The nightmares still woke Darcy up. Although Bucky accepted that Darcy staying in the room was no longer a threat, it didn’t stop the Soldier from returning and disturbing her sleep, albeit far less frequently than before. She couldn’t really complain, though. When he did appear, the Soldier was more than happy to snuggle and rub her feet, which was a huge bonus, as the pumpkin in her belly weighed a fucking ton.
It had been over a week since the last nightmare. Bucky started muttering under his breath, waking Darcy from an already light sleep. She began talking softly, in a vain attempt to get either version of the man she loved to go the heck back to sleep.
It didn’t work. Darcy felt the moment Bucky woke up as the Soldier, the previously relaxed man going rigid beside her. Sighing softly, Darcy rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, hoping the Soldier would take the hint and follow suit. She felt him shift beside her, searching for a comfortable position. One heavy arm crept across her ribs and Darcy smiled to herself – her soldier boy was such a cuddler.
The arm was torn away from her as the Soldier leapt out of the bed and started jabbering in angry Russian, staring at her in horror. Darcy was taken aback. She thought they had solved this behaviour weeks ago. Slowly, she slid out from underneath the covers and started towards the man she loved, keeping her hands visible and maintaining eye contact – with no idea as to what had spooked him, Darcy was not taking ANY chances.
The Soldier shook his head and backed out of the room. What the fuck? He didn’t look threatened or dangerous, he looked… anguished? Without pausing to think about that for too long, Darcy followed him out into the open plan living room. The Soldier was pacing up and down but glanced up when Darcy entered. Shaking his head once more, he began muttering rapidly under his breath. Darcy watched, baffled, until he started to make her feel seasick. Striding over to him, Darcy placed gentle hands on his forearms, pausing the pacing and forcing him to look at her.
“Buck, what’s wrong? Please tell me,” Darcy said, in what she hoped was a soothing voice.
The Soldier opened his mouth, but dropped his chin to his chest without saying a word. Darcy reached up and cupped his cheek with a hand, hoping to coax his worries out.
The Solder looked her up and down before whispering, “Где мой ребенок? Что они сделали с ней?”
His eyes were boring into her with such intensity, Darcy felt helpless. Suddenly, an idea struck.
“Jarvis, can you please translate that for me?” she said softly, tightening her grip on the Soldier’s arm and stroking a thumb across his unfair cheekbones to comfort him.
“The Soldier seems to be concerned about the whereabouts of his child, Miss Lewis,” the AI replied, equally gently.
Of course.
Darcy wanted to slap herself. He had freaked out when he had placed an arm round her. Now it all made sense.
She tugged on the Soldier’s arm and gestured for him to follow her back into their bedroom. Leading him over to her side of the bed, she placed a finger on her lips and pointed at the inconspicuous wicker basket that stood level with the bed. It had been there for weeks, which was probably why he had missed it.
What was new was the scrunched up little baby that lay, oblivious to the drama, in the basket.
The Soldier’s face was full of wonder as he knelt quietly beside the Moses basket and touched his daughter’s tiny fist with one finger. He tore his gaze away to smile up at Darcy – who was definitely not crying at all. Oh who was she kidding, it was the most precious thing she had ever seen. One of the most feared men on the planet had turned into a giant puddle of goo at the sight of his baby. If only the world could see him now.
The Soldier returned to gazing at the baby, holding his breath when she let out a little snuffle. Darcy reached for her phone and took a photo for posterity’s sake. As she placed it back on the nightstand, she thought of something.
“Her name is Zoe. Zoe Rebecca Barnes,” Darcy told him proudly.
The Soldier smiled down at his perfect baby girl and stroked her cheek gently.
“Зоечка.”