Nurse

14.

After spending the past few weeks with the avengers, helping them after battle and doing everything I can to forget that awful time I had, I decided it was time for me to go home. It had been around three weeks since I had seen Bucky at the hanger they were keeping him in, while I was enjoying my time with Steve and getting to know him, we both agreed it was time for me to go home. Sighing to myself, I hurry around my room and grab any belongings of mine I wished to take. A few photos of me and the guys and the photo of me and Steve when we went out on our first date.

We decided to go to a carnival that was in town, Steve said that it had been awhile since he had been to a carnival. He knocked on my door at 6:45pm with a bouquet of pink lilies in his hand. I couldn't keep the smile from my face as I stepped forward and placed a kiss to his cheek. "These are beautiful thank you, I'm just going to grab my bag and phone and put these into some water and I'll be ready" just as I turned to walk back into my room, he placed his hand around my hand and gently tugged me back towards him. Surprised by his action I tumble into him, my chest hitting into his as a small chuckle leaves his body. "You look gorgeous Em, go get your stuff and let's get out of here" he squeezed my arm and let me go, taking that as my queue I filled up a vase of water and placed the flowers in them, getting together my bag and phone and meet him back at the door. Taking my arm in his we head out of the door and into his car, he holds the door open for me like the true gentleman he is, before walking around and getting in himself, putting on his seatbelt and starting the car. We make our way to the carnival, which is only a short drive from the bunker, the lights shine bright in all the different varieties of colours and before we know it the music encases the car. Steve runs round to the other side of the car to open the door for me, holding his hand out for me to take he holds onto my hand as I get out of the car. We make our way to the carnival grounds as I pay for our tickets to enter, meanwhile Steve goes on ahead to get some burgers from the van, seen as we both hadn't eaten. It was such a fun evening, we ended up going onto the waltzers and the go karts, my smile never fading the whole night. After Steve threatening to throw up and me egging him on we decided to end the night by going onto the big wheel, the view was amazing and at that moment with Steve and the view it was the first time I hadn't had my thoughts consumed of fear or Hydra or Bucky.

