Death Where is Your Sting? - B. Barnes

Chapter 38

Bucky collapsed back into the chair beside Ray's bed. It'd been over a week since Ray had crashed and Shuri and her team had worked tirelessly to save her life. Ray still hadn't woken. Bucky couldn't understand it, but the medical team assured him it wasn't unheard of after such a traumatic experience. Her body was utterly exhausted and had tried to give up, it could take some time for it to recover. But Bucky was growing impatient, anxious. The longer this took, the less likely it was that she would recover. The breathing tube and feeding tube taunted him, proof that she was still walking the line between living and dead.

Bucky closed his eyes, exhausted. He'd sparred with Ayo this morning. She'd seen the tension in his body, his inability to rest and sleep, so two days after Ray crashed, she'd forced him at spear point to the training room. Every day since, they would spar and train and fight until he could no longer move, muscles spent, body drained. After lunch and some recovery time with Ray, he'd spend the afternoon with Shuri in the lab on some prosthetics research. This had become his pattern in the last week and he was thankful to have something familiar to cling to.

The sound of the heart monitor blaring jolted Bucky and he sprang to his feet. "Ray!" He found her eyes wide in terror, choking. "Ray? Doll, it's okay. Calm down."

"What happened!" Shuri ran in, Ayo on her heels.

"She's awake."

"Okay, Ray. I'm going to take this tube out. On the count of three, I want you to cough. One, two, three."

As Shuri pulled the breathing tube out, Ray coughed and the monitor's beep began to slow. Bucky exchanged a glance with Shuri, who smiled at him. "Hey, Doll. You're okay."

She coughed again, body going limp with exhaustion. "Buck-" The word set off more coughing.

"Drink." Ayo approached with a bottle of water and pressed it to her lips.

Ray nodded her thanks and closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing hard, before raising her brow at Bucky, head nodding to the women beside her.

"Shuri and Ayo. My friends from Wakanda." Bucky pointed to each woman in turn.

"It is good to see you awake." Shuri smiled widely at her, pressing an oxygen mask to her face. "How is your pain?"

"Fine." She swallowed hard, closing her eyes.

Bucky chuckled softly. "So not great. Is there-"

"Already on it. As lovely as it is to see you awake, the pain medication will make you tired and you need your rest. Sleep, and the White Wolf will watch over you." She patted Ray's arm before turning to leave, Ayo on her heels. She looked to Bucky, and said, "If you need anything...call Ayo. I'm busy." She winked and left as Bucky rolled his eyes at her, the corner of his mouth twitching up.

He glanced back down when he felt Ray's hand on his own. "Long time, no see, doll."

"How-" She coughed and continued. "How long?"

"Almost two weeks."

She grimaced. "Sam? T?"

"Totally fine. They had to go back to the States but Torres has called or texted every day to check on you."

"Sharon?"

"Gone. You're free." Bucky smiled as Ray settled into the bed knowing Sharon couldn't hurt her anymore. "Rest, Doll. I'll be here when you wake up." He kissed her, thankful to finally feel her lips against his. He watched her eyes flutter closed and listened to the steady beat of the heart monitor. She was alive.

~<>~

Ray's eyes shot open to a sharp pain in her leg. She hissed quietly as she glanced around. It was dark, a gentle light warming the room from the Wakandan technology. Evening. Bucky was asleep in the chair beside her bed, one leg stretched out, the other bent with his foot on the floor, hands clasped on his stomach, head dropped back, mouth hanging open. One corner of her mouth tipped up in a soft smile at the sight.