Chapter 20: Defying The Stars (Part 1)
Sarah shifted against the headboard, balancing the
laptop precariously on her thighs. She tugged the too-short sleeves down over
her wrists, trying in vain to warm the chill that had settled into her bones as
she clicked through the entertainment gossip sites she'd pulled up.
Her reverie shattered as the entertainment segment
ended and transitioned to the local news recap. The sickly-sweet tones of the
perky blonde anchor, Christine Everhart, cut through the silence like knives.
"...still no official statement from the New
York Fire Department regarding the cause of the explosion that critically
injured Bucky Barnes," her voice droned through the tinny speakers.
"But new details continue to emerge about the torturous scenario that left
him fighting for his life."
The image cut away from the immaculately coiffed
anchor to a candid shot from the ‘Superhero Meets Hollywood Romance’
shoot, with Sarah beaming for the camera, flanked on one side by Bucky, his arm
slung casually around her shoulders.
"And in a shocking development that could rival
any soap opera, two of Earth’s mightiest heroes are not only fighting for their
lives, but are also entangled in what now could be a salacious love pentagon…
We’ve received word that fallen starlet Sarah Carter was caught sneaking into
Captain Rogers’ private hospital suite in what can only be described as an
attempt to remain inconspicuous.”
Sarah’s blood turned to ice in her veins as the
anchor prattled on. CCTV and shaky-cam footage filled the screen—unmistakably
her, though decked in a brown baseball cap and black face mask, sneaking down
the hallway into the restricted area.
“Inside sources claim the actress, recently released
from custody on DUI and drug charges, arrived at the hospital late Tuesday
night. And while Miss Carter was not on the approved visitors list,
after checking in with boyfriend Bucky Barnes, a trip down the hall proved to
be far too tempting…”
“DUI,” Sarah scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Oh, yeah.
You’re a real Diane Sawyer, Christine. Good job on your fact-checking.”
“…What’s more is the mystery woman found lurking
around Sergeant Barnes’ suite…”
The footage shifted again, this time to a grainy
video still of an unknown woman.
“The unknown brunette appeared anxious and was
observed leaving a token at Barnes’ bedside before disappearing into the
early-morning rush.”
“Cat,” Sarah thought, slowly piecing together
the mystery behind the little gift she’d found on Bucky’s nightstand.
“…Now if you ask me, this sounds like a recipe for
disaster and could only end in heartbreak. Will Steve Rogers face backlash, yet
again, from his beloved America? And will his cohorts support him during this
time, or will we witness another Civil War break out between the Avengers? Of
course, if that were to happen, sources say it would mean the official
disbandment of the Avengers…”
Sarah slammed the laptop shut with a trembling hand,
the sharp clap echoing through the room. The rumours couldn't be true. The
Avengers disbanded? It didn't seem possible, and yet a knot of dread twisted in
her gut. She knew how ruthless S.H.I.E.L.D. could be when scandal threatened
its reputation.
When Sharon first started, a fellow agent was
suspected of terrorism and subsequently fired… And all it took was a vacation
to the Middle East. Everything was kept under wraps; no one ever found out the
true story. Because that’s how the higher-ups operated. A whiff of
drama, and boom, you’re done.
Her stomach churned. She wasn't just bringing heat
on herself; she was dragging Steve and Bucky down with her. Down into a pit of
drama and controversy. Their careers now in jeopardy because of her.
S.HI.E.L.D. would never stand for such antics and tabloid-worthy shenanigans.
They prized professionalism and discretion above all else.
Sarah’s heart thudded in her chest, though she
wasn't sure if it was from nerves or simply the familiar exertion after a week
on lockdown in the rehab facility. She clutched the pass granting her temporary
access to the VIP wing, the plastic badge crinkling in her grip. The printed
letters halfway blurred in her field of vision—a combination of spent tears and
sheer emotional exhaustion.
Her gaze flicked up as she neared the fork in the
hallway; one branch leading to Steve’s suite, the other to Bucky’s. Her steps
faltered, the prospect of seeing them again hooked up to wires and tubes making
her throat constrict.
Swallowing hard, she forced herself to turn to the
right, her feet carrying her towards Bucky’s suite. A twinge of guilt resurfaced,
but she pushed it aside. She could only handle so much right now.
Easing through the doorway, she froze for a beat,
scanning Bucky’s motionless body amid the tangle of tubes and wires. But then
her eyes landed on his face, and she let out a sharp exhale. Gone were the cuts
and contusions from the blast. His chiselled features had regained their cheeky
handsomeness, and a faint dusting of brown hair was beginning to fuzz over his
scalp once more.
A fragile smile tugged at the corners of Sarah’s
lips as relief washed over her. He was healing… Which meant Steve was too.
Thank God for the Super Soldier Serum.
