Chapter 79: Complications

Day 1

It was half past two in the morning and three doses of serum later before Mika finally regained consciousness, her breath hitching as she opened her eyes and was met with the unfamiliar environment of the tower hospital room. Bucky was at her side in an instant, ignoring the nearby chair and instead kneeling next to her bed, making sure that she could see his face even in the low light of the room. He knew what it was like to wake up in a strange place, wondering who and where you were, and he wanted to make that process as short and easy as possible for her. Her brow furrowed as she took in his face (which was completely colored by worry), then slowly looked around her at all the machines and numbers lining the walls. She tried to push herself up, but he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to stay down.

"You're okay. You're at the tower." he said, orienting her to the place. "Do you remember anything?"

"I remember...breakfast. And I remember the train. And then…" she let out a frustrated breath, her eyes moving without focusing on anything in particular as she searched through her brain for the answer. "Peter? Did we see Peter?"

"Yes. And then you collapsed outside the train station." he supplied the ending. Her heart rate was spiking, and a blue line underneath it was also trending upwards. He didn't want her to try too hard to remember, just in case it sent her into another episode. "When you got here, your level was eighteen point three. Something about remembering...him sent your proteins crazy."

Mika groaned, rolling onto her side and curling into a little ball. He wondered if her stomach hurt, or if she was just trying to process the situation. Either way, he smoothed her hair back, reaffirming that she was going to be okay, that he was here, that they were going to figure it out. She held his hand and his gaze tightly, and once again he thought of what she said right before - about how the pain she had felt the same. Was she worried that if she let go, they'd be dusted away again? The thought sent a deep ache through his heart, and he found he could no longer stay by her bedside, instead climbing in next to her and gathering her into his arms. Lights began flashing as the bed tried to make sense of the double readings and calibrate, but he couldn't care less. He needed to hold his wife, science bed be damned.

A nurse soon joined them, a man he'd never seen. Bucky could see that he was ex-military due to his stance, and the way he assessed the room. First, make sure the patient is okay. He saw that Mika was awake and alert, hanging on to the man that had been in her room the whole time. Second, find the reason for the alarms. Said man was in her bed, and likely the reason for the change in measurements. Third, now that no threats were visualized, shut down the alarms. He went to the screen, tapping it in the right spots to make the lights stop flashing. When he turned to them, Bucky thought he was going to order him off the bed, and was fully prepared to say no. But instead, he just gave them a half-smile, as if he were hiding further amusement.

"My name is William, I'm your night nurse." he said, his voice deep and rumbling, matching his stout build. Bucky still had the utmost confidence that he could take him in a fight if he needed. "And if you're going to share the bed, just make sure you press here to recalibrate it. And remember that all the readings are recorded and seen by us at the nurse's station." The look he gave them reminded Mika of the look her mother used to give when her older sister brought boys home to 'study.' William gestured for her arm, pulling a small vial from his scrub pocket. "Now that you're awake, I'm afraid we need a sample."

"I figured as much." Mika replied. She tried to sit up again, groaning with the effort and really just halfway leaning on Bucky to stay upright. He kept a protective arm around her, glad that he could feel the warmth of her skin through her shirt and see the color returning to her cheeks. She rested her arm on his knee, wincing just slightly as William poked her with the needle and took the small amount of blood he needed. When he was finished, he covered it with a bandage and helped Mika move so she was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I'm going to get this to the lab. In the meantime, get your bearings. I'll be back with water and some clothes." he said. Mika pinched her eyebrows together, looking from the nurse, to Bucky, then back to the nurse.

"I have clothes." she said, wondering if she'd missed something in translation. She'd gotten back into her good graces with the English language in the past few months, but every once in a while she still got tripped up. Bucky rubbed her back gently, expecting to have to explain everything to her. But William was a professional, and took his job very seriously.

"I'm afraid you're going to be here for a little while." he said. He grabbed the rolling stool from under the desk, sitting on it so he was eye level with Mika. "Unfortunately, since we still can't predict the symptoms, it's safer for you to be here in case you need more of the serum. We also need to monitor you closely for any changes. The last thing we need is for your level to shoot up when you're across town."

