Possibility of Tomorrow - 27

Cont...

Bucky almost missed it when Darling did eventually wake up for the first time.

 Months passed, and Tony was neck-deep in a political battle against Ross over the Accords. Progress was going slowly on all fronts. 

They had done all they could without taking any risks. Any further treatment required her to wake up. Things were at a standstill. Bucky had stepped out to stretch his legs when he heard something change.

 He froze in the doorway between the hospital room that had been his home for the last few months and the hall. Something was off. Every part of him went in alert, trying to figure out what. There was no one else on this floor. The sound of electricity flowing through the walls hummed, the sound of the air system whispered, the machines kept beeping rhythmically, the heart machine thumped- The heart monitor was fast. 

What had been a steady thump was now speeding up to a double thump in the same time span.

Turn around quickly, Bucky came over to the side of the bed and looked at the ministers. Oxygen was normal, blood pressure was normal, brain function was normal, heart rate was slightly elevated. 

"Darling?" Bucky asked, torn between watching the monitors and looking down at his daughter. The heart rate and brain function both went up in sync. 

Bucky exhaled hard in what was almost a breathy chuckle, "Hi." He slid his hand gently in hers, making sure not to disrupt the countless IVs and tubes keeping her alive. 

"I don't know if you can, but do you think you could squeeze my hand if you can hear me?" Bucky asked, watching the ministers show the brain function spiked just a little again. Her fingers didn't move, but her blood pressure started rapidly rising. 

"Hey, it's okay. If you can't, don't force yourself to." Bucky hurried to calm her. Her blood pressure dipped down again but was still a little high. 

"I'm gonna get a nurse or doctor to come to take a look at you," Bucky said, pressing his kimoyo beads calling Shuri and the head doctor. Instantly the heart rate, blood pressure, and brain function spiked. 

"Hey! I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here, but you're really hurt, and I know you don't like doctors, but you really need them right now." Bucky said in a rush tuning his thumb soothingly over Darling's knuckles, "I need you to calm down, though." Slowly the rates went down though still on the high end. 

"Good. I'm right here." Bucky pulled a chair closer and sat next to her, unwilling to remove his hand. She could hear him. She was healing. The thought made Bucky so relieved and happy. He just started talking, filling the silence.

 "You know you scared a lot of people real good. Even got stone-cold Stark to crack. Apparently, he tried fixing you up before sending you here. That and one of his inter children keeps asking how you are. A Harley Keener." At the name, Darling's heart rate jumped up. 

Bucky chuckled, "Something you want to tell me about that? Do I need to give him the responsible adult talk? The whole 'don't hurt her, or no one will find the body' type deal?" Her heart rate and blood pressure rose in unison but not too dangerous levels. 

Bucky laughed a little, "Don't give me that. I was an older brother; I know how this works."

 "How what works?" Shuri asked, coming over and checking some of the more sophisticated monitors. "Grilling prospective boyfriends." Bucky explained, "Apparently, a Mr. Keener has taken a liking to Darling, and she likes him back." Darling's brain function flared before dying back down.

 "Yeah yeah. If you were awake, you would have punched me for that, I know." Bucky chuckled. 

"Well, I've met Mr. Keener before, and I have to agree with Darling. He's cute and has Southern charm and manners for miles." Shuri smiled, still running through machine readouts. 

"I'm not sure if I'm being teamed up on here or you're staking your claim." Bucky teased. 

"Oh no, Keener's charming but a little too ridiculous for me." Shuri shook her head and laughed, "A kid at heart that one."

 "So, when do I get to meet this, Mr. Keener?" Bucky asked, watching how Darling's heart rate fluttered. 

"Well, the next conference he'll be attending will be in New York in two months if that's what you mean." Shuri offered, finishing with the monitors, "I'm sure I could get you in if you wanted to question his intentions." 

Bucky laughed at that. It sounded so old-fashioned and right, "Yeah, not yet. I definitely want Darling's point of view before I rip the kid a new one." 

"Well, that would be wise." Shuri came around, so they were on the same side of the bed, "On a more serious note, she is waking up. We still can't tell what the brain damage is, but she seems to understand you and what's going on, which is a good thing. If a few, we'll know where we stand." 

Bucky nodded, the feeling of fear resetting in his gut, "What can I do?"

 "Keep talking to her. Try to not make her blood pressure go up but otherwise keep interacting with her. That might help," Shuri came closer to Bucky as he started to fidget with his hands nervously, "We're almost there. We'll know soon." 

Bucky nodded, "Thanks." Shuri nodded in acknowledgment and then left them alone. Bucky leaned back over to the bed and retook Darling's hand, feeling the pulse match with the sound of the heart minister. Reminding him that she really was there, that she was getting better. "You really scared me." Bucky whispered loud enough for her to hear, "There's a lot we haven't gotten to talk about, and I was really worried we never would." He rubbed her knuckles gently, "You need to wake up so we can. I was wrong, and I was scared. I need to tell you that. And not just while you're sleeping." When had he started crying? Bucky wasn't sure, but he was now.

 Please wake up.

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