The next day, Bucky woke up fairly early and immediately noticed something strange laying against his leg. He looked down and found Milo curled up in a ball beside him. Shaking his head, he ignored the cat, grabbed some shorts, and leaned over to grab Jamie from the portable crib. His crib would be here after lunch with the rest of their things, but now the baby was within arm's reach. Which was good, since he had fussed most of the night. Bucky suspected it was because it was another strange place and this one didn't have his sisters close by. There had been no way to settle him except to rest him on his chest and just let him fall asleep. If Bucky breathed too hard, Jamie started moving around and he cringed, hoping he wouldn't wail again. His worry about the baby somehow getting hurt by one of his little baby's head, fingers, or other body part smashing into Bucky's metal arm already made the situation dicey. At four am, he could put Jamie in his crib without waking him up. He suspected this wouldn't be the last sleepless night with this kid.
Putting the dog outside, he fed the baby before he let Otis back in. The dog ran upstairs, probably to get in the bed with the girls. Bucky hadn't wanted him loose for a few nights until he got used to the new house. Luckily, it had wood floors in case of a mess. Bucky actually liked the dog. He discovered on day one that he talked. Apparently, it was common amongst Frenchies. Amy showed him videos on TikTok and Instagram showing how quirky and entertaining they could be. He also snored like a buzz saw. He had to admit, the friendly little dog liked everyone, even new people, he adored Tessa and Jamie, but he was absolutely obsessed with Amy and the feeling was mutual. Tessa wanted a dog too that was trained for the hearing impaired, but the places he looked at said there wasn't supposed to be another dog in the house. He wasn't even sure a therapy dog would be right for Tessa since she wants it to sleep with her and be affectionate like Otis is but most therapy dogs aren't considered pets. They're working dogs. Until then, she had Milo who at times was more partial to her.
Putting Jamie in the car seat, he started making breakfast for the girls. Sarah and Sam had stocked the fridge for him. Some stuff he would never eat, but most of it was things he or the kids liked. The baby watched him, fascinated, as Bucky carried on an entire conversation with him while he cooked. For someone who lived in silence for so long, he sped rapidly into the talking to himself, or a baby, category. Before he finished making breakfast, he heard little bare feet enter the kitchen and turned to grab Tessa, making her squeal with laughter. He asked her if she wanted pancakes, then picked her up and put her on the counter, and showed her how to flip the pancakes. She missed the skillet every time, but she had fun.
Amy came down with Otis trailing her before he finished breakfast, so nothing got cold. They talked about what the plan was for the rest of the week. He'd asked Sam to come over and help unload the kids' things. But before that, he decided they'd go get some paint for their room. Then, for the rest of the day, maybe they could get the house put together the way they wanted it. After today, Sam wanted to take Sarah and the boys to go sightseeing to the regular New York attractions and invited them to join them. They asked if Amy wanted to go to a musical on Broadway with them.
"Just me?" she asked, a little concerned.
"I don't think the baby would sit through a musical. And even though they sometimes have people to sign, the combination of length of the musical and having to focus on the signers might be too much for Tessa. She wouldn't get the enjoyment out of a musical that you would. So, I'll just rent a movie while you go with the Wilsons. You don't have to if it's too soon to be around new people." He hoped she went. A musical would be fun for her, plus she would be free from the responsibility of her sister and just be a kid.
Amy thought about it for a few minutes before saying, "Okay. I'll go if they don't mind."
"They don't mind. Trust me. And if you change your mind, it's okay too. So, what color do you guys want in your room?" he asked.
As soon as they finished breakfast and got the paint, they painted their room. Bucky let Tessa go crazy on the walls, then went over them with more paint. She painted a few different things on the wall that impressed him. It was probably a bad idea for her to think that was okay to paint on the walls, but it made her happy. They wanted two different colors, of course. Tessa wanted pink and Amy wanted purple, so other than one wall, he just split the room in half and painted one side purple and the other side pink. He painted the other wall with chalkboard paint so they could draw on it. The POD arrived almost at the same time as Sam arrived. Sarah had apparently wanted to let Bucky have some time alone with the kids, so she stayed at the hotel and took the boys swimming. Bucky had gotten Sarah and her kids a room at the same hotel, because Sam's hotel room wasn't enough for two adults and two children.
With the two of them working, it took less than an hour to get everything unloaded and in the right rooms. Sam hung out with the girls while he drank some lemonade and entertained them, then he left. Bucky took some time to call the accountant and Tessa's doctors. He'd get the pediatrician for Jamie and Amy tomorrow, but he wanted to send Tessa's records to Shuri as soon as possible. The accountant was also emailing him about the breakdown of the money and some suggestions for the business sale money. Writing a list of calls to make, he left it until tomorrow, so he and the girls could get all of their things unpacked and in place.
