Chapter 33: Scare

November 4, 1943

The trek was long, and slow, and cold.

The chill had been nice at first, making Lu feel like the Earth herself was reinvigorating her, pumping her full of oxygen after she'd suffered the dungeons. But by the third morning, the cold had settled into her bones, making her grit her teeth to keep them from chattering and stuff her hands under her arms to keep them from turning blue. Bucky, the asshole, seemed to be completely fine, so of course she also pretended to be completely fine, no matter how feverish or weak she felt.

It was easy to distract herself during the walk with stories from Steve. He was all too happy to tell her tales about his youth with Bucky, especially once she tempted him with some of the shenanigans Bucky had shared in the cages. Steve had to tell his side of the story, which usually matched up more to the original version than he probably thought. Bucky pretended to be annoyed, but she could see the smile on his face and the glint in his eye as he bantered with his friend, and she found herself wondering what it was like to be that close with someone. She'd had friends before, but none as close as Steve and Bucky. She always kept a wall up, knowing when she was younger that she didn't want to stay in Hemmingsburg and didn't want to be tied to it. Then, once Pearl happened, she was too afraid to lose someone.

"Don't think so hard. You'll hurt yourself." Bucky said, tapping the spot between her eyebrows where her forehead wrinkled. "What's the matter?"

"Wondering how the universe survived with you two knuckleheads growing up together." she deadpanned, making both men laugh, though Steve's was a little more robust. Bucky was getting tired too, but he was going to push as long as the others could.

"I wasn't as energetic as a kid." Steve said, still grinning. Bucky rolled his eyes, letting out a scoff.

"Bull shit. You had plenty of energy, you just didn't have a body that could keep up with it. And you couldn't hold yourself in a fight." he said. Steve raised an eyebrow, letting out an incredulous laugh.

"Well, now look who's the damsel in distress." he said, waving his hand vaguely to refer to their situation. Bucky looked like he was going to get mad for a moment, but ended up smiling. He had a point.

"Hey, if you're gonna wait this long to pull me out of a mess for once instead of the other way around, I'll settle for the one time I get held captive by a rogue science division." he said lightly. Steve gestured widely once again.

"Exactly. You did just fine all those other times, I waited until you really needed the help." he replied. Bucky clapped him on the shoulder, his brows twitching ever so slightly as the muscle bulk surprised him.

"You're a man of honor, Steve Rogers." he said. Steve glanced at Lu just slightly, a mischievous look on his face.

"Thought it was called the best man in a wedding. But I'll take man of honor if that's what you guys need." he said, making Lu choke on the water she was drinking and Bucky's face go slack. The response, of course, only led to Steve laughing at his own joke, loud enough that the soldiers behind them perked up to see what was going on. Lu could feel her cheeks burning at the insinuation, and was glad when Bucky finally opened his mouth, recovered enough to respond.

"That's up to her." he said, surprising her and making Lu actually squawk in surprise. Now both of them were giving her a shit eating grin, and the heat in her cheeks spread to the top of her neck. They both started laughing, Barnes putting his arm around her and pulling her close, just for a moment. She roughly pushed him away, crossing her arms and trying to glare at both of them at the same time.

"You two are insufferable." she said through clenched teeth, ignoring how her heart was hammering against her ribs at the thought of marriage, especially to Bucky. She didn't hate the idea. In fact, she found herself rather fond of it. But she wasn't going to admit that to him, at least not yet.

"And yet, you love us." Bucky grinned, and she was mad that she couldn't even say she didn't, because she'd already told him that she did, in fact, love him. She'd said many mean things in her life, and she was sure she would say many more in the future, but she wasn't going to let Bucky ever hear that she didn't love him.

"Consider yourself lucky for it." she mumbled, sounding every bit the petulant teenager that her emotions made her feel. She'd never felt this way about anyone before; she knew that this was how she was supposed to feel about George, how everyone wanted her to feel about George, but he was never more than a friend. Bucky was much, much more than that.

"Trust me. I do." he said. She could feel him grinning at her, and after a brief glance over his shoulder, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to the side of her head before putting respectable distance between them again. She didn't think her blush could get any deeper but her body continued to surprise her, making her feel even more feverish than she did before. Steve and Bucky went back to their teasing, leaving her to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. They'd been walking forever it felt like, but as the sun passed its highest point, Steve picked up the pace a little more.

