"Good news?", Steve asked, and Sweet smiled warmly, "Yeah...I'm going to be a father...to not one, not two, but three.", with awe in his voice.
Steve gave a small smile, but it wasn't close to enough to help as Sweet sighed after hearing nothing for a few moments, "I know... I understand the news isn't going to really make up losing Bucky...".
"Don't get me wrong, Sweet, I'm happy for you... that's amazing, but...", Steve replied with a light chuckle before sighing. "I know. I'm sorry.", Sweet apologized.
Steve replied softly, "It's...it's okay...Thank you for trying...", and Sweet squeezed his shoulder gently, and Steve patted his hand as Sweet knew that Peggy and Brookyln would be the ones to pull him out somehow...
Indeed, it took a while to figure everything out, and hours later, in morse code, after informing Phillips that someone got injured, that someone is missing in action, and that the mission is complete, that Phillips ordered them to detonate the train, but leave the train tracks intact, and come straight back to France, to wait only a week in safe grounds, while a secret search is on the move.
And so, with much resignation and some light grieving, the train was destroyed almost immediately after the Commandos went through the pass of their route, and that night, Steve took to heal Sweet's eyes from Sweet's doctor bag, listening to Sweet's instructions via Nola's knowledge and his knowledge on the physical side.
Sweet opened his eyes on Nola's bed, blinking slowly after she removed the latest repetition of the sponges and bandages that was in the healing water, and Nola whispered, "Joshua?", biting her lip, and Sweet looked at her, his heart skipping a beat, "Nola, you're the most beautiful sight, carrying our children.", lovingly kissing her baby bump as he leaned down, all over her baby bump as he caressed it, and then wrapped his arms around her as he leaned up to kiss her deeply and passionately, "I love you, Nola Sweet...".
"I love you too, Joshua...", Nola responded as she gently touched his chest. "So, I take it that you can see right again? That my efforts did indeed help?", she asked him.
Sweet smiled brightly, "Oh, I'm definitely seeing you, my beautiful hummingbird...Your efforts indeed helped out on this side...Now, I just have to be patient on the physical side with Steve helping out, but I think it'd be sooner after I'm finally healed on this side.".
"Didn't expect that it had to take four hours, but I suppose with gas, it's different in a way.", Nola surmised, and Sweet chuckled, "Oh, how much I miss seeing your adorable quirk when you scrunch up your forehead while you think!", kissing her face, causing her to giggle and smile before gently caressing his head, "How is he doing?", with a gentle, sad frown.
Sweet sighed deeply, "Everything earlier with our general's orders distracted him, but I...I think after healing me up, he's going back in that dark place again...You should have heard him scream in that agonized, grieving way before he went for Zola, the enemy who inflicted his orders directly into his soldiers to shoot at us...I figure we'd have to go back to safe grounds fast every day as much as we could with the shackled Zola in tow, though I felt him trying to not get up when I hear the others feeding Zola. We may be soldiers, but we ain't monsters like Hydra...".
"And...and anything from Mole?", Nola asked, looking at him, with a curious, concerned tilt of her head.
Sweet sighed deeply, shaking his head, "No, nothing yet...It's a big area, and...Nola, I know the crystals are able to thinly protect people like me, and heal people and such, but I...I wouldn't want Bucky to suffer if he...if he is found helplessly, unable to move...People like him, he...he's the kind of person who likes to run, to have fun, to be on his motorcycle...I saw people going upset and all if they discover that they lost their legs or their sight or something else...I was lucky, Nola...But Bucky...Hell, he would think he's not worthy anymore of Audrey, or even earning her father's blessing to marry her and all...and with the thought of not being able to catch up with his own kid in the future and such...Oh, I know Audrey would do everything to convince him that she loves him and all, but it would take lots of communication, committing to their relationship, and more.".
"If he still made it...", Nola said. "If he still made it...", Sweet sighed. "From where we were... even with the crystals and all... that's a big if... Wish these damn things at least had some sort of signal booster or something of that nature; at least telling us if he made it. If he did survive, at least Steve would probably be much better; sure, Bucky's trapped deep behind German lines, but at least he would feel like he could go back and save him.".
Nola sighed softly, "I wish the same too, but only the royal crystals have the greatest effect of sensing danger and such, like how Milo's crystal sensed how Kida was being taken in her crystal state.", and Sweet nodded, "That's what I figured...All the same, we were told not to wait too long...A week in safe grounds is more than we can be grateful for, before we have to take the plane back to either Toulouse Base or Britain where the General is, so he can interrogate Zola.".
"That's logical of your general...that's time Mole can use...to find Bucky's body...alive or dead...", Nola nodded, resting back on his chest as they shuffled around, to rest on the pillows and all, and Sweet caressed her baby bump, "Yeah...", before hearing a knock on the door, with Thaddeus' voice, "We saw that you didn't come for dinner, Nola, so I got heaps of food from the dinner table. I know you got a kitchen already, but you must be close to having scraps in the icebox already!".
