| Warning: Moooooore drama. |
Taking off down the hall at a quick pace, you walked to Bruce's door and knocked. It was late, you hated to wake him up but this seemed important. You looked at Steve to notice that he was breathing heavier than normal.
Bruce answered the door with his shirt wide open and he was holding a book. "I'm sorry, Bruce, I know it's late but..."
"What is it, (Y/N)?" he asked, his face serious.
"Steve's losing weight and he might be getting shorter, too." You got it out as fast as you could.
Bruce looked at Steve standing behind you and stepped out into the hall, closing his door. "Let's go up to the sick bay."
***
In the sick bay, Bruce confirmed that Steve had lost weight... nearly 10 pounds, in fact. Steve was always a solid, unwavering 240 pounds. He was almost an inch shorter, as well. Steve seemed to be taking the news better than you and Bruce. You and Bruce were silently panicking. You were doing small tasks that Bruce needed a hand with, just to keep busy. Steve really was taking it in stride, or at least on the outside he was. It just made you more proud of him.
After having him go to the bathroom and change into a hospital gown, Bruce drew some blood and hooked different types of monitors up to him. "Steve, I think I need to keep you monitored overnight. I need to see how rapid the deterioration is," Bruce said. "I'm also going to call a few people, I think we need to bring in help on this one."
"You're in charge," Steve said.
Bruce pulled up the digital x-rays of Steve's head from the first day of the accident and looked them over. He seemed frustrated and then he said, "I'm going to make some phone calls, I'll be back."
You sat down in the chair near the bed and looked at Steve. He looked back at you, giving you a little smile that melted your heart. "Today was... strange," he said, with a little laugh.
You smiled at him warmly. "I'm staying with you tonight... I mean, is that okay with you?"
"Of course," he said. It was like you had old Steve back, even just a little bit.
You pulled the chair closer to the bed and tried to pull your legs up and get comfortable. He looked at you and shook his head. "Why don't you come up here with me?" he asked and moved to the far side of the bed. You gave him the "are you sure" look and he motioned with his head for you to join him.
You stood ready to climb on the bed but stopped and said "You're really okay with this? - Because you don't know me very well... and what about... Peggy...?"
He reached his hand out to you. "I've had a few weeks to let it sink in about Peggy and we really weren't dating yet... I was just sort of stuck on her... and as far as you, I have to trust myself with you. I read my own handwriting and I know how I felt about you before. If I could be that head over heels for you before, then... I will be again."
You sat down and gently moved back on the bed. There was not really enough room for two people unless you were smack up against each other but that didn't seem to bother him. He reached up and pulled your head down to press it to his shoulder. "Get some sleep," he said, giving your head a little kiss.
Hearing Steve say something that he'd said to you many times before was so comforting. That, and leaning up against him. You were enjoying feeling his warmth when it struck you that he was withering away and fear washed over you. You laid your hand on his arm, offering you both comfort.
You'd already fallen asleep when you heard Bruce return to the room and start talking to Steve. Your eyes shot open but you just couldn't sustain it and you let yourself drift back off as Bruce took an extra blanket out and covered you. You slipped away to the far away sounds of Bruce and Steve talking.
In the middle of the night, you woke up and the light in the room was soft and dim. Steve was still asleep so you tried to quietly slip off the bed. You felt his hand on your arm. "Please... don't go."
You turned around to smile at him. "I just have to go to the bathroom," you said.
When you came back, Steve moved his arm across the pillow so you could snuggle in closer and when you laid back, he wrapped his arm around your shoulder.
"Part of me is afraid to get too attached to this..." you whispered. "I'm so afraid you'll be ripped away again."
He tightened his grip on you. "If that happens, you give me those cards again. If I forget you every single day, you give me those cards to read every single day and I will remember you over and over again for as long as it takes." He looked over at you. "I'm not letting go."
You reached to the stand beside the bed to get your phone and you held it out in front of the two of you to take a picture. "Smile," you said. If Steve was back, even a little, this was a moment you wanted to remember. After you took the picture, you turned on your side a bit and snuggled into him.
***
Early in the morning, when the sun was barely up yet, you woke again. This time Steve was sound asleep so you snuck away and left a note on his lap that you had gone to take a shower.
On your way back to sick bay, you ran into Bruce and as he was asking how Steve did overnight, he got a phone call he had to take. "This is one of our guys," he said to you. You continued on to see Steve and when you opened the door, he seemed pleased to see you. "Good morning," he smiled. Your heart thumped in your chest to see him laying there with his bed head, smiling at you.
"I brought you some things," you said, handing him a bag. "Just some personal items so you wouldn't feel so gross this morning. Don't know how long you'll be here." You put your hands on his cheeks and leaned down to kiss his forehead.
"You take good care of me," he said, latching onto your hand before you could move it away. He gently pulled you down to the bed for a hug and he didn't let go. He moved his face against your cheek, you thought he might kiss you but he didn't. You assumed he remembered he hadn't brushed his teeth yet.
"Why don't we get you cleaned up a bit?" you asked. You stood and started pulling the curtain around the bed. Bruce walked in just then. "I brought some things for him to clean up, Bruce, he'll just be a few minutes."
"I can unhook the monitors so you can get up," Bruce said, looking at Steve. Bruce started taking wires apart and Steve started off for the bathroom with his supplies.
You sat back down in the chair. "So what's the plan?"
"Oh, company's coming," he said, signing into the computer and entering passwords. When he finished, he looked at you. "How are you holding up? - You seem better this morning."
"I do feel better, I suppose," you said, thinking about it. "Now that Steve knows about us, it feels like he's back... or at least, it feels more normal."
Bruce smiled, "That's nice to hear."
"Did you sleep?" you asked him.
"A little... I stayed up making some notes and thought of a million tests I probably need to run..." he sighed. "I'm going to do everything I can."
"I know, Bruce. You have no idea what that means to me." You got up and walked to the bathroom door, knocking softly. "Steve? Do you mind if I tell Sam what's going on?"
"Go ahead," he called out. "I'll just be another minute."
You sent Sam a quick text about what was going on and then there was a knock at the door. Bruce opened the door and shook someone's hand before they walked in and you could see who it was. He looked familiar.
"(Y/N), this is Dr. Reed Richards," Bruce said as Steve walked out of the bathroom, drying his face with a towel.
You shook his hand and then Steve did as well. "Dr. Richards," Steve said, "thank you for coming."
"Please, call me Reed," he said looking at you both. You could see the pity in his eyes and you could only assume Bruce had already told him the whole story.
Bruce stepped forward next to Reed. "We're going to put you through a whole new set of tests again this morning. We need to compare with the originals."
Steve turned to you, putting his hand on your lower back. "I want you to go have breakfast - and kill some time. You don't need to wait around here." He leaned down and gave you a quick kiss on the lips.
Though you didn't want to leave, you weren't about to argue with him. It wasn't until you got out in the hallway that you realized he'd just kissed you. You smiled and turned back to look through the window next to the door. Steve looked at you and a smile came over him as he put his head down, obviously trying not to laugh. Bruce and Reed were talking to each other and didn't get to see his cheeks get pink. That memory would be burned into your brain until you saw Steve again.
Sam texted you while you were walking. He wanted more details and to talk. You texted him back to tell him you were on your way to the kitchen and for him to meet you there.