"We don't have to do this, you know." I told Steve.
"It's fine. You have to find my story out somehow." Steve replied.
"You could just tell us." I offered.
Steve shook his head, "It's too painful."
I nodded and put a chair in front of him and I stood on it, "Ready?"
"Yes."
I put my hands on both sides of his jaw and put my forehead against his.
"Open your mind, Steve. Let me in." I whispered.
"A lot of guys are being killed over there. Kind of makes you think twice about enlisting." A man said to Steve as the small man put the paper down when his name was called.
"Nope."
"Rogers. What'd your father die of?" The doctor asked.
"Mustard gas." Steve answered. "He was in the 107th infantry. I was hoping I could be assigned-"
"Your mother?"
"She was a nurse in a TB ward. Got hit, couldn't shake it." Steve said.
"Sorry, son."
"Look, just give me a chance here." Steve replied.
"You'd be ineligible on your asthma alone." The doctor said.
"Is there anything I can do?" Steve asked.
"You're doing it. I'm saving your life." The doctor answered.
Steve was now at the cinema and there was a small commercial playing about the war and the army. A guy sitting in front of him kept complaining, wanting the movie to play.
What a dick.
"Hey, want to shut up?" Steve asked the guy.
The guy stood up and faced Steve and took the fight outside. The man punched Steve multiple times, and each time Steve got back up.
"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" The man asked.
"I can do this all day." Steve replied.
Steve attacked the man again, but he blocked it and punched Steve in the face, knocking him into a trash can.
"Hey," Another guy in an army uniform grabbed the jerk and threw him down the alley, "Pick on someone your own size."
The jerk tried to punch the mystery man, but he blocked it and hit the jerk and kicked him, sending him towards the street before turning to Steve.
"Sometimes, I think you like getting punched." The mystery man said to Steve.
"I had him on the ropes." Steve replied as he cleaned himself up.
"How many times is this?" the man asked, looking at Steve's enlistment form "Ah, you're from Paramus now. You know it's illegal to lie on your enlistment form. And seriously, Jersey?"
"Did you get your orders?" Steve asked the man.
"The 107th. Sergeant James Barnes. Shipping for England first thing tomorrow." James said.
Well at least I now have a name to match the pretty face.
"I should be going."
James smiled and put an arm around the very small Steve, "Come on, man! It's my last night. Gotta get you cleaned up."
"Why? Where are we going?" Steve questioned.
"The future." James answered, handing Steve a newspaper.
That night Steve and James to the World Exposition.
"I don't see what the problem is. You're about to be the last eligible man in New York. You know, there's three and a half million women here." James said to Steve.
"Hell, I'd settle for just one." Steve replied.
"Good thing I took care of that." James responded and he waved to two girls.
"What did you tell her about me?" Steve asked.
"Only the good stuff." James answered.