His words made sense, but for some reason Mika still didn't really understand them. "So I'm...hospitalized?" she asked, looking to Bucky and hoping that she'd gotten the wrong word. He reached out and intertwined their fingers, holding them securely.

"Just until we figure something out." William offered. Mika had to respect his optimism. "But we're gonna get you as comfortable as possible. So get settled, soak it in - I'll be back in a little bit with your stuff and ready to answer any questions." He pushed off the stool, giving them one last smile before exiting through the automatic glass door.

"I'm stuck here." Mika said immediately in Romanian, looking to her husband with a look of panic. He put his hands on her face to calm her, but she just grabbed his wrists, squeezing tightly as if he were a lifeline. "What's going on, Bucky? What did they find? Am I dying?"

"If you're dying, they haven't told me." he said softly. He of course felt the overwhelming sense of dread as well, but it was not his turn to freak out about it. He needed to be the rock right now. He could lose his mind when she went back to sleep. "It's okay, we're just doing this to be safe. It won't be forever."

"How do you know?" she asked. Out of the corner of his eye, Bucky could see the little red heart on the wall starting to blink faster, the red line measuring mean arterial pressure rising. If he didn't calm her, was it going to send her into another episode? Did any of that matter?

"Because I know everything." he replied. He instructed her to breathe, giving her a slow example to match. Her breath caught a couple times as her emotions threatened to throw her over the edge, but after a few dizzying minutes it finally smoothed out. She kept her eyes on him, holding on, feeling the warm metal of his one wrist and the steady beat of his pulse on the other. "Everything is going to be okay. I'm right here with you. I'm not going anywhere. And you're going to be just fine."

"Right. Yes." she said, still taking slow, measured breaths. Her hands relaxed, and he pulled her close so he could gather her in his arms. She felt very small in that moment, curled into Bucky's side. His metal arm was heavy around her, and while it was a little uncomfortable, she welcomed the deep pressure. It helped her feel like she wasn't about to just float away. "God, Bucky, I was so scared. It felt just like-"

"I know." he interrupted. He still didn't want to take any chance that thinking about the event would cause it to reoccur. He hugged her a little bit tighter. "But you're not going anywhere. I've got you."

Day 1 (cont)

Mika had to admit that the clothing William brought back for her was very comfortable, but that didn't make it any easier to sleep. She kept waking up, looking at the various levels on the wall and wondering if any of them meant she was about to have another attack. Bucky sat in the chair next to her bed, perfectly calm and awake the entire night, ready to hold her hand and assuage her fears every time she opened her eyes.

She was finally able to doze off around the time for shift change, giving William a sleepy goodbye as he introduced the day nurse. She slept late into the morning, finally waking as Steve and Nicoletta tried (unsuccessfully) to sneak into the room.

"Oh, hi." Mika said lamely, still a little disoriented from fatigue and the night before. Nicoletta's eyes immediately filled with tears, and she quickly gathered Mika in a hug as she tried to sit up and welcome them. Steve gave her a small smile and stayed back, giving her sister enough space to cry and ramble in Romanian.

"Oh my God, are you okay? What happened? Bucky didn't give us details he just said that there'd been an incident and that you were here and-"

"I'm fine, I'm okay." Mika said quietly, making Nicoletta pull away and look at her fully, her eyes searching Mika's face for a lie. And she wasn't really lying, she was okay compared to where she was the night before. "It just seems I have to deal with stone sickness now. At least, that's what they're calling it."

"So you're like that guy? On the news?" she asked, looking to Bucky in alarm. Last they'd heard, the original man who first displayed symptoms of the sickness was not doing well. Bucky shook his head, keeping a calm demeanor despite Nicoletta's panic.

"They've developed a serum that helps stabilize her. Then, it's just a matter of keeping her levels down." he explained. His answer seemed to calm her hysteria, but she just redirected that energy elsewhere.

"Well then, what do we need to do to keep it down? Is it diet related? I've gotten really good at gluten free. Or do we need to-"

"Nicky, let her breathe." Steve interrupted, giving her an affectionate grin and casting a glance at Mika that told her he'd been on the receiving end of this on more than one occasion. Nicoletta huffed but stopped her rambling, still refusing to let go of her sister's hand. "How long are you stuck here?"

