Silhouette
It had been a day since the incident at the gala. Bucky, Sam, and Torres were all transferred to a hotel instead of having to stay at the base. Sam and Torres had gone to the hospital early in the morning to check on Kitty and Kurt. They’d stayed for a while until it was evening.
Once Sam walked in, Bucky snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at him, asking, “So? How is everything?”
Sam sighed and slumped down in the chair across from Bucky, “Not good. The surgeon had to keep Kurt for over seven hours because the knife that was used to stab him was so old, pieces broke off upon entry. They managed to stop the bleeding and stitch him up, but he’s still unconscious,” He massage his temples, “And Kitty’s unresponsive. She’s just been sitting- waiting to see him.”
“Unresponsive?” Bucky’s eyes flitted to Sam’s.
“She won’t talk to me or Torres. Speaking of which, he got pulled away for another mission, so I dropped him off at the airport,” Sam explained.
Bucky nodded and pinched his nose, “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know, Buck,” Sam crossed his arms and looked at the window. He was considering a suggestion, debating if it was the right way to go. He then finally looked back at Bucky, “You should-”
“No,” Bucky shook his head, “I’m the last person that either of them would want to see.”
“Arguably, that’s Walker,” Sam remarked, “Bucky, those two kids just went through something horrible. He’s injured and she’s in anguish. They need somebody and Logan’s not here to be that somebody.”
“I’m not that person either,” Bucky denied, “Sam, they don’t want me around. I can guarantee you that.”
“Just try. If she doesn’t want to talk to you, don’t have to. You can just sit there in silence. It’s something you’re exemplary at. If they don’t want you around period, then leave,” Sam reasoned, “At least you tried, right?”
Bucky debated it in his head for a few seconds before reluctantly agreeing, “Fine, but before I go, what are Walker’s whereabouts?”
“He has a mild concussion, so he flew back to the U.S. to ‘finish up a few things’ and rest,” Sam recounted.
Bucky stood up and then headed for the door before hearing Sam say, “Wait.”
He turned to face him and raised a brow.
“Whatever it is you’re not telling me, I promise you, it’ll mean a lot to her for someone to show her comfort after it all,” Sam stated.
Bucky nodded solemnly and left the hotel room.
^^^
Bucky entered the hospital and took the elevator up to the fifth floor. He eventually found the waiting room where Kitty was sitting, staring off into the distance. There were one or two other people in the waiting room, but they were either on their phones or asleep.
Kitty was still in the gala outfit she’d worn a day earlier, the only difference being the absence of the suit jacket and the dried blood staining her face, hands, and portions of the corset. There was also a small bit of blood on the star of her necklace. The blood on her face, however, was painted in a strange way, having looked like certain parts of it were washed down. She’d been crying. Weeping even. It was apparent to Bucky that she must have shed tears long before his visit or Sam’s. Now all she had was a numb expression.
If she’d noticed him walk in and sit down a seat’s distance away, there was no indication of it on her face. She just had a distant stare, looking towards one hallway, presumably the one where Kurt had been taken down hours earlier. She was still waiting.
Bucky watched her a few minutes more, looking for any reaction. She’d completely dissociated, just staring at the hallway.
He tried to think of something to say, something that would get through to her, “Tell me about him.”
Kitty blinked for what seemed like the first time since he’d gotten here. She still looked out at the hallway. She spoke softly, “He liked to read.”
“What did he like to read about?” He asked quietly.
“Classical stuff mostly, but he liked fantasy adventures and stories like that too,” She took a shaky breath, “I met him when I was ten. I was scared out of my mind and I couldn’t stop crying. Then I heard this voice coming from a hole in the cell wall. His voice was faint, but it was comforting. He didn’t like hearing me cry, so he’d tell me stories about pirates and castles and all that fantasy stuff.”
Bucky listened with a nod, watching her expression change as she reminisced, “Eventually, I stopped crying so much and, despite the guards, we would talk through the hole in the wall. On the bad days when we thought HYDRA might wipe one of us, we’d tell each other the things we didn’t want to forget.”
Bucky nodded. He remembered the machine and it made him sick to think of that being used on a couple of kids. Especially Kitty and Kurt.
“When I had nothing I had him,” She finished and now looked at the ground.
“And you still have him,” Bucky stated.
“But they won’t let me see him,” She faltered.
“Why not?” His brow furrowed as he asked.
“Because I’m not blue,” She put her hand on the side of her face, “They had to remove the watch when they were prepping for surgery and revealed that he’s blue, so they’re not letting anyone in.”
“They will soon,” Bucky said in an attempt to comfort her. He now looked out at the hallway, looking for any indication from a passing nurse or doctor.
“Why are you here?” She questioned.
“Sam asked me to come down here. He said you weren’t talking and he suggested I come,” Bucky explained quietly.
“And why did you accept it?” Kitty asked and then went back to silently staring at the hallway.
“I think the better question is, why are you talking with me?” Bucky inquired.