"We're almost there." he said, and Lu certainly hoped it was true. Not only could she not maintain this pace for an extended period of time, she wasn't sure she could continue on for much longer in general. Something was warring inside her body but she didn't let herself think about it; she had the feeling that it had actually given out a long time ago, but something beyond moxie was making it continue. Her lungs were aching, her legs were numb, and the edges of her vision started getting blurry, and then dark. But Steve said they were close, so she kept going.

The final ridge felt like climbing a mountain, and through the cotton that seemed to be stuck in her ears she could hear the sounds of an Army camp - the yelling, the marching, and the clatter of transport vehicles. The soldier on lookout called as soon as he spotted them, the energy of the camp shifting as the message passed through it. Steve and Bucky both straightened up as the other soldiers came into sight, their steps fast and sure as if they hadn't just walked all those miles from a Hydra base, and in Bucky's case, after a month of torture. She swayed as they stopped, nearly running into the men in front of her and then nearly falling over as she tried to slow her progression. A woman with perfectly curled hair and startling red lipstick met them at the front of the gate, giving Steve a look of shock and amazement. Lu couldn't hear what they were saying; it felt like her head was under water. Bucky called something out, but she couldn't understand him, and when he looked back at her with a dazzling smile, she figured this wasn't such a bad view before she died. Then the darkness closed in, and she collapsed.

Bucky immediately dropped his smile. "Doc?" he asked, trying to catch her as she fell. "Doc!" The men around him were still clapping and celebrating, the joy of their return outweighing the pain of what they'd been through. His legs gave out as he took on her entire weight, and at best he was just able to control their descent to the ground. Steve glanced away from the woman in uniform to see them, his face dropping as he took in the sight. Lu was deathly pale, the blue of her veins showing through her skin. Bucky shook her slightly, calling her name and begging her to open her eyes, but she remained still.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" a feminine voice called over the voices of the soldiers, her tone almost shrill. "Excuse - move!" Angela finally pushed through to see them, her big brown eyes taking in everything at once. She'd changed in the past month, both physically (a touch too thin) and professionally; Bucky expected her to flounder, or stammer, or perhaps faint as well. But she clenched her jaw and sank to one knee, her hand going to Lu's neck. "She's still got a pulse. But we need to get her to the physician." she said, angling herself so her arms were under Lu's shoulders and attempting to stand with a grunt. Steve stepped in, not caring how close he got to Angela in order to pick Lu up, his science-given muscles easily able to handle the weight. Bucky scrambled to his feet, pissed that once again Lu was suffering, and all he could do was sit here and watch.

"Tell me where to go." Steve said. People were still trying to get close to him, trying to pat him on the back and tell him thank you for the rescue. But his eyes were on Angela and his focus on Lu, the younger woman nodding and setting off at an impressive pace to the hospital tent. Nurses were running around frantically, trying to prepare to triage a hundred men, and be ready to care for them all. The main physician, who already looked worn and weathered, was shouting instructions and delegating tasks. Bucky briefly flinched, remembering the doctor that had snuck into the Army just so he could find subjects for Hydra. If this man even looked at them funny, he was going to get a knife to the throat.

"Dr. Alpert!" Angela called. Her voice was still shrill, but it was loud, and commanded just enough attention for the man to stop barking orders and look their way. His heavy eyebrows buried themselves behind the thick frames of his glasses as Steve put Lu on a bed, Bucky making sure that she would be comfortable when she woke up. "She's one of ours, she got taken-"

"Yes, yes, I know." Dr. Alpert said impatiently, though how he knew Bucky couldn't say. He threw one more order over his shoulder before weaving his way to them, grabbing a pair of gloves from a side cart as a nurse pushed it by. "Pulse?"