"Not sure yet." Mika said with a shrug, looking to Bucky. He shook his head; he didn't know either. "Just a couple days, I think. Until they can figure out either how to fix it or how I can take the serum with me."

"Oh, yea, they'll figure that out in no time." Nicoletta said, waving her hand with all the confidence of someone who had no idea what was to come.

Day Five

Bucky startled awake from his light sleep. At first, he wasn't sure what had disturbed him, but then he heard Mika shift in her sleep. The little red heart on the wall was beating fast, and when he turned on the bedside lamp, he realized how pale she was and how sweat was beading on her forehead. He immediately pulled himself from the chair, putting his hands on her shoulders and trying to gently wake her. He was able to pull her from her slumber for just a second, her eyes wide and fearful as they met his, before they rolled into the back of her head and she began shaking. The lights from the various sensors flashed, all alerts going off, and he reached above the bed to press the button for the nurse's station just for good measure.

William appeared in an instant, all business as he pulled a syringe and alcohol swab from his scrub pocket and firmly asked Bucky to step aside. Bucky initially wanted to deny the request, but the nurse had the answer to the current problem, so he backed away to give him space. He hated the feeling it gave him, some sort of mix between anger and embarrassment that he couldn't protect his wife like he'd vowed. But he shoved it down; this wasn't about him, this was about getting Mika the care that she needed.

He cleaned her shoulder quickly, wedging his body against hers so that the shaking was minimal as he pushed the needle into her arm and emptied the syringe into her. She moved for a few seconds longer until the medicine went to work, her muscles relaxing and her body going still. William didn't move, and when Mika's eyes opened and Bucky took one step toward her, he held out a large hand to stop him. Sure enough, she leaned over the side of the bed, blood splattering onto the tile as she coughed. William put his hand on her forehead, holding her head up until she stopped, her lips and chin painted red. Bucky grabbed a few paper towels from next to the sink and handed them to the nurse, trying to be helpful in any way that he could so that maybe he could stop feeling so useless. He nodded his thanks and helped sit her up, gently cleaning her mouth for her as she struggled for breath. Another nurse came in, cleaning up the blood from the floor while he checked her vitals. It was an agonizing few minutes before she calmed, her skin still pale and her eyes tired.

William moved away then, letting Bucky sit next to her on the bed and while he shut off the necessary alarms. Mika leaned into him and he put his arm around her, murmuring comforting things as the nurse gently took her arm and drew another small vial of blood from her. This time she didn't even flinch. He felt his heart ache; he didn't want her getting used to the feeling of a needle.

"I'll go get you some fresh clothes. And a snack." William said, tapping away on a tablet and then giving them a wincing smile. Bucky nodded as he took his leave, pressing a kiss to Mika's head as she sat up a little straighter.

"You okay?" he asked, knowing it was a dumb question but asking it anyways. She let out a long sigh before nodding.

"Had another nightmare about it." she replied. She shook her head, as if clearing the thoughts from her head. "I don't wanna talk about it, just in case…"

"Yea, I get it." he said encouragingly. He remembered the days when his nightmares would send him into a fit; the last thing that helped was talking about it, or even thinking about it. The glass door slid open, but instead of their nurse, there stood a teenage girl who was much too awake for this hour of the night.

"The dream ones are the worst, am I right?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the doorframe.

"Uh, I'm sorry, have we met?" Mika asked, confused. She hadn't had any memory issues, but then again until a few days ago she hadn't had any issues about keeping her blood inside her body either. The girl perked up, as if she were waiting for the question.

"No, we haven't, not even in the stone. I'm Carly, I'm your neighbor." she said brightly, flicking her head towards the room next door. The gesture made her long curls fall over her shoulder.

"So you remember it?" Bucky asked, surprised by her response. So far, Mika had only remembered bits and pieces of their time stuck in the soul stone, and Bucky hadn't remembered anything at all. Carly nodded, a big smile still on her round face.

"Almost all of it. Don't you?" she asked. Mika shook her head; she wasn't sure she wanted to remember it all, based on how her body was currently handling it. Carly shrugged and waved the answer away. "Don't worry, it'll all come back eventually."

"Shouldn't - I'm sorry - shouldn't you be asleep? I'm sorry I woke you." Mika said. Clearly the episode had to be loud and disruptive if the girl was this awake. But she just shrugged.

