Ghostwalker ▷ b. barnes [2]

xiv. bucky is alive

SAM WOKE UP IN STARK TOWER MEDICAL.

For a long moment, she only stared at the ceiling. A faint beeping sounded to her side. Her head pounded. Everything about reality didn't seem quite real— the pain fuzzed out her thoughts, making her brain move slowly.

She tried to remember what had happened. How'd she gotten there.

He killed you.

Who?

... Bucky.

Sam sat straight up and blood rushed to her temples, making her head pound twice as hard. Cursing, she huddled over and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to pass.

"Good morning, Miss Clarence. Doctor Banner is on his way."

The sudden voice made Sam sit straight back up. She didn't care for the pain this time, looking wildly around. The words had come from nowhere. Thin air. Her mind spun.

She was losing her mind.

"Who's there? Where are you?"

"I am JARVIS, Miss Clarence. Tony Stark's AI."

Sam searched for the source of the voice. But it literally came from nothing. She blinked once, twice, trying to gather her thoughts. AI... Of course, Tony had an AI. But it wasn't real. It was a voice. Just a voice.

"JARVIS?"

"That is my name."

She relaxed a little, trying to calm her pounding heart. Between everything, she was surprised she hadn't drowned in the shock and anxiety yet.

Steve's words sunk in once more.

Sam wrapped her arms around herself and took a shaky breath.

Suddenly, the door opened, making her start. Bruce stepped inside, fully human, and raised his eyes at seeing her fetal position. Sam eased out of it slowly. He offered a smile, moving over.

"How are you feeling, Sam?"

"I... don't think words could do it justice."

"That bad, huh?"

"Did you guys catch Loki?"

His face fell, guilt stabbing through his eyes. "No. He got away."

"Oh," she swallowed hard. "It's not your fault."

"The big guy let him get the Tesseract," Bruce laughed humorlessly. "I'm pretty sure that makes it my fault."

Sam closed her mouth, looking at him gently. She didn't have an answer to that. But she did have a million other questions.

She just didn't know where to start.

"You had a few broken ribs, but they're mostly healed. Most the damage was done in hitting the wall, not the shot of the scepter. Which I'm guessing is what singed your shirt."