Bucky was so glad he had more places to put Jamie that were entertaining and safe for the baby, like a playpen, high chair, a couple of walkers, a swing, and some bouncy thing that Bucky wasn't too sure of. Hanging a baby on door in basically a sling seemed like trouble to him. This child had more toys and things than any kid he knew, except maybe his sisters. He put up a childproof gate, so Jamie didn't fly down the stairs, then put him in the walker. Off he went, zooming back and forth to his sisters' room, then back down the hall, laughing, squealing, and babbling. He loved to chase Milo and Otis. The cat always acted so offended while the dog ran for his life.
Everything was so chaotic, but it didn't bother Bucky. If it had been adults making so much chaos around him, he would probably go insane. But this felt like his childhood, surrounded by the noise a family makes. Except he imagined most kids would be on cell phones or tablets. For now, he enjoyed talking to Amy and having Jamie babbling at him. Tessa was normally so animated and active it was hard not to smile watching her. She said more without speaking than most people did speaking. Right now, though, she seemed a little off. When he asked her what was wrong, she just climbed into his lap and hugged him. She liked to sit facing him with her head buried in his chest and her hands on his shoulders. He couldn't help noticing that her position prevented her from seeing anyone or being seen. Like she needed a few moments to shut out the rest of the world. Since she couldn't hear, it was almost like a sensory deprivation thing. Or maybe if she sat that way, she could pretend he was her real dad. Bucky thought she missed her parents a lot, and her old home and life, but couldn't express herself or her grief. Bucky was glad if she felt comforted by him.
Eventually, Tessa got off his lap and brought him a big book, then climbed up beside him. Bucky opened it only to realize it was a photo album. It appeared to be made especially for Tessa and contained pictures of her life as she grew up. Lots of pictures with her siblings, but also with her parents. They really seemed like a model family.
She stopped him on one page with a beautiful picture of her and her mom. And she signed that her mom was the prettiest lady in the world. Bucky smiled and agreed with her. Then she said she wanted to see her mom again. Big crocodile tears rolled down her face as she looked at him expectantly. Amy watched in silence, seeming to debate if she should get involved. Once again, Bucky explained as he did at the graveside about the accident, their injuries, and being in heaven. She patted the book and said she wanted to see her mom in heaven.
This kid was killing him. She seemed able to reach into his chest and rip his heart out every day. And he couldn't solve this pain for her.
"Baby, you can't see your mom right now, but I bet she is watching over all of you. And your dad is too. So at least you have two guardian angels keeping an eye on you," Bucky signed, pretty unsure what he should say. The angel idea seemed to be a hit right now. She went back to showing him the pictures. Amy sat on the other side of the room, watching them.
"Do you have a photo album like this?" he asked, and she nodded, then looked away.
After a few moments of silence, she explained. "I'm not ready to look at it."
"It's okay. It's there when you're ready," he reassured her. He'd call Marta later and let them talk to her. It might cheer them up a bit.
Bucky felt so ill-equipped for this. Everyone he knew died long ago, and he didn't get to say goodbye or grieve them. He grieved the loss of the life he should have had more than anything. Coming home from the war to his family and friends. Hugging his mom, the way she held him so tightly, like she feared he'd escape. It embarrassed him in his younger years, but now he'd kill to have one of her hugs. Or his grandma's hugs because she always smelled like cookies. Having his dad put one arm around him and squeeze him, gripping his shoulder so tight it felt like he was trying to crush it, because he wasn't a hugger. He missed reuniting with his little shadow, Mary, and his other sisters, Emily and Maria. He could even imagine getting off the train and having his sisters run to surround him, all talking at once about how they missed him, kissing and hugging on him. Bucky had always been elevated above his sisters in the family, the oldest kid, the only son, the only brother, etc. He also regretted never meeting a girl and marrying her. He'd always been popular and many girls liked him before the war but he treated them with respect, knowing his mother would box his ears if he didn't. He dated nice girls, good girls, ones he wouldn't be embarrassed to introduce to his grandma. He and his wife could raise a family who grew up as he did, surrounded by huge loving family and extended family. He wondered if he hadn't fallen off that train, if that was the life he would lead, or if he would end up alone again.
