Lucy hit her head quite hard. Erskine stepped in front of her when the shots started to fire and pushed her down. Then Peggy, quick to recover, jumped up and started firing in response. Looking over to Lucy and Doctor Erskine, Peggy hesitated.
"Go!" Lucy groaned moving to sit up. Peggy nodded and gave chase.
Gripping her arm to stop the flow of blood, Lucy leaned over to check on Doctor Erskine. He had suffered a bullet to the chest whereas hers was just a flesh wound. "Doctor?" she gritted out, "it's going to be ok." She lied between her teeth.
Erskine wheezed out a shaky laugh and weakly wiped away a tear from her cheek.
"Lucy!" Steve shouted hastening over to the two forms still on the ground.
Lucy looked up at him, "I'm fine." She sniffled. Then gestured to the dying Doctor who had always been a wonderful mentor and a father figure to her.
Erskine rasped again gaining both of their attentions. He then pointed to each of their chests where their hearts lay. Giving Lucy one last sad smile, the Doctor breathed his last breath and his eyes closed.
Steve's eyes became hard and trailed to the door where Peggy's form had disappeared moments before.
"Go Steve." Came Lucy's pained voice from behind him. With a determined look she gave him a slight push, "GO. I'll be fine." She finished before turning back to the still Doctor.
"Its ok," Came Howard's voice. "I got her." He nodded to Steve as he started to inspect Lucy's wound.
"Take care of her." Steve replied firmly clenching his jaw. He gave Lucy one last worried look before rushing off to follow the spy.
-permafrost-
Lucy was lying on a bed. She was staring up at the celling, propped up with multiple pillows.
"Sir. Sir!" came a distant call from the hallway, coming closer with every repetition.
"I need to see her first. Then you can patch me up. " Was the reply before the door to her room flew open. Steve ran in, his eyes searching the surrounding area before spotting her. "Lu!" came his relieved sigh, "are you alright?" his arms reaching out to touch her but hesitated unsure where to place his hands. "What did they say?" he questioned as he settled on intertwining their fingers and seating himself on the chair beside her bed.
"Steve!" was Lucy's surprised gasp at their sudden entrance. Then looking closer she saw that he was soaking wet. His white shirt was clinging to his newly defined frame. Her eyes widened as they spotted a blooming red mark on his side, "you've been shot!"
The nurse then gave up trying to get Steve to come with her. "I'll just patch you up here then." She sighed and left to retrieve her things.
"Its just a scratch, Lucy." Steve reassured her. "I can barely feel it. The bullet actually went through your arm. How are you?" his eyebrows furrowed as he studied her arm sling.
Lucy leaned back tiredly, "They said it'll heal up fine. A clean shot. Didn't damage much muscle. They're more worried about my slight concussion."
"Can I do anything?" Steve leaned in stroking her hand.
Lucy tilted her head to look at him with a smile, "You being here is already making me feel better. They're just going to monitor me for a night then I'll be free to go home and rest."
"I'll stay with you." Steve responded immediately.
"You don't have to…"
"I won't take no for an answer." Steve insisted softly, lightly taking her hand and placing a kiss on the back of it. "I don't think I could sleep otherwise."
Lucy reddened at his forwardness, "Thank you, Steve." She replied lifting her hand to stroke his cheek.
Then the door opened again and the nurse walked back in. Without her noticing, Lucy and Steve quickly dropped their more intimate pose. "Alright sir, if you'll just come over to this bed I'll bandage you up and I'm sure later they'll draw some blood." She motioned pulling some gauze out of a bag.
"I'll be right back." Steve whispered to Lucy before moving over to the opposite end of the room.
"I'm going to need you to remove your shirt, sir. I've got you a clean one here."
As Steve was getting his side cleaned up, Lucy could not help but stare. The body she was looking at was a stranger's body. Gone where the sharp angles jutting out every which way, replacing them were layers upon layers of powerful muscle. No longer was his skin the same sickly white she had come to associate with Steve. Instead the bed across the room contained an Adonis, the definition of human perfection. And it made her sick. Nowhere in that body could she see her Steve. Lying there was a weapon; a weapon that she had helped to create. Unable to look at him any longer, she turned her head away trying to hide her watering eyes.
"Thank you, ma'am." Steve nodded to the exiting nurse. He finished buttoning up his shirt and sat back down at Lucy's side. "Hey, hey. What's going on?" he asked her seeing the tears in her eyes. "What's wrong? Tell me." he commanded softly as he stroked away a hair from her forehead causing her to turn back to him.
"Come here." She waved with her hand.
Confused, Steve leaned in slightly allowing her fingers to explore his face.
"Your scar is gone." Lucy stated stroking his eyebrow.
Feeling for himself, Steve asked, "Is it?" then looking back at her, "That just means you did a wonderful job, doesn't it?" he grinned.
"You're still Steve." Lucy whispered, whether to convince herself or him, she did not really know.
"Of course I'm still me." Steve agreed seriously, catching her palm against his face. "Just a bit taller." He joked.
Lucy let out a strangled laugh then went back to studying him, "How do you feel?"
"Absolutely wonderful." Steve replied, "Like I could run forever and not get tired."
She stared at him, "How do you really feel?"
Steve let slip a faint grimace, "I don't regret my decision, Lu. I'm going to help my country. To fight, just like you're doing, like Stark is doing, like how Doctor Erskine did. "
"There you are." Lucy replied elated, a tear finally managing to escape, "There's my Steve."