"I'm eighteen and stuck in a hospital. I don't sleep much." she said by way of explanation. "Oh! But William is totally gonna bring back crackers for you and like, he means well, he does, but pudding is way better. The sugar seems to help. Come on, I can show you where the stash is."

She kicked off the doorframe, waiting for Mika to follow. However, getting up and sneaking through the hospital floor was the last thing Mika wanted to do at that moment. "I'm sorry, I'm still-"

"Oh, duh, right. I'll be right back." she said, turning and going before either of them could stop her. It was sometime early in the morning, Mika didn't want to trouble her neighbor. But the girl was sweet, and really seemed like she wanted to help.

Sure enough, William returned a few minutes later with a cup of water and a packet of crackers. Maybe she was biased now, but Mika thought the crackers did look a little dry and cardboard-like. He gave her another dose of serum and left her with the snack and water, promising to return in an hour to check her levels again. She tried to choke down a cracker, but it felt like a rock in her stomach, and she was happy when a few minutes later Carly snuck back in with two cups of pudding.

"I didn't know if you liked chocolate or vanilla, so I brought both." she said, offering them to her. Mika smiled, carefully taking the chocolate one from her.

"Thank you for this." she said quietly, peeling back the foil cover. As soon as she took the first bite, she knew that the girl was completely, one-hundred-percent right. "Carly? How long have you been here?"

"Three weeks and two days." she said without hesitation. Oh, so she was keeping track. She must have realized how she sounded, and put on an air of indifference that was only achievable by young adults. "Not that I'm counting."

"Right." Mika agreed with a grin. "Well, I'm Mika, and this is my husband, Bucky. Thank you, for your help tonight."

"Of course. We gotta stick together." she said. With one last nod at the both of them, she took her leave, going back to her room next door. Once she was out of view, Mika deflated.

"Three weeks. She's been here three weeks." she said, and Bucky could hear how heartbroken she was. He sat down next to her on the bed, pulling her to him again.

That was the first time she cried about this, her posture crumbling as she poured her tears into his shoulder.

Day Fourteen

Bucky had to appreciate the medical staff at the tower. Dr. Kirsch made sure patients were comfortable, that they had access to quiet entertainment as well as physical therapy and work-related accommodations. And, thanks to Steve's ties, Mika was even allowed to go up onto the penthouse balcony to get some sun and solace. That's what they were doing this morning, lounging on the chairs where no one could see them or bother them. It was the only alone time they ever got, and they definitely took full advantage of it.

"Feel okay?" Bucky asked as she sauntered back from the restroom, a huge grin on her face and her hair a complete mess. She sank onto his lap and leaned against him, relishing in the closeness. He rested one hand on her back and one on her hip, noting how even though it had only been two weeks, her bones were just slightly more prominent.

"Feel great." she said, her voice dripping with insinuation as she nestled into him. Luckily, physical exertion of any kind didn't seem to trigger her episodes. They didn't know if that would change in the future, and so were trying to take advantage whenever they could. It was quiet up here on the top floor, the city and hospital a thousand miles below them. Here, they could almost forget that Mika was sick. Here, they could pretend that everything was alright, for just a minute.

"You need to eat more." he murmured into her hair, making her laugh. She reached up, scratching his two-week-longer beard.

"And you need to shave. We both have our flaws." she said, tugging on it. He grinned, holding her tight and rubbing his chin where her neck met her shoulder, making her squeal and try to wriggle from his grasp. He wrestled for a moment before pulling back, giving her reprieve.

"Do you hate it?" he asked, genuinely curious. She ran her fingers over his cheeks thoughtfully, waiting an abnormal amount of time before answering.

"I don't think so. It's different." she replied. "But I'd still like to see you clean shaven someday."

"I'll think about it." he said, both of them knowing he'd do nothing of the sort.

"You do that." she responded, leaning forward to give him a kiss. She settled back against him, her hand resting on his chest so she could feel the steady beat of his heart under her palm. They sat in the sun, soaking up the warmth and watching the clouds go by.

"You know…" he started, not wanting the moment to end but also not wanting her to miss her appointments.

"No." she said, burying her face in his neck. He held onto her tighter, as if that made their return to reality any easier.

"You have to see Dr. Kirsch." he said softly, making her groan childishly.

