Bring Me Home // Bucky Barnes

Chapter LXVII - Savouring the Simple

Silence permeated the space around them as Elizabeth darted across the room, kicking through the shattered glass as she crashed to her knees beside the beaten figure laying before her. His eyes searched the space, never quite meeting the forms before him, and his lips trembled with every staggered breath. He lay clinging to consciousness with the final remnants of his strength as blood seeped through the slick black suit he wore. His hair, a jet of midnight, lay in a dark halo as her hands flew over him quickly, gauging his injuries as she desperately called out to him.

"Loki?" Her voice was rushed, panicked. "Loki it's me. It's Lizzie. Can you hear me? Loki?"

Thor and Steve crashed down beside her in unison as Loki's blood began to cling to her dress, coating her in a slick, sticky sweep of crimson.

"Loki?" She moved her face closer, listening to his laboured breath as the others began to dive into action. "Bruce! Possible tension pneumothorax. I need to get him into surgery now. Can you scrub in?"

Bruce was already on his feet, nodding and rolling up his sleeves. Behind him Liam pushed forwards. He would help too.

"Liam, go make sure the surgical suite is ready. How much have you had to drink?"

"I had a couple but I stopped hours ago Doc."

"Good. Scrub in. You're spare hands. You touch nothing unless I say otherwise." She looked back down at the Asgardian now gripping the skirt of her dress and staring intently at her. "Loki. I'm gonna fix you up, okay? I'm going to help you."

She watched as he shook his head so gently she couldn't be sure it wasn't imagined.

"Elizabeth," he wheezed as the pain made his eyes roll to the back of his head. "He is coming. He is coming for you."

With his words all tension left his body and his eyes drifted to a blank glaze that pulled Elizabeth into action. Her fingers were stained with his blood, the ring on her finger a glistening scarlet and her dress clung to her. Her mind focused with the precision of a knife as she returned to barking orders at those around her.

"Thor, Steve: get him to the suite now. Banner, let's go. Tony?"

"Cameras - got it Time Bomb!"

The team moved swiftly as Bucky and Peter stood together in the eye of the storm, lost in the chaos and completely helpless as Elizabeth raced from the room, tearing Steve's jacket from her shoulders and removing her jewellery as she ran to the staircase.

"Mr Barnes?" Peter spoke quietly when they were left with nothing but shattered glass and pools of blood.

"Kid?"

"I don't think Mr Stark is taking me home."

Bucky sighed as he ran a hand over his face before glancing over to where Peter stood staring at the mess before them.

"Come on Kid. Let's get this place cleaned up and then we'll find you one of the spare rooms."

They stepped forwards together, making sure to remove all stains of crimson and splinters of crystal from the space before them, the sounds of rustling bin bags and sighs of effort hanging in the air around them.

*

As the hours passed Elizabeth worked tirelessly. Liam stood behind her, watching closely, holding out trays of tools and watching the monitors for her as she worked. Bruce turned to the surgical nurse, letting her dab his forehead with a towel before he returned to his work.

"He's lucky he's a god," Lizzie sighed, her fingers deftly manoeuvring her tools as she tied off another suture just above his left eye. They had been working for what felt like a lifetime and were finally closing up superficial wounds and finishing the job. "There was some real damage here. A mortal wouldn't have made it this far."