Chapter 14
Slam!
Steve stood slamming his hand onto the table where Sam, Nat, and Tony sat.
"It was really him," he exasperated and shoved the compass their way.
"It's Bucks compass, I went back and found it where I ran into him. It has to be him! When he went missing he had the compass,"
Tony squinted, "Are you high?"
Steve glared his way making Tony raise his hands to show he was joking. Natasha reached and grabbed the compass examining it.
"Steve I don't think you should pursue this," Nat said tossing the compass into Steve's hands, "I don't want you to fall backwards on your self progress,"
Steve stayed silent and looked down at the compass. Bullshit. I'm going to find him.
—-
Steve had looked everywhere but the man who resembled Bucky was no where to be found. Until one day when Steve went around asking if anyone knew a man who had the compass.
One man from a bodega nodded, "Yeah! James right? He's a patient and/or resident over at that care home on _ street. He comes down to get fruit sometimes."
Steve nodded a thanks and made his way towards this care home the man told him about.
Walking up the stairs and into the brick building Steve entered what he believed was the lobby.
A lady with a clean combed back ponytail stood at the front desk. She smiled seeing him, "Hello, how may I help you sir?"
Walking up the desk Steve opened his hand to show her the compass, "I found this the other day and I believe it belongs to someone who lives here,"
The lady peered over the desk and with one look she smiled, "Yes, that's James' compass. You can leave it here and I can bring it to him later..."
"No. I-I wanna give to him," Steve butted in.
"Uh okay then, I'll call his room to see if he's up there,"
The phone rang and wasn't answered so the receptionist shook her head, "It doesn't seem he's in his room at the moment. Let me make one more call to the medical floor to see if he's there,"
Steve stood waiting and when the lady hung up she told him that James was on his way down.
Quick footsteps came down the stairs and in seconds the man who resembled Steve's soulmate stood at the bottom of the steps.
Tall, brunette hair that was falling in his face, steel blue eyes, and... a missing left arm.
A woman chased after him on the stairs, "James! Slowly down!"
But both froze as they saw Steve staring from the front desk. Steve's heart pounded as they looked at each other.
"Buck..." Steve mumbled and James froze.
It was the man he ran into, the one who knew him. In a whisper James told Cassie, "That's the man, the one who knew me,"
Steve cleared his throat, "I, uh, found your compass,"
James walked up and let Steve drop the brass device into his hand. He looked to he feet, "Thanks,"
"Bucky?"
James stared at the man, that was the second time he called him that.
"Cmon you know me," Steve urged his heart ached seeing him like this. Lost.
"No I don't,"
Then the blonde girl stepped forward, "You know James?" She gave smile that was half surprised and half happy.
"Yes... I thought you were dead."
-
Cassie, Steve, and James sat on the chairs in the lobby in a circle.
"What's wrong with him?" Steve asked gently his furrowed brows.
Cassie gave a sympathetic look to James then back to Steve, "He has retrograde amnesia, meaning he can remember anything before injuries. He doesn't even remember who he is,"
Then James spoke up,"What do you mean you know me?" James asked rubbing his fingers over the compass.
"We grew up together. Went to school together. I gave that compass. You're James Buchanan Barnes. But I called you Bucky. You were in the army and one day I was told you went MIA and mostly dead."
James sat there his mind taking this all in but he couldn't recollect any of these memories.
Steve looked at the man he once knew, his mind lost and eyes holding onto fear and sadness.
“When we were in high school, here in Brooklyn… we went to Coney Island and you forced me to go on the cyclone but I was too small so you shoved newspapers in my shoes,” Steve chuckled, “My ma would make us dinner when you would stay over to late. In college I got really sick and almost died. But you carried me and ran barefoot to the hospital just to save me,” Steve says trying to get something outta Bucky, to get him to remember anything.
Steve sighed softly seeing Cassie motion for him to get up. The two blondes stepped away for a second leaving Bucky alone in the chair.
“We’re not sure that he’s going to get his memory back. From the three years he’s been here we’ve seen little to no progress at all. He only gets nightmares or small flashes,” Cassie explained.
“What happened to his arm?” Steve asked peeking back to where Bucky sat watching them.
“Based on his medical records he was found in a mountain range in Austria and that he’d fallen from an extreme height. It wrecked his arm and head which caused this amnesia,” Cassie tells Steve.
Then Steve almost jolted up when he heard Bucky say something, “S-Steve?”
Steve spun quickly, his heart leapt to his ears. He said my name.
“I-I never told you my name. You remembered,” Steve gasped his face broke into a grin and quickly walked over to Bucky squatting to his level.
“You remembered my name!” Steve laughed causing Bucky to give a small grin. That grin. It made Steve’s pulse race.
“Y-you were a horrible dancer,” Bucky quietly remarked, “And…” he paused closing his eyes trying to piece a puzzle together, “and I thought you were smaller,”
Steve laughed and then pulled his wallet out and taking a photo strip out, “Here’s a photo of us, at a carnival in D.C. I was small there.” Steve grinned.
Bucky looked the photo over, his eyes taking in the details and their faces. I looked so happy.
“Oh! And I have these…” Steve reached to his neck and metal clattered together as he revealed to sets of dog tags around his neck.
Taking one off he placed it in Buckys hand, “These are yours”
James B Barnes
32557038
Sergeant