Chapter 36
[Bucky's POV]
When we got back, Steve was pissed, but his eyes shone with a new and bright light as soon as I mentioned Rebecca's name. Being the only child that he was, my siblings had basically adopted Steve, and so they were as much his siblings as they were mine. Steve ordered us to bed to get a few hours of sleep, but told us by noon we would be heading out to the retirement center that Rebecca lived at.
Though I was nervous and crazed, I did manage to get a few hours of sleep. When I woke up, I changed into jeans and a plain white t-shirt. I threw on the black leather jacket I used to wear when I was the Winter Soldier and felt a sense of pride when I slipped my arms through the sleeves. Whenever I wore it as Bucky, I felt empowered, as if I had conquered my biggest fear.
Emily was waiting for me outside of the door with a steaming cup of hot cocoa. She had switched out of her old clothes and into black heeled combat boats, skinny jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and a cozy black-and-white striped cardigan. Dangling around her neck was a beautiful golden necklace that looked like an arrowhead. I gently kissed her cheek in a thank you for the hot cocoa and laughed as she blushed red.
"It's too early for that," she mumbled under her breath, taking a long sip of her drink. I shook my head and threw an arm around her shoulder as we headed down the stairs. Steve was up and about, clean-shaven and showered. He was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, along with a black blazer. His hair was all slicked back, the way it used to be back in 1945.
"Trying to impress my little sis?" I laughed, and Steve shot a glare at me before continuing what he was once doing. As I watched, I smiled fondly as he snuck a box of madeleines into the care package he was assembling for Rebecca. They used to be her favorite. Steve's mom was a fantastic cook, and made the best food in the entire city. Madeleines was one of her specialty desserts.
At noon exactly, the three of us piled into the hummer and went straight for St. Mary's Retirement Center, the retirement center where Rebecca lived. Steve parked us excellently and as soon as I stepped out, I felt my chest tightened up with sudden anxiety. What if she didn't remember? To be on the fair side, I had forgotten about her for months, years even! It was only when I felt Emily slip her hand into mine that I began to calm down. Steve seemed as nervous as I did, so she grabbed his free hand with hers as well. The three of us sent each other reassuring smiles and headed towards the lobby.
The retirement home was cozy and had a beautiful, wooden texture and scheme to it. Steve's eyes sparkled with interest and I could sense that he wanted to draw it badly.
Emily let go of our hands and walked over to the receptionist, a plump lady with thick-rimmed glasses. "Hello! My name's Emily Salgado and this is Steve and Bucky. I was wondering if you could tell us where Rebecca Proctor is staying…?"
The woman behind the desk (Annabelle was what was written on her nametag) clicked her tongue sadly and shook her head. "Not Proctor. Not anymore. Poor man passed away three months ago. Rebecca changed her name back to Barnes. But yes, I would be delighted to show you where she is staying." As she waddled out of her chair, she asked, "Which number are you?"
"Number…?" Steve asked concernedly, glancing towards me for reassurance. I sent him a helpless look before looking back towards Annabelle.
"Kids," Annabelle supplied. "I swear that woman has more children while we aren't looking. Last time I checked, she had around nine, but I could be mistaken."
I hadn't even registered that tears were in my eyes before Emily was squeezing my arm gently. I looked down at her and she looked back at me with concerned eyes. "You ok?" I managed a nod.
"We're relatives," Steve told Annabelle, and the woman seemed to accept our answer. We followed Annabelle through the crazy twists and turns of the retirement home before stopping at one specific door. There was fifties music blaring in the background, and I even recognized some of the songs.
"When you get in there, tell Rebecca to turn it down a bit," Annabelle ordered us. "Just because she enjoys the music doesn't mean that some of her roommates do too."
"Got it," Emily promised her. "And again, thank you." Annabelle sent us a warm smile before disappearing into a different room. Emily looked between the two of us men and licked her lips. "Ready?"
"Nope," Steve and I answered instantly, and she rolled her eyes.
"Men," she grumbled under her breath, and gently knocked on the door. "Excuse me? Ms. Barnes?" There was a muffled voice from within, but I could tell she said 'come in'. I signaled to Emily that we were clear to enter and she gently pushed the door open. The music turned itself down and I was filled with the sights of sterile white walls and the smell of bleach.
And there, lying on the bed, was an elderly woman, between the ages of 85 and 90. She had long, styled white hair and wrinkles, but the gleam in her blue eyes was undeniable.
It was Rebecca.
She caught my eyes and her mouth went slack. She looked between Steve and me for a moment, before turning her attention back to me.
