Little Star // a Steve Rogers, Captain America, Avengers story

You Told Him

Ellie's hands were shaking hard as she took the box out of her bag. She squeezed her eyes shut, flipped back the lid, and reopened them.

On a bed of white satin was a round locket made of Vibranium; she recognized its dusky silver gleam. In the center of the locket was a star of tiny pave diamonds in a circle of sapphires. Around them were alternating bands of rubies and diamonds. His shield. She opened the locket to see a photograph of Steve, taken on their wedding day. Folded up and wedged in the other side was a small piece of paper.

She laid the locket on her belly and unfolded the note. In cramped cursive was written, 'Happy birthday, Little Star. Wherever I am, I love you and JB. Make sure he knows that. You're my everything. Steve'

She looked at Bucky, "He knew. He knew about JB. He wrote this before he left Aprillia. I never sensed that he knew." She put the note back in the locket and held it tight in one hand as Bucky took the other. They wept.

Half an hour later he went into the hall to find the nurse. "I think the contractions are pretty close. Don't let her face startle you. She's been very upset, but she's alright. It's her birthday and she opened a gift from her husband, who... who isn't here. II think she'd really like to have a baby now."

Ellie smiled as the nurse walked in. "I hope Mr. Barnes explained that I'm ok. I promise. How are we doing?"

Bucky stood facing a corner with his eyes squeezed shut as the nurse examined Ellie. The nineteen forties sense of propriety made her smile. The nurse spoke, "Mrs. Rogers, things are progressing very quickly. I'm surprised that you're not feeling more discomfort. What do your contractions feel like now?"

"They're uncomfortable at first, and then they sort of smooth out to a firm pressure. Is that not normal?"

"It's unusual, but don't think anything's wrong. There's also a discrepancy in your medical records, nothing serious at all, that I'd like to double check."

"Sure. What is it?"

"I have two heights for you. One from your last physical that we have on file, and one from today. There's a significant difference. Do you think you're up for a walk to get measured? And we'd like you to identify a few people so that we can allow them to wait on this floor. They're quite anxious."

"My parents and brother? Yes please! And we'll get my records straight."

She slid gingerly off of the bed and took her IV stand in hand to push it down the hall with her. Bucky walked by her side, hand on her back. At the double doors leading to the rest of the hospital were two armed security guards. One greeted her and said, "Mrs. Rogers, would you please look through these windows and tell us the full names of the people you see in the hall?"

She rattled off her mother, father, brother, best friend, and Pepper's names. She couldn't believe they hadn't let Pepper in; she had arranged this whole thing. Talk about tight security.

As the crowd came through the door, she had another contraction, squeezing Bucky's arm and grimacing for a moment until it became manageable. When it had passed, she hugged everyone and told them things were going very well, which was confirmed by the nurse.

She knew her mother was about to burst with excitement and fear and bossiness. "Kate, why don't you and Mom sit down out here and make plans for something. Anything. Dad and Charlie and Bucky, do men in labor and delivery waiting room stuff. Pepper, come with me while I get measured so I can talk to you.

The two women walked down the hall to the scale with the nurse. Ellie scolded her friend, "You told him. I know because he wrote me a note and he used JB's name and called him him. It's in the locket. He must have done it the last time he was home. Why Pepper?"

"Because he needed it. He needed to know that he had a son before it all started. To give him hope. To give him even the smallest bit of happiness in what we knew would be hell. I'm glad I broke your trust. I'd do it all over again."

"What can I do but thank you? You're forgiven. New topic. Contraction. Whoa." The nurse, recognizing that something very important was happening between the two women, had moved down the hallway. "Let's get this taken care of, shall we?"

She stood on the scale, facing out from the stadiometer, and was thankful that she wasn't being weighed. The pressure building in her pelvis made her feel even heavier. She stood very straight and the nurse slid the bar down to the top of her head. "Five foot three and three quarters. The same as when we measured when you were admitted."

"That's not possible," Ellie said matter of factly, "I'm five foot one. Have been since I was fourteen. The yardsticks here must be a little off." She stepped down and started up the hallway. "I think I need to talk to everyone one last time. I'm having another contraction. That was fast!"

The nurse alerted the delivery team that was waiting and they prepared for Ellie as she spoke to her family and friends. "Mom, Kate, I know you want to be with me, but I need it to be just Bucky. He'd like you to be in there instead of him, but this is what we need. I'll be able to sense all of you out here. No, Charlie, no fussing about reading you. Not today. Now, I'm having yet another contraction and I need to go. JB is going to be here very soon."

Bucky followed her into her room. She could read his fear and feel him shaking. "Bucky do you need a dose of... something?" He shook his head. "Let me take your hand anyway, I want to tell you something and you need to know that it's true, ok? He put both hands in hers. She held the Vibranium one as if it were flesh.

"I know how you feel about this. Being in a delivery room with your best friend's wife must seem so inappropriate that you want to run screaming." He nodded. "All I can do is tell you that I want you here. That I don't care what you see. This isn't out there. This isn't public, and what happens here is kind of sacred and intimate, in a personal way, not the other way. I could make you comfortable, not embarrassed, interested even. But I'm leaving you to yourself. Just stay with me. Be here, for Steve, please."

"I'm here, Ellie. I'm not going anywhere. You're hurting my hand. How are you hurting my hand?"

"Contraction," she gasped. "Big one."

Her head doctor came to her side. "I think it's time to get down to business Mrs. Rogers. Let me help you position your legs."

Bucky looked like he was going to vomit.

"Why don't you go in your corner until I'm settled?" He didn't hesitate.

Once she was well-draped to shield Bucky from even more embarrassment, she called him back. "Just stand here and hold my hand, ok? I'm scared now."

As she progressed through the end of her labor, she was gripping Bucky's hand so tightly that he switched to the Vibranium side. She didn't notice. He knew that adrenaline could allow people to do amazing things, but this strength was something else, and he was beginning to think he knew what.