Trying Your Luck - Bucky BarnesxOC

Part 73: New Beginnings

Bucky leans down and kisses the top of Shannon's head as she screams.

"You've got this, Shan. You've got this."

"I DON'T!" She shrieks. It's venomous, desperate, and coursing with pain. Bucky reaches over to kiss her damp forehead.

"You do."

She whimpers.

"Come on, mama!" The doctor urges gently. "One more push!"

Shannon's howl of pain almost shakes the walls of the hospital room. Her exhausted body trembles beneath Bucky's touch. His hands are gentle, stroking her and pushing her hair out of her eyes. Through a slew of curse words, she apologizes and reminds him that she loves him. Bucky chuckles.

"I know you do. I love you too."

The nurses' shoulders shake with laughter as Bucky grins at them. Shannon doesn't even notice. Her face is bright red and twisted into a concentrated grimace. Tears leak from her eyes. Bucky wipes them away with one hand as he whispers in her ear.

"One more, Shan. Come on, doll. You can do this."

She leans forward and screams like he's never heard her scream before. It pierces his eardrums and he tries to take a step back, but he's stuck. She's got a death grip on him. Her fingers threaten to crush his vibranium hand -- or her own. Bucky watches her grip to make sure she's not snapping bones, although right now he's not sure that she would notice.

The next thing he hears is silence, followed by the sound of a baby crying and the doctors and nurses laughing and sighing with relief. His heart stops. Everything they've been through, every awkward text, weird date, every fight, and every minute of distance between one another has all lead to this moment. When Sam downloaded that app for him, Bucky never expected to find love - much less a wife and a family. The doctor looks up at him.

"Congratulations, papa. It's a beautiful little boy."

Bucky is numb, yet he's got more adrenaline pumping through him than he's ever had before. He nods wordlessly as he watches the doctors and nurses put the baby immediately on Shannon's chest. He read about this in one of the hundred baby books that Sam bought for both of them. Bonding skin to skin is critical for the first few minutes of the baby's life. Shannon cradles the child without question like she's been doing this her entire life. Her shaky arms wrap around the baby as she coos at him in between quiet, soft sobs. Happy tears. He can tell the difference now.

In that moment, Bucky watches as the woman he loves the most in the world changes right before his eyes and becomes a mother. The nurses wipe down the baby, clamp the umbilical cord, and wrap him in a soft blanket before placing him back on Shannon's chest. She thanks them as they congratulate her and coo softly at the baby. Shannon looks up at him, beaming.

"You wanna hold him, Buck?"

"Yeah," he whispers through tears.

Gingerly, she places the baby in his arms. It feels strange to hold something so small, it feels even more strange to know that he created something so fragile and so beautiful. He never thought he was capable of creating anything positive after so many years of being trained to destroy, leaving people and places in ruins in his wake. This is a chance for him to start over. He never got to be there for Rebecca or his niece, but he'll make damn sure he's there for this little boy. Bucky looks down at the baby squirming against him.

"Hey, little guy." Tears spill down his cheeks. "I'm your dad."

Shannon is dripping with sweat, her hair matted to her forehead. She reaches for his hand and kisses it softly, weeping against his skin. Both of them are overcome with relief and emotion. Her pregnancy was difficult. Apparently, on account of the serum. Shannon was sick every day up until she was seven months pregnant, and at one point early in her pregnancy, the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat on the doppler. Bucky and Shannon sat, paralyzed with fear, preparing for the worst, but after a few minutes of searching, the doctor gave them a big smile and said: "Sometimes they scare you."