"James Buchanan Barnes, do you know how long I've been sitting here waiting for you?"
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[Emily's POV]
I was such a horrible friend.
I burst out laughing. I honestly couldn't help it. Out of all the things I imagined Rebecca saying to her long-lost older brother who looked young enough to be her son or grandson, that was not one of them. Bucky sent me a glare, but Rebecca caught it.
"Not so fast, Buck. Don't you go sending your wife that kind of look," Rebecca snapped, and the two of us instantly blushed. We weren't even dating, so 'marriage' was quite a step up. "Honestly, is that how you treat a lady?"
"No ma'am," Bucky replied shyly, and I smirked. Served him right.
"Now, introductions," Rebecca ordered, pointing towards all of us. "I need to know for you are all who you look like you are. Cannot tell you how many pretenders I've had wandering around this room, insisting that they were the real Captain America and his sidekick."
"My name is James Buchanan Barnes," Bucky began, looking at Rebecca with saddened eyes. "I was the eldest of four kids. When I left for the war, I went via boat. We were standing on the docks and you whispered to me, 'Doesn't matter where you've been, doesn't matter what you've seen. Doesn't matter who've you killed, doesn't matter who've you saved. I'm with you, 'til the end of the line.'" Bucky winced slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Then you promptly punched me in the face."
"Wait!" I interrupted, turning on my heel to face him. "How come I've never heard this story?"
"Sweetheart, it's not one he likes to bring up very often," Rebecca said, placating me. "What about you?" She pointed a knobby finger towards Steve.
"Becks, my name is Steven Grant Rogers. I was born July 4th, 1920. I met your brother when some bullies tried to steal my lunch money," Steve explained to her. "You were actually with him at the time. You kicked Jimmy Cooper in the shin."
Rebecca's grin was wide as her eyes glazed over, reliving the memory. "He got a bruise for a week. You told me later that I had a mean swing for a girl." She paused, then looked at me. "My dear, I don't believe we've ever met."
"We haven't," I reassured her. "My name's Emily Salgado. I actually met Bucky this year."
"Met and married in the same year?" Rebecca asked incredulously. She looked at Bucky with a sense of pride and amusement. "Way to go, Buck."
"No, no, no," I put in, shaking my head. "Bucky and I aren't married."
"We aren't even dating," Bucky added.
"Yet," Steve seemed to murmur under his breath, and Rebecca let out a loud laugh.
"I haven't had this much fun since Wyatt Fiendman down the hall lost to BINGO," she snorted happily. "Come, come! Sit! Tell me all that I've missed out on."
"I think it should be the other way around, Becks," Steve admitted as we all pulled chairs up. There were only two, so I sat on the arm of Bucky's chair. "We didn't realize you were even alive until Emily brought it up this morning."
Rebecca turned and sent me a grandmotherly stare of approval. "Thank you, dearie. I needed that."
"You are welcome," I told her genuinely. "Well, I'm sure the boys want to talk to you. Are there any refreshments you guys want me to pick up from the cafeteria?"
Both the boys shook their head and I squeezed Bucky's shoulder reassuringly before getting up and slipping out of the room. As I walked back towards the lobby, I paused when I heard a whimper of pain from a nearby door. I froze and looked around, trying to spot a nurse of something so I could signal them that a member of their facility was in pain, but not a single person was in the hallway besides me.
Curse my luck.
I walked over to the room and gently pushed open the door, wincing as it made a creaking noise. "Hello? Someone there?"
I was greeted by a whimper of pain. I pulled myself into the room fully and was astonished to find a little girl lying on the bed. She couldn't have been more than nine years old. She had long, dark brown hair and mesmerizing green eyes. Her thin hospital blanket was clutched in between her small, frail, and pale fingers. There was an IV drip bag dripping some sort of clear liquid into her bloodstream, but she was still crying from pain.
"Are you alright?" I asked her, hesitantly making her way to her side. She looked at me through tear-stained eyes and whimpered, "Help me."
I rushed to her bedside and immediately began brainstorming of things I could do. I could radio a nurse, but she'd probably be in even more pain than she was before.
"What do I do?" I asked her calmly, and the little girl pointed a shaky finger towards the IV bag. Sensing what needed to be done, I detached the IV bag from her arm and she let out a little sigh of relief. I smiled and gently brushed some of her hair out of her face. "There. Feeling better now?"
A painful, stomach-curdling shiver shot down my spine and I leapt off her bed, gasping as I did so. I hadn't gotten a shiver like that in months.
