Before I even open my eyes though, I know that I'm in a hospital room.
I can hear the steady beep-beep beep-beep beep-beep of the heart monitor, the soft hum of an oxygen tank, and the low murmur of concerned voices.
I can feel wires, tubes, and sticky pads connected to my body, and that's on top of massive amounts of gauze, cotton, tape, and a neck brace. I can smell disinfectant, fresh linen, and flowers.
I open my eyes.
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I look around me, careful not to try and turn my head.
Where is my family?
I spot Ana sitting in the doorway of the room with my acoustic guitar in her hands. Merida, Nikolai, and Zander are snuggled up around her, their favorite blankets wrapped around them.
My babies are here.
They actually survived.
I hear Ana start to sing one of Bucky's favorite songs.
Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon."
Lovely...especially when Ana's singing it.
I smile and take a moment to breathe before looking for Bucky and the rest of our family.
Let's figure out what happened.
I glance to my left as best as I can.
I find Bucky sitting in a chair next to the bed with his head against the wall. He's out cold completely, but he's still holding onto my hand.
A slightly butchered memory plays through my head.
Ana and Carol just delivered the last hit to Thanos. As light explodes around us, I'm knocked off of my feet and I hurtle through the air, hitting the ground so hard that I can't shake the taste of blood in my mouth. There's a conglomeration of voices and people moving around me, but I can't quite grasp any of it as the dust settles and everything slips away from me.
But I'm here.
I'm alive.
Bucky is here.
I look down at my body.
I'm surprised that I'm in one piece.
But, something is...off.
My left forearm from my elbow down and right leg from my knee down are completely bandaged and I'm not quite getting any sensation from them.
