Shadows (BuckyxOC)

Therapy

I'm not sure why Bucky needed to do this alone. Steve was just as important to me as he was to him, and that shield meant a lot as well. But I respected his wishes on the condition that he would bring Sam right back here so I could yell at him, too. Besides, I've been thinking a lot lately about the needs of the citizens and what I wanted to do with my life now that I'm not an Avenger anymore. I just can't live off of my inheritance forever, after all.

That's why I found myself walking through a commercial space in Manhattan with a real estate agent. She was explaining the history of the space to me and, to be honest, I didn't really care. We'd already seen places in Brooklyn, SoHo, Queens, even Hell's Kitchen but so far, this is the best fit for what I had planned.

"So as you can see-"

"I'll take it." I said, interrupting Susan, the agent.

"You'll take it?"

"Yes. As well as the ones in Brooklyn and Hell's Kitchen." I said as I took out my phone and dialed an important number. It was time to let someone in on what was going on inside my head.

"Oh, wow... those? Are you sure? I still have the Upper West Side and Midtown buildings on my list. I'm sure they would be much more suited to you. These areas of New York aren't really that great-"

"They're perfect for what I want." I held the phone to my ear as I listened to it ring. "Draw up the paperwork for this afternoon. I'll come to your office to sign off and pay in full. Thanks Susan." I said and then walked out the door, leaving her in the middle of the empty space.

It was very much done in a Tony Stark style and I couldn't help but smile as I thought about it. My dad knew how to take control of a room and I felt it was about time that I did so as well. I think he'd be proud of my decision.

"Hey sweetheart, what's up?" Pepper's melodic tones could be heard from the other end of the phone.

"Hey mom... I did something today and wanted to get your input and help, if you're free? It would probably require you and Morgan to make a few trips to the city over the next little while."

"What is it?"

"Well... I've been playing around with the idea for the past few months. I know I could get a surgical position at any hospital I wanted and I know that would help some people, but recently I've thought about everything and everyone that's been affected by the blip." I took a deep breath, "You know I've always wanted to make a name for myself. Dad knew that too... So I've decided to open a series of clinics. Three in New York to start and if all goes well, hopefully all over the US, maybe even the world if I can go bigger. But I just thought I'd start with the three first. There are so many people who need it, right now especially. People with no jobs, no insurance, no access to medical care, something I think should be free."

"I think that's a great idea." Pepper said, I could hear the beam in her voice, "Tell me how I can help."

"I'm going to sign the papers later this afternoon, and I want to hire workers right away to get started on the renovations and the purchase of medical equipment. Since it's free medical care that will be provided, I wanted to get word out there for public donations. I'm going to need staff as well. And partnerships with the universities because I want them to be learning facilities too."

"And Stark Industries will also make a sizable donation as the umbrella company to..."

"Stark Trust Medical and Health Group." I said, as I entered my apartment. "I want to be able to offer everything a clinic possibly can when it comes to urgent care, but also have a section for mental health consults. I think that's important."