behind blue eyes [bucky barnes]

eighty

"You are all I long for."

Song: Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra

. . . . .

The next two weeks were like one never ending emotional rollercoaster. Bucky endured countless more surgeries - each one being the one that the doctors hoped would bring him fully back. But it was as though the more they dug around trying to fix things, the more they found wrong with him. Maria would stay in the viewing room each and every time.

Her body's recovery was taking a lot more time than anyone liked. It wasn't like she was doing anything to help speed it up. The girl couldn't eat, lest she throw it right back up. She refused to sleep - pushing herself to the point that she would pass out from exhaustion. Maria would wake up a few hours later dazed and in search of her soulmate. And let's not forget the constant state of panic she was in. Her soulmate bond was highly agitated and held her in a chokehold. It was as though it knew exactly what was happening. At any given moment the girl was ready to fight or run away. It was a miserable existence.

When Bucky wasn't in surgery, he was lying in a coma in a hospital room. Maria had refused to leave his side, causing T'Challa to order some of his men to bring her in a more comfortable chair to try and find some relaxation in. Her friends would take turns sitting with her, coming in shifts and always having a different approach to their visit. Wanda would sit and talk about what she and Natasha did while exploring the new country they were in. She started doing that after Maria had almost blown her head off after the fifth time the younger girl asked her if she was okay. Natasha remained a quiet observer most of her shift. T'Challa and Nakia visited the rarest of them all, but they still came.

And Steve... well, Steve was the one who spent more time than anyone with her. A part of it was the fact that it was his best friend lying there, fighting for his life. Another part was the fact that he was in charge of them now that they were not under Tony Stark's roof. He would update her on how things were going in the States, telling the girl if he was able to speak with her father.

But the team gave her alone time as well. Maria would sit and talk to her soulmate - telling him anything and everything that came to her mind. It was the only way of coping she could bear to do.

"Maria," Wanda spoke softly, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder as she began to nod off. Maria turned quickly out of fear, only to sigh and see that it was just her friend. "Why don't you go get some sleep?"

Maria shook her head - her hand holding firmly onto Bucky's flesh one. She barely had the energy to do anything more than that. It was as though her body was slowly dying along with Bucky's.

"Honey, you haven't slept in who knows when."

"I'm fine," whispered the girl, lying to herself and Wanda.