"Much better," the girl responded, except this time, it was much deeper, and had a more womanly tone to it. Then, the girl shifted, becoming taller and her hair's color swirled from brown to bright blond. Her clothes dissolved into her body, until she was wearing tight white pants and a crop top polyester shirt with sleeves that ran all the way down to her fingertips. Attached to that was a long, white cape.
I recognized her instantly.
"Emma…" I managed to choke out before I let out a scream of pain. My body lost all control and I collapsed onto the ground, smacking my head hard against the tile flooring. As I convulsed, I could see the room around me beginning to shift.
That's when I lost consciousness.
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[Steve's POV]
Bucky, Rebecca, and I instantly hit it off as soon as Emily left. We were chatting up a storm, and we filled her in on all the events that had taken place without her, including some old war stories we had never gotten to tell anyone. Rebecca told us all about her life, and her nine kids, two of which she named Steve and James after us. I could proudly admit that that statement did bring tears to my eyes. A half an hour later, and we were still talking, but I could tell Bucky was getting ancy. Emily had left for snacks a while back and hadn't returned yet.
"You two wait here," I told him as soon as I noticed he was ready to burst. "I'm going to go check up on Emily." Catching Bucky's eye, I added, "She probably is just gossiping with Annabelle at the front desk."
Rebecca nodded in understanding, and reluctantly, Bucky did too. I patted his shoulder and left the room, walking down the halls back towards the reception desk. Except, as soon as I got there and asked about Emily, Annabelle shrugged.
"I haven't seen her since she came in with you two," Annabelle admitted to me. "The cafeteria's only entrance is right by my desk. I would've seen her if she came down here."
Disturbed and troubled, I thanked her for her time and started going back the way I came. I ran my hand through my hair and paused when I heard something. It was very faint, and if it wasn't for my super soldier serum advanced hearing, I probably would have missed it.
There it was again. A slight pinging noise coming from my direct left. I took a slow step towards the door and leaned in closer, closing my eyes to focus on it. Since I was much closer, I could distinguish the noise completely.
It was three short taps, followed by three prolonged taps, and then three short taps again. My eyes widened in disbelief. SOS.
Someone was in trouble.
I shoved the door open and felt my blood run cold as I saw Emily's body lying on the floor. She was completely still, except for foot, which was barely tapping out the SOS. I fell to my knees beside her and immediately checked her pulse. She was still breathing and her heart was beating.
"Help!" I yelled out, looking towards the doorway. "Someone help!"
That did the trick. Within moments, three nurses, Annabelle included, were in the room and helping me get Emily onto the bed.
"What happened?" ordered one of the nurses, gently but urgently pushing me to the side so I wouldn't interfere with their work.
"I don't know," I answered honestly. "She went to go get snacks a half-hour ago and disappeared. I came looking for her and found her tapping out SOS with her foot. I think she had a seizure."
"I need an oxygen mask pronto," one of the nurses demanded, and Annabelle nodded rapidly before scurrying out of the room. The nurse who had moved me asked, "What is your relation to this girl?"
"Boss," I answered honestly. "We met a couple of months ago when she applied to my line of work. We knew she had seizures when exposed to certain things, but I didn't realize it was possible here!"
"Is there anyone else who might want to know this information?" the nurse who had ordered for an oxygen mask questioned, and I explained to them about Bucky and Rebecca. Annabelle returned with the oxygen cart, a dazed Bucky and startled Rebecca trailing behind her.
"I figured they would want to know," Annabelle told me when I sent her a shocked, but thankful look. Bucky took one look at Emily and nearly passed out.
"Not again," he moaned in defeat, racing towards Emily. He grabbed her hand with his and rubbed it soothingly with his thumb. He looked up at me. "Who was in this home?"
"I don't know," I told him from across the room. It was difficult with these nurses. We both knew all Emily needed right now was rest until she was able to be back in her feet, except none of the nurses seemed to realize that. And, on top of that, we couldn't go into any details without revealing that Emily was a mutant. "I didn't happen to find her until I heard SOS. She was able to maintain some control of her body and tap it out."
Bucky nodded in understanding and physically growled at one of the nurses when they ordered they we all leave the room. "I am not letting her be in here with you three alone."
"Please, sir…"
"No!" he yelled, holding onto her hand tightly.
"He stays," Rebecca ordered, her voice loud and proud. She reminded me of a drill sergeant I used to have back in the day. "Steve and I will leave and go back to my room, but under no circumstances is he supposed to leave." She sent a humorous look towards Bucky. "After all, she is his wife."
I shooed Rebecca out of the room before the two siblings could fight again and we headed back towards her room, both of us smiling but filled with heavy hearts.