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Description
Alex woke to the rhythmic sound of a heart monitor’s beeping and, looking to her left she could she Doctor Banner working away on something - his back was to her so he didn’t know she was awake yet. Her eyes went to the arm that had been cut - there was now a bandage covering it and though she couldn’t be sure, she could see a small amount of blood that suggested it hadn’t healed in the way she and Bucky had hoped.

It was her sigh at this thought that drew Banner’s attention to her. “Morning Alex. How are you feeling?”

“Fine and dandy,” She chuckled weakly.

The doctor smiled, “I glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humour.”

“Where’s Bucky?” Alex asked, her voice a little hoarse.

“I sent him away about half an hour ago. He needed to get some rest - he never left your side since he bought you in here.”

“How long was I out?”

Banner pulled up a chair beside her bed, “Two and a half days. You gave everyone quite the scare.” He picked up her chart, looking at the information inside. “I’m going to need to do a few more tests on you now that you’re awake so that I can try to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with you.”

He looked at the screen next to her bed, “Your temperature’s still running a little high and so is your blood pressure - but neither is as high as it was, so that’s a good sign.” He got up, moving across the lab to retrieve a needle, “I’m going to take some blood to test, are you okay with that?”

Alex nodded, shifting to sit up a little more so Banner had better access to her arm. She was still a little light-headed at first, but it soon passed. “Am I going to have to stay in here?”

“Once I’ve taken the blood, if you feel okay, I see no reason that you can’t leave. Just don’t over-exert yourself.”

She waited patiently as Banner readied his equipment. He wiped the skin on the crook of her elbow, finding a vein before he carefully punctured the skin. Alex watched carefully as her blood was drawn, the dark maroon colour filling the glass tube. Well, at least it’s not green or something, she thought, that’s got to be a good sign. Pulling his needle back, Banner was quick to press a cotton ball to it, taping it against the puncture wound to stop the bleeding.

Alex went to stand, but Banner was quick to keep her sat down. “Don’t get up just yet, drink this orange juice, the sugar will help with the dizziness. I don’t want you getting up just to pass out again.” He looked at her like a parent would a child, “I’m pretty sure if your boyfriend was to find out…well, I might be a doctor, but not even I would be able to fix the damage he’d do to me.”

She chuckled before gulping down the juice he’d given her - her thirst only proved how long she’d been without a drink. After a few minutes she felt much better and Banner seemed satisfied enough to let her go on her way.

Walking through the corridors, Alex was comforted by the familiarity of it all. She hadn’t been away that long, but the confines of Hydra’s base left a lot to be desired and the constant threat of what they would do to her meant weeks of not being able to relax. It had to be pretty early in the morning as Alex could barely hear the sound of movement through the building that was usually a hub of activity.

She thought about just walking around for a while, but right now there was only one place she wanted to be - the place she spent weeks wanted to be in.

Cracking open the door as quietly as possible, Alex poked her head around it, peering inside. Just as she’d hoped, Bucky was fast asleep under the covers, the gentle sound of his breathing just barely audible to her. She kept quiet, closing the door softly behind her and creeping through the room until she reached the bed.

Lifting the covers a little, Alex slipped in beside Bucky, being carefully not to alert him. With Bucky’s training, if she startled him he might have actually killed her. So she lay down beside him, pulling the covers over her. For a moment she just lay there taking in his features - features which she had been afraid of never seeing again, his slightly parted full pink lips, dark eyelashes fanned against his cheek - she loved it all.

A piece of dark hair had fallen on his face and gently lifting her hand, Alex pushed it back into place. At the touch of her hand Bucky began to stir, and slowly her eyes were met by sleepy azure ones and for a moment it seemed as though he was just going to go back to sleep, until he realised that he wasn’t dreaming her presence.

“Alex?” His husky voice was almost a whisper, like he was worried that it was a dream after all.

“Shh…” She soothed him, “Go back to sleep.”

He looked a little confused, “Should you be here?”

“Here’s the only place I want to be,” Alex moved closer, tucking her head in the crook of Bucky’s neck. After a moment he relaxed, wrapping her tightly in his arms as though he was never going to let her go again for fear of losing her.

It was the best night’s sleep Bucky had ever had and as he looked down at Alex’s sleeping form on his chest it wasn’t hard to know why. A smile crept across his face as he pushed some hair from her face.

