Ever since moving in with Mika, Bucky had begun disliking his night shift. She had a habit of sleeping like the dead, which drove him crazy to think of in the middle of the night. Even when he returned home in the wee hours of the morning, she didn't move or have a hitch in her breath. He almost envied her for how deeply she slept.

So when his phone alerted him that he'd received a text from her at half past two in the morning, it gave him ample cause for alarm. He opened it immediately, expecting the worst.

Had some sharp pains, so went to clinic. Nothing to worry about. Just wanted to let you know so you weren't surprised by the empty apartment.

He locked the phone, completely abandoning the project he was working on. He briefly explained the situation to the boss, who allowed him to leave a half hour early. As if Bucky needed his permission.

The clinic, of course, was on the opposite side of the town from his work. He thought of hailing a cab, but didn't want to deal with human interaction. He ducked his head down against the chill of the winter. The darkness felt heavier than usual, but maybe that was just his senses going haywire.

The clinic was nearly empty when he arrived, the only people being nurses in blue scrubs at the desk. Most of the rooms were dark; only two had lights on, with their doors closed.

"How can I help you?" one woman asked. She was older, and gave off a matronly vibe. The way her smile didn't quite reach her eyes told him that she had an inkling of why he was there.

"I'm looking for someone." he said softly. Normally he would be more conversational, give her a polite smile. But he was too busy keeping himself from going into every room until he found Mika.

"You must be the boyfriend. Come this way." she said, getting up from behind the desk and leading him down the hallway. She stopped in front of the furthest door, knocking quietly before pushing it open. "Mika, honey, you have a visitor."

"Thanks, Nani." Mika said quietly. She was curled up on her side, appearing small in the stark white sheets of the hospital bed. A monitor showed her slightly elevated heart rate, whereas the most recent blood pressure reading was low. Bucky nodded to the nurse, going and sitting in the chair close to the bed.

"Are you alright?" he asked, reaching forward and taking her hand in his. She nodded. "Are you in pain?" she nodded again. A few tears leaked from her eyes, making the pillow case go translucent.

"I lost our baby." she whispered. He felt himself go still as the words settled in his mind. His mind whirred with so many questions - but he didn't want to overwhelm her. It was clear by the look on her face that her heart was feeling very fragile.

"We had a baby?" he asked. She nodded again. "Did you know?"

"No." she said, shaking her head. "It was only five weeks. I didn't even suspect. I thought the pain was appendicitis, but then when I got here, I started bleeding…" She pulled her legs closer to her chest, as if remembering the pain from earlier. His chest ached seeing her like this, and he felt needles behind his eyes. Her voice shook with tears as she spoke again. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to bother you at work, but there was so much blood…"

He made gentle shushing noises, placing his palm against her cheek. "Don't be sorry. You are never a bother. You're my everything." he said. He didn't know what else to say. He didn't think he'd ever be in this situation, and he didn't know how to make her feel better. She was holding on to his wrist as if it were a lifeline.

Closeness. Mika valued closeness. For the first time, he didn't ask permission before getting closer to her. He climbed onto the bed next to her, staying on top of the sheets. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and letting her rest her head on his chest. He gently smoothed her hair, murmuring any positive affirmation he could think of as she cried into the flannel of his shirt. He could tell by the way her muscles were contracting that she was still in a good deal of physical pain, but clearly that was not the main cause of her pain.

He couldn't take away the physical hurt. But he'd do his best to heal her heart.