Steve's Baby

chapter 10

 Steve wakes up slowly, confusion running through his mind. The last thing he remembers is falling, after his fight with Bucky on the helicarrier. A steady beep, beep, beep sound starts to filter in through his clouded brain. His throat is dry and sore. His chest aches. What is happening?

 He slowly opens his eyes, quickly squeezing them shut again as the harsh shine of fluorescent lighting assaults him. He takes a minute for his vision to adjust before he opens them again.

 He can see he's in a hospital bed. The thin pastel green hospital blanket feels scratchy on his skin. His head is pounding as he raises it to look around. His eyes widen at what he sees to his immediate right.

 It's Sam, sitting in a chair. In one hand he has a book, but his other hand- his other hand is around Bucky. It's Bucky, lying across Sam's lap, his head cuddled into Sam's chest. He's wearing overalls, he's got a pacifier in his mouth and a teddy bear in his arms. It's his baby Bucky. His precious little boy.

 "Sam!" Steve says, voice hoarse and scratchy from disuse. 

 Sam looks up, lowering his book with a smile. "Hey." He whispers. "How are you feeling?"

 "Sore." Steve replies, trying to smile but he knows it's more of a grimace. "But, Sam," he starts. "Bucky... how? I mean,  how - where, Sam! It's Bucky!"

 Sam chuckles softly, reaching up to sweep a strand of hair off of Bucky's face. "I know it's Bucky. I don't know how much you remember, but he was with you when I found you. And he was little. So I took him home with me."

 "He...he pulled me out of the water, didn't he?" Steve asks.

 Sam nods. "He did."

 "And you've been taking care of him?"

 "Yup."

 "Sam, you didn't have to do that."

 "Yes I did, Steve. You know I'm a caregiver, man. I couldn't just ignore a little in need. I don't mind at all, that's just what friends do for each other. Besides, I actually kind of love the little guy. He's adorable."

 "He is pretty cute." Steve says. "Sam, just... thank you. Thank you so much. I really thought I was gonna have to chase him down, save him from Hydra. I hope he hasn't been giving you any trouble?"

 "Not at all." Sam says. "He's very well behaved. He's polite, a good listener, he eats his vegetables,"

 "Wait, how did you get him to eat vegetables?" Steve cuts off, in disbelief. 

 "Praise is a great motivator for him. I think he's, you know, gotten used to, uh, harsher treatment. I mean, you've seen the file. But let's not make this all sad by thinking about that. Anyway, he loves praise."

 Steve nods. "How long was I out?"

 "2 days." Sam says. "We were here yesterday too."

 "Okay. How long has he been asleep?"

 "Only about half an hour. I'm not waking him up yet. He was up half the night crying, he needs the sleep." 

 Now that Steve is more alert, he can see Sam looks tired. "You look like you could use a nap yourself." He says.

 Sam sighs. "I'll be fine. I've had my coffee, I can wait for bedtime."

 A nurse comes in just then. "Oh! You're awake!" She says.

 She goes to fuss a bit over the IV in Steve's arm, and replaces the empty IV bag with a full one. "How are you feeling?" She asks, taking out a blood pressure cuff.