I hated the beeping noise that was surrounding me. I looked around, but it eluded me. Angry, I bolted up to attack.

And was immediately greeted by pain and dizziness. "Hey, you're okay. I'm here."

I looked over at Bucky. I frowned at the dark circles under his eyes. "Are you okay?"

He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "Of course, you'd ask about me. How are you?"

"Tired."

"That's all? You have multiple broken bones and you're covered in bruises. Not to mention your neck. Nat had to cut out the chip they put in you."

I frowned. "Why didn't you let me die?"

He went still, staring, thinking.

"Bucky?" I asked. I didn't like the expression on his face.

"I– don't understand it. The doc can explain it."

"I want you to tell me… Please."

He sighed, relenting. "Aoife… If you die you won't come back."

I froze. "What?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. Please, let the doctor explain."

I was shaking. "This is my last life?" The idea had crossed my mind before… if my lives were limited. But I'd lived so many times it seemed unlikely. "What a shitty last life," I muttered.

Bucky made a weird noise and I glanced at him. "What?"

He looked at me as though he were trying to look into my soul. "Aoife."

A knock on the door interrupted him. We both looked up as a nurse walked in. She smiled. "It's good to see you awake."

"It's good to be awake," I answered.

She hesitated slightly, a light blush rising on her cheeks. "Are you… comfortable? Your wings, we weren't sure if you should lay on them."

I looked down. Yes, it looked uncomfortable. My wings were flattened and hung over the sides of the cot. "Thank you for your concern. It's like laying on your arm, I guess. It's fine for a while."

She nodded, the blush disappeared as she started checking the monitor and typing the things into a wheeled computer. "Your pulse is a bit high and blood pressure is a little on the lower side. Since we don't have any information about your… species… I'm not entirely sure what's normal."

"I have no idea. I've never been the type to seek medical care."

"Since you usually resurrect after dying."

I nodded, "which brings us to?"

"The data we got from the Hydra files indicate a change in DNA. Normally, we'd see this in patients that have been exposed to high levels of radiation."

"Can you tell what changed?" I asked.

"Honestly, no. Your doctor sent your information to the best geneticists on the planet." She glanced at the screen. "What they've told me to say until they can speak to you themselves is… stay out of trouble. We took a blood sample to make sure you're not still changing."

"I understand. What else is going on?" I asked.

"You have a broken tibia. Your muscles fractured the bone when you were hit with the high voltage. As for the others, three broken ribs. Unfortunately, those will have to heal on their own. You will be down for about 3 months."

After that, we discussed medication and physical therapy.

I was discharged a few hours later. They put me in a wheelchair despite my protesting. Bucky pretty much had to hold me down in it on the way out the door. To make matters worse, he insisted on picking me up to put me in the dark, unmarked van the Avengers used.

"I'm not a child." I glared as Bucky set me in the seat. I smacked his hand as he reached for the seatbelt. Then he smiled as he held up his arms in mock surrender.

"Of course, you can do that part yourself."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Yeah, definitely not a child," He murmured sarcastically. I rolled my eyes. Then we were off.