The House in the Field

“Want me to stay?” Steve asked Bucky as he walked him to the make shift lab they had created for Ava. It had been just short of four days since they cornered Bucky in the alley and brought him to the base. His memories were coming back to him slowly and his Winter Soldier episodes of violence were becoming few and far between.
“No I’ll be ok. Unless you think it’s for the best?” He questioned his best friend. The worst thing about the whole thing was how Bucky didn’t trust his judgement anymore. Back when he was Bucky he would never have hurt anyone he cared about, but, after everything he’d done he couldn’t be so sure of that.
“I spoke to Ava, she said she’s fine with it just being you two if that’s what you’re thinking of.” He told him truthfully as Bucky smiled sheepishly at his best friend who knew him so well. Since he remembered attacking her he couldn’t shake the feeling of her being scared of him. Of course Ava wasn’t so much as scared, but hurt, she’d been there so much over the past years and it was like she never existed to him. They reached the lab and the first thing Bucky noticed was the faced down picture on her desk as she was busy typing away at the computer screen. “Wanda and Sam are keeping watch of the area. I’ll be next door if you need anything.” Steve spoke as Bucky stood awkwardly waiting for her to invite him in. She spun around on the chair and nodded to them both before motioning to the chair to Bucky. With a final look at Ava to check she was still ok with being alone with the deadly assassin Steve left them alone. Bucky took his place at the bed that was positioned in a slight reclined position for comfort. She had setup everything on a movable tray at the side of him with a chair she could adjust to the right height. The room was silent with the exception of her furious typing as she sat with her back to the man that was now her patient.

She eventually made her way over to him, dragging along another machine that had wires coming from it. “I need to scan to check whereabouts it is. It’s easier than opening it up and rummaging around. This is so I can keep track of your blood pressure and heart rate.” She told him truthfully, even though she knew she didn’t need the machine to do that. “I have to do the first part whilst you’re awake then the rest I can do under aesthetic so you don’t feel anything.” She told him as she finally looked at him for the first time.
“Please don’t. I want to be awake for it.” He whispered, fear setting in as she glanced at him with sad eyes. “I don’t care about the pain. I have a feeling others have felt worse.” He told her truthfully as she sighed.
“If you’re sure. I’m going to need you to take your shirt off.” She whispered as he smiled slightly.
“It’s been a long time since someone said that to me.” He laughed a little, causing her plump pink lips to curl at the corners into a slight smile. She couldn’t help but look at him as he settled back down into the chair. What they’d done to him was brutal the harshness of the metal against his tanned skin made her want to kill everyone who had been involved. She quickly reminded herself of her self made promise to remain impartial until he remembered her and continued to connect the monitor stickers over his chest and to his temples. He watched her closely, taking the time to study her face and memorise her features, he was determined to remember her and he thought his best way of achieving that was to remember her now. The room had once again fallen silent as the monitor booted up finally filling the room with the steady beat of his heart.

“I am sorry you know.” He whispered after about half an hour of silence. She was currently scanning away at his arm looking at all the technology inside it. She briefly glanced up at him with a questioning glance. “For not remembering you.” He sighed as he looked down then back up to her, “small pieces are coming through but not enough for me know you.” He told her truthfully. “The pieces that are coming through don’t make sense, they are from before my deployment.” He told her as he noticed she bit her lip.
“It’s ok James. This is hard for you, things will come to you at different times, the important thing is you get back to yourself; even if that means accepting you may never fully remember.” She spoke the truth, not only for him but for herself as well.
“I just wish someone would piece the little I do know for me.” He whispered as she set down the tablet she was using to view the physicality of his arm on.
“Well maybe I can help with that.” She offered. “You don’t want to go to sleep whilst I’m doing this so maybe we can solve some of those loose ends for you.” She smiled sadly at him. She was midway through the retrieval of the tracking device in his arm which was positioned just above where the false elbow joint had been. To say she was impressed with the make-up of the arm was an understatement. It had an array of different wires and connections built up inside it that resembled that of veins in a flesh arm.

True to her word he was helping him piece together the memories of his life before he was used as a weapon. So far he’d learned that he always was there to get Steve out of trouble when he stood up for what he believed in. How he had excelled in practically everything he did. How he was a hit with the ladies until Steve was injected with the Super Soldier Serum. She smiled every time he laughed at one of the memories but still sadness overcame her whenever another memory of Steve was mentioned. “I remember a song.” He told her as she looked up at him. “It was from a film I’d been seeing before I was posted. I’d gone with a girl I can’t remember the film though.” He looked up at her, her eyes snapping up at his, that glimmer of hope returning in them like a fire restarting.
“Think you can remember part of the song?” She asked cautiously as she looked back down at the arm. He thought for a moment before he shook his head.
“It had something to do with a rainbow I think.” He whispered watching her hands at work carefully as she pulled the chip from it. “Is that it?” He nodded at the small metal square as she nodded.
“That’s it. We’ve just got to get it destroyed now then move on.” She looked up at him smiling.
“May I?” he asked holding his hand out to her for the chip as she looked hesitantly between them both before handing it to him, in a matter of seconds he’d crushed the sturdy metal before tearing it in half and handing it her back with a smile. “I’m one step closer aren’t I?” He whispered as she discarded of the chip before passing him his vest top back.
“You sure are Sergeant.” She smiled at him taking a step back whilst he stood up from the bed.
“Thank you.” He whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek softly, the stubble rubbing against her cheek softly as she closed her eyes taking a deep breath of his scent.

Notes