Loneliness was a hard burden to bear, and when Steve left, he had no one until he finally let Sam in. But Steve left by choice and they were both grown-ups. Bucky still grieved and missed his friend, his brother. But these kids didn't get to say goodbye to their parents. Their parents were the world to them. Their parents will miss so many important moments in their lives. Watching Amy and Tessa for a moment, he realized he was possibly in a better situation because these kids really needed him. Just like him, they had lost their world suddenly, even if the manner had been drastically differently. He could never replace their parents, but he'd make damn sure these kids had everything he could give them. So, he didn't have the wife or the extensive family, but he had three beautiful, unique, sweet kids that he loved and hopefully one day they'll love him as well.
Tessa went back to unpacking the boxes of her stuff, which meant she'd pull it out of the box and onto the floor, the bed, or Bucky. Otis needed to go outside. So, while he was up, Bucky grabbed the now sleepy Jamie and took him downstairs to give him some juice before putting him down for a nap. Jamie became very cuddly when he was sleepy, much like Tessa. Bucky kissed his head, loving the fresh baby smell. He realized he was the only person who Jamie would remember as a father. As soon as the year was up and once he knew that's what they wanted, he planned to adopt these kids. His kids. Not by birth, perhaps, but he wanted them to be legally his children. He felt like their parents would want him to adopt them and care for them as a father would. Too bad he couldn't provide them with a mom, but he wasn't dead yet, so he guessed it was possible.
Walking upstairs, he sang quietly to Jamie. The baby was asleep before he even laid him down. He left the door open a crack and went back to the girl's room.
As he helped the girls put their things away, he took mental notes on what they liked. Tessa seemed to like anything princess or fairy related. Her clothes were mostly t-shirts with some type of character or on them and she had frilly dresses for special days. Almost everything was pink, purple or yellow. She was very much a girly-girl with dolls and dress-up in costumes. She was also really artistic. Her drawings seemed advanced for a four-year-old, but he might be biased. And she was so obsessed with animals. Wild animals, domesticated animals, she had a practical zoo of stuffed animals. She was messy about most things, but she lined up all of her animals in neat little rows on her dresser. She didn't want Bucky to help at all because she knew where they went and he didn't. She was going to love Wakanda, especially when she found out that Shuri was a real princess and she could meet giant rhinos and other animals.
Tessa came over and gave him a stuffed hippo and said she didn't want it. With no more explanation, she returned to her lining up her animals. Then he remembered she had a stuffed hippo she took to the orphanage. So many subtle clues of what damage their time there had on the girls. It just made him want to choke the life out of Mrs. Krenshaw. He didn't throw the hippo away, though, in case she changed her mind.
While Tessa was busy, he helped her sister. Amy was a bit more difficult to read. She seemed to like all different things. He smiled when he saw she had a shirt with Wanda and Natasha on it that said 'fight like a girl'. But she read books above her age group. Both girls had tablets, Tessa's was a less destructible child's version, and he snuck a peak at what Amy read. She read non-fiction books about history, including a lot about the Blip, but many other things. She seemed very interested in the Avengers and their allies. The hero cards she mentioned in DC were all people he fought with in the last battle. She had them all neatly protected in plastic sheets with pockets for each card, stored in a binder. All of her things were neat and well-taken care of. Bucky was a little surprised by that. Having rich parents usually meant the kids didn't appreciate what their parents gave them, but Amy wasn't like that. He already realized how unique she was, but every day she seemed to prove it.
After the girls decided what they wanted in their room, Bucky got them to help him in the attic. He turned the walk-up attic into a playroom/TV room/storage room. The room had heating and electricity in it. He put his old TV in there so if the girls wanted to watch different things or watch something while playing. He'd put up some kind of separator to block off the storage, but for now, it was fine. The girls seemed happy with their room and the playroom. Bucky felt relieved because he knew they grew up in an enormous house. He had already decided he'd need to find another house when the lease was up unless he could add-on to this one. Eventually Amy would be a teenager and he didn't want her to have to share a room with her little sister then. Plus, it was almost already too small for all of their things.
The girls wanted to go outside to ride bikes, so Bucky changed the baby and took him with them. He plopped him down on the grass and let him crawl around while he kept an eye on the girls. Seeing he had an email from the doctor, he forwarded it to Shuri. Watching her now, Tessa seemed like a perfectly normal girl with no problems. He wondered if she'd be able to speak right away or if that took a while. He realized he didn't know if she could read. She was almost five, so maybe it was normal for her not to. She was probably ahead of most kids her age with her vocabulary, since she had to learn to sign.
