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Chapter 3

-James-

As I left the hospital, I thought back to what just happened.

"I don't know what you want me to do, Sebastian. I went on your stupid mission and gained nothing from it. Now, you want me to go on another one on the other side of the world with your little minions? I'm not hearing an upside for me here." I said quietly, frustration evident in my voice.

The train pulled into the station, and as the doors opened, a stream of passengers began to board. Men and women in suits and skirts hurriedly entered the cars, briefcases and handbags clutched in their arms. I watched them find their seats and settle in for their daily journeys—the same people taking the same route, day after day. They had a rhythm to their lives. I envied that.

I heard Sebastian's dismissive tone as he spoke into the phone on the other end of the line. I tried to focus, but I couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed by him. Instead, I took in my surroundings and observed the hustle and bustle of people boarding the train.

Just as the train doors were about to close, a woman leaped aboard. She fluidly entered the crowded train and looked around, probably trying to find somewhere else to stand where she might not be in anyone's way. I looked at her, and a deep familiarity welled within me. Where have I seen this woman before? Who did she remind me of?

"Bucky? Are you still there? Did you hear me at all?" Sebastian's voice crackled through my phone's speaker, distracting me from my thoughts. I realized that I had completely forgotten our conversation.

"Yeah. Yeah. I hear you. I'll be there in 20." I said, irritated. I hung up the phone before he got a chance to reply.

By this time, I saw a man with black curly hair trying to talk to my mystery woman.

He placed his hands on her shoulders like he was scolding a child and said, "Who's going to help you? These people? They don't give a fuck!" growled the man.

I stood up to see what was going on and saw the man try to grab her.

"I'm pretty sure I heard the young lady say no," I said calmly as I tried to get the man away from her.

"Mind your fucking business!" he snarled at me and lunged towards her, his hands grasping roughly at the handle of her bag. She wriggled out of his grip, but he had a firm hold of her sleeve. He yanked viciously, and she stumbled backward with a pained yelp.

I lunged forward, arms stretched wide to stop her fall, but the momentum of the man's deterrent pulled her away too quickly. A split second later, she collided with the hard corner of a nearby seat and crumpled into a heap on the ground. Her head slumped to one side, and her eyes fluttered closed.

I instinctively jumped and landed a punch square on the man's jaw. He tried to fight back, but the blow I landed perplexed him, and he tried to find where I was. I took this opportunity to get behind him, entwined my arms with his, and put him in a chokehold. He tried to free himself, but I knew any attempts would be pointless. I slowly took him down, and I felt his body go limp. I finally let go, and he slumped to the floor like a bag of potatoes.

The train slowly shuddered to a stop, and I saw that the woman had been revived, surrounded by a small group of strangers. A sense of relief swept through me as she sat up, her eyes wide with confusion.

"What the hell are you thinking?!?" I thought to myself angrily. "All you had to do was mind your business and keep your nose clean. Sebastian will ask for your head when he hears about this."

My mind spun in an endless, frenzied loop. Fear of the consequences of my actions raced through me like wildfire, but everything else melted away when I looked at her. A feeling of serenity welled up inside me, utterly foreign to me yet powerfully comforting.

With her face before me, all my worries evaporated at that moment, and I found a peace I had never known before.

I hesitated as I watched these two older women hover over her, trying to offer her comfort and care. Part of me wanted to walk away, leaving them to attend to her, but I found myself wanting nothing more than to take her into my arms and care for her myself, so against my better judgment, I walked towards them to see how she was.

"Are you OK?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. Her eyes flicked up to meet my gaze, and for a moment, all I could do was stare at her green eyes. My skin tingled as electricity flowed through me, and I struggled to control my emotions.

"Mmm shhhry..." she tried to say. I tilted my head and stopped myself from chuckling.

She started coughing uncontrollably, and one of the women hurried over to her with a bottle of water.

"Are you OK now? You hit your head pretty hard back there." I said, pointing at the seat where she had hit her head.

"I-I think I'm OK," she muttered as she stumbled to her feet, but her legs buckled beneath her. I grabbed her before she could collapse, just in time, stopping her inevitable fall.

The instant her skin met mine, a tide of memories cascaded into my mind like a broken dam spilling out of its crevices. I struggled to keep from drowning in this flood of emotions. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?" I screamed in my head as I tried desperately to cling to the last remnants of control.

I swallowed hard and put on a neutral expression, though my heart was racing inside. "Doesn't seem OK to me," I said calmly. "You need to go to the hospital." I wanted every second I could get with her.

