Later that afternoon…

"Oh god…oh god, oh god…"

Those words came out of me like a little mantra, beneath my breath as Sam and I ran across the rocky bank of the Potomac to where we'd spotted Steve.

Fury hadn't even had a chance to land the helicopter before we'd hopped out.

I did something painful to my ankle when I landed in the shallow water on a not sturdy surface. Not that I cared. Both Sam and I had seen the blood from the air when we were looking for him in the river. We'd been looking for an hour. With every minute that passed, I grew more and more terrified that only divers would find him in the wreckage of one of the helicarriers that was in the large river.

Sam had a First Aid Kit under his arm and stood for a second, slowly looking over Steve's unmoving body.

I dropped down to my knees beside him and immediately placed a hand on his warm face. He was still alive. Dead bodies weren't warm. My hand went to his chest where I rested my ear. A distinct sound of him breathing relieved me. When his chest moved beneath my ear, I felt something break inside of me in gratitude.

"He's breathing," I told Sam.

"He's been shot," Sam told me as he slowly knelt down.

Without thinking I dug my hands under Steve's arm and lifted, my first thought was to roll him over to get any water out of his lungs. In doing so I patted his arm. "Steve…Steve…it's Sam and me."

There was no response.

No noise, no movement, not even a small cough up of a little water.

Oh my god, he was going to die.

My eyes immediately went up to Sam who seemed to be in his element. "We need to get him in the helicopter and to a hospital." He looked him over then moved so he was up by his head, "Grab him beneath his knees. We'll carry him together. He's heavy so watch your step on the rocks."

My head whipped around to see if Fury had found a spot to land and indeed he had, up further on the river bank in an area that was clear of trees.

Sam tossed the kit on Steve's stomach as I made my way down to his legs. Listening to Sam, I got between them and got a good grip underneath Steve's knees. Sam was right. Steve was heavy.

It took the both of us to lift him.

Had he always been that heavy? He didn't feel that heavy.

Being down between his legs with his knees in my hands allowed me to see all the blood on him, the swelling on his face and the bruises. He hadn't listened. He hadn't been good. If he lived he was never going to hear the end of this from me.

The thought of losing him hit me hard. It took my breath away. I felt like I was going to be physically sick from the fear.

I hadn't realized I'd grown so attached to the man.

Sam grunted as we carried Steve across the river bank. "Nat…do you happen to know his blood type? Off the top of you head?"

I almost dropped him then and there.

"Can Steve get blood? With the serum in him?"

Even struggling beneath the weight of Steve's torso Sam frowned at me. "You may need to call one of your Avenger genius friends to ask."