When Jamie started chasing the dog, Bucky smiled and took a video on his phone. Then he took one of Tessa and Amy. Tessa was smiling and laughing so he sent that to Shuri too with the note 'no pressure'. He knew Shuri would roll her eyes at that. T'Challa must have been right beside her because immediately Bucky got an email from him telling him to stop harassing his sister. He laughed, seeing he had put 'Wakanda Forever' at the bottom, since Bucky was not from Wakanda. He emailed Shuri again and told her to quit tattling to her brother. Maybe he should invite Shuri up here for a few days or a week before or after he went down there. She's always complaining that she could never leave the country except that one time to California. His fondness for her and T'Challa was deeper than friendship. They had given him his mind back, which meant more to him than if T'Challa had made him the King of Wakanda. He'd ask Shuri to come for a visit when the girls were back in school. He could spend the days showing her the city. But for now, he needed to get the grill going.
After dinner, he took the girls to Target and let them pick something for the walls of their room. Amy showed him a poster that had Sam as Captain America on it. Bucky laughed and grabbed a couple for Sam and for Sarah's boys. He also got him some Avenger and Heroes merchandise, like the collector cards. He thought it was hysterical that there was so much crap with his friends' faces on it. Amy even showed a poster with him on it. He was just surprised it didn't have 'Wanted Dead or Alive' on it. Amy wanted one of him as a keepsake. He said okay as long as she didn't put him on the wall.
Bucky was never officially an Avenger, but they included Sam in a lot of the Avenger things. It was strange to see people he knew considered superheroes. Or himself. Until Thanos came to town, Bucky was famous for other reasons.
Soon after, Tessa had gotten her posters and artwork and deposited it into the shopping cart with Bucky's joke gifts for Sam. Then she dragged him around the section that had hair things for little girls. Her not-so-subtle hint of handing him a little book on how to braid hair and do other hair styles made him chuckle. She moved on to the nail polish and Amy warned him her mother forbid Tessa to have nail polish after she painted the dog's nails. He got Tessa to stop shopping until he could get some things he needed for the house. Then Tessa talked him into a kiddie pool.
He never thought about the fact he had to mow and take care of the yard, so he got some things he'd need. Amy wanted to plant flowers and herbs, so he let her get some bulbs. The salesperson came over with some suggestions about good things to plant that will return every year. Bucky felt very domesticated, and it startled him. He knew nothing about planting things. He mowed the yard for most of his younger years until he went to war. The woman looked at him strangely when the weed-eater excited him but they didn't have them when he did his family's lawn.
He took both of them to the book section and told them they could buy whatever they wanted in that section. Tessa couldn't read, but she loved books with animal pictures in them. Eventually, she'd be able to read them. He got a few books about plants and gardens so he didn't kill all of Amy's plants. Before they even started looking, he knew exactly how this was going to go. Tessa would pick out a lot of books in a short time, based solely on the cover. Amy would spend a long time and only get a couple after reading the backs of the book and looking around for a long time.
Eventually, he had to stop Tessa from shopping, so he picked her up. "Bucky?"
Hearing a vaguely familiar voice, he turned around to find Leah standing there. He hadn't seen her face-to-face since he left her on their date. She was with another woman, similar looking, possibly a sister.
"You didn't tell me he had kids," the other woman said.
"Hi," Bucky said in a very awkward high pitched sounding voice. "How are you?"
"I'm good. Um, this is my sister Michelle. Sis, this is Bucky and a couple of children I didn't know existed," Leah said with a smile. She looked at Tessa and said, "Hi, what's your name?"
Tessa immediately started excitedly signing at her. Assuming Leah didn't know sign language, he explained. "This is Tessa, and she's hearing impaired. This wild man is Jamie and the dark-haired pretty girl in a purple shirt is Amy."
"Three kids? You would think that you would have mentioned that at some point where we discussed your parents and your brothers and sisters," she replied, not even pretending that she understood him.
"I didn't know about them then." When her eyes widened, he quickly added, "No. I mean, they're not my biological children. I'm really their great-great-great uncle and their parents passed away a short time ago. I was their only relative."
"You guys should catch up," Michelle said quickly. "I'll go… look at some magazines." She walked away, leaving the two of them looking at each other uncomfortably.
Finally, he took the plunge. "I know I'm an as… a jerk for not apologizing sooner, but I'm really sorry I left our date the way I did. I… I was dealing with a lot of things then and I wasn't dealing with any of them very well." Tessa started trying to get down, so he let her go and moved so he could watch the girls. After a minute, he chuckled, "You know, I used to be fantastic at these things. But that was eighty years ago."
"Taking care of children?"
"No, dating. Thank God I'm better at taking care of kids or these three would be in trouble." He paused a beat and said, "How's Yuri?"
