"Because I know my Bucky."
That sentence hung in the air for a couple of minutes while I drove.
"Here." I quickly turned off the engine and followed my Dad inside.
"We need a doctor! Anyone!" My Dad bursts through the front doors.
"Steve, Steve what's wrong?" Sam came running to us.
"Bucky choked himself. Can you get us a doctor?"
"Sure, Doctor Farley! You are needed on ground 1!" Sam ran to a phone on the wall and talked into it. He ran back over to us.
"Why do you think he choked himself?"
"Flashbacks," was all my Dad said.
Who I assumed was Doctor Farley came running down the stairs. "Who is this?"
"James Barnes, he choked himself, he's not dead, just knocked out." My Dad says.
"We need him in an operating room. Nurse Crowley! We need you!"
A woman who looked about 5'0, with another foot of attitude came rushing into the room. Her brown hair was swept tightly into a bun at the nape of her neck and her footsteps make silent pings on the polished floor as she ran.
"We need a gurney!" She called. "What happened to this man?"
She peeked under the flannel blankets.
"He choked himself." My Dad said stiffly.
"With his metal arm. Got that." She pulled the gurney over to her side. "Put him on here." She said.
My Dad placed Bucky on the gurney and held his metal hand as they swept him away to the operating room. My Dad was placed in a room where he could watch.
I ran into the room to see my Dad, not crying.
Which was surprising.
"Dad, Dad are you okay?"
He gazed into the operating room.
"I can't believe he did that. He didn't ask for me or anything."
I hugged him.
"Dad, people do that when they think they have no way out. Bucky had a bunch. He'll be okay," I told him.
He sat back in one of those hard plastic chairs. "Now he has to live here again."
I sat down next to him and rubbed his back.
"Dad-"
He stood up.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. It's him I'm worried about. Fuck, now he's suicidal. Great, just great."
I saw him grit his teeth.
"Dad, he's got the best people to take care of him," I said and leaned into his shoulder.
"Yeah, he'll be here for another twenty years again." He put his face in his hands.
I rubbed his back and looked in the operating room.
"Dad! Look! He's waking up!"
My Dad stood up.
It was true, Bucky was coughing and sat up, but then laid back down when he realized where he was.
"Please! Just let me die!" He cried. "Steve! Steve, where are you?" He thrashed around.
My Dad stood up. "Bucky?" He ran toward the door.
"Dad! Can you just walk in there?"
My Dad paused in the doorway.
"I'm Captain America. Of course, I can."
I sigh and look at Bucky again.
But the scene was too painful. Bucky was yelling at everyone to let him die.
All he wanted was to see my Dad.
After an hour, he finally calmed down because my Dad was holding his real hand.
They moved him into a room where my Dad could stay with him, I had to go home though. I thought about asking Jake if he wanted to stay over since it was a weekend but he was at the beach and I still hadn't gotten him an anniversary gift.
While I walked home, I played music loudly. I just thought. Maybe Scarlet and Eva could come over. I didn't feel safe sitting in an empty house for the whole weekend.
Once I got to the house, I used my key to get inside. The house seemed to have lost its joy and color.
I threw my bag on the table and picked up my phone to start a group message.
Hey Scarlet and Eva, do you guys mind having a sleepover tonight? My Dad is out for a couple of days w/ Bucky probs.
Scarlet texted back first.
Sure! I'll be right over!
Aw yeah! I'm flying over!
Flying?
With my hammer dummy.
So that ended our conversation. I was thankful no-one asked about Bucky.
While I was waiting, I turned on all the lights to make it not so dark.
After a few minutes, the doorbell rang. I basically ran to the door to find Eva standing there with windblown hair.
"Eva!" I hugged her right there in the doorway.
"Hey... Calla. Are you okay?" She hugged me back.
My eyes prickled. "Yeah, is Scarlet here yet?"
"I saw her running on the way here." Eva plopped her bag on the couch.
"Running?" I asked.
"Yeah, and she was texting someone."
"Oh, texting someone huh?" I said as Eva sat down on the couch.
"Yeah, and Scarlet never texts anyone," Eva said and pulled out her phone. "She said she's almost here."
Right then the door flung open and Scarlet stood in the doorway, laughing at her phone.
"Hey, guys." She jumped on the couch next to me. "What wrong with Bucky?" still looking at her phone.
Eva set down her phone. "Yeah, what happened?"
I crossed my arms. "I'll tell you guys if Scarlet tells us who she's texting."
Scarlet finally looked up from her phone, and... blushed. "Why do I have to tell you?"
"Because you never text," I said.
"Fine." She blushed. "It's this guy I really like at school. His name is Carl Greg. I met him in my archery class." If possible, she blushed more.
"Oh, I've heard of him!" Eva said. "He's cute..." She trailed off.
"Anyway, he really likes me. Like actually accepts me for who I am. Not the great Black Widow and Hawkeye's kid. Just Scarlet Barton. Who can split his arrow in half." She muttered the last part.
I hugged her. "Aw Scarlet..."
"Okay! Enough about me, what happened to Bucky?" Scarlet yelped.
I stared at my hands. "When I got home from school after the fight with Prim, my Dad was training and I told him about the fight. We were in the kitchen and he told me to go check on Bucky. So I did. The lights were off and when I turned them on, Bucky's metal arm was clamped around his throat." I finished.
"Aw, Calla. Is he at the VA?" Eva hugged me.
I sighed. "Yeah. He kept yelling at them to let him die and was calling for my Dad and stuff. He probably can't live with us anymore." I said.
"Calla, it'll be okay." Scarlet hugged me and then reached into her bag. "Look what I brought!"
I smiled. "Monopoly." It's the girl's tradition to play it whenever we have a girls-only sleepover.
Scarlet started setting it up. "Guess what I saw when I was at the store?"
I picked my usual figurine. "What?"
"Avengeropoly." Scarlet snorted.
"Really?" I said. "How desperate are they for money?"
"Actually, it was the last one on the shelf and-" She reached into her bag.
"Let me guess, you bought it?" Eva looked up from her phone.
Scarlet pulled it out of her bag. "Yup! I call Black Widow!" Scarlet called.
I sighed. "Captain America."
"Thor." Eva set down her phone.
Scarlet rolled the dice. "Should I buy Stark tower?"
We all laughed. But then I remembered Jake.
"Hey, you guys. What should I get Jake for our anniversary?"
Scarlet gives me a look. "I don't know." She shrugged,
Eva smiled. "You should take him on a date! I mean, you guys could take a night out. You're almost fifteen Calla. You could just walk around town and go to dinner!" Eva said thoughtfully.
I sighed. "Maybe. And yes Scarlet, you should buy Stark tower."