Bucky was leaning against his window, the moon high in the sky. He was perched upon his bed with his nose in a good book when he heard a car engine start up outside. He knew the sound of the old, rackety engine all too well. Without marking his page or even looking out the window, he grabbed his coat and unlocked the door.
"Where are you going?" His mother asked in a concerned tone, although her face was knowledgeable. Bucky didn't feel the need to answer.
"Ms. Rogers!" He called, running to his next door neighbor's house. The blond woman in the driver's seat rolled down her window.
"Hey, Bucky. We're going to the doctor. Steve's running a fever, and he has some rashes starting up." Her face was empathetic. "He's not feeling so well."
Bucky nodded. "Mind if...?"
"Get in." Sarah Rogers said, her lips pulling up at the corners. Bucky chuckled, opened the back door, and got in.
Steve was covered in a blanket, shivering, although his face was red. The small man opened his eyes a slit as Bucky closed the door. "Hey, Buck." He said in a small, raspy voice.
"Hey. What'd you catch this time?" Bucky remarked, a small, playful smile appearing on his face.
Steve shook head gently. He wasn't in the mood for games. "My head hurts. And my throat."
Bucky's expression became worried. "Please don't get worse." His voice was slightly higher than normal.
"I won't." Steve said as he rest his head in his friend's shoulder. Bucky wrapped his arm around the smaller man in return, and Steve quickly slipped into sleep.
Bucky's stomach tossed every time Steve's breath caught, or coughed, or whimpered. His arm was tight around him, and no words were spoken until they pulled into the doctor's office.
"We're here," Sarah announced quietly, turning around in her seat to look at them.
Bucky took a deep breath. "Wake up, Steve." The smaller man let out a groan of protest before sliding over to the door his mother had opened for him and got out. Bucky got out his door, but closed and locked it before realizing that Steve's blanket had dropped to the floor when he got out of the car. Too late now. He rushed around the car and walked on Steve's left side. They walked to the door carefully, the night air brisk and nipping. Bucky rushed ahead for a moment, opening the door so that Steve and Sarah could walk right in without having to pause. Once they were seated--well, Bucky and Steve were seated, Sarah was signing in or something--Steve started shivering really hard. Silently cursing himself for forgetting Steve's blanket, Bucky pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around his friend. Steve slipped his arms through the sleeves, but his hands never came out the other end. Bucky smiled at his tiny friend.
Sarah returned, sat down next to Steve, and started rubbing his back.
When the doctor called them in all three of their stomachs flipped--although Steve's only flipped because he was sick.
The doctor examined Steve gently--every move he made was protested by Sarah or Bucky.
"Be gentle, he said it hurts there."
"He's not feeling well, be careful."
"Don't touch that, it hurts him."
The doctor smiled and chuckled every time. "You two are worse than first time parents." He said, turning to them. Then, turning back to Steve, his expression became worried. "How long have these symptoms been persisting?"
"Just today, but he was feeling a little funny last night, so I kept an eye on him today, and around 8 pm tonight we left the house..." Sarah explained.
The doctor nodded, his fingers pressed to Steve's throat. "It looks like Scarlet Fever. He'll need bed rest and antibiotics, but I think you two should get tested for it. It's highly contagious."
Bucky nodded, his stomach twisting. "The antibiotics will make him better?"
The doctor spun his chair around to face him. "They should. Any allergies to Penicillin?"
"We're not sure," Sarah admitted, shifting around in her chair.
Steve suddenly leaned forward, gripping the side of the examination bed tightly as heavy coughs began wracking his small body. His coughs soon became wheezes--became an asthma attack.