Nola responded, "Resting on the bed, Thaddeus! Come in!", and the door opened with Thaddeus holding up two shuffled trays of food and glasses, "Has the triplets tired you out already?", before blinking in surprise, "Sweet! Oh, you're looking good! Wait, how long are you here this time?".
"Just a couple of hours or so left, as Steve is healing my physical form right now. Got in a nasty scrap, and got blind, but luckily, Nola healed me up for some time. Good to see you too, Thaddeus...Nola will explain everything later...Can I have some time with my wife and our children?", Sweet replied with a smile.
Thaddus nodded, "Oh, thank goodness that everything was okay. You know that Nola was anxious about you freaking out about the triplets but looks like we proved her wrong. And yeah, you got it, lovebirds.", with a chuckle as he placed the trays of food near them on the bed, "Just dropping off the demands of food for the triplets as they must be getting really hungry like you.".
Nola blushed, smiling and giggling, "They are...Thank you, Thaddeus.", giving him a grateful smile as she managed to eat snacks between repetitions of healing her husband's eyes on this side, and Thaddeus smiled, winking at them, leaving them, closing the door after them.
"I guess you didn't want him to know the bad things as he might tell Abraham since he cares for Steve and hearing that Steve's in a dark place because of losing his brother in arms and all, eh?", Nola sighed as she grabbed one of the trays closer, plucking up some sliced mangoes.
"No... there's already enough depression around, it's bad enough having to worry about Steve... I fear that he might just be willing to launch a one-man army push into Berlin, which would be quite foolhardy.", Sweet said.
Nola winced, "That's very dangerous...He needs to know that he isn't alone...", and Sweet sighed, "I know...Honestly, I think Peggy and Brookyln are the ones that will pull him out of the dark place...I...I think I have to be there for Audrey when she...", resting his head heavily on the pillow.
"I know, Joshua...I saw your memories involving Audrey. You deeply care for her like a niece. She deserves to have a familiar face to help her...", Nola kissed his cheek after eating one of the mango slices.
Sweet smiled softly, and replied, "You truly are my equal...", and they then didn't speak much, just holding each other, eating, listening to the birds and such outside Nola's room, and sensing that Sweet was given a private tent to rest and heal, thanks to Steve, he pretended to sleep while grieving on the physical side as he can tell that his eyes are getting close to being healed there, he realized that he didn't have much time anymore to stay, and so, made gentle, passionate love with his wife after some foreplay, feeling his children against his stomach, and managed to climax in her shortly before Steve checked in on the last time of the healing process.
Nola sighed longingly yet satisfied, "Oh, gods, that was so much tension...Thank you, my teddy bear...I hope I get to have some more chances of lovemaking with you before it gets too uncomfortable for me on my back.", as Sweet kissed her neck, her hands caressing his chest, grateful that he seemed to focus on getting his clothes off his solid yet transparent self without needing to take them off physically on the other side.
Sweet caressed her nude body, "Oh, gods, I hope so...Seeing you nude and pregnant, it brings me to love you even more, for you are carrying our children...our triplets...", and Nola kissed his head, "I guess this makes me a mama bear, eh?", with a giggle.
Looking into her eyes, Sweet whispered lowly, "Yes...And you shouldn't be ashamed when they get bigger...In nature, mama bears are beautiful when caring of their cubs...Be proud that you are giving our little cubs a chance to live, to grow inside you, to dream of meeting their beautiful mother...".
"And their handsome father...And they won't be like wild bears, that's for sure...They're our own cubs, our children...", Nola smiled radiantly, intertwining their hands together as they stroked her baby bump, and Sweet smiled, "I love you, Nola...", kissing her on the lips, and then kissed their children's home, "And I love all of you, my strong trio.", before hearing the flaps open up, hearing Steve's voice.
"Okay, it's time. I'll come home as soon as I tell my parents and check around in America.", Sweet smiled, and Nola sighed softly, "Don't rush too much, Joshua...After all, in one memory, you said that rushing too much causes mistakes. Just be careful, okay?".
"Don't worry, I will.", Sweet told her as he gave her one more kiss before he was gone again, leaving Nola alone as she sighed and rubbed her belly.
"Don't worry, you three...", Nola assured her babies. "He'll be here in the flesh soon... and then everything will be right...", praying that everyone affected by this terrible day is alright including Audrey.
Steve gently unwrapped the bandages and the makeshift cotton balls with fabric, "How's she doing?", and Sweet replied as he was sitting on his knees, "Nola's a strong woman. She's able to work her healer duties for some months before she gets too far along to risk things then. I still can't believe it...Seeing her pregnant than feeling her, it is like a boom of joy, happiness, worry, anxiety, and love.".
