Chapter 62: A Seemingly Impossible Task
Summary: As Steve and Emily try to keep Bucky engaged in social interaction, Natasha and Sam check in, causing a negative response reaction in Barnes. The team has to deal with a stressful situation.
Notes: This chapter is dedicated to melles_1276 for your wonderful support and feedback, which is always appreciated. – W6C
Steve spent the next hour conversing with Emily: sipping coffee and trying to keep Barnes engaged; a seemingly impossible task. He was quiet and easily sank back into a fugue state in which he stared unfocused straight ahead or down toward the floor. It was that blank stare; more than anything else, that scared the hell out of Steve.
Emily was well aware of his repeated lapses into a fugue state so she spent most of the time conversing with Steve and watching his emotional responses to Barnes' fugues. He was clearly unnerved by them and more than a few times he'd place his hand over Bucky's to draw him out without shocking him because talking to him directly didn't always work: it was as if he was deaf to all attempts to engage him verbally.
She was watching Steve, who was staring at Barnes who was staring again into nothingness, when there was a soft knock on the door. The sound of someone's knuckles making contact with the door startled Barnes out of his fugue. His exaggerated response would have been expected if a gun fired next to his head rather than a soft knock on the door. It was Bucky's physical response to the sound that in turn startled Steve causing him to also jump.
Emily reacted casually to both of them by simply putting her hands up to give them both something to focus on. That worked; Barnes stared at her hand wide-eyed as his entire body began to tremble. Steve's gaze also was drawn to her hands and that gave him the seconds needed to settle back down.
He looked at Bucky as Emily stood up to answer the door. "It's okay, Buck. Take it easy," he said, keeping his voice low. "It's just someone at the door." Bucky looked at him and nodded, but Steve was concerned about the trembling. It actually looked more like he was shivering as if he was experiencing extreme cold. "You okay?" he asked and Barnes nodded. "Are you cold?" he asked. Bucky thought about the question for a moment and then nodded. "Let me get you a sweater," Steve offered and went to his room.
Emily greeted Sam and Natasha at the door, inviting them inside. They entered and Sam closed the door quietly behind him as Natasha looked at Barnes sitting alone at the table. He appeared unaware of the new arrivals or the activity going on around him. He seemed to be staring at the table in front of him, his shoulders rounded and his body was rocking slightly side to side.
Steve came back into the room with a sweater in his hands. He smiled at his friends and invited them to sit and have coffee: gesturing for Natasha to take his seat as he came around to the left of Bucky's chair. As their visitors approached the table, Barnes became anxious and turned away from them: seemingly with the intention of escaping an uncomfortable situation, but Steve was blocking his egress. Instead of making a big deal out of his reaction, Steve covered quickly by holding the sweater out to him. As Barnes reached up for him, Steve covered by slipping the sleeve over his hand and pulled it up to his shoulder.
"Here you go, pal. This is my favorite sweater. I wear it all the time," he said with a smile. Bucky looked to either side of him, as if wanting Steve to step aside, but Steve pretended not to notice. He draped the sweater behind Barnes and pushed his metal hand through the sleeve. Once the sweater was donned, Steve straightened it the best he could and then rubbed his hands vigorously on Bucky's arms. "There you go, buddy. Nice and warm," he said. He kept his hands on Bucky's shoulders attempting, as discreetly as he could, to keep him in his chair. His attempts didn't go unnoticed: but no one said anything.
As their friends approached the table, they did so slowly and quietly; as it was quite clear to both of them that Barnes was uncomfortable with their presence. Sam frowned; concerned to see the state Barnes was in now. This behavior was definitely more in line with other veterans he'd known who suffered severe PTSD, although he'd really been hoping to see the Bucky he'd come to know in the infirmary; the one who smiled every time he heard Steve's name. He reminded himself that recovery, physical or psychological wasn't linear; there would be good days as well as really bad days. This Bucky Barnes had only just emerged a few hours ago, so to expect him to present in any manner that appeared well-adjusted just wouldn't be fair, especially so early in his recovery.
Natasha sat down in Steve's chair to Bucky's right, while Sam took the chair directly opposite Barnes. Steve stepped away quickly to grab a chair nearby and brought it back to the table before Barnes realized he had an opening to leave. He set it down beside Bucky on his left, staying close enough to lend him a sense of safety and protection without interfering with his interaction with the others.