But the smile soon disappeared when Bucky realised how cold Alex was. Her skin felt like ice beneath his hand. “Alex?” He tried to rouse her from her sleep. “Alex?”

She didn’t respond, so Bucky tried shaking her a little. “Alex?” Still nothing - she didn’t stir, she didn’t move at all. “Alex?!”

He leant down to listen for a heartbeat, and though it was faint, Bucky breathed a sigh of relief. Alex’s breathing was shallow and laboured - something was seriously wrong. Bucky jumped out of bed, scooping Alex up in his arms.

He practically ran down the corridor to Banner, who was meeting with Steve and Fury in the lab and, bursting through the door Bucky nearly scared them to death. “Please, you’ve got to help me! It’s Alex, I woke up this morning and she was ice cold. I can’t get her to wake up!”

“Put her on the bed,” Banner sprang into action, shouting orders at Steve and Fury to help him collect up the equipment that he needed. Once they had it was down to Banner. “I’m going to need you all to leave.”

“No!” Bucky yelled, “I’m not leaving her!”

As Bucky went for Banner, Steve held him back, “Buck, we need to leave Doctor Banner to do this. He’s going to help Alex, but he needs us to get out of his way.” Always the calm and measured tone, Steve managed to calm his friend, moving him into the corridor so the doctor could get to work.

Steve and Bucky stood outside the lab for a long time before Banner came back out. The doctor removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his eyes before putting them back on again. “She’s stable.”

Bucky let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. But the way Banner stood before them suggested that there was something more to all this. “What aren’t you telling us?”

Banner let out a deep sigh. “You should both sit down,” he said, gesturing to the chairs next to him. They did so and the doctor moved to stand before them. “I did some tests earlier on the blood I took from Alex.”
“And?” Steve urged him on.

“And, it seems that the serum Hydra gave her - though effective for a short time - has started to deteriorate Alex’s cells.”

Bucky’s eyes began to sting with the threat of tears, “What does that mean for her?”

“It means,” Banner began, speaking slowly, so as not to bombard the other men, “That if we don’t find a way to get the serum out of Alex’s system, it could kill her.”

“How long?” Bucky choked out.

“Buck, I don’t think you should--” Steve tried to interject.

“How long?” Bucky asked more firmly this time.

“Not long.”

Description
Alex woke to the rhythmic sound of a heart monitor’s beeping and, looking to her left she could she Doctor Banner working away on something - his back was to her so he didn’t know she was awake yet. Her eyes went to the arm that had been cut - there was now a bandage covering it and though she couldn’t be sure, she could see a small amount of blood that suggested it hadn’t healed in the way she and Bucky had hoped.

It was her sigh at this thought that drew Banner’s attention to her. “Morning Alex. How are you feeling?”

“Fine and dandy,” She chuckled weakly.

The doctor smiled, “I glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humour.”

“Where’s Bucky?” Alex asked, her voice a little hoarse.

“I sent him away about half an hour ago. He needed to get some rest - he never left your side since he bought you in here.”

“How long was I out?”

Banner pulled up a chair beside her bed, “Two and a half days. You gave everyone quite the scare.” He picked up her chart, looking at the information inside. “I’m going to need to do a few more tests on you now that you’re awake so that I can try to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with you.”

He looked at the screen next to her bed, “Your temperature’s still running a little high and so is your blood pressure - but neither is as high as it was, so that’s a good sign.” He got up, moving across the lab to retrieve a needle, “I’m going to take some blood to test, are you okay with that?”

Alex nodded, shifting to sit up a little more so Banner had better access to her arm. She was still a little light-headed at first, but it soon passed. “Am I going to have to stay in here?”

“Once I’ve taken the blood, if you feel okay, I see no reason that you can’t leave. Just don’t over-exert yourself.”

She waited patiently as Banner readied his equipment. He wiped the skin on the crook of her elbow, finding a vein before he carefully punctured the skin. Alex watched carefully as her blood was drawn, the dark maroon colour filling the glass tube. Well, at least it’s not green or something, she thought, that’s got to be a good sign. Pulling his needle back, Banner was quick to press a cotton ball to it, taping it against the puncture wound to stop the bleeding.

Alex went to stand, but Banner was quick to keep her sat down. “Don’t get up just yet, drink this orange juice, the sugar will help with the dizziness. I don’t want you getting up just to pass out again.” He looked at her like a parent would a child, “I’m pretty sure if your boyfriend was to find out…well, I might be a doctor, but not even I would be able to fix the damage he’d do to me.”