"That's actually close to what I felt when I saw Peggy pregnant...Don't worry, Sweet, you will get back to your wife, and be there for her through everything.", Steve replied as he took off the last bandage, and exhaled, "Okay, that's the last bandage...Slowly, take your time.".
Sweet took his time, slowly blinking, and laughed as he can now see again, looking at Steve with a smile before reaching to squeeze his shoulder, "Don't worry, Mole will find him...You look horrible...", seeing the sign of tears and redness in Steve's eyes.
Steve sighed deeply, "I hope so, Sweet...I...I just can't sleep without seeing his face, hearing his last plea, that he loves Audrey so much...", and Sweet nodded, "I know...Well, since I can see and all, we better get packing up and move fast again...I know we had left far past from the spot, but we are still in German possessed land. Mole is smart. He will find a way to let us know, and he will not leave Bucky, you know that...He's not as flashy or famous like us, so it's a toss-up if Hydra had noticed the train blowing up and all, but Mole is smart, he would hide Bucky in a tunnel or something with a nifty stretcher dragger.".
"I hate that you're right, but we better lose our tracks...", Steve nodded, and so, they got out of the tent, with Jones and Dugan happy and relieved and shocked to see Sweet up and seeing again, but they knew that Sweet is an excellent army doctor and he had taught Steve and others in things here and there, though they would never, never know the real secret, and so with tents folded up quickly, fire doused, and with Zola gagged and cuffed, the motorcycles set off, with Steve pushing back grief as he had imagined Bucky riding on his bike over the real face of Jones who's driving Bucky's bike...
Steve wanted to leave Bucky's bike behind, but he knew Bucky and Audrey worked so hard on it, and if he knew his brother, and he did, Bucky would want Audrey to have his bike...just in case if...if his body wasn't found...Steve prayed that Bucky would be found in that abyss, and with Mole's insanely good senses, he would never doubt in him, to find Bucky...dead or alive.
Back in the abyss ravine, Mole was tracking down signs of Bucky's fall, hearing the river crackling and crashing with wild water and ice, with snow everywhere, cold rocks and stumps and earth.
"Damn it all... why is it so cold?", Mole cursed as he shivered. It was always warmer underground, and he rarely found himself in such a cold climate. "Bucky!", he called out; praying that maybe the man was still alive and could be able to call back. "Please don't be dead...", Mole whispered to himself as he kept wandering around.
Mole then saw something peculiar, seeing red, and he widened his eyes, using his gear as he got closer, sniffing and peering, "Blood. Fresh blood...Clotting...Not too long ago...", as he looked around, seeing signs of a tree being jerked back, almost like it was hit by a body.
He called out, "Bucky!", as he followed the cliff line, seeing boulders jarred, signs of dirt disturbed, snow having blood, signs of a tumble, a stump having signs of flesh, and his heart pounded as he heard the river being closer, and he followed a crash down a hillside from the stump, seeing blood and pieces of bone as it got closer to the river, and he saw that there was nothing on the other side of the river, and he watched the current for a second before running as much as he could, following the current, as it was full of ice, logs, and rocks and all.
"Bucky!", Mole screamed, and he listened, watching the river as he tried to match the current, and barely, just barely, he heard a whimper of pain, and he followed the faint sound, and then there, half buried in debris of logs, ice, and such in a shallow spot of the river, he saw Bucky shivering and pinned and looking horrible yet there is the crystal on him almost shielding him in a protective field.
Mole shouted, "Bucky!", getting closer, seeing that Bucky was unconscious as he grabbed the debris one piece at a time, throwing them over back into the earth, uncovering Bucky, seeing severe cuts, signs of a sprained leg, a broken hand on Bucky's left, badly bruised ribs, and to his horrified gasp, almost fighting back bile in his throat as he saw the arm on Bucky's right, where the whole portion of the lower arm from the hand to the elbow was almost completely torn off, to the point of bleeding with a stump.
Knowing that in shivering, wet clothes from the river, Bucky would have hypothermia, and Mole knew that it'd be warmer underground, and with his heavy furs Mole's wearing, he would share just this once, he went to pull Bucky from the shallow pool of freezing water, determined to build some sort of toboggan with the driftwood around here after he gets Bucky a bit more warmer, taking off Bucky's clothes, snugging him into his given heavy furs, seeing that Bucky is really bad, as he got him to an abandoned den, smelling that it was faintly used by a badger.
He dug further underground, he sparked up a small, controlled fire, and started to heal the minor abrasions and bruises with his crystal...He knew that he had to tie around the stump to fight off bleeding and infection, but he doesn't know how to heal a broken hand or a sprained leg as those require medicine...