Gold to Airy Thinness Beat

Chapter Thirty-Four

Bucky woke up in a hospital.

It was easy enough to recognize. He'd spent plenty of time in them when Stephanie had been younger, back when the mere act of living had often been almost too much for her body to bear. He could hear the steady beep of machines, feel the scratchy over starched blankets under his fingers and the antiseptic smell was strong enough to evoke memories he'd rather forget.

He lay still for a few minutes, taking a mental inventory of his body. Sharp pain when he tried to breathe suggested cracked ribs and he could feel a variety of areas that were probably in the process of developing spectacular bruises going by the throbbing pain. He had a vicious headache and felt worn out but, considering he'd been shot off a roof by a rocket launcher after getting his ass kicked by Hydra's newest toy, he figured he'd come out ahead.

He opened his eyes and blinked as they adjusted to the harsh light in the room. He didn't recognize the place at first glance but, then again, a hospital room was a hospital room. Small and stark with little space for much beyond the bed and equipment.

He turned his head to the side and found Carter seated at a small table near the window reading a book. Across from her sat Howard Stark, glaring at a file in his hand as if taking personal insult to whatever it said.

Bucky cleared his throat and both their heads snapped up. A second later they were gathered at his bed, one on either side.

"James," Carter said, her eyes worried. "How are you feeling?"

"How are you?" Bucky asked instead, his voice hoarse from lack of use. The last he'd seen Carter had been sitting in a stairwell, clearly injured.

"I'm fine," she said, her hands gripping the railing on the side of his bed. "Couple bruised ribs, certainly better off than you." She shook her head, tight lines of worry evident on her face. "You just had to get shot and fall off a roof? If you weren't enhanced, you'd be dead twice over."

"Always been an overachiever." The mattress was already raised a bit but he tried to shift, hoping to sit up further, only to give a grunt of pain as his body informed him of just how bad an idea that was.

"Do you really need to be told not to move?" Carter asked in exasperation. "Howard says you'll heal fast thanks to the serum but you still have to stay still and let it work."

"There are guards outside," Stark broke in, "so you don't have to worry about Hydra trying to finish the job while you're down."

Bucky would prefer they try, if only because it would give them another chance to catch someone who could tell them where the final damn facility was. He doubted such an assertion would be taken well by Carter or Stark, however, so he held his peace about it.

"We'll be moving you back to the SSR soon," Carter added. "It'll be safer there."

Bucky ignored her and continued trying to adjust his position until Carter, shaking her head, finally gave in and had Howard help her raise the mattress higher. Once it was where he wanted, Bucky asked, "What about the rest of the guys with us?"

"They're alive." There was something in Carter's voice that had him zeroing his attention in on her.

"What?"

Carter scowled and he saw her hands tighten where she was gripping the rail of the bed. "It's not important. It can wait."

"Tell me anyway," Bucky ordered. He hated when people hinted at something and then refused to elaborate. Leaving it up to his imagination was worse than just outright telling him.