Chapter Sixty-Two
Bucky got a response from his parents in early January and smiled to read it. They would be arriving with his sister Rebecca in May, which would give them enough time to pack up the belongings they were planning on bringing and selling everything else.
Runa promised him that everything would be perfect for his parent’s arrival, that she and Wanda would scrub the little house made for them from top to bottom and make certain everything was prepared for their arrival. In the meantime, she and Wanda were spending their spare time helping Iris sew in preparation for her wedding. Iris and Bruce were planning on marrying in February, as soon as the new church was built.
The lumber had been ordered and the plans drawn up, the date set. Everyone who could lift a hammer came to help, so the old church was torn down and the new one put up in a week of hard work. It was a time of celebration for the community, who Runa found were glad of almost any reason to gather and celebrate.
Bruce and Iris were the first couple married in the new church, Iris looking positively radiant on their wedding day. They were married on a Sunday in February so that everyone could share in their joy, and everyone contributed to the dinner that followed, just as they had when Runa first married Steve.
Runa, for her part, was glad to contribute, and had never seen her friend so very happy.
Then calving season was upon them, and the cold days became very busy. Every morning Runa and Wanda packed cold lunches for the men, who could no longer take the time to return to the house for their meals.
Life was falling into a comfortable pattern, a pattern that was disturbed one morning in April when Runa found herself clinging to her pillow, clenching her mouth shut and trying to calm her rising gorge as Steve and Bucky slipped from the bed.
“Runa?” Steve asked softly when he saw she made no move to join them in getting ready to face the day. She had been having trouble getting out of bed the past few days, and when they were away from the house Steve and Bucky discussed their shared worry that maybe the work was getting to be too much and Runa was getting worn down and needed more help.
“Darlin’?” Bucky frowned, looking back over at her, before sitting back on the edge of the bed, reaching out to run a hand down her arm. She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t turn to smile sleepily at him either.
“Are you all right?” Steve asked. Runa shook her head, and then she was scrambling from the bed, barely making it to the washbasin to sick up the contents of her stomach. Steve was by her side in an instant, rubbing her back in soothing circles with one hand as he made certain her hair was out of the way with the other.
“I’ll bring up some clean water.” Bucky said, hastening from the room.
“Runa?” Steve asked as her heaving stopped. She groaned, drawing back. Steve offered her the pitcher that sat by the wash bowl and she dipped her hand into it, bringing up a mouthful of water to rinse her mouth out, spitting it into the basin.
“I’ll be fine.” She managed, “Just a little stomach upset.”
“Been coming on for a few days, with how sluggish you’ve been.” Steve mused, no condemnation or accusation in his tone. He glanced into the basin, seeing mostly bile. “There wasn’t much in you to come up, which is a small blessing, I suppose.” He continued to rub her back as she straightened. “Come on. Let’s get you back to bed.”
“I can-”
“Happy Sam can cook today. Sick people don’t cook the food for well people.” Steve said firmly as Bucky came into the room with a glass of water.
“He’s right.” Bucky said just as firmly, bringing the glass to Runa, who took it and sipped at it slowly. “That’s right, darlin’. Just go slow.” Bucky said, reaching up and pressing the back of his hand to her forehead. “Clammy, but no fever. I don’t think we need to go get Bruce.”
“Rest will help.” Steve agreed as Runa managed to drink down half her water, before shaking her head, indicating she couldn’t drink any more.
“Rest will help. I’ll be right as rain by tomorrow. You’ll see.” Runa promised them.
“We’ll have Wanda bring you up some toast, see if Happy Sam can make some broth for you later. And water. You need to drink plenty of water.” Steve said as Bucky took the water glass and set it on a nightstand while Steve helped Runa back into bed. “Here. Sleep here near the edge of the bed. We’ll bring the basin over in case you get sick again.”
“Thank you.” Runa murmured, settling into the place in bed that Steve had so recently vacated. Steve pulled the blankets up over her, tucking her in like a wayward child and placing a kiss against her temple, moving away so that Bucky could put the basin down beside the bed and place his own kiss against Runa’s temple.
“Get some rest, darlin’.” Bucky said, before her moved to finish dressing.
“Get some rest.” Steve echoed as he finished dressing as well, both of them leaving Runa to doze, curled into a ball while her stomach roiled. She found herself getting ill once again as the smell of cooking bacon filled the house, but soon her stomach settled, and she fell into an uneasy doze. After a while Wanda brought her some toast and weak tea, which she was able to get down, feeling much better afterwards. By evening, she was drinking down the broth that Happy Sam had prepared and feeling like her old self, much to the relief of Steve and Bucky.
Only, the pattern repeated the next two mornings. Runa began to have a niggling suspicion of what might be causing her to feel so poorly, but she wasn’t certain she wanted to say, not yet. Not until she had spoken to Bruce, whom she didn’t even have to suggest them fetching. Steve swore he would ride out to bring him back himself.
When he returned, it was without Bruce.
Bucky had remained at the house that day, just as anxious as Steve about Runa and the state of her health. He stepped out onto the porch when he heard Steve’s horse approach, and he waited patiently for Steve to hand Tucker off to Pietro, who also looked concerned. “Is Bruce coming?” Bucky asked as Steve mounted the steps to the house.
“There was an accident at the mine. Iris said he’d been gone since last night because of it. She said that as soon as he gets in she’ll send him out here.” Steve fretted. “How is Runa?”
“She’s sleeping again. Kept her tea and toast down. Going to give her some more toast and some broth at dinnertime, see how that sits.” Bucky said.