"But all she ever has is bad news. Or no news." she said, sighing heavily as she stood from her very comfortable position.

"No news is good news." he said, taking her hand. "Now come on, you don't want to be late."

They returned to her room just as Dr. Kirsch was rolling out of Carly's next door, her face immediately changing from grim to neutral as she spotted them. Mika didn't like the look at all. She greeted them affectionately enough for a doctor-slash-scientist, especially on tasked with curing an incurable disease, following them into Mika's room and getting out the necessary essentials.

"Any new symptoms?" she asked, taking a tiny vial of blood and handing it to her assistant, who did an abrupt about-face. Mika shook her head. "Any new triggers for episodes?" She shook her head again. "Any new memories?"

"Not since two days ago." she said, going quiet as Dr. Kirsch recorded her vitals from the display on the wall. Bucky had bought her a journal on her sixth day there, saying that that helped him more than anything to process his old memories as they resurfaced. They didn't know if it would help her stone sickness, but it did seem to help her emotionally. The habit felt familiar, though she couldn't recall ever journaling before.

"Is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable?" she asked. She always ended their brief daily sessions with this question, and every day Mika answered it the same way.

"Let me go home." The first few times she'd said it with a smile, and the doctor had given her a polite laugh in return. But now the words fell flat, and she could barely muster a grin.

"Working on that, Mika." she said. Her tablet dinged, and she pulled up the blood results. "Your numbers are lower than yesterday, but just barely. Any changes to your routine?"

"Not that I know of." she answered. She'd been stuck in this box for the past week, how varied could her daily routine be? Bucky furrowed his brows at the question, as if he were also trying to look for discontinuities. Dr. Kirsch nodded, putting her tablet in her lap and finally giving them full eye contact.

"Well, think on it. And if you remember anything, let me know." she said. She gave short goodbyes before exiting, going on to her next patient. Bucky stood up as soon as she left, following her out into the hallway.

"Doctor," he said, moving so that the automatic door to Mika's room closed behind him. Dr. Kirsch stopped, slowly turning as if she were wary of what information Bucky had.

"Yes? A question?" she asked.

"No. Well, kind of." he said. He hesitated, wondering how to phrase it. "I was dusted as well, but my levels have always been normal. Do you think...I mean, I was the subject of human experimentation. And I wonder if my DNA could help fix this."

She sighed, her eyes looking sad behind her thick glasses. "I'm afraid we already thought of that."

"What?" Bucky asked. He didn't know if he should feel good that they really were exploring all avenues, or violated that they'd tested his DNA without his knowledge. Dr. Kirsch nodded; it seemed she understood his internal struggle.

"Unfortunately, the horrible things that you endured...well, the cocktail they used was primitive, and aggressive. Honestly, there is a reason you're the only surviving person with that iteration of it." she explained. Oh, that's right. He was back in the States, where after the SHIELD data dump, everyone knew who he was. "We were able to replicate it easily, but have thus been unable to alter it. We may still be able to test it and change it yet, but with more viable options...I'm sorry, my research staff and resources are stretched too thin. Perhaps if…" she left the sentence hanging, and he wasn't sure how she wanted it to end. Perhaps if she had more money? Or time? Or staff? Perhaps if Tony Stark were still alive? Or there was another casual genius besides Bruce Banner available?

Wait.

"Thank you, Doctor." he said, sliding his hands into his pockets, already grasping his phone. This was definitely overstepping, but he didn't care. Mika needed to get better. Dr. Kirsch nodded, turning and going into the next room. He immediately pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing a number that he should have dialed long ago.

"Princess, I'm afraid I need another favor."

Oh man, poor Mika! Good thing we have a wonderful Wakanda princess that can save the day!...hopefully.

By the way, Carly belongs to Ephemeralstyleee! She won a little cameo waaaaaay back last time haha. The struggles of a long winded story! I hope you enjoyed her like I did!

Thank you so much to those who reviewed! I know things aren't as exciting/fluffy as they have been in the past, but I hope everyone is still liking this! I really love hearing what y'all think!

I'm going to try reeeaaaally hard to update next weekend, but I'm traveling a lot over the next three weeks so I can't make any promises. Either way, thank you for reading, please let me know your thoughts!

-XM