Car Crash Pt.2
It was two months after the accident and it was still fresh on Bucky’s mind. He was sure it was something he would never forget. The smell of burning flesh, the sticky feel of blood staining his hands, the taste of metal as he bit through his tongue, and Tony’s screams that lit the air. Every night he is plagued by nightmares.
The moments in the hospital after the crash were the scariest part. Tony had coded three times and everyone was sure he was a goner. But he pulled through. If Bucky wasn’t so detached to life he would have laughed. Tony had been in a coma for five weeks after and again the doctors were sure he wasn’t going to wake up- but he did.
Those five weeks were some of the worst of his life. Not because of Tony, but because of Steve. While Tony slept away, Steve dove deep into a heavy depression. In some twisted Captain America way he blamed himself for the crash and Tony’s injuries. Every time he saw Tony’s braced and bandaged body in the hospital he had a panic attack. It was stressing Bucky out immensely as he tried to care for both Steve and Tony. Eventually Bruce had the idea of bringing Steve to a therapist.
Five weeks later, Steve finally was acting more like himself. He still blamed himself but he was able to get out of that dangerous depressive mindset he had dug himself into. He still got sad every time he saw Tony, but instead of distancing himself, he began to cling to Tony. He stayed in the man’s hospital room 24/7 and was scared Tony would get hurt if he left.
Tony was eventually moved to a bigger private room so that both of them would be able to sleep over. For five weeks they lived in Tony’s hospital room, helping the nurses care for him.
Tony was in a bad way even five weeks later. He had a ventilator helping him breathe because of the damage he sustained to his chest. He still hadn’t shown any sign of breathing on his own and the doctors were afraid the breathing aid would become permanent. Tony also had a large metal brace around his abdomen and neck because of his spinal fracture. They wouldn’t know until he woke up if he was paralyzed or not but Bucky prayed every day that wouldn’t be the case. Even if he wasn’t paralyzed he wouldn’t be walking for awhile because of the damage the car did to his leg. While the right one was okay, just severely bruised, his left one had taken the brunt of the crash and was broken in four places.
While Tony slept, Bucky and Steve spent their time learning from the nurses on how to care for Tony. The supersoldiers watched as they replaced Tony’s IVs and feeding bag. They learned how to sponge bathe their boyfriend and how to exercise his limp body. By the fourth week, the nurses let them take over several of the tasks.
They were in the middle of bathing Tony when his hand started twitching. Steve shouted for a nurse and showed her the movement, but she chalked it up to a ‘spasm’. Steve didn’t argue with her but deep in his heart he knew it was more than that.
And he was proven right when Tony fully woke up three days later.
“Use your words, baby,” Bucky said softly to a grunting Tony. Even two months after the horrific accident, Tony couldn’t speak very well. The doctors had told them he sustained brain damage, but it was hard for Bucky to believe his once brilliant genius was inside this slow-talking man.
“No…..b-b-baaaath,” Tony slurred, glaring at the sponge in Bucky’s hand.
“Yes bath. You need to be clean Tony,” Brucky sighed. Tony hated bath time because of how much it pained his body. His joints constantly hurt, and his spinal fracture sent horrible pain up and down his body constantly. This paired with his atrophied muscles was not a pleasant feeling and painkillers could only help so much.
Steve came out of the bathroom with towels and they got to work. It was like a dance how they washed Tony’s body, having so much experience with it at this point. Steve lifted and held limbs while Bucky washed and vice versa. “It’s okay, baby,” Bucky hummed when Tony started to whimper as they moved closer to his back.
It took awhile but they finally washed and dried Tony. “That wasn’t so bad was it, Tones?” Steve asked the man as he scooted a chair closer to his bedside.
Tony couldn’t move his head because of the cervical collar around his neck but his eyes shifted to Steve’s direction. “B-b-bad. Baaad. B-bad,” Tony repeated. His finger twitched rapidly and Steve took it into his hands. He smoothed Tony’s hand to get it to relax, he saw Tony’s eyes drift shut from the soothing action. “S-stayy, stay,” Tony said.
“Of course, Tones,” Bucky said from Tony’s other side.
That night was horrible.
Tony woke up, screaming from the pain in his back. It was simultaneously throbbing and shooting pain around his body. Along his spine was extremely sensitive and felt like a raw wound. “H-h-huu-hurtsssss...huuurts,” he cried.
“I know, baby, I know,” Bucky said softly, holding Tony’s hand tightly.
They couldn’t turn Tony onto his side because of the damage to his spine so he was forced to endure the painful pressure. The morphine didn’t seem to be helping at all and the pain was slowly getting worse.
Tony coughed and sputtered from all his crying. “Deep breaths, baby, I know it hurts,” Bucky encouraged. Steve had stepped out of the room minutes ago, in the midst of a panic attack. He couldn’t handle seeing Tony in so much pain and not able to do anything about it. Bucky felt just as hopeless, even more so with his two loves suffering. But he had to choose, and he knew Tony needed his presence more.
“Huuurtsss, pl-pleeeeeaase,” Tony sobbed. He gripped Bucky’s arm tight, which with his lack of muscles wasn’t more than a loose hold. Bucky jumped just in time to place a bucket under Tony's head as he started throwing up from the pain. When Tony finished, his cries started up again as his body shook and sweated. “S-Seeeevie?” Tony asked, looking up at Bucky with dull squinted eyes.
Bucky fought for an answer but didn’t know what to say. Finally, he jumped up, storming out the room. Steve was sitting on the ground next to the door in a ball. Hot fury grew from Bucky and he reached down, snatching Steve’s shirt in his grasp. “Listen to me,” he growled. “Tony is in there facing unimaginable pain and the least you can do is be there at his side. So man up and get in there, now!” Steve wiped his tears and replaced it with a determined nod.
They both went inside and sat on opposite sides of Tony’s bed. It was obvious he felt slightly better with both of his boys’ presence. “Seevie,” Tony smiled, though lopsided.
“I’m here, Tones,” Steve smiled back, placing a hand on Tony’s arm.
“We both are, doll,” Bucky added.
Tony let his eyes closed in an effort to sleep off the pain. It would all be better in the morning with his boys by his side.