Bucky stared at Sam until the man looked over at him then he dropped his gaze. Emily took her seat again and did her best to start a normal line of conversation as their visitors took a moment to settle in.
Natasha put her hand on the table with her whole attention on Barnes. She moved it slowly toward him then stopped, noticing the tremors that appeared to escalate in strength as her hand neared. She pulled her hand back, resting it in her lap. His gaze shot sideways to see she'd withdrawn but he didn't look right at her.
"So," Steve said, after noting Bucky's reaction to his visitors he turned to them with a smile, "what brings you two here?"
Natasha was so caught up in staring at Barnes that she didn't seem to hear the question. Sam answered in her stead, "We were just having a drink in the common and thought we'd check in."
"That was thoughtful," Steve replied. "You guys want coffee?" he asked.
"Sure, I'd love a cup," Sam answered and they all looked to Natasha who was still completely focused on Barnes. "Nat?" Sam said, to get her attention, "Natasha…" he said a little more directly and she turned to him in surprise, "Coffee?"
"Oh," she said, trying to get her mind back in the present, "Yes, please." She turned her attention back to Barnes and slowly reached for his arm. "Are you cold? You're shivering -." As her hand came closer, Bucky countered by leaning away from her, so Natasha withdrew her hand again.
She looked at Emily with a concerned frown and got a smile in return. Nat took that as a sign that she shouldn't be concerned about his lack of comfort or his inability to interact. He hadn't been interacting with her or Steve either, but Natasha didn't know that. Emily was just glad at this point that Steve was able to keep him at the table so far. She'd completely expected him to escape to a 'safe place' by now. He did, however, look extremely uncomfortable sitting there while Steve was getting the two mugs for their guests. He kept his eyes downward and his jaw muscles were working overtime as he clenched his teeth. At one point he glanced up quickly, focusing beyond the man across the table from him to see Steve in the kitchen. He immediately dropped his gaze again and began to rock back and forth as his stress level continued to rise.
When Steve returned, he placed the mugs on the table and Emily immediately took over the host duties so Steve could go back to his seat. As she poured the coffee, Steve returned to the chair beside Barnes and Bucky immediately turned away from the guests to face only Steve. His knee smashed against Steve's, forcing his friend to shift his position so Bucky could turn toward him. He stared unfocused at Steve's chest and Steve raised his hand to the back of Bucky's chair, placing his arm across the only space he could use to escape.
"Captain -?"
Steve looked at Emily and she shook her head: telling him silently to not force Barnes to stay if he felt the need to remove himself. He dropped his hand, deciding instead to lay it on Bucky's back and gave it a solid, supportive rub. Steve turned a little more to face Bucky squarely and Barnes immediately tucked his hands between his knees. Steve could see he was still trembling, but was it in fear or due to feeling a chill? He wasn't sure, so he took Bucky's hands in his own and Bucky immediately squeezed his fingers. Steve could literally feel the tension emanating from Bucky so he squeezed back, trying to reassure him then looked over at Natasha and smiled.
"Everything good with you, Romanoff?" he asked lightly.
Natasha was preoccupied with Barnes but her focus snapped to Steve when she heard her name. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah," she answered sounding unsure and then recovered. "Yes, yes everything's great with me," she said with a smile and picked up her mug.
Emily smiled at her, knowing this had to be extremely difficult for her. Despite the positive outlook Natasha had previously had about her interaction with James, telling her "it's enough, it's everything', Dr. Golden knew it would only be a matter of time before Natasha realized the depth of that loss. How do you grieve the loss of someone who is still alive? That was the question all three of them: Steve, JamesandNatasha were going to have to deal with in their own ways.
The four friends were able to finally find a path to comfortable conversation while Barnes did his best to tune them all out. He remained with the group as Steve held his hands, but then his stress levels rose to the point his body started rocking again. Steve gave his hands a light squeeze to try to reassure him, but a few minutes later he was sliding in his seat toward Steve and after that he began to push at Steve: not enough to harm him but physically asking him to move aside. Steve turned away from the conversation at the table and looked at him as he pulled his hands free from Steve's grasp. Bucky pressed his hands against his right side trying to push him out of the way so he could get through.
Steve looked over at Emily but, before she even noticed, Bucky stood up suddenly as a surge of adrenaline told him to flee. Emily looked over as Barnes' sudden movement caught her attention and she quickly gestured for Steve to give him space. Steve pushed his chair backward and Bucky immediately fled. He went straight back to Steve's room and disappeared.
