Dreams of another life

X

"She's fine Mr Barnes. The internal injuries were nothing major but we've sorted them out. All she needs now is rest and some good food and she'll be good as new" a tiny female doctor told him.

He'd taken Wanda straight to medical, where he knew all to well, the second he'd parked up, having half a mind to just carry her. Her eyelids were heavy and drooping by the time they'd got there.

There had been some internal injuries which came as no surprise given a fucking mountain fell on her. Why Strange didn't even have the common sense or decency to make sure she wasn't going to die mystified him.

Thanking the doctor, Bucky was left alone outside the room Wanda was currently asleep in. Everything down here was so high tech he didn't even want to enter, scared he might break something.

She was hooked up to a few machines and a drip, but apart from that looked no different than before. Deciding noe would be an ideal time to call Sam, he stepped outside and took a walk over the grass and around the trainee track.

Sam picked up in three rings. "Barnes. Calling again so soon?"

"I've got her" was all he said.

"Who?"

"Wanda. I got her."

"Wait wait wait. What do you mean, you got her?"

Bucky rolled his eyes, Sam really needed to start listening properly.

"I went to Strange, asked him to let me see her and then I left with her" he gave him the gist.

"And Strange just let you?"

"I don't think he expected me to come out alive."

Sam exhaled, "Okay. Where are you?"

"I brought her to the compound, she's in medical. She looks like a goddamn skeleton, more skin than bone" he said.

"Jesus. I'll be there soon."

Hanging up, Bucky sat down on a nearby bench. What was he going to do with Wanda now? He couldn't just leave her to go off alone again, could he? Not until he was sure she was going to be okay.

The trainees that ran past slowed to salute him. Sam had asked him a few times if he wanted to stop by more often and help train the newbies with him. That was Steve's job, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Back inside, he watched Wanda sleep from outside her room. If she was awake it might be creepy, it probably still was.

"You don't look like a stalker at all" Sam strode toward him, smirk evident in his tone.

"I'm a trained spy" was all he could come up with.

Sam stopped beside him, taking a moment to look at Wanda. Observing her, he saw that Bucky was right. Her skin was pale, too pale to be good and her cheekbones jutted out unhealthily from her face.

"She really okay?"

"That's what they said."

"I can't believe Strange just let you leave with her."

"Wong was dead set against it, said I'd be blamed if she went...off the rails again. Strange barely said a word."

"And why is she here?"

"Where else was I supposed to take her? We were walking and she was breathing like she'd just completed a lap at Camp Leigh. I had to half carry her down here" Bucky turned away from the window.

"Yeah, you did the right thing" Sam agreed. "But...what now?"
—
Wanda felt like she was floating. The same feeling she had when she was trying to dream walk. Only she wasn't this time.