“All we can do is wait for Bruce.” Steve sighed, going to sit in his chair. “I want to go up there and hold her, but I know she needs the rest to beat… Whatever this is.”
“She’ll be fine. It’s just a stomach upset.” Bucky said quietly as he took his own seat. “Bruce will have some medicine or something to fight this off.”
Steve nodded, looking out the window pensively, only half believing the words.
~*~
Bruce arrived an hour after dinnertime, looking exhausted. Steve and Bucky met him at the porch.
“Iris said Runa was ill?” He asked as he mounted the porch steps.
“She’s been sick to her stomach the past three days. She can keep down some things; we’ve only tried her on broth, tea, and toast.” Steve said.
“I’ll go up and see her. You two can wait in the sitting room.” Bruce said. “I’ll come down and let you know how things stand.” Bruce promised them, heading into the house.
“We’ll be waiting.” Bucky promised, following Bruce inside but detouring to the sitting room, Steve trailing behind.
“She’ll be fine. Bruce is here now, and she’ll be fine.” Steve said as he sat down, more for his own benefit, to reassure himself.
There was silence while they waited for Bruce, the time passing at a crawl. When Bruce finally entered the sitting room, he was smiling.
“Good news?” Steve asked hopefully as he and Bucky rose to their feet.
“Good news.” Bruce agreed. “I’ve looked her over and we spoke for a while about her symptoms. The nausea should only last another month or two. It could last longer, but it shouldn’t.”
“What?” Steve looked horrified, while Bucky wore a look of dawning realization. “Isn’t there anything you can do, some medicine you can give her?”
“Steve.” Bucky protested.
“She can’t live like that for another month, it isn’t right-”
“Steve.” Bucky tried again.
“There has to be something-”
“Steve!”
Steve finally looked to Bucky, furious. “What?” He demanded, wondering why Bucky was grinning. Bucky promptly looked to Bruce.
“How far along is she?”
Bruce was also grinning. “I’d estimate a little over a month. We’re looking at an early December delivery.”
Steve looked at them, still not quite getting it. “Delivery? What…” He trailed off, Bruce and Bucky both grinning at him as if it was some great joke, while realization slowly dawned. His eyes widened, and he looked to Bruce in surprise. “Really?”
“Congratulations, Bucky, Steve. You’re going to be fathers.”
The two men shared an elated look, and Bruce couldn’t help but keep smiling. Their excitement was a balm to the weary doctor, who had spent his time since the previous evening at the mines, healing some, but mostly helping those who had been badly injured ease their way to Heaven’s Gates and judgment. Confirming a pregnancy and receiving this response was a balm to his bruised heart, the only thing that could be better to help remind him that the circle went on would be to actually deliver a child.
He started speaking again, giving the two men the same advice that he had given Runa. She could still do everything as normal, but only if it didn’t tire her too greatly and she felt no pain or discomfort. She would be more tired than usual, and the nausea would come and go, but the trick was to eat something small frequently through the day. He also made them promise to come get him if there were any concerns regarding her health.
By the time he finished doling out their advice, Runa had come downstairs, dressed in one of her work dresses, a shining smile on her face as she stepped into the sitting room.
“I’ll show myself out.” Bruce smiled, watching as Steve and Bucky’s gazes were drawn to Runa.
“We’ll come settle the bill in a day or two.” Steve promised.
“No rush.” With that Bruce was out the door, and Steve and Bucky were hurrying forward, the two of them crushing Runa into a tight, shared embrace.
“So, I take it Bruce told you the good news?” She asked after a moment of savoring the embrace. Steve laughed at that, and Bucky snorted.
“Yeah. Took Stevie here a few minutes for the news to sink into his hard head, but he got it eventually. Can’t blame him though. Not like either of us was ever around pregnant women much, or else we might have guessed sooner.”
“I started to suspect this morning, but I wanted to talk to Bruce to be certain.” Runa confided, her arms still around Steve and Bucky. “Since Steve was so determined to get him here.”
“I was worried about you. We both were.” Steve protested. “I didn’t like seeing you sick like that, sweetheart.”
“Well, you’ll have to get used to it, I’m afraid.” She sighed, releasing them and reaching down to scoop up Mercy, who had been twining around their ankles, desperate to see Runa. The kitten was kept from the bedroom by a shut door and had missed her favorite person.
“We’ll talk to Happy Sam before supper. See if he can take over more of the cooking.” Steve reached out to scratch between Mercy’s ears, the fluffy calico beginning to purr, pleased by the attention.
“I can still cook.” Runa protested.
“You haven’t been able to get up in the mornings to cook.” Bucky pointed out.
“Now that we know it isn’t contagious, I can get out of bed.”
“No.” Steve told her firmly.
“Bruce said I can keep doing the work I’m used to-”
“No.”
“Steven.” She sighed. “I’m not having this fight with you. I will continue cooking, with Happy Sam’s assistance. If I feel ill, or woozy, or anything else, he can take over cooking and I will sit down. I promise. But you have to let me figure out what I can and cannot do.”
“The problem is you’ll keep trying until you hurt yourself.” Bucky frowned.
“I’m not that bad.” She protested.
“You’re that bad.” Steve placed a kiss atop her head, “But we love you despite your failings.”
She laughed. “And I love you. Both of you. I’m just asking the two of you to trust me. I’d never do anything to hurt our baby.”
“We’ll try, darlin’. That’s all we can promise.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”