind. Of course, there were plenty of explosives and normal bullets as well.

The line had broken, but Bucky had managed to rally enough troops to put up a stand. There were around seventy men spread over as many yards, holed up behind whatever they could find.

"Core man!" Somebody yelled.

The man wasn't far off, and Bucky had seen their Medic fall as he retreated. Bucky had grabbed the pack though, and he knew enough to try. He crouched, sprinting over to two guys who were reclined against a small tree.

Bucky knew there was no way he could save the kid - his guts were spilling out of his stomach, blood gushing out and spilling over the ground. He grabbed some morphine, stabbing it into a his side, hoping it'd be a comfort. Minutes later, the kid expired, body going slack and lips turning blue.

"Sorry, kid," Bucky swallowed.

"Sarge!" Jax screamed. "Patrick's down!"

Bucky's heart dropped as he scuttled into the next crater. He ducked as a hand grenade went off just shy of his position, causing his ears to ring. His eyes focused on his men, fixating on Patrick's bloody left shoulder.

In no time he'd ripped the sleeve from Patrick's shirt, getting a better look at the wound. The bullet had stuck just above his heart, causing his artery to rupture.

"Hold tight, buddy," Barnes grimly told Patrick.

Ten minutes later, Patrick was bandaged up and firing away next Jax, face pale with pain but determined to fight. Bucky scrambled back and forth along the small line he'd managed to form, barking orders, bandaging soldiers, and occasionally firing his own weapon.