"Let me-," Steve said, standing up. "I just want to check on him," he said.
"Yeah, man, go," Sam told him as Emily and Natasha nodded.
Steve walked up to the door and stopped to look around. He carefully stepped inside as the others watched from the table.
"How's he been doing?" Sam asked Emily, keeping his voice low.
"Well… his responses to everything going on around him are to be expected," Emily told him. "He's having a hard time, but he's going through so much right now. He's still coming down off the drugs; which reminds me, I have to remind Bruce he needs a treatment tonight," she said the last more to herself than to anyone else, taking out her phone to text Banner. "His anxiety levels are over-the-top, causing unusual reactions to what we consider 'normal' stimuli. The stress and anxiety he's experiencing presents as fearful behavior and all of that triggers his stress response -."
"The fight or flight…" Natasha added.
"Yes," Emily answered, "and that response kicks his mind and body into overdrive as he readies for immediate action; which is what we were seeing from the moment you approached the table. Steve has been doing his best to keep him calm, but, as you see… once triggered he has to follow through or the anxiety continues to rise which over-stimulates his nervous system, heightens the body's senses, and stimulates the fear center of the brain: he has no choice but to eventually react to all of that stimuli. Don't take it personally."
Natasha smiled and shook her head. "I'm not," she told her and then re-thought her answer. "I'mtryingnot to."
"Please don't," Emily emphasized. "He can't help how he's reacting and he can't stop the responses his brain has to hyper-stimulating events. Everything and everybody around him right now is new and confusing," she told them, reminding them of the details regarding trauma responses. "He's lived in a state of hyper-stimulation for decades and when that stress response is triggered too frequently, which for him has been all the time… it's been a constant… his body and brain have never recovered from that elevated state. They didn't allow him the time he needed to 'come down' and that consistent and incomplete recovery has kept his mind and body in a constant state of emergency readiness. These elevated levels of stress hormones keep his brain and body stimulated and symptomatic for as long as they are in an elevated state and... it's that chronic state of stress that is directly responsible for much of his cognitive impairment and mental confusion. He's dealing with a lot right now internally and he has no idea who we truly are or what we want from him. He seems to know Steve and he trusts Steve. We have to make sure that doesn't change."
"We just want to help him get better," Natasha stated.
Emily nodded and said, "And that's going to take a long time, but we'll start to see improvement, hopefully soon. Recovery from intense, long-term traumas is not going to be smooth sailing… it's more like being on a rollercoaster. Sometimes we may be able to put on the brakes and slow things down and other times we're just going to have to hold on tight until the ride is over."
Steve carefully entered his bedroom and slowly looked around. The sun was beginning to set now so the room was darker from the shadows cast through the window. He found Bucky curled up behind the chair with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms folded over his head. Steve's heart sank and he just wanted to pull him out of his hiding place to hug him tightly.
It was pretty clear to Steve that Bucky was doing what he needed to do to block out the world. He felt safe where he was… or at leastsaferand clearly didn't want to be disturbed so Steve let him be. He walked back out of the room and closed the door slowly until he heard the soft click of the latch.
Those at the table saw him emerge and watched him shut the door tight. He stood there a moment, listening; to be sure Bucky wouldn't have an adverse reaction to the isolation. It remained quiet inside and once he was satisfied, he turned around to see Sam and Natasha looking at him. As he walked to the table, Emily looked up and gave him a soft smile. She needed to constantly evaluate Steve's emotional health as well; he needed ongoing reassurance that everything he had done so far was the proper course of action to support his friend.
Inside the room, Bucky's hindbrain registered the audible click of the door being closed which meant he had a solid barrier between him and the outside world. He lifted his head slowly and peered out around the chair to be sure the man hadn't shut them both in. He was clearly all alone. He put his head back down on his knees, suddenly feeling exhausted. He shifted his position and, as he began to lie down between the chair and the dresser, he saw the blanket lying on the floor from when he'd flung himself off the bed earlier. He reached for it but it was out of reach. He glanced around the room again just to be sure he was alone then took a couple of deep breaths to ready himself to move quickly.