She chuckled before gulping down the juice he’d given her - her thirst only proved how long she’d been without a drink. After a few minutes she felt much better and Banner seemed satisfied enough to let her go on her way.

Walking through the corridors, Alex was comforted by the familiarity of it all. She hadn’t been away that long, but the confines of Hydra’s base left a lot to be desired and the constant threat of what they would do to her meant weeks of not being able to relax. It had to be pretty early in the morning as Alex could barely hear the sound of movement through the building that was usually a hub of activity.

She thought about just walking around for a while, but right now there was only one place she wanted to be - the place she spent weeks wanted to be in.

Cracking open the door as quietly as possible, Alex poked her head around it, peering inside. Just as she’d hoped, Bucky was fast asleep under the covers, the gentle sound of his breathing just barely audible to her. She kept quiet, closing the door softly behind her and creeping through the room until she reached the bed.

Lifting the covers a little, Alex slipped in beside Bucky, being carefully not to alert him. With Bucky’s training, if she startled him he might have actually killed her. So she lay down beside him, pulling the covers over her. For a moment she just lay there taking in his features - features which she had been afraid of never seeing again, his slightly parted full pink lips, dark eyelashes fanned against his cheek - she loved it all.

A piece of dark hair had fallen on his face and gently lifting her hand, Alex pushed it back into place. At the touch of her hand Bucky began to stir, and slowly her eyes were met by sleepy azure ones and for a moment it seemed as though he was just going to go back to sleep, until he realised that he wasn’t dreaming her presence.

“Alex?” His husky voice was almost a whisper, like he was worried that it was a dream after all.

“Shh…” She soothed him, “Go back to sleep.”

He looked a little confused, “Should you be here?”

“Here’s the only place I want to be,” Alex moved closer, tucking her head in the crook of Bucky’s neck. After a moment he relaxed, wrapping her tightly in his arms as though he was never going to let her go again for fear of losing her.

It was the best night’s sleep Bucky had ever had and as he looked down at Alex’s sleeping form on his chest it wasn’t hard to know why. A smile crept across his face as he pushed some hair from her face.

But the smile soon disappeared when Bucky realised how cold Alex was. Her skin felt like ice beneath his hand. “Alex?” He tried to rouse her from her sleep. “Alex?”

She didn’t respond, so Bucky tried shaking her a little. “Alex?” Still nothing - she didn’t stir, she didn’t move at all. “Alex?!”

He leant down to listen for a heartbeat, and though it was faint, Bucky breathed a sigh of relief. Alex’s breathing was shallow and laboured - something was seriously wrong. Bucky jumped out of bed, scooping Alex up in his arms.

He practically ran down the corridor to Banner, who was meeting with Steve and Fury in the lab and, bursting through the door Bucky nearly scared them to death. “Please, you’ve got to help me! It’s Alex, I woke up this morning and she was ice cold. I can’t get her to wake up!”

“Put her on the bed,” Banner sprang into action, shouting orders at Steve and Fury to help him collect up the equipment that he needed. Once they had it was down to Banner. “I’m going to need you all to leave.”

“No!” Bucky yelled, “I’m not leaving her!”

As Bucky went for Banner, Steve held him back, “Buck, we need to leave Doctor Banner to do this. He’s going to help Alex, but he needs us to get out of his way.” Always the calm and measured tone, Steve managed to calm his friend, moving him into the corridor so the doctor could get to work.

Steve and Bucky stood outside the lab for a long time before Banner came back out. The doctor removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his eyes before putting them back on again. “She’s stable.”

Bucky let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. But the way Banner stood before them suggested that there was something more to all this. “What aren’t you telling us?”

Banner let out a deep sigh. “You should both sit down,” he said, gesturing to the chairs next to him. They did so and the doctor moved to stand before them. “I did some tests earlier on the blood I took from Alex.”
“And?” Steve urged him on.

“And, it seems that the serum Hydra gave her - though effective for a short time - has started to deteriorate Alex’s cells.”

Bucky’s eyes began to sting with the threat of tears, “What does that mean for her?”

“It means,” Banner began, speaking slowly, so as not to bombard the other men, “That if we don’t find a way to get the serum out of Alex’s system, it could kill her.”

“How long?” Bucky choked out.

“Buck, I don’t think you should--” Steve tried to interject.

“How long?” Bucky asked more firmly this time.

“Not long.”