A Winter Soldier and A Lost Cause

Chapter 19 - Time is everything

BUCKY POV continued

I hovered outside my bedroom door not wanting to see what I knew was on the other side. Wanda had struggled but already gone in to keep y/n's brain active. She had no time to process what she saw, there'd be no hope if her brain died too.

"We don't have much time Buck" Steve said to me.

"I know, I just..."

He hugged me, "I know. Do you want me to get her?"

I shook my head, "No I can do it. I just don't want to get my hopes up to feel the pain of losing her all over again"

"I understand. But try to be a little optimistic. I've seen Bruce and Tony perform miracles before. This could be another one" Steve said trying to reassure me.

I nodded slowly and opened the door. A small part of me hoped I'd find y/n coming out of my shower or sat reading, like everything was normal. Instead I was greeted by eerie silence and her still form exactly where I'd left her with Wanda next to her using her magic.

Steve followed me in and hung his head when he saw y/n's body.

"It's ok if it's hard to look Steve. It's unsettling seeing her like this" Wanda said, her tears highlighted by her glowing red eyes.

He raised his head and studied her, "She looks so peaceful, minus the red mist around her head"

I smiled. Y/n had taken time to come out of her shell but after she did, she lit up a room with her bubbly chaos. So her being referred to as peaceful seemed odd.

"I hope we're doing the right thing. What if whatever Bruce has planned is painful or if she somehow comes back only to be bed ridden? I don't want to do that to her. She passed away content, I can't take that from her" I said, my mind filling with doubts.

"It's a risk for sure but she could also get another chance at the life she deserves Buck. We owe her that" Steve replied looking down at y/n. "What are you showing her Wands?"

Wanda smiled, "Memories of us trying on dresses, her singing for us, Bucky and her dancing at her first party. Everything that made her happy"

I smiled and bent down picking her up bridal style, making sure Wanda's magic didn't falter as I moved her. She was limp and starting to go cold but it looked like she was just sleeping. Steve positioned her head so it rested on my shoulder and we walked with her to the medbay.

Everyone was waiting there. Nat raised a hand to her mouth when she saw y/n's body in my arms. She walked over to us and brushed some hair off her face. Nat didn't say anything but I understood. It was hard to find words seeing y/n like this.

I walked over to the bed and led her down trying to make her as comfortable as possible in case this worked. Nat and I placed cardiac leads all over her body and the ECG flatlined like we all knew it would. Sam turned off the sound it made as Tony and Bruce rushed in.

"What's the plan Bruce?" Steve asked.

"After we heard the news from y/n about her poisoning, my mind just kept trying to figure out a solution. I didn't think there was one but then I remembered Tony's arc reactor"

"How does the arc reactor help y/n?" Wanda asked.

"Well it doesn't directly" Bruce walked over to y/n and everyone moved back to give him some room to work but I sat next to her, holding her hand and Wanda stood at the head of the bed still keeping her brain active. "But when Tony had shrapnel in his chest, he used a miniture version of it to pull it away from his organs"

"The Thallium y/n was injected with is a transient metal." Tony added.

"So you're saying...?" Sam started.