He launched himself out from behind the chair, grabbed the blanket and dragged it back behind the chair. He had most of it bunched up against his chest and held it there with both fists. He froze, listening for any sound that would indicate he'd given himself away and they were coming for him. His body continued to tremble and that involuntary action was physically exhausting. He waited a few minutes and when he was certain no one was coming for him, he pulled the rest of the blanket to him and curled up with it on the floor. He didn't have the mental wherewithal to spread it out over himself, so he simply curled up with his arms wrapped around the blanket now bunched up in his arms. It served to keep his chest warm but not his limbs, so his sleep was fitful and he could only doze a few minutes at a time. It was safer that way anyway, he'd learned a long time ago.
Bypassing the extra chair he'd brought over, Steve dropped into the seat Bucky had vacated. He dragged his coffee mug in front of him and stared into it for a moment, lost in thought.
"You okay?" Natasha asked.
Steve looked at her and gave her a little smile, "Yeah, I'm okay. It just… it hurts to see him like that."
Natasha nodded, reaching out to take his hand, "I know."
Emily watched them and smiled softly then decided to let them all know what was being planned. "I texted Dr. Banner," she told them and they turned to look at her. "He'll be up a little later to give James another treatment."
Steve frowned. "Does he still need the drug therapy? I thought he was doing better."
Emily smiled at him. "You did?" she asked and Steve nodded. "He'snotdoing better, Captain. He's doing precisely what Bruce and I warned you all about. He's still suffering with imbalances in his brain chemistry and his anxiety level is still elevated to an unmanageable degree. I don't think his behavior just now escaped anyone's attention." Natasha shook her head and Sam lowered his thoughtfully.
"I just left him," Steve told them, "he's hiding behind a chair, curled in on himself with his arms covering his head."
Sam and Natasha looked at him with concerned expressions.
"And we don't know what he's been doing since you left the room," Dr. Golden told them. Steve looked at her with a concerned expression and stood up. "Captain, I didn't mean you -."
"I'm going to check on him," he told her decisively and left the table.
His three visitors remained silent as he approached the bedroom door. He reached for the door knob and glanced back before turning it slowly. He opened the door a few inches and listened for any activity in the room; not hearing any, he pushed the door open slowly and proceeded inside. As he stepped into the room he noticed the blanket that had been on the floor was now gone.
Assuming Bucky was still behind the chair; Steve walked toward the bed to keep a safe distance between them so his sudden appearance wouldn't spook him, but he kept his attention focused on the area behind the chair. He didn't want to startle his friend but he didn't want to be ambushed by the Soldier either and he didn't know what to expect.
As he neared the bed, Steve was in a good position to see Barnes lying on the floor. He was curled into the fetal position with the blanket clutched to his chest. He was hugging the material as if more for emotional comfort than to keep warm. Steve slowly sat down on the corner of his bed and watched him for a few minutes.
He let his thoughts wander back to the photographs he'd seen in the files; how cold and empty… and without any creature comforts was the cell in which they'd kept him. They hadn't even allowed him a blanket to keep warm. Steve couldn't fathom the type of cruelty it took for them to do what they did to Bucky. His emotions threatened to take him over so he focused on slowing his heart rate. He took a long, slow breath and let it out. Bucky shot upright without warning which caused Steve to nearly jump off the bed in surprise.
He was startled out of what looked to be a sound sleep by the sound of someone breathing nearby and he sat up quickly. Seeing the silhouette of a large man sitting a few feet away Barnes backpedaled quickly, pulling the blanket with him as he slammed his back into the corner where the dresser touched the wall. He pulled his legs in, using his knees as a barrier and put his right hand up in a defensive move with his arm outstretched and ducked his head, hiding his face in the blanket.
"Whoa…whoa, Buck," Steve said, keeping his voice low. He put his hands up in front of him to show his friend he was unarmed. He didn't move from the bed, but he really wanted to; he wanted to scoop his friend up off the floor and hold him until the world turned right again.
His heart was pounding which was causing him to breathe heavily and, even as he became aware of his own physical response to Bucky's reaction, he realized as frightened as Bucky was upon awakening and seeing him… he'd made no sound at all.
It took Steve a moment to realize that the last bits of the sun's light were streaming in through the blinds on the window behind him. He could see his own shadow on the floor between him and Bucky and realized his friend had no idea who he was because he was backlit by the setting sun. Steve stood up but kept his body low until he was facing the windows. He quickly closed the blinds and reached for the light switch. When the overhead light came on he remained still, watching.