I stepped forward and picked her up. "She barely weighs anything." I thought to myself.

I tried to map out the nearest hospital to where we are, and it's just a couple of blocks away, so I decided to hike it.

I got up with her in my arms, and we started our journey.

The streets became more crowded when we left the subway station to go to the hospital. The sound of honking horns and the chatter of pedestrians filled the air as we weaved through the crowds of people trying to get to work and tourists lining up to enter the museums.

"The hospital is just a couple of blocks away. It's not a big deal." I kept repeating in my mind like a mantra. I was going to start some small talk, but I hesitated. "What am I even going to say?" I thought. "Maybe I'm overthinking this too much."

“Yo… c… up.…” I heard her utter under breath. I couldn't hear what she said, so I waited for her to repeat herself.

"I said you can put me down." Her voice was a little louder this time.

I stopped briefly and looked at her, trying extremely hard to compose myself.

"I don't think so." hoping that I didn't sound too cold.

I continued walking towards the hospital, my heart racing and my mind filled with uncertainty.

"So we're just going to walk to the hospital?" she said mockingly. I remained silent, trying to concentrate.

"Not a big talker, I see. I guess I can holler for help and see how that goes." she threatened.

I took a deep breath and responded, "Look, I don't care what you say, but I'm taking you to the hospital. You may have a concussion. You went down pretty hard." I uttered. "Besides, I interfered with your...situation in the subway, so you might as well see it all the way through." I tried to sound as indifferent as possible.

"Damn it! Why does she have to be so petulant?" I thought. I found myself a bit annoyed but entertained by this. "We're almost there anyway."

I quickened my pace when I started to notice people looking at us. "Maybe carrying her was a terrible idea." I tried to glance at her to see how she was holding up, but every time I did, I stopped myself, not wanting to intrude on her personal space or make her feel more uncomfortable than she already seemed.

I felt her head resting on my shoulder, and my heart skipped a bit, and my breath hitched. I wasn't familiar with this feeling, and I don't think anyone has been this close to me for a long time, so I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Th…" I looked down, not sure if she was the one who spoke.

"Did you say something?" I questioned. I saw her eyes glossed over from the impending tears that threatened to fall.

"I said thank you for helping me," she repeated.

Unexpectedly, she looked away and hid her face on my chest. I then felt her start to sob on my shirt. I was taken aback and didn't know what to do. I gently stroked her hair, but it was soft enough that I don't think she noticed. As her sobs died down, she finally looked up at me, and all I could say was,

"You're welcome." in my usual cold demeanor. I caught a glimpse of her face, and she seemed disappointed but also embarrassed.

When we got to the hospital, I felt her muscles tensing as we entered the Emergency Room. She probably thought I would put her down, but I walked her through the lobby and finally set her down when we got to the front desk. I stepped back when the receptionist started talking to her.

I was paying attention to what they were talking about when I heard her mention her bag that I forgot I was holding. I handed her her purse, and she looked at me with those gorgeous eyes, and I just melted. She reached out, and her sleeves rose enough that I could see her wrists. I noticed the scars, and she looked at what I was looking at. She snatched the bag from me and adjusted her sleeves when she realized I was looking at her wrist.

"Shit!" I thought. I stepped back and was about to leave when I noticed her looking at her hand and mumbling something under her breath. I tried to look at what she was looking at, and all I saw was red. "Is she bleeding?" I thought. I tried to look at her, but she was facing the receptionist. I looked down at my shirt and noticed some blood on it. I tried to calm myself. "Why am I so worried? I don't even know her." I debated whether I wanted to stay there and be with her or leave.

Before I'm able to decide, I hear the receptionist say, "You and your boyfriend can take a seat over there." and pointed at the chairs. That made me smile a bit.

I decided to leave because I was already in hot water with Sebastian and didn't want to make that any worse.

"I have to go. Are you good?" I asked her. I was trying to sound as distant as I could be. I didn't want to get too attached.

She looked up at me with disappointment.

"Why does she look like that? Did she want me to stay?" I looked at her, puzzled and hopeful that she'd ask me to stay.

"Thanks again," she muttered.

"Ask me to stay." I silently pleaded. But I knew it was too late. She lowered her head, and I started to turn around and leave.

"Wait!" I turned around. She hesitated momentarily, eyes searching mine for something I couldn't quite decipher.

"I didn't catch your name," she said.

"James. James Barnes." I respond. Disappointed, I turned around and left.

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