She paused before answering. "I don't really know. In some ways, he seems better and in other ways he's not. I think he misses you but he doesn't want to talk about it." She looked at Bucky for a long moment before asking, "Are you still dealing with a lot of things?"
"Well…" He looked at the kids and smiled. "Yes, but it's a unique set of things now. Trying to establish a new normal for me and three kids I didn't know before a couple of weeks ago. And they're from Tennessee, so nothing is the same for them. They came with a dog and a cat as well. It's chaotic, but… it's great."
"Wow. That's a lot."
Bucky studied his hand for a minute before saying, "You probably wouldn't be interested, so you won't insult me if you say no, but I have this big new grill a friend gave me and I was thinking about having a cookout with the friends that helped me to get our house ready for the kids. If you want to come by… not as a date per se, but if you want to come by, I could at least give you food and beer in hopes you'll forgive me for our disaster of a date."
Leah looked at him for a minute, then at the kids. He almost apologized for asking, assuming he'd pissed her off. Finally, she smiled at said, "I do like food and beer. And really, what harm could come from a non-date cookout?"
"Now you jinxed it," he said, picking up Jamie, who was making his grabby hands and trying to get out of the cart. Almost immediately Jamie tried to throw himself at Leah. "He's such a flirt. I can't take him anywhere," Bucky said, but Leah took him and Jamie started his high-pitched squealing cheerful noises. Amy came over hesitantly.
"Amy, this is Leah. She works at a restaurant I used to go to," Bucky said vaguely. He didn't want a repeat of Amy trying to set him up because of how he acted on his date with Leah.
This time Amy got shy. She showed him the books she wanted to get. He wasn't sure about either. Leah looked amused and said, "The traveling pants books are really popular for girls her age. Heck, they made movies and I still love those."
"The other is the prequel to The Hunger Games," Amy explained.
Bucky waited a full minute before cutting his eyes at Leah and saying, "Don't make me Google it."
Smirking, she said, "It's kind of strange that it's considered a teen book series because its about teens competing until death. But she's obviously seen the movies or read the other books already, so the damage is already done. Keep her away from Twilight books though."
"Okay, you can have them. But I am brushing up on pop culture, so don't trick me," he said and tousled her hair and she smiled.
Hearing a tremendous clatter, he looked up to find Tessa looking at him like she just got caught. All around her were books from the display of the newest bestseller. As soon as he frowned, her lip started quivering, and he knew if he appeared angry, she'd cry. "I can't take you and your brother anywhere," he said and signed to her. Since he was smiling, she laughed. He turned to Leah and said, "Give me five minutes, tops, and then I'll reclaim the drool factory."
With Amy's help, he accomplished it fairly quickly. He made Tessa 'help.' When they finished, he took back Jamie. "I need to get a few things before we go and it's getting late for this munchkin. I don't think I have your number. I mean, maybe I should get it. For the cookout, you know?"
Leah smiled and took his phone, putting her number in it. "Now you have my number. I don't have yours. So, the ball is in your court." Winking at him, she said goodbye to Amy and Tessa, then poked Jamie in the belly and said, "Goodbye, cutie."
After she walked away, Amy looked at him like she was expecting an explanation, but he just put the baby back in the cart and went to the other side of the store to finish shopping. He didn't think Leah was the girl for him romantically, but he could use all the friends he could get and she was fun. At the very least, he owed her a good meal, plus he thought his friends would get along with her well. He had a short time to decide if he'd explain the story behind Yori. He hadn't even told Sam that story, but then, Sam didn't know Yori. Bucky felt if he didn't tell her and let her make her own decision about him, then it was just a lie.
x0x0x
The next week flew by. The kids acclimated fairly well. He still caught Amy sitting quietly, staring into space, on the verge of crying once in a while. Usually, when she couldn't find something or something differed from her house. She never complained, just appeared sad, often seeking sanctuary in her room, reading a book, and cuddling with Otis.
Tessa withdrew sometimes as well, but he had learned that despite her cheerfulness, she suffered from insecurity and extreme fear because of her hearing. She loved Sarah, but didn't want to be left alone with her or Sam because they couldn't sign. At times she would get upset if she were left alone in a room and seek out Bucky or Amy, becoming clingy.
They spent a week doing the tourist things for Sarah and the kids. They spent two days seeing the tourist attractions like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. It was the first time Bucky had been to some places, the ones not around in the forties, at least. Sam and Sarah took the boys and Amy to two Broadway musicals. Sarah wanted to see Wicked, and the kids wanted to see The Lion King, and Sarah missed out. After finding about that, Bucky got tickets for them to go see Wicked. Amy had loved both and went around singing for a few days, so Bucky found the music for her to have on her tablet. He suspected he'd have to take her to more musicals. One day, he even caught Sam and her having a sing along.