"Tachycardic." Angela answered quickly. Bucky was surprised - when did she have time to count the beats? "Thready at the wrist." she added as Dr. Alpert pulled out a stethoscope, putting the bell of it all over Lu's chest without any care for propriety. Bucky felt a jealous, overprotective growl sound low in his throat, but luckily no one could hear it over the chaos of the tent. No one except for Steve, of course, who looked back and put a heavy hand on Bucky's shoulder. It took him a couple breaths to calm enough to be civil, though he still couldn't bring himself to trust the man. He was glad to have Steve there, knowing he would be in their corner if they needed. And if he could break them out of a bunker, he could certainly take on a handsy doctor.

"Decreased breath sounds on the right. Get me a hypodermic needle, nurse." he said. Angela didn't even bother nodding, only running to the supply closet while the doctor began unbuttoning the loose shirt covering Lu.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what are you doing?!" Bucky exclaimed, half glad and half angry that Steve caught him around the chest before he could punch the doctor in the face. The doctor neither flinched nor stopped what he was doing.

"My job." he said, opening the shirt and pushing one side of it away, leaving Lu nearly exposed except for the dirty, worn fabric of her brassiere. Every rib showed, exposing the extent of her malnourishment that was previously hidden by the loose clothing. Bucky could feel his cheeks heating, but whether it was from anger or chagrin for her he didn't know. Angela returned shortly, handing the doctor a large needle with a cap on the end of it. She wiped Lu's ribs with alcohol while the doctor pressed his fingers to them, counting them. He was pressing so hard Bucky was afraid he would break them. "You might want to look away for this."

"Fuck that." Bucky said roughly, earning another shove from Steve to put some space between them. The doctor shrugged, not giving him another moment of chance before plunging the business end of the needle between two of Lu's ribs. His heart dropped to his shoes, his body freezing as he saw how much of the needle disappeared into her skin. Surely a needle going that deep would kill her, right? Why was the doctor killing her?

Just when Bucky was about to descend into a spiral of rage and despair, Lu took a deep, rattling breath, her green eyes fluttering open as she gulped down gasp after gasp. He sagged into Steve, the relief so profound he could feel his heart ache and the prickle of tears behind his eyes. When he finally got his feet under him, all he could do was move close enough to grab Lu's hand in both of his, leaning his forehead against it as he thanked a God he wasn't sure he believed in that she was still with him. Her hand flexed slightly, her other one eventually coming to rest on the back of his head. His hair was dirty and matted, but she didn't care. She was just glad that when she'd woken up again, Bucky was still with her.

"Sergeant Barnes, you need to get checked out too." Angela said softly, laying a gentle hand on his back. He shook his head without looking up, trying his best to hold back the tears. A few leaked out against his will, falling onto the crisp, white sheet.

"I'm okay." he said, the words unconvincing even to his own ears.

"At the very least, you need fluids. Come on, I'll put a chair right next to her." she said, trying to tug him away. As the adrenaline started fading he could hear the emotion in her voice, and he realized he was being quite selfish. Angela had just gotten her dear friend back, and here he was, keeping her from tending to her. And yet, he couldn't quite bring himself to let go.

"You can see everyone else first. I'll be right here." he said, this time with a little more control. He squeezed Lu's hand again, and when she squeezed back it was a little stronger than the time before.

"Barnes." she said, her voice raspy. He looked up so fast his head spun for a second, and all he could focus on was the green of her eyes. Slowly, the rest of the world started coming back into view: the soldiers filing in, the nurses getting them organized, Angela standing next to them, and Steve behind him, with a hand still on his shoulder. Lu was looking right at him. "Listen to your nurse."

If any of them noticed he'd been crying, they didn't comment on it. He leaned against her hand once more, if only to have a way to slyly wipe his face on the sheet. "Yes, ma'am." he choked out, standing up again but refusing to let go of her. Angela already had a chair for him, but his body didn't really want to move.

"Pitter patter, Buck. She's got a lot to do." Steve said, adding just enough umph to his voice to make the soldier in Bucky snap to attention at the order. He was right, Bucky needed to get it together so that Angela could go and help the men that actually needed her. He dropped into the chair, still holding Lu's hand and her gaze as Angela wiped their arms with alcohol and connected them to two hanging bags, trying to rehydrate them. As she left, Steve started shifting food to foot, as if he had ants in his pants or something.

"Go on. Do what you need to do." Bucky said, looking up at him with as much of a smile as he could manage. Steve put his hands on his belt, leveling him with a serious look.