I smile at the memory and continue to pack my bits. Meeting Steve and the rest of the guys by the door. After that night me and Steve both decided it was best if we remained as friends, the timing wasn't right and we both just felt like there was something missing. Steve and Nat and Sam had all agreed to take me home to make sure I got home safe, it was completely unnecessary but they insisted and if I'm honest it was nice to have some company for the trip home. Steve and Sam carried my duffle bag and other bits down the stairs so I could say my goodbyes to everyone. It was a bittersweet moment that seemed to end sooner than I had hoped, the bags were in the car and Steve and Nat were getting into the car, Sam waiting with me. "Guys I'm going to miss you so much, you don't understand how much you have helped me" I make my way to hug each one of them, stopping last at Wanda. Over the past few weeks we have become such good friends, we were the ones that would clean up the bunker and make the dinner. I knew if she had any news I would be the first person she told the same as if I had any news I'd find her first. She became my best friend and she knew just how much I needed her, especially over the first few days. "I'm going to miss you so much, please don't forget me" she sobbed, pulling me into a tight hug, her tears spilling over the eyes, my own betraying me with my own tears. " I could never forget you, besides I'm only half an hour away, you are welcome to visit me any time" I offered, pulling back from the hug and looking her in the eyes, she nodded and said that I was welcome to visit her at any time. With the final tears shed and the final goodbyes said, I made my way outside and got into the back of the car, the sound of the engine roaring to life as we pulled out of the large driveway. "Sam it's depressing in here, turn on the radio will you?" Nat asked from the seat next to mine, a familiar tune blasting through the speakers as her fingers drummed along to the tune on the back of the drivers seat.. or Sams seat. I finally started to relax and sign along to the song that was playing when a loud bang was heard on the top of the car, the next thing that was heard was the back seat window next to Nat was smashed, a hand reaching in and trying to grab her out. My face must have been emulating horror as I looked into the mirror, catching Steve's eyes. "What the hell was that?" Nat shouts, before she looks toward the window where the stranger had tried to get in "Fuck, he's got a gun! Emma get in the front now" without question I jump into the front seat and sit on Steve's lap, a bullet being shot through the roof of the car exactly where I was sat a moment ago. Steve puts the car into reverse as Sam slams on the break, the guy onto of the car ends up flying forward, his hand placed on the ground as he tried to stop himself and minimise the distance between himself and our car. When he stands to look at the car it only takes me a second to see that all too familiar metal arm. "Steve.. it's Bucky" my voice is barely above a whisper. Bucky stands up and looks directly at the car, just as Nat is about to shoot at him a car slams into the back of ours, sending us towards Bucky. Just as we are about to reach him he jumps into the air, grabbing ahold of the top of the car and pulling himself on the roof, Sam tried again to slam on his breaks as Nat continues to look for her gun that she dropped. "Steve how is he back? He hasn't been seen for weeks? Is he back for me? To complete his mission in killing me?" Steve must have noticed my panic and he brings me closer to him, looking between the roof and Sam he turns his attention back to me no doubt he was going to give one of his award winning motivational speeches. I could have used this right now but it seems like Bucky has different ideas, Buckys hand come down into the windshield and grabs ahold of the steering wheel, ripping it up and throwing it from the car. The car continues down the highway at 70mph before it starts to bump into the side barriers on the road, in a blink of an eye Steve is yelling at everyone to hold onto him, Nat and Sam grab each other while Steve holds me tight to him. He uses his shoulder to push the passenger door off its hinges, just in time before the car flipped over, we held onto each other as Steve held onto the door, all of us landing onto the road, rolling as we came to a stop. The car continued to flip and roll until it crashed into a car on the opposite side of the road, the explosion bound to get police attention. He grabs a large gun and fired it towards me, just as it was about to hit Steve pushed me out of the way and held his shield in front of him, hoping that was deflect the bullet... however this wasn't no ordinary bullet, the force and size of it as it collided with Caps shield sent him flying back, nocking him from the highway and onto the road underneath us. Bucky turned to us before he started to move, and quickly to. He ran towards us just as Nat was getting up from rolling across the road from the car. "Emma run! Don't worry about us and run" she screamed, aiming her gun at Bucky and firing, the bullet hitting him metal arm and leaving a dent. He didn't seem concerned at the fact that Nat was shooting at him, instead he ran straight to me, grabbing me and pinning my body against his, his metal arm wrapped tightly around my waste and his other arm, loaded with a gun, was aimed at the side of my head. "I want you to listen to me, the guy you think you know is gone. I have a mission and one way or another I will complete my mission" he yells, the sound making me jump. I try to wiggle myself free from his grip but that just seemed to irritate him, with nothing else to do I try to move my hand to grab his metal one, hoping the contact would shock him into releasing me. Just as I was about to grab at his arm his lips came down to my ear, I could feel the cool of his lips touch the top of my ear as he whispered to me " I don't want to kill you, but I have to make it real" he breathed in heavily as he pulled my head back and clicked the gun. My heart was pounding as I tried to make sense of what he said. Make it real? What does that mean? Sam seen him click his gun and started to run towards me, before he could get to me there was the sound of a gun going off. It was deafening and shot through the air. My ears started ringing and I felt Bucky release me, running into the distance and fleeing the site. "Emma are you ok? Hey Emma talk to me! Are you with me?" I could faintly here Steve's voice as he tried to talk to me, not knowing when he came back. And just like that I felt the pain in my leg, the red liquid running down to my ankle.. Bucky has shot me.. just like he said he would.

The only thing that I could think of as I fell forward into Steve's arms was about what Bucky had said. He didn't want to kill me.. Being a nurse came in handy in this situation as I looked down to locate where exactly the bullet wound was located. He had caught me in my quadricep, the main muscle in your legs. The issue with the thighs or quads is that you have a major artery in your leg called the femoral artery, if that was damaged it can cause you to bleed out, resulting in a quick death. Bucky must have known this as the bullet wound, although it hit the quadricep muscle it missed the artery and by quite a lot meaning he never intended to hit it.

It was after that realisation that the effect of the wound caught up to me and once again, my vision and mind were blacked out, the last thing I could mumble was ...

"He knew he wouldn't hurt me.. He never meant to hurt me"