They also spent three days in Central Park. All the kids liked those days best, especially Tessa. She was very unimpressed by the buildings and those things, so the park was a pleasant change. If she got bored anywhere they went, she expected Bucky to carry her or she'd sit down in the middle of the floor until he did. She was adorable, but so manipulative. He felt like she would be a politician when she grew up. Sometimes she'd let Sam pick her up, but mostly she wanted Bucky. He made the mistake of putting her on his shoulders once when he was holding the baby and after that, she always wanted to be on his shoulders. Sarah kept teasing him for falling into Tessa's obvious traps and wondered how he did what he did and was so ignorant of feminine wiles. He knew at some point he had to be firm with her and stop her from getting her way or else, but he felt she had been through enough that he could spoil her for a few weeks before being a hardass.
Taking her to the zoo had bought him instant forever love with her, he thought. She was so fascinated and obsessed with every animal there, not just the cute and cuddly ones. He ended up getting a membership because he figured it would be a place she'd want to return as much as possible. Amy told him that their father once said he thought she liked animals so much, because they couldn't talk and she couldn't hear so they could connect to them silently. In the petting zoo, she wasn't the least bit afraid, nor did she run wild like she did in a lot of places. It was like she had a respect for the animals and was gentle with them all. He caught her looking angrily at some boys who were messing with and teasing a goat. Sam caught her look too and walked over to the boys to stop them. Bucky stayed in the petting zoo with her for a little longer while the others went for lunch. He just enjoyed seeing her in her element.
At the end of the day, she was so overly tired after so much excitement; she cried and wouldn't let anyone comfort her except Bucky. He showed her the membership card, explaining that it meant they could come back often. Then Sam brought her a stuffed red panda he'd bought in the gift shop and she stopped crying and just hugged her new animal. She fell asleep in the car so soundly that Bucky could carry her in the house.
Sarah extended her trip until her cousin came up. But she made sure that they weren't at Bucky's every day. He thought he might save some time and get the girls on the phone with Breanna, and he just watched from the other side of the room. She was very good with the kids and her sign language was much faster than his. He was refreshing his skills using an online tutorial, but he still wasn't as fast as Amy and Tessa or Breanna.
He let Sarah watch Tessa and Jamie one day so he could take Amy to see four private schools that were close by and had excellent reputations. They both ended up liking the Montessori private school. He liked it because it had such a high rate of kids graduating and going to college. Amy liked it because they had dancing, drama, music, and visual arts available. And it was also wasn't an all-girls school. The kids seemed happier and more normal there. None of the older kids had piercings or tattoos and the girls weren't wearing short mini-skirts and low-cut shirts. He knew he had old fashioned thinking but he was terrified of teenagers these days. He didn't want Amy to become one.
"Do you think my parents would like this school?" she asked, looking at the building.
"I'm not sure. It's not the same as southern schools, but it's an excellent school. Do you think they'd like it?" he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.
She nodded as she shrugged. He could see tears filling her eyes, but he gave her a minute before asking. "You okay?"
"Every time I see something here, I want to call and tell them. And they're not there, so I feel bad that I'm having fun," she said, the tears rolling down her face. He led her over to a bench up ahead. "And I know you're trying to do the right things for us but I worry that we're doing it wrong."
"I can only imagine how hard it is for you. Losing people is hard," he said, then pulled her into a hug. "But you don't have to feel guilty. I didn't know your parents but everything they did involving you, Tessa, and Jamie proves they wanted you to be happy and have a good life." Bucky pulled back to look at her face and placed his hand gently on her cheek. "They'd want you to be happy now. And I don't know if I am doing the right thing and I know I'm going to make mistakes, but like I said on our first phone call, we're in this together. We'll figure it out. And if its wrong, we'll fix it."
Amy nodded, and he saw her trying to stop crying and appear happy. "You never have to pretend to be happy for me, sweetie. You've got every reason to be sad and sometimes daily life makes us unhappy too. I'd rather see your sadness than have you think you have to hide your feelings. And you can talk to me or to anyone you want to about how you're feeling. Marta is always there and Beth. I'm sure Sarah will even be willing to talk to you. Or you could write letters to your parents."
Amy looked confused and asked, "But where would I mail them?"
"You don't actually mail them. It just helps you if you want to tell them something."
Standing there quietly, studying the ground she finally asked, "Do you miss you parents?"
