You and Me ch 5
"You darted me, Natasha." Steve growled angrily as they trudged down the hallway back to his room from the infirmary, leaning heavily on Natasha.
"You wouldn't listen." Romanov puffed back, holding up the concussed Captain against gravity.
"That's no excuse for drugging me." Steve replied grouchily, looking down at Natasha with dark blue eyes. Did Natasha see the remnant of tears on his lashes?
"Next time, ask for help when visiting Bucky." Widow replied trying to keep her tone neutral. She was getting damn tired of his pigheadedness. Didn't James warn her about that endearing trait of Steve's before?
"Well, if someone would tell me what the hell is going on around here, I wouldn't have to find out myself." he muttered back feeling the crush of his concussion in his skull.
"Again, if you'd wait around long enough for someone to tell you, you wouldn't be gallivanting off like some fool." Natasha stated, propping up Cap against the wall while she opened his room door. His face was pale and sweating with pain. Pushing the door aside, she guided Steve through his Tower apartment back to bed.
Swinging his legs up on the bed, the pillow never felt so good to his skull. "I'm calling the doctor to get you some help." Widow stated flatly. Cap didn't object. With a quick push of buttons on her phone, the medical team assembled quickly.
Natasha stood back and looked on as the doctor shined lights in Rogers' eyes, making him wince, checking him over. She would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying watching Captain America get picked over. She did regret he was in pain, but it was fun nonetheless. "I am fine. Shouldn't you be checking on Bucky?" he menaced the medical team. A shot of painkiller went into his arm and he didn't even blink.
The main physician looked at Cap and replied calmly, "He needs time to heal."
"I need to see him again." Rogers grumbled pulling himself away from the medical team's attentions.
"Not until your head is more stable. And not walking down the hall. Unless you are getting up to use the latrine, you stay put, understand soldier?" The doctor looked directly at Steve with her most intimidating look.
It might have been the way she carried herself, or his concussion, but she reminded him an awful lot of Peggy. He found himself saying quietly, looking away, "Yes, ma'am." as if he was a ninety pound weakling again.
"We'll be back to check on you later today. I'll send up some breakfast for you in a bit." The doctor stated and her team moved to leave. Apparently none of Steve's ailments concerned her overly much.
Natasha still was parked over against the wall in the bedroom. Looking around, she saw mementos from a much earlier time; a framed original New York Time's front page with the end of WWII proclaiming VE Day, a picture of Steve and Bucky from their Howling Commando days, and Peggy Carter. A stereo with a turntable and a stack of vinyl records was near the window. Steve remained silent staring up at the ceiling lost in his thoughts. "Can I play you something?" Natasha asked kindly, walking toward the stereo. A memory from grade school came forward about how to operate the turntable. It was one of Steve's charms that he still held onto his old technology, she smiled to herself.
"Gershwin." Rogers replied, his closing his eyes. His voice was slightly slurred from the pain shot.
"Alright then." Romanov stated and flipped through the alphabetized records. Pulling out the first Gershwin record she found, she slipped it gingerly out of the paper sleeve and placed it down on the turntable. Turning on the power, the black disc began to rotate and gain speed. With a delicate finger, Natasha lifted the needle and set it to the grooves of the record. A static hiss played out until the needle caught the furrow of the first song. The silky chords of a piano playing "Someone to Watch Over Me " rang out from the stereo in the introduction and Natasha felt the urge to tap her toe. Rogers remained motionless in bed, listening but drifting in and out of sleep. Deciding this may be a good time to leave, Widow tiptoed across the bedroom.
"Bucky. He's always watched over me." Steve said quietly just before she reached the doorway of the bedroom.
The sultry piano piece kept playing. " I know. He's quite a guy." Natasha responded in a hushed tone as if she just woke a baby from a nap.
"And now… I have to.. watch over 'im." Steve drowsed.
"And you'll do a great job." Romanov agreed tenderly and carefully closed the door as the tune played on, 'Follow my lead, oh how I need; Someone to watch over me; Someone to watch over me'
Steve woke later to the sound of the needle skipping over the center of the record. He ground away blurry vision with the heels of his hands and wondered what time it was. Suddenly, there was a presence in the room. "Who's there?" he asked to the air, "Show yourself."
"It is only I." The familiar soothing voice of the blue and silver nurse-bot replied.
Steve tenderly raised his upper body into a propped position. His head was better, although not one hundred percent, "How did you get in here?"
The robot stood at the foot of his bed, motionless, blue eyes regarding Rogers calmly, "I have many ways to travel in the Tower."
"How is Bucky?" Cap asked quickly, forgetting there was this strange being in his apartment.
"He is the same." The robot replied. "Can I get you something?"
Rogers expected that answer and was only slightly disappointed that Barnes' status didn't change. Regarding the machine for several moments, he was torn between annoyance, curiosity and suspicion, "Does Stark know you're up and about?"
"No. He does not." The robot answered and Steve decided to test it.
"Do you lie?" he pressed.
"I am forbidden to lie. However, I can be told to not divulge all truths." The nurse-bot responded.
"Then do me a favor. Never lie to me about how Bucky is doing. If he has any change, good or bad, I want to know. I can't go to him right now, so I need you to." Rogers spoke sternly as he felt the headache creeping back behind his eyeballs, "My friends will try to lie to me to protect my feelings. I don't want you to."
"I can do that, Captain Rogers." The droid responded shifting on its servos as if it was nervous.
"And you can call me Steve." Cap smirked, realizing he was making the machine nervous. Do robots get nervous, he pondered?
"Alright, Steve. I will return to you with updates." the droid replied, "If you could do me a favor."
"What could I possibly offer a robot?" Steve said out loud before he stopped himself.
"Please don't tell Mr. Stark I am… animate." The robot paused on the last phrase as if afraid to voice its concern.
Cap regarded the machine for a moment, wondering if there was some personality behind the glowing blue LED eyes. " I won't."
"Thank you, Steve." the droid responded with almost a human sigh. It then disappeared around the corner of his apartment to return to Bucky.
Steve mulled over that exchange with the strangest of thoughts; the robot was now watching over both of them. In the oddest of ways, that made Steve feel good and he wasn't sure why. At least James wasn't alone.
A/N… George Gershwin is a rock star. I've always listened to Big Band. The refrain to this song, "Someone to Watch Over Me", is just so perfect for them. I highly suggest it. Also "Rhapsody in Blue." Actually, Big Band in general is just awesome. Oh and don't worry… as suggested by a reader our Bot will be getting a name. Soon. 8belles