Alive

Chapter 17 - She's alive

Steve POV

"Good to see you again Mr Rogers, she will be happy to be having so many visitors this week."

"Has someone else visited her?" I ask Tara, the nurse.

"Angie saw her once, but she had a visit from another woman I've never seen before, it got her pretty worked up."

"Oh, thank you." I forget about it for the moment so I can see Peggy with a clear head.

"Steve? You're back." She looks at me smiling.

"You remember me?" I ask while sitting next to her.

"How could I forget a face as pretty as yours?" I chuckle.

"Did someone visit you, Peg?" I want to know who has been seeing her, to make sure she is safe, especially if Tara didn't recognise her.

"Angie, she sees me a lot."

"No I mean someone new." It's hard for her to remember, so I am really proud she is doing this well.

"I don't know." She begins to panic.

"Shh, don't worry, it's okay you're okay, you're safe." I try to calm her down and luckily it works.

For a while she just lays there as I stroke her hair, we don't have to talk, just being together makes me instantly relax.

"Wait, why did she come back? After all these years, she came back. I want to see her." She jolts up from her bed to ask me that question.

"Who?"

"Aria, when will I see her again?" She hasn't mentioned Aria before, I was afraid she has forgotten her forever, but now I'm kind of wishing she had, it would spare her from what I have to remind her of.

"Peggy, Aria died a long time ago." She begins to shake her head.

"No! No, she is not, I saw her! She's alive, she is alive!"

"Peggy it's okay, you're saf-"

"She's alive! She's alive! She's alive!" She cries out, I don't know what to do, she's getting too riled up.

"Tara, I need some help!" I shout for the nurse, who runs in and injects Peggy with something that calms her down.

"She's alive, I saw her." She whispers before she passes out.

"Is she alright?" I hold Peggy's hand as I ask Tara.

"Rest will help, I think it's time for you to leave."

"Oh, al-alright, thank you." I leave with a lot of questions running through my head.

Aria is dead.

We saw her die, it tore Bucky apart, I had to hold him back from running into the fire and killing himself to save her.

It was after we rescued Bucky from Hydra, and he was unknowingly a super soldier, when we got back everyone was happy and celebrating, but Hydra retaliated by bombing our hospital, which Aria was in because she got shot in the leg during the mission.

A part of me knows that Bucky didn't try very hard to grab my hand when he was on the train, he wanted to be with her, he thinks I don't know but I do, before the railing he was holding onto broke off, he let go.

Be wanted to die.

For his wife, for Aria Lucille Delaney, I would call her Lucy and she would call me Grant.

I loved her like a sister, Peggy and her were best friends, Bucky loved her with everything in him and I knew she shared those feelings.

After I leave, I turn around and walk back in to ask Tara something, just to be sure.