"Yes. But it's been a very long time since they died, so it doesn't hurt as badly. I just remember them fondly. You actually look a lot like my mom. I expected to see my sister Mary's looks in one of you or your dad, but there wasn't any resemblance, really. You look a lot like my mom, and I always thought she was the prettiest and sweetest woman. I had three younger sisters, so I know how annoying they can be," he said, and she smiled. "You're a very sweet, smart girl, Amy. Your parents were very proud of you. If you want to cry, they wouldn't feel disappointed or think you let them down."
Amy was quiet for a long time before she looked at him. "I'm glad you're our guardian. You're really good at it."
Bucky felt a lump in his throat as he hugged her again. "Let's wait and see how the first year goes before you decide I'm good at it."
Deciding that she was certain about that school, Bucky paid her tuition and registered her so they could get her records. He asked for another week for her to adjust and the guidance counselor said they were almost finished with the semester then they would take a week break, so Amy could start the new sememster in two and one-half weeks. Then she helped Amy picking out her classes. She had been in all advanced classes in Tennessee, so she went ahead and signed up for advanced again. But she also was taking drama, art, music, and dance, rotating on different days and she was very excited about that.
On the way home, Bucky stopped and got her some ice cream. He felt like she didn't get enough special treatment, requiring less attention than her siblings. When they were almost finished, Sarah called him.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Bucky, I was changing the baby and Tessa unlocked the door and went outside to ride her bike. By the time I found her, she had hurt her arm. I don't know if its broken…" He could hear Tessa wailing in the background.
"I'm on my way." As soon as they left the ice cream shop, he picked up Amy and ran to his house. He could hear Tessa crying from outside.
When he ran in the door, Sarah kept apologizing and said Tessa didn't even want Sarah to look at her arm. She became even more upset because of the communication problem. Bucky picked Tessa up and put her on the kitchen table, flipping on the overhead light. "Amy, can you calm her down?" He gently took her arm, but he saw she couldn't really move her fingers and they were swelling.
"Do you know how she fell? How she landed?" he asked Sarah. It was so chaotic because Jamie started crying because of Tessa's crying and he wanted Bucky to hold him, so when he didn't take him, he just cried more.
"I don't know. When I came out there, she was sitting up and holding it," Sarah said. "But she doesn't have any scrapes on her knees so she might have tried to catch her fall."
Bucky put his hand on Sarah's shoulder and said, "Calm down. I won't assassinate you for breaking one of my kids."
Turning around, he signed to Tessa that he was taking her to the hospital. She had stopped with the wailing at least and just silently cried. He picked her up, and she pressed her face against his shoulder. "I hate to ask, Sarah…"
"Go, I'll watch them. I promise I won't break these two," she answered with a smile before she leaned over and kissed Tessa on her head. "I hope it's not broken, sweet girl."
Bucky asked Amy to take the dog out and put Tessa's bike away, then he kissed her on the head. Jamie kept trying to launch himself into Bucky's arms, so Amy reached out and took him, which settled him down. She was a godsend with her brother and sister.
It took Bucky an hour to get to see a doctor in the ER and that was only after he pulled the superhero card. Tessa had fallen asleep after getting a snack from the vending machines. Her fingers were puffy already, so the Triage nurse gave him an icepack. Of course, it was broken. The doctor said she probably had caught her fall like Sarah suspected because her breaks didn't look like she landed on her forearm.
She got a bright pink cast, which made her cry more when she realized it would be hard to sign. In fact, she grew close to being hysterical. Bucky assured her they'd manage and a different doctor that knew how to sign told her if she had to, she could sign with one hand. But if it was too hard, she could come back, and they'd fix the cast so it wasn't so high on her fingers. He explained to Bucky that it would be best to wait a day or two at least to see if she could manage with the cast because it would provide better support the further up her fingers it was. Then he gave her a sticker and a lollipop, so she calmed down some. It was sad seeing her struggle with her fear of not being able to communicate. That's probably what upset her so much with Sarah before he got there. The doctor also assured Bucky that it was a minor break and would heal fairly quickly.
Some nurses asked if he'd take a photo with them and he did since he used the superhero card after all. He suggested to Tessa to face away from the camera, but she insisted she wanted to be in the picture.
That'll go straight to social media. People would probably think he broke some random child's arm or something. He wouldn't hesitate to throw Sam under the bus if it came out. As he walked out of the ER carrying her, Tessa told him she liked him.
Chuckling, he signed that he liked her too. She then told him that he was supposed to love her because she was a child and he was like a parent. He laughed out loud at her logic. "Okay, I love you but only because you're a child."
