Red, White & Blue | Bucky x Reader

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I take a deep breath, the steady beeping around me beginning to beep faster, and I feel someone grab my hand as I try to force my eyes open.

"Y/n? Oh, God," he breathes. "Nurse!"

I hear rushed footsteps approach me, and soon feel multiple pairs of hands on my arms, shoulders, and neck.

"Come back to me," the man pleads. "Please, Doll, just come back to me."

Slowly, I open my eyes to see Bucky grasping my hand as if his life depended on it, tears of relief streaming from his eyes.

"Bu..." I try to say his name, but the words don't come out.

"Shh," Bucky soothes, resting a hand on my cheek. "Don't try to speak."

My eyes lock on his, and I don't turn from him as the doctor and nurses check my condition.

A little while later, I sit in my hospital bed, Bucky still holding my hand as he and Steve sit in the chairs at my bedside.

"What happened?" I ask them.

"We're not quite sure," Bucky admits. "You... you died in my arms... that much I'm sure of... But a few seconds later, your hands started glowing, and that glow spread over your entire body before disappearing. When it did, you took a deep breath, and although you didn't wake up, I knew that you would be okay."

"Oh, Bucky. I'm so sorry," I tell him, resting my hand against his cheek. He turns his head to kiss my palm. "How long have I been here?"

"About two weeks," Steve answers.

"It's really been two weeks?" I ask. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah," Steve assures me. "And Tony gets to watch his daughter grow up thanks to you."

"And the Stones?" I question.

"We still have them," Steve replies. "We wanted to make sure everything was settled before we took them back."

I nod, leaning back into my pillow, but another thought crosses my mind. "Steve, you need to go back to Peggy."

"What?" Steve asks, shocked.

"I saw the way you were looking at her when we were in 1970," I tell him. "I didn't tell you this then, but I'll tell you now, as long as I knew her, she never stopped loving you, she just found a way to live without you."

"Y/n, I can't just go back," Steve replies.

"Why not?" I argue. "You still love her, don't you?"

"Of course, I do."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's not that simple."

"But it is that simple," I reason. "Do you remember when we went to see Peggy in her retirement home? She told us that sometimes the best we can do is to start over. Since the day I've met you, all you've done is look for another fight. Then you became a soldier, and got the serum, and you just went from one war to another. Now you have a way to go back and start over, to live the life you would've if you hadn't gone into the ice. The war is over, Steve. Go live your life."

Steve sits in silence for a moment, considering my words. "You two should come with me."

Bucky shakes his head. "Not all of us can live safely in the past."

I nod in agreement. If we were to go back, the Winter Soldier would still exist, and Bucky wouldn't be safe.

"You both deserve to start over too," Steve states.

"And we will," I assure him. "Either here, or somewhere else."

Steve sighs, still torn. "We've always said 'till the end of the line.'"

"Yeah, and this is the end of the line, pal," Bucky says. "We're on different lines from here."

"You don't have to decide right now," I assure Steve. "Take a few days to think about it."

Silence falls around us, and Bucky's gaze shifts to Steve's shield, repaired and propped against the wall. "But if you do go, what are you going to do with the shield?"