Deceitfully Devoted

Chapter 4

A few days later, Steve came to visit after his return from his mission with Nat. They were sent to the coordinates I had found to rescue S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that were taken hostage on a ship in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Apparently this mission didn't go as anticipated. Steve was the one who didn't receive all of the details for a change. I listened as he went on about how Fury had intentionally left out information about what Nat was really there to do.

"He gave her a separate mission and didn't tell me," Steve exclaimed as he paced around the hospital room. "He didn't think I would be comfortable with what he asked her to do."

"Well, what exactly was it that he had her do?" I questioned. I closed my eyes for a moment as I felt myself becoming nauseous from watching him walk in circles.

"I don't know," Steve scoffed as he leaned an arm against the wall, glancing out the window. "He showed me his latest task, Project Insight, thinking that would make up for keeping me in the dark."

"Project what?" I prodded, confused about what he was talking about.

"Insight. They have three giant Helicarriers with a target system that can take out potential threats before they actually become a threat," he scolded, shaking his head. "That ship with the hostages, the Lumerian Star? Apparently it was one of the launch sites for the targeting satellites."

Oh, so that's what was so imperative about those coordinates. I wondered if the information Nat was sent to retrieve was the same file that had been deleted minutes before I was able to search through the S.H.I.E.L.D. computers. I hope she had been successful so Nick would have what he needed and would let this go for now. I have never met a more paranoid man in my life.

"Taylor?" Steve asked, gently touching my shoulder. The sudden contact broke me from my thoughts. I blinked a few times, shifting my concentration to Steve who was staring at me.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "What happened after you talked to Fury?"

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, crossing his arms as he stood next to my bed.

"No offense," I started, smiling as I looked up at him, "but I don't think it's only the fact that you were kept out of the loop that's got you this upset. Something else happened."

Steve closed his eyes, letting out a loud exhale. He tilted his head back as he continued to stand with his arms crossed. He opened his eyes slowly, avoiding my eye contact. A slight, shocked smile tugged at the edge of his mouth.

"Unbelievable," he stammered. "How do you always know?"

"I can read you like a book, Rogers," I laughed.

"Yeah, I guess so," he mumbled, letting out a loud gust of air.

I raised my eyebrows at him, waiting for him to explain what else had him this upset. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he sat down on the bed.

"After I spoke with Fury," Steve explained, hesitantly, "I went to the Smithsonian. Nick made comments about things we did during the war." He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "When I was there, I...I saw a video of Peggy. Which made me think to check in and see how she was doing. I went to visit her."

"And?" I wondered, hoping I wasn't pushing him too far.

"And it was great," he sighed. "Until she had another episode and forgot I was still alive. She's getting worse."

"Oh, Steve," I whispered, reaching out to grab his hand. "I'm so sorry."

"It's getting harder and harder to see her like that," he stated, closing his eyes. "When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was long gone. And then I learned that she was still here. I thought that I was given a gift, more time with her. But now..."