Suddenly, she turned serious and asked if he was going to be their daddy now. He reached the car and stalled on his answer while he put her in the booster seat. Then he crouched down, sitting on the door frame and explained that he would not be their daddy because they only one daddy, and Bucky could never replace him. But he would do things like a daddy did. She didn't have to call him Daddy, though. He can just be Bucky or Uncle Bucky. She looked really serious for a moment and asked if that meant he could kiss and hug her like her daddy did. Bucky smiled and smoothed back her hair before telling her that if she wanted him to, he would. She nodded, so he leaned forward to kiss her on her forehead. She shook her head and pointed to her cheek, then she told him his face was scratchy. Bucky just shook his head, realizing if she wasn't so adorably sweet, her high maintenance ways might bother him. He asked if she wanted to get pizza on the way home. She held up her cast and said she couldn't eat pizza with one hand. Everything he suggested, she said no.
"How about mac-and-cheese and corn dogs? Corn dogs are perfect for kids with casts," he signed, and she nodded. He took a picture of her with the cast and told her to look pitiful, then sent it to Shuri. Within a minute, his phone rang.
"Broken White Boy, if you don't stop sending me pictures and videos of this poor child that you have already broken, I am going to send T'Challa and the Doras up there."
"Don't you think it's pretty cruel to threaten to beat up a child who already has a broken arm," he answered with a smirk. "I just wanted you to have extra incentive."
"I have extra incentive. Once the Doras found out whose child she was, they have been harassing me too. I have something I want to try but I won't know if I can help her until I see if this works. It should be ready next week. I was going to ask if you wanted me to send the jet or we can come there."
"It'd be best to be close to your lab, wouldn't it? It would be great if you can send the jet. She's already had one accident that might have been prevented if she could communicate better. Call me soft, but its killing me to see her struggle. She's such a cheerful, affectionate, and sweet little girl, but she panics when she can't communicate with people, and she just withdraws. I think her parents surrounded her with people who knew sign language. Unless the nanny who is coming for an interview tomorrow works out, I won't have anyone to take care of her who can communicate with her, but myself." He sighed. "I don't want to tell her what you're doing in case it doesn't work."
He heard her gasp and could almost hear her fuming from there. "When have I ever not figured out a solution?"
Bucky laughed and said, "I'll make you a deal. You fix this beautiful, sweet, little girl's hearing and I will let you stay at my place for a week or longer and you can go play in New York City. Hell, you can make it your summer home. Or if you insist, I can check you into one of the ritzy hotels in the central part of town. You can even bring you favorite Dora to guard you and go shopping or whatever it is you girls do for fun in a city like New York. Is Ayo your favorite? If so, please make sure she still loves me before I come there."
"She still loves you. I already know. You know you could murder a basket of puppies and most of the Doras would look the other way. Not me though. And I will take you up on your offer in a month. But seriously, Bucky, I will find a solution for Tessa. I can tell you already love this child. And I told you I would help her and I always keep my promises to my friends." Her voice dropped the shrill tone that she used on him when he upset her. This was the 'I hate to love you,' voice.
"I knew you would let me down, Princess," he said, quietly. "And yes, I love them all already. It's a strange feeling for me. And it happened so fast it took me by surprise."
"You deserve it, Bucky. And since you weren't likely to find a woman insane enough to reproduce with you, it's unlikely you would have gotten kids any other way," Shuri teased him.
"Such abuse I am forced to suffer through. It's a good thing these kids are so sweet," he said with a chuckle. Glancing at his watch, he realized how late it was in Wakanda. "You should go to sleep. I promise I won't send anymore pitiful pics or videos tonight."
She laughed aloud. "I was working when you called, but I think I actually fell asleep about an hour before and just didn't fall over yet. So, I will go to bed after all. Good night Bucky. Try not to break the other two."
The Wakandans would forever hold a special place in his heart, especially T'Challa, Shuri, and Ayo. He could be open with them about his feelings without reservation. They had seen him truly broken and lost. They were there to put him back together again, and it came from a place of their pure goodness. He still felt guilty about Zemo because of that. He had talked to T'Challa and Shuri both since then and they both understood he did it to stop more deaths by the Flag Smashers, but he still felt like they felt he betrayed them. Handing Zemo over to the Doras had helped, but not resolved everything.
Seeing that Tessa had fallen asleep while he was on the phone, he just watched her for a minute. He'd feel much better in two days when the guy came to set up the security in the house. She was too smart for normal childproofing. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead, then getting in the front seat, he called Sarah.