"You sure you'll be okay?" he asked, though Bucky knew it was just due to their relationship. Anyone else, he would have taken it as permission for leave. Which was precisely what he was going for.

"I'm sure you've got a lot of explaining to do to that brunette. And later, you've got a lot of explaining to do about that brunette." he said, trying to put a little bit of innuendo in his tone. Turns out the muscles and the height didn't change Steve's affinity for embarrassment, the ends of his ears turning slightly pink.

"Punk. Holler if you need anything." he said, patting his back roughly. He laid a gentle hand on Lu's shoulder. "Get better, Doc."

"Not you too." Lu groaned, making Steve grin. He gave them a half-assed salute before striding out of the tent, no doubt going to make either a report or amends for his actions. The hospital tent still bustled with activity as soldiers and nurses went to work, but it was all background noise to them. Bucky scooted his chair closer so she didn't have to raise her head to see him; her color was much better now, and her breathing stronger.

"How's the other side?" he asked, trying to joke like he hadn't just had a breakdown a few minutes prior. One corner of her mouth lifted in a smile; if anyone could appreciate the gallows humor, it was her.

"Dark. Quiet. I could finally rest." she said. She still spoke quietly, but it didn't sound strained. He still couldn't get the picture of her chest out of his head, how every bone showed, and how she was struggling to do something as simple as breathing. When had it started? Had she even felt it? Were there other things they needed to worry about now?

"Why didn't you say anything?" he chose to ask, running his thumb over the back of her hand. She swallowed thickly, her tongue briefly darting out to wet her dry lips. Next moment he got, he'd find her a cup of water.

"What would you have done? Carried me?" she asked. Near death experience? She could get over that. She'd had one before. But admitting that she needed help? Not allowed.

"Absolutely not. I would've made Steve do it." he said with a grin, both of them knowing he would do no such thing. He brought her hand up, laying his lips against it for a long moment. "You scared me, you know."

She opened her mouth to retort, but ended up just sighing. Now was not the time for banter, not when a man like him was openly showing how much he cared for her. "I'm sorry." she said, and she meant it.

"Damn well better be." he said, though there was no sting in the words. "Look, I know you're a badass that survived all sorts of shit before you met me but...I've got your back, Lu. We get through shit together, you get that, right?"

"I'm starting to." she replied, somehow choking the words out around her heart in her throat. She wanted to tell him that she cared too, that he was special to her, that she'd never felt anything like she did for him. But those words got stuck, and all she could do was tug his hand to her mouth, hoping that the kiss she gave it would somehow imprint all that into his skin.

"You and me, Doc." he said quietly. She nodded.

"You and me against the world." she said with a smile.

"Please don't scare me like that again." he requested.

"I'll do my best, but shit happens." she replied, her logical brain taking over and responding instead of allowing her heart to get a word in edgewise for once. He gave her an unamused look.

"Watch your mouth." he said, moving to knock on the wood of the table. However, his motion was interrupted by her saying,

"Watch it yourself." Even she looked surprised at the flirtation, and for a second he almost forgot to knock off the demons before looking at her with a devilish grin.

"Don't be a tease, Doc." he said, though he did move even closer to her. She didn't move away.

"I could say the same for you." she replied, her voice barely a whisper and her breath dancing across his chin. He took a quick, cursory glance around the hospital before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. It was just the same as the first - sweet, and deep, and ushering in a feeling of safety and contentment. Kisses like these weren't meant for one night; they were meant for a lifetime.

He didn't say anything as he pulled back, just settling back into his chair as Lu shifted to get more comfortable. They shared a secret smile, two of them stuck in their own little bubble despite everything around them.

They were out. They'd made it.

Ah I'm sorry this chapter is a little short, but at least it's very sweet! I'm sure if you've taken a gander at Silver and Honey, you know that fluff is basically where I live, so this story is very different from my usual!

Thank you so much for your reviews! They keep me going. I'm so glad that y'all are enjoying this story as much as I am. I always welcome theories, so if you have any on what's going to happen, I'd love to hear them!

I hope you liked this chapter. Please let me know what you thought!

-XM