My Bucky

Chapter 17

After some X-rays, cleaning the stab wound, and an IV hookup the doctor informs us that someone will be checking in every few hours. He shuts the curtains around us, leaving me alone with Bucky for the first time in what feels like forever.

Bucky is sitting in a chair, resting his real arm on my bed, just barely touching my leg. He's been very quiet since the helicopter ride.

He's been zoned out for a few minutes now. I watch has he furrows his brows every few seconds only to release them. I'd kill to know what he's thinking.

The bags under his eyes show that he hasn't slept. I find myself wondering if he's slept at all since I last saw him. The logical part of me doubts it.

More than anything I want to ask him how he's been. Ask him if he's okay. Ask him about the time we were apart. What did he do? Where did he go?

I won't break the silence first. What if he's actually thinking about how much he regrets saving me? What if being back at Hydra brought on traumatic memories that he can't seem to move past?

Normally the silence between us is comforting. But today it makes me nervous. What if he's not the same Bucky around other people?

"Hey!" Peter pokes his head in. As he does Bucky moves his arm off the bed.

"Hi." I smile at him.

"Just wanted to check in. How's everything?" He asks taking a seat on the edge of my bed.

I move my feet over slightly to give him more room. "Well it's infected but they're pumping me full of antibiotics. Doc says I should be able to go in a week." I tell him.

"Go where?" He asks. His voice is full of genuine curiosity.

"I don't know. Wherever..." I look at Bucky hoping he'll step in but he's leaned back in his chair with his arms across his chest staring at the curtain.

"Mr. Stark says you can stay here." Peter offers. "Or I could ask aunt May if you can sleep on our couch." He offers.

I turn to Bucky and decide to finally talk to him. "Where are you going to be staying?" I ask.

His eyes meet mine and he leans toward me. "Wherever you go I'll follow." He winks.

"Okay but I get the couch. I'm sure you'll be fine on the floor?" I joke. Bucky just smiles and rolls his eyes. There is the sassy Bucky I've missed.

"Yes! It could be like a sleepover!" Peter exclaims.

I shake my head. "Peter does aunt May know about the whole Spider-Man thing?"

"No why do you ask?" He says innocently.

"Don't you think she'd be a little suspicious of you inviting two adults for a sleep over? Not to mention one is recovering from being stabbed and the other has a metal arm." I suggest.

"Okay I admit I see how that could be weird." He jokingly rubs his chin as if he's deep in thought.

Just then a woman I don't recognize enters the room. "Sorry boys but we're only allowing one visitor at a time right now." She says politely.

Bucky and Peter both silently stare at each other. Bucky's face is stern whereas Peter's is boyishly smiling. "I guess I should go find Mr. Stark." He stands up awkwardly.

"I've also been told that Cap needs to speak with you." She says toward Bucky. "I am about to administer some nighttime medication so she can get some sleep if you'd like to head out now and come back in the morning." She suggests.

"He can wait." Bucky says dryly. "I'm not going anywhere." He firmly crosses his arms over his chest.

"Not a problem! I can bring you a blanket and your chair does recline." She says nicely.

"I won't be sleeping." He gives the nurse a dirty look.

"A blanket would be great for him thank you so much." I say to her nicely. She smiles before leaving the room.

"I don't need a blanket." He rolls his eyes.

"You need to sleep Bucky." I sigh.

"Don't worry about it Doll." He grabs my hand and starts to rub circles along the back of it.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" I whisper sadly. The question was mostly to myself but he responds anyway.

"I have to protect you. I can't do that if I'm sleeping." He smiles.

"Bucky if you don't sleep I'll ask them to remove you from here." I threaten.

"I'd like to see any of these fools try." He says cockily. "You're stuck with me." He leans forward and presses his lips to the back of my hand.

"Buck..." I whine. "I don't have the time to convince you to sleep. I can already feel the meds she added to this." I point to my IV.

"I'll sleep when you're better." He attempts to compromise.

I slide slightly to the left so that I'm out of his grasp. I stick my bottom lip out and pout hoping this will help. I peak at him out of the corner of my eye and he's looking at me, straight faced, very unamused.

"Fine." I sigh in defeat. "But this isn't over. As soon as I wake up I plan to continue this." I warn him.

"Okay." He rolls his eyes. "Good night."

~~~

I didn't sleep long before the pain in my side became unbearable. I look at the clock on the table and it reads 3:16. This is a bit ridiculous. The meds she gave me knocked me out so fast. Too bad they couldn't keep me asleep.

I slowly roll back onto my back and allow myself to look across the room where I know Bucky still is. His eyes meet mine immediately and he smirks. I move my hand to my side and feel the gauze. It's wet.

"What's wrong?" He says immediately moving closer to the bed.

"I don't know." I groan and lift the blanket off of my upper half. It's bled through. I guess the cleaning they did really ripped it back open.

Bucky's eyes go to the bandaging and he immediately frowns. "Does it hurt?" He asks and I nod, not wanting to start crying.

"Nurse!" He yells.

I muster up all of my strength to grab his arm and get his attention. "What is it?" He says, concern ridden in his voice.

"Don't you know it's rude to yell when people are sleeping?" I scoff.

He shrugs. "There's no one else here." He says before pulling back the curtain, exposing several more beds. All of which are empty.

Before I can speak again the nurse enters. She sees the problem immediately and calls for a doctor. This isn't Dr. Hanson but instead a much older male. "Hello Rebecca, I'm just going to remove the bandages and take a look at what is happening underneath." He tells me before he starts to cut it.

When the wound is exposed I flinch from the cold air hitting it. The doctor puts pressure on the wound and I nearly pass out from the pain. "What the hell?" Bucky pushes the doctor away from me.

The doctor ignores him and begins to look at my paperwork. "I'm afraid we're going to have to cut out the infection and stitch it before there's any more blood loss." The doctor frowns.

Bucky immediately moves his body to block me from the doctor. "You're not going to be cutting into her any more than what's already happened." He says demandingly.

"She will be on anesthesia and won't feel a thing. If anything she would feel less pain afterward." The doctor speaks. "We also have a viewing area where you can watch, with the patient's permission of course." The doctor tells him.

"Okay." I speak before Bucky can argue. I just want this to stop hurting so much. "Let's get it done."