Kitty paused, not expecting the question to be turned on her. All she could muster up was, “I don’t know.”
Bucky’s lips twitched, resisting a small smile and retaining a neutral expression.
“You eaten?” He asked.
“I’m not hungry,” She shook her head and insisted.
A doctor came in with a clipboard and looked around, finding Bucky and Kitty immediately. The doctor came over, “Are you two here for Mr. Wagner?”
Bucky and Kitty nodded.
“He’s very lucky. We were able to remove the debris from the weapon without much resistance and stop the bleeding before he could lose too much. He’s still asleep, but his vitals are stable and he’s recovering well,” the doctor explained.
Kitty breathed a sigh of relief and then stood up, “Can I see him?”
“Yes, but he is still asleep,” The doctor brought up again, “You could use this time to get a change of clothes or sleep yourself.”
“I’m fine, where’s his room?” She ignored the doctor’s advice.
The doctor shrugged it off and began to lead Kitty and Bucky down the hallway. They took a couple of turns before they walked into Kurt’s room.
Kurt was asleep on a gurney with an IV stuck in his arm. He was a slightly lighter blue than normal, but he was breathing fine. Kitty ran over to his side and looked him over. When she couldn’t see anything wrong, she smiled out of relief and then took a seat in a chair near his bed.
Bucky watched them from the doorway. The doctor then nodded to him and then left the room.
“Like I said, you still have him,” Bucky said and leaned against the doorway.
Kitty looked away from Kurt and at Bucky, simply nodding. She moved the chair so she was seated right next to Kurt. She gently lifted his hand and held it.
Bucky felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He took it out and checked it. It was a text from Sam, asking how things went. He glanced at Kitty and Kurt and then answered that things were going somewhat okay. Sam texted back that he’d come over soon. Bucky sent him a thumbs up.
He hadn’t noticed Kitty watching him send the last text, “Something going on?”
“Sam’s coming by again,” He answered, still staying in the doorway.
Kitty looked at Kurt again and then back at Bucky, “I have a question and you need to answer me honestly.”
Bucky looked at her with uncertainty, “Ask away.”
“Why did they take Logan and not us?” She asked.
Bucky looked away. She didn’t know about the deal Logan had made with them. God only knew what kind of prison Logan was being taken to. He decided to tell her the truth, just as she had requested, “He made a deal with Sam. He’d turn himself in in exchange for Kurt’s medical care and both of your freedom.”
Kitty inspected him for any sign of lies or deception and then frowned. She gave the faintest nod in response.
“Sam’s true to his word. Neither of you have to worry about being put in prison,” Bucky tried to comfort her.
“And what about Logan?” She questioned, genuinely worried about him.
“I,” Bucky tried to think. Again, he had no idea what SHIELD was going to do with Logan, “I don’t know as of right now.”
He saw her face drop.
“But I’ll find out,” He added.
She mouthed a thank you and then Kurt stirred in his sleep. Her head whipped back to him. He continued to stir and his breath quickened like he was having a nightmare. Kitty’s expression turned to concern and she stood up.
She held onto Kurt’s hand and squeezed it lightly, trying to signal that she was there. He continued to move, but his movements were stiff since he was still in pain. Kitty began to panic again and then moved forward, letting go of his hand and wrapping her arms around Kurt, hugging him tightly and keeping him close. She was saying something to him, but it was too quiet to hear from where Bucky stood.
Finally, Kurt calmed down and stilled. Kitty let him go and went back to holding his hand. She slumped down in her seat. She put one hand over her face and rubbed her eyes.
It was then that Bucky really saw the exhaustion in her. She was too young to be this tired. Too young to be this battered and bruised. Too young to have lost so much. He then looked at Kurt as he continued to sleep. He was too young to have to be in this place. Too young to have been betrayed in such a bloody way. They were too young for this kind of pain.
Bucky tried to think about what he could do without overstepping. He then reached into his pocket and fished out three dollars in ones. He quietly walked over to Kitty and held out the money.
She looked at him quizzically, “What are you doing?”
“You need to eat something. Get whatever you need from the vending machine down the hall,” Bucky offered her the money.
She looked at it with hesitance. Bucky continued, “Wash the blood off of your hands and face, and then ask a nurse to help with your lip.”
Kitty still hesitated and then looked at Kurt.
“He’ll still be asleep by the time you come back,” Bucky assured and then added, “I’ll wait in the waiting room.”
Kitty considered it, weighing the options in her head. She then took the money and looked at it. The two of them then walked to the door. Bucky walked out and into the hall. But Kitty stayed in the doorway and looked at Kurt again with uncertainty.
Spotting her continued hesitancy, Bucky spoke again “All I’m asking is for you to take care of yourself. Kurt would want you to. He’ll still be here when you come back.”
Kitty looked at the ground and then nodded as she stepped out into the hall before walking down the hallway towards the bathroom and the vending machine. Even after everything, that inkling of trust was still there.
Bucky watched her go and murmured, “That’s all I can ask for.”