Bucky didn't move, so Steve did. He went back to the corner of the mattress and sat down. He waited to see if Bucky would now look over to see that the person in the room was his friend. When he didn't, Steve spoke to him again.
"Buck?" he said but Barnes didn't move; he maintained the same defensive position but now Steve could see he was trembling so fiercely it looked like he would shake himself apart. "Bucky," he said in a near whisper, "it's me, buddy. It's Steve."
"Steve?" Bucky echoed, lowering his arm. He clutched the blanket again with both hands, as if keeping a tight grip on it would keep "them" from taking it away.
"Yeah, pal, it's me. It's okay," he told him. Again he was blown away by the fact that just hearing his name seemed to get through to Bucky when nothing else could. Just as Barnes was about to lift his head to look at him; to see for himself that it really was Steve there was a knock on the door to the apartment and he immediately cowered; letting go of the blanket he covered his ears with both hands.
"It's okay, it's okay," Steve told him keeping his tone of voice calm, although a little frustrated by the disruption. He leaned toward the door and gave it a push but it only closed halfway. "Everything's okay, Buck… you're safe," Steve told him.
He could hear voices in the other room; first it was Nat's voice so he figured she had answered the door and then Bruce and Emily were conferring. Half a minute later Emily was standing outside the door, peering in at him. Steve looked over at her and she whispered to him.
"Dr. Banner is here for his treatment," she informed him. Steve nodded and she left, allowing him to handle the situation inside the room.
"Hey, Buck," he said to try to get Barnes to look at him, but he didn't. He kept his head down with his eyes closed and his ears covered. Steve swallowed thickly and shook his head. He could feel his own body begin to shake with the anger rising inside him; not anger toward Barnes but toward the people who did this to him.
Steve kept his eyes on Bucky as he slid off the bed onto the floor. When Bucky didn't move or seem to notice, he slowly slid across the floor toward him as he'd done a couple of times before when facing the terrified Soldat. When he got close enough to touch him, Steve reached out and touched his knee lightly. The sudden sensation caused Barnes to react impulsively; he nearly kicked out but instead he straightened his legs and quickly unfolded; standing to his full height and dropping the blanket so his hands were free to defend himself.
Steve was surprised by the speed of the sudden move and fell back onto the floor expecting to be attacked. He looked up at his friend who had simply stood up, his hands flailing about; searching for the wranglers he'd need to push back against and began shouting at people who weren't there.
"Get away from me! Don't touch me!" he shouted hysterically.
Outside the room, Steve heard chairs being pushed back and knew that his teammates were coming. He sprang up from the floor, grabbing the blanket that Barnes had dropped and quickly spread it out in front of him. He tried to wrap it around Bucky to keep him from hurting anyone just as Sam pushed between Natasha and Emily, who'd gotten to the door first. Steve glanced at him as Sam entered and grabbed part of the blanket. He tried to assist Steve in wrapping it around Barnes. Sensing there were now two people grappling for him only escalated his terror and Bucky fought hard against them.
He was strong and Steve realized his fear and determination to defend himself only made him that much stronger. His fear only added more fuel to the fight and he could easily overpower Sam, Steve knew. Even Steve had to put his all into trying to subdue him.
"Noooo!" Bucky shouted as he grappled with them, "Get off me! Leave me alone! Get away from me!"
Steve was more focused on how to get the upper hand. Although realizing it was going to spike his terror; he had only one option to put Bucky down without hurting him. As Sam grappled with him, Steve surged forward and got Barnes wrapped almost completely in the blanket. He had to throw it over his head like a parachute and then he wrapped his arms around him to contain him.
"Get him on the bed!" he shouted and they both pulled at Barnes to get him out of the corner.
"Noooo!" Bucky shouted, now trapped under the blanket. He tried to dig in his heels but his socked feet slid on the hardwood floor.
Once they were able to get him moving they used their momentum to propel him toward the bed and pushed him down onto it. Barnes continued to fight but his shouts had turned to screams and it tore Steve apart to know the terror his friend was experiencing due to their actions; just to know what hethoughtwas happening.
"Bruce!" Steve shouted as he put his forearm across Bucky's shoulders to pin him down. Banner suddenly appeared at the door with a syringe in hand. As Steve and Sam kept Barnes pressed to the mattress, he injected the sedative and they waited for it to take effect. When it did, they felt Bucky's muscles relax as he went limp and the two Avengers fell to each side of him to catch their breath.
