Stay // Bucky Barnes

Chapter 17 // Stay

/ From now on, the chapters are going to be in third person narrative unless the words say so /

Bucky, Steve, and Annie have been in the hospital for almost two days now and their friend hasn't woken up yet. The thought of her not waking up at all scared the two, Bucky knew his feelings towards Annie now, and Steve didn't want to let Peggy down. When Bucky and Steve talked two days ago, Bucky told Steve everything, his feelings, how he felt when she told him to left, why he was angry at her, but he didn't tell Steve that he loves her, he felt that it was too soon. Too soon for himself, too soon for Steve to know, who actually knew what was going through Bucky's head.

Doctor's came in every few hours to give her a check up and see if she had made any progress, and every time, she kept inching towards waking up. Her hand fidgeted awakening Bucky's senses that haven't been used in a long time. His head shot over to her hand and ran over picking it up, the warmth slowly coming into her skin.

"Annie?" He whispered, heart racing as fast as a cheetah runs.

Steve heard Bucky talking, he removed his head from on top of his hand curiously, and his eyes locked on the two, silently. Her eyes squinted, shutting them even more than they already were, from the bright light and groaned an inhuman sound coming out of her mouth.

"Why does it have to be so bright in here?" She slowly put an arm over her eyes and took a deep breath in.

With the awaken of his friend, Bucky felt such a surge of pleasure in seeing her awake, a grin spread across his face and felt the urge to kiss the girl he loves, but pushed his feelings down and squeezed his 'friends' hand instead telling her that her friends were there with her. Steve walked over to the lights and turned them off, then opened the curtains just a little to let some light in so it wouldn't be pitch black.

"What happened?" Annie asked and removed her arm once her eyes adjusted to the light in the room.

"You don't remember?" Steve laughed, bringing some light of his own into the room.

"No, I'm pretty sure I don't remember that I got shot and almost ran out of blood, but everything was a little blurry after that," She told them being very sarcastic.

"You lost a lot of blood, and Bucky...he got the guy, Agent Hill flew us back to D.C. so they could operate on you, and this is the third day that we are here, so you were out for two days," Steve told Annie sitting back in his chair.

"Bucky," She looked over at the man that was holding her hand, "Are you okay?"

"I should be asking you that, you almost died, 7 times according to the doctor."

"Oops, sorry? but I'm all better now, let's go," She tried to get up but Bucky swiftly pushed her back down, just inches from her face.

"Your body isn't ready to do anything, yet. You jut woke up from what was basically a two-day coma. The only time that you will be leaving this bed will be to go to the bathroom," Steve crossed his arms .

"Well, with all of the liquids that you have been feeding me for what has been two days, I really need to go, like, now," She urged trying to get out of the bed by herself.

Bucky almost stopped her, but instead he wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her out of the bed and assisted in her getting to the bathroom without falling. All the time he touched her and then let go, his skin tingled with excitement.

"But seriously when do you guys think I can leave? I am supposed to meet with someone about an apartment, it's in the same complex as yours Steve. Nick wanted me close by in case anything happened, to either of us."

"I don't know, I'd have to ask a doctor," Steve mumbled looking over to see Bucky's reaction about Annie leaving the safe house.

He was shocked more or less, he wouldn't see her every day like he was used to, it would definitely be harder to tell her the feelings he felt.

"Then go ask a doctor, Bucky can help me back to the bed if he wants," She called back out before appearing in the doorway.

Bucky stood up and wrapped his arm around her once again as Steve left to do as he was told. The two walked over to her bed and Bucky gently placed her down so she was sitting on the bed, feet over the edge so she was still looking at him.

"Bucky are you sure that you are okay? Steve said you got the guy but I just wanted to make sure that he didn't hurt you or anything?" The thought of someone hurting Bucky drove Annie insane, Bucky didn't know this, but she was developing feelings for him as well, the two still not knowing of dating each other back in the forties.

"Yeah, I'm sure that I'm okay, he was the one that got most of the injuries," He mumbled, still upset about her leaving.

"I just wanted to make sure..."

"I get it," Bucky snapped standing up and storming out of the room, past Steve and out the doors and ended up at the Anniversary Park that was just two minutes away from the George Washington University Hospital.

Annie was clueless, she had no idea what she had done, but she wanted to run after him, thought the pain in her stomach said otherwise, though. She called for Steve and after four tries he came in with a flush on his face but not obviously out of breath.

"What just happened, did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't, it's just, you moving out of the bunker made him uneasy, you two have only had one "session" and he still needs your help," Steve sat back down with a sigh.

"Why doesn't he move too? It would help him to get out of the place with no windows, without actual sunlight he's going to be tired from lack of energy, and lack of energy is going to make him cranky."

"You'd have to talk to him and Nick about it, I think it's a good idea, though," Steve was about to mention the crush that Bucky had, but he decided that it would be a better idea if Bucky told Annie himself.

Throughout the hours that Bucky wasn't at the hospital consulting his friend, he was sitting with his hands in his lap, thinking about why he stormed out. He was angry that she was leaving, he was angry that she wouldn't be helping him anymore, he was sad that he wouldn't be seeing her every day. He stood back up and wandered around the streets before he found the hospital again, contemplating if he should go in again or just leave, she doesn't need him anyway.

But he ignored his head like he has done in the past few weeks and walked back into the hospital, up the few flights of stairs and into the room where Steve and Annie were waiting anxiously for his arrival back. Annie shot up in her bed, groaning as the stitched pulled at her side but not breaking, and Steve got up from his chair to give Bucky a big surprise hug. Bucky's instinct was to push him away, but he remembered that he had to give into himself and others once and a while if he wanted to make any progress, and with the way he handled things he knew he was.

"Where did you go?" Annie asked, curious of his answer.

"I needed to get out for a few minutes, the smell was giving me a headache," He lied easily, lying always came easily for him.

"Steve had the brilliant idea of you moving out of the safe house and moving to the same complex that he and I are going to be in, of course, we wanted to give you a chance to think about it for yourself."

But he didn't even think about it, he knew he wanted to go with them, he was now happy that he was going to be seeing her almost every day, happy that she wasn't going to be leaving him, happy that she could help him again.

"That could be good, I mean you'd still be close by," He shrugged, deciding to play it cool, but on the inside he was ecstatic.

"I'll call Fury," Steve gave them a small smile and left the room with his phone in his hand.

"I'm glad that you'll be moving near me," Annie smiled, afraid of showing too much emotion towards him.

"I-I'm just glad to get out of that cell," Bucky mumbled, lying right through his teeth, he'd be close to her.