The Winter Warrior // Captain America

«Chapter 45»

"That's better, isn't it?" I asked Ilanga as I finished wrapping her hind leg in bandaging. She had tripped and skinned her knee in the process. She bleated softly and I chuckled, offering her a piece of carrot. 

Over the past six months, Ilanga had grown quite a lot. She wasn't bigger than Amanzi yet, but she was definitely doing her best. 

Living with one arm had become normal to me. I knew how to do everyday things with just one hand and for the things I needed another, I had Bucky right by my side. 

One less happy thing, I still wasn't pregnant. No matter how many times we tried, we hadn't been able to conceive yet. Doctor Jelani said not to give up hope, and Bucky and I tried to keep our faith, but it was kind of hard that we didn't know why it wouldn't work. 

"White Vixen!" a young voice called, ripping me from my thoughts, and I looked up. 

"Hi, Kemwe," I greeted the girl as she approached me.

"How is Ilanga?" she asked, stroking the goat's dark fur. 

"She's getting stronger. Maybe she'll finally become strong enough to withstand Amanzi," I said. 

"Amanzi is a bully," Kemwe said.

"Yeah, she is. But that's life. It's full of bullies, you just have to focus on the sweet and innocent," I said, lifting Ilanga off the table. She darted off and skipped a few times, making us laugh. 

"Is that what happened to your arm?" Kemwe asked. 

"What do you mean?" I frowned. 

"Did a bully take your arm?" 

I sighed, smiling solemnly. "Yeah, it was a bully. A really big one. But you know what? That doesn't matter anymore. I'm here now and Ilanga will be okay too. She'll learn to fight those bullies and protect herself," I told her. 

I heard voices in the distance and I looked up, seeing T'Challa, Okoye and a few other Dora Milaje warriors approaching. T'Challa acknowledged me with a nod of his head. 

One of the Dora Milaje placed a long, rectangle case on the table in front of me and flipped it open. My stomach twisted into knots. 

Inside the case, lay a silver and gold arm. 

I sighed, looking up at T'Challa. "Where is the fight?" I asked. 

"Anna? What's going on?" I heard my husband's voice behind me and I turned around, stepping aside to reveal the arm. His face hardened and he turned to T'Challa. "I thought we talked about this." 

"I know, and I'm sorry. We have no other choice," he said. He turned back to me. "The fight is on its way. And so is your brother." 

***

"Doll, you okay?" Bucky asked and I shot up, looking at him with wide eyes. 

"What?" I questioned.

"Are you okay?" he repeated. 

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." 

"Are you sure?" he asked. 

I let out a breath. "No, I'm not. I'm so tired of fighting," I muttered, looking down at my hands. The new arm fit perfectly and was a lot lighter than my old one. It was also a lot more gentle on the skin of my shoulder. 

He stepped up to me, rubbing my arms. "It's gonna be okay. We're not going to let this ruin what we've built here," he said. "Okay?" 

I swallowed thickly before nodding. "Yeah, okay," I agreed. "I'm happy the goats got to go inside."