"Damn," Sam exclaimed as he panted for air. "He's a powerhouse," he said, in way of explaining to the others. Then he looked over at Steve who was now checking his friend's breathing to be sure he actually was. "Is he stronger thanyou?" he asked, "Because he feels stronger than you," he said, still catching his breath.
Steve sat back to give Bruce space to move as he came forward again to check his patient. "I don't know," Steve answered. "He does feel stronger sometimes. He's really making me work to get him under control, that's for sure."
"He feels stronger than you," Sam repeated and Steve grinned, in spite of himself.
"Well, you and I have never really fought against each other," Steve reminded him with a slight grin.
Sam nodded, finally catching his breath, "That's true. You have a point."
Bruce finished checking Bucky's pulse, respirations and his pupils then stepped away. "I need to start his treatment. Where are we doing it?" he asked.
Steve pointed out the bedroom door and nodded. "His room is on the other side. Let's do it there so he'll be comfortable."
Bruce nodded and left the room to grab his bag from the kitchen table and waited there. Steve rolled Bucky onto his back, and Sam helped to remove the tangled blanket. They each grabbed an arm and lifted him to his feet. With Barnes slung between them, his arms draped over their shoulders, they carried him to the other room.
They placed Bucky on the bed and stepped aside so Dr. Banner could do what he needed to do. Not a lot was said as the team watched him; Nat and Emily from the door while Sam and Steve remained in the room just in case. He'd asked Sam to hold the IV drip bag while he set up and inserted the IV then looked around for a place to hang the bag. Steve pointed out the sweater hook near the head of the bed next to the desk and Bruce hung the bag there. He covered Barnes with a couple of blankets and watched him for a minute or so before turning to the others.
"I think we're good for a while," he told them, "He should be out for a couple of hours."
"Good, he needs the rest," Steve told him. "He looks awful."
Bruce nodded, "Unfortunately, it's not going to get better for a while. I've switched out a couple of the drugs still in his system for others that should cause less side effects… hopefully. I also added a dose of Ambien to help him sleep. It's really difficult to ascertain the best dosages though, because super soldiers tend to metabolize a lot faster than the rest of us. I'm still treating his withdrawal from Thorazine and some of the other drugs… mainly Barbituates and Benzodiazapines… with lower doses of course."
"It feels like we've been doing this for months already," Steve mentioned and they all looked at him.
"I know, Captain, but it's only been a few weeks," Emily reminded him.
"He seemed fine when he woke up from his nap," Steve told them. "I mean, he was fine, right?" he said, looking for confirmation from Emily because she was there at the time. She didn't confirm his statement because she knew that looks and behavior can be deceiving; from a psychological standpoint. She gave him an empathetic smile because she understood his confusion. "He was fine and then he… slowly… reverted," he told them. "It was like… like watching someone climbing a snow-covered hill where they take one step forward and slide back three feet."
"That's exactly what it looks like," Dr. Golden told him. "This is an uphill battle for him – for all of us," she reminded them. "I explained to you about the fluctuations and the ups-and-downs that are to be expected. What you have to keep in mind is that we've removed him from a life, a routine… a condition that he's been accustomed to for seventy years… we're turning his whole world upside down. His brain chemistry has been altered tremendously and now we're trying to alter it back again. He's not able to understand what's happening nor is he able to control any of his responses right now."
"I know," Steve told her, "I just didn't realize that his condition would be so drastic from one moment to the next."
"It can be. Not always and not with every patient, but apparently for him there's going to be no grey areas for a while. It's going to be black or it's going to be white and the only shades of grey we'll see is during the slide from one to the other. You did real good, Steve," she told him with a genuine smile then turned to Wilson, "You too, Sam. If you can keep up the pace, we should get the upper hand eventually."
Steve nodded thoughtfully then looked at each of them, "Thank you." Sam smiled and gave him a friendly slap on the arm. "Are you guys staying? I'll put on another pot of coffee…"
"Do youwantus to stay?" Sam asked; they would do whatever Steve needed them to do.
Steve nodded and replied quietly, "I do, if you don't mind. I don't really want to be alone right now."
"Then we're staying," Natasha told him and gave him a quick hug. "You sit, I'll make the coffee."
"Thanks," Steve replied and dropped into his seat at the table.