Timeless

Chapter 12

A/N: We stan Kathryn making this an everyone issue haha

The day that the boys came home was a happy day. True to when the Colonel had promised, a week had passed. Each day that the men were gone was a day that Kathryn found comparable to hell itself. The simple fact of the matter was that she was counting down the hours and the minutes until she saw her brother and Buck walk away from the mission.

And until she did, her heart would not stop beating like it was going to crash out of a cage. For every single one of those nurses, they felt the trepidation and the heaviness of the situation at hand. The waiting game was always the worst part.

It didn't help that Becky had come to a decision—and now she was just waiting for the men to come home and have that out of the way before she told Harding. Now all of the nurses just sat on the edge of their seats, pins and needles digging into their consciences.

The day that the men came home, Kathryn Egan was cleaning some of the medical equipment, hands in gloves to prevent the chemicals from burning her hands. When the siren went off and the other nurses rushed towards the window, Kathryn did not move. She just stayed in her place, continuing to clean.

"You're not gonna look?" Becky questioned, giving Kathryn a worried expression.

It was oddly reminiscent of the first time that they had ever experienced the men going up on a flight. And if Kathryn hadn't looked then, she certainly wasn't going to look now. "No," Kathryn answered evenly, placing the cleaned scalpel back on the table. "It's better if I don't."

"I count 15!" Laura called from her place at the window.

Half —Kathryn wanted to throw up then and there. She felt a dizzy spin on her head—but she knew that the men would be coming in to check in with them. Unlike every other mission that those men had been on, they had already been treated for wounds. This was just superfluous and they'd go straight to interrogation and then to see them if they needed further treatment.

She felt as though she were holding her breath and it was never going to come back to her. Maybe there was something in her lungs, choking her and making weeds grow to stop the air flow. Maybe it was doubt, maybe it was panic—and maybe it was fear.

The breath returned to her throat the minute that her brother walked through the door, Buck hot on his heels. Kathryn felt the air escape her lungs in a deep sigh of relief—and suddenly everything just felt like it was all going to turn out.

"Aww, you were worried about us?" Bucky questioned, crossing over to Kathryn.

She didn't even have the heart to punch him this time. She sank into a hug, clutching onto him tightly. "I don't like waiting. You're both alright?"

Her gaze trained onto Buck and she didn't fail to notice the cuts along his face. Almost immediately, Kathryn detached from her brother and began to fuss over the cuts—her hands gently reached up to touch the cuts. "Kath—" Buck started, cheeks dusting with a blush.

"Did you have to have stitches?" She questioned, eyes wide.

Buck couldn't help it. His hand trailed up to the little scar on her forehead and he grinned. "We'll match now."

Kathryn just let out a huff of frustration and her brother let out an awkward cough. "Jeez, you guys are bad," Bucky said, shaking his head at them. "He's fine—I'm fine."

Just then, Annika crossed into the room, carrying some freshly folded towels. "Ah, you're all back!" She exclaimed, a smile crossing her features. "I guess Curt's still in interrogation, huh?"