Winter Sun •Soldiers Series• [Bucky Barnes/Avengers] *Sequel to Soldiers*

Chapter 7: Lottie.

Charlotte:

The nurse dabs something on the fresh wound on my chin. I flinch. "Sorry," she apologises and inspects my wound. "I'll put a bandage over it. Stay still, okay?" When I don't reply, the nurse takes my silence as her permission to go head. 

With me sitting on the edge of a bed, the nurse works her magic on my chin. I take the opportunity to peer around me. The room that I am currently in is spacious. The windows stretch from the ceiling to the floor, which allows me to look out to the bustling city of New York. 

New York? Is that where I am right now? I frown at the familiarity of this room. Yet I can't recall when was the last time that I had been here. Clearing my throat, I ask with difficulty, my voice feels distant and unreal," Where am I?"

The nurse glances at me quizzically. Her brows knit in thoughts as she leans back to level gaze with me. "You're at the Stark Tower." I glance down at the name tag on her uniform. It reads Claire. "Apparently, Mr. Stark insists that you're removed from," she pauses to gesture at me. I drop my gaze and examine the bruises on my arms, "wherever you were, even though you obviously needed immediate medical attention." Claire the nurse sounds slightly annoyed. Heaving a sigh, she resumes to treating my wound and continues, "then, he paged the hospital that I work for. It's the nearest hospital from the Tower. He asked for someone who is experienced in handling injuries like yours." Claire shrugs and tilts my head gently so she can inspects my neck. Her eyes are clouded the moment she brushes a light finger along the sore spots on my skin. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

She sounds genuinely concerned. There is also something about her that I cannot quite place. It's almost as if she knows what I have been doing, even though in this moment, I don't remember.

"Honestly?" I start and end up in a cough fist. Every breath I take feels raw in my throat. Claire turns on her heels instantly and grabs a bottle of water off of the nightstand. I takes it from her gratefully and try a cautious sip. "I don't remember," I finish, wetting my lips and averting the nurse's gaze. 

"It'll get better," Claire remarks atlas. The confidence in her voice assures me in an odd way. She smiles at me encouragingly, as if she knows exactly what I have gone through. "I have a friend who's like you. I won't elaborate on that but trust me, he's doing well now. And I have confidence that you will too."

Before I can utter another word, a rapid series of knocks startles both Claire and I. The door falls back to reveal Matron. Her blue hair falls in her face but she brushes it away hastily. Her eyes soften in relief when she catches glimpse of me. "Thank you, Claire," she gushes and hurries to me, kicking the door close behind her too. The nurse throws a quick wink at me and begins to pack her bag.

Dropping herself onto the bed next to me, Matron holds onto my hands just as Claire takes the cue to leave. Once Matron has caught the soft click of the closed door, she leans towards me anxiously. "How are you feeling?"

I stare at her, because I know that she knows too, that it is not my main concern right now."Matron," I start quietly, "I don't remember." Matron's expression dims, as if I have grazed a topic that she has been trying so hard to avoid, which I probably have. 

"But you know me," she almost whispers. The ghost of a smile falters at her pale lips. "You even recognise Steve, Natasha and Clint..." She trails off, her voice growing smaller until she wishes she could turn invisible too. 

"There's this guy who was with us," my voice trembles as I speak. I feel like he would be a very important piece to my puzzle now, but I just can't place him in my head. "Who is he?"

Matron's eyes flicker away from mine before settling on the back of my hand. "You used to be very close to him," she drawls and changes the topic quickly, "don't you remember what happened back in the training room?"

"Was that where we were?" I glance down at my arm and my eyes fall upon the blue and purple that stained my skin. "When you and Steve took me away, I saw all those bodies on the floor. Matron, it was a terrible sight. Did I do that?"

Vigorously, she shook her head. "No, Lottie. Hydra did it. Some of Shield's men had turned to Hydra and they were trying to get to us. We had no choice but to take them down." 

Shield. Hydra. These names ring a bell. "I work for Shield, don't I?" I begin to put the bits and pieces together. "I work with the Avengers. Hydra tried to take Shield down, but we stopped it." We? Who are 'we'? Matron grimaces and glancing down, I realise I have been gripping onto her hand like my life depended on it. At once, I let go of her and frowns. "Matron, tell me what happened."

Sighing tiredly, Matron explains, "We were going in for a hour of training when the Hydra men turned on us. One of them got to you and almost killed you. Well, Bucky lost it when he saw that the man had gotten you. He stopped the Hydra agent before it was too late. Then Tony was pissed and he wouldn't let Fury's medics near you. He insisted that you come back to the tower and he got one of the civil medics instead." She sucks in a deep breath and blinks at me hopefully. "Do you remember now?"

Her words pull a few threads in my head numbly. Broken picture frames freeze in my mind as I roam through them, recalling the training session and standing next to the strange man who always seems to wear a dark scowl. "Bucky," the moment I utter the name, Matron looks away from me again, "is that his name?" My cousin nods, and I reach deeper into my memory. Then, something stands out to me. "Matron, do you want to explain what happened when you were with Steve inside of the boxing ring?"

The blue haired girl gapes at me. Disbelief glints in her eyes frankly as she exclaims, "And that's what you remember? Oh man, Bucky's going to kill me." Catching the darkened gleam in my eyes, she's quick to explain once more, "it's just a way of speaking. Bucky won't actually do it."

The strange thing is, I remember the man turning to me during the training session, the way he has a quiet smile for me and a quick peck on my forehead too. Something pulls at my heartstrings the more I think about it. Frowning at the dull pain in my chest, I leave the memory be in my head. Then, snapping us out of our momentary silence, someone knocks on the door with great impatience and irritation. "Matron? Can I come in?"

Matron peeks between the door and I. Hastily, she replies, "I don't think she's ready yet, Bucky. Can't you just wait?"

The dead silence behind the door causes me to stir in my spot uncomfortably. There is something terribly wrong with this picture and I just can't tell what it is that makes me so agitated. Panicked, Matron squeezes my hand lightly as she gushes, "The issue with me isn't the big deal. Right now, we'll have to try to get you back in shape. Help you to remember stuff, do you understand me? Do you still remember what happened few days ago? With your mother and Dr. Metacliff?"

I'm at a loss of words. Ignoring this Dr. Metacliff character since I have no recollection of him, I hold onto the piece that sounds more importantly at the moment, "My mother? What do you mean a few days ago? She hasn't been in contact with me since I was eleven."

Taking a step back, Matron's expression went slack. She works her lips a few times, trying to come up with something to say. Then, miserably, she fails.