Sinking into the vinyl recliner beside the bed, she
reached out to gently take his hand. It was warm to the touch rather than the
clammy chill she had dreaded. As her thumb stroked over his knuckles, her eyes
drank in every flicker of life—the steady rise and fall of his chest, the
muscle twitches in his forearm, his eyelids fluttering faintly.
Tears burned in her eyes again, but this time they
were born of hope, not sorrow. She was back, and she wasn't going anywhere
until Bucky opened those eyes and finally looked at her again.
The first few days blurred together in a haze of
exhaustion. Sarah barely left Bucky’s bedside, her body moulded to the stiff
recliner. She dozed intermittently when she could no longer keep her eyes open,
jerking awake at every beep of the monitors.
Nurses drifted in and out, checking vitals and
changing IV bags. Sarah tried to smile at them, but it never quite reached her
eyes. She was existing in yet another sterile space, waiting for the moment
Bucky regained consciousness.
Sometimes muffled voices filtered in from the
hallway, likely visitors for other patients. She strained to listen, her heart
seizing up whenever she caught the familiar lilt of her sister's voice.
Not a day passed without hearing her in the hallway.
Sharon remained steadfast in her vigil, not giving Sarah much of an opportunity
to even think about sneaking in.
On the fifth day, fatigue had firmly set in. Sarah’s
eyes burned from sleepless nights, her back screaming from the awkward position
she contorted herself into night after night. She shifted restlessly, trying in
vain to find a bearable angle that didn't put agonising pressure on her lower
spine. A hopeless endeavour. The vinyl chair may as well have been crafted from
concrete for all the mercy it showed.
As much as she longed to be awake and present when Bucky
finally opened his eyes, she was fading fast. Her eyes slipped shut of their
own accord, her chin dipping towards her chest. Within moments, she succumbed
to the heavy cloak of exhaustion.
The unfamiliar mechanical hiss slowly dragged Bucky
back to consciousness. His eyelids felt glued together, every blink requiring
monumental effort. Gradually, the dark haze clouding his vision began to clear.
His eyes continued roaming groggily until they
landed on a sleeping figure in the recliner beside his bed. Sarah was slumped
there, stuck in an uncomfortable position. Even in his disoriented state, the
sight of her dishevelled hair and slightly parted lips made his chest
constrict, the ghost of a smile crossing his face.
His right arm felt like dead weight, but he managed
to lift it fractionally, fingers splaying as he reached out for her.
As his surroundings gradually came into focus, realisation
set in. This wasn't one of their living rooms or bedroom sanctuaries. His hand
froze, suspended in midair as his gaze tracked the tangle of tubes and wires
snaking away from his body. The shrill blare of a heart monitor punctured the
silence, its staccato beeping echoing the frantic thrumming in his own chest.
He was in a hospital...
On the nightstand beside him was a cactus pot plant
with a gift card saying, “Get well soon –Cat”.
The revelation struck him with the force of a
physical blow, stealing what little air remained in his lungs. His eyes slammed
shut again, panic clawing at his throat. Memories were there, just beyond his
reach, lurking beneath the drug-induced fog clouding his brain.
“W-what am I…?” he rasped.
Primal instinct took over, his muscles tensing
reflexively despite the dull ache in his body. He had to get up. Rational
thought was suffocated by adrenaline and panic.
Just as his trembling limbs began to shift, a pair
of firm yet gentle hands seized his shoulders, anchoring him in place.
"Easy, Bucky... You're going to be okay,"
she murmured. "I'm right here. Just breathe with me, okay? Nice and
slow..."
Pain... there had been searing, blinding pain. An
explosion—no, a detonation powerful enough to blow off his arm. The memory made
him flinch violently, his heart monitor spiking into a frenzy once more.
“The explosion…” he breathed, squeezing his eyes
shut as fragmented scenes flickered through his addled mind like a nightmarish
slideshow.
“Yeah, you guys gave us quite the scare.”
With a massive exertion of effort, his eyes
fluttered open again, seeking Sarah’s gaze with bleary desperation. He needed
to know, no matter how excruciating the truth may be.
“Sam and Sharon… They make it out okay?”
A flicker of sadness passed over Sarah’s features,
there and gone in a heartbeat. But it was enough to make Bucky’s breath hitch
in dread.
"Yeah, no, they’re fine..." She paused,
clearly weighing her words with care. "I was actually talking about Steve.
He’s… down the hall."
“Steve…?”
“There was an incident on the Helicarrier. But don’t
you worry about that right now; he’ll be fine. You just focus on getting
better, alright?”
Bucky
didn't have the strength to push her right now. Bone-deep fatigue was rapidly
setting in, leeching away at his consciousness. As his eyelids drooped, he felt
the whisper of Sarah’s lips against his forehead.
Once word got out that Steve, too, had regained
consciousness, Maria Hill arranged a meeting in a private conference room at
the hospital. Bucky shifted in his wheelchair, the plush robe soft against his
bandaged torso. Beside him, Steve was settled in a matching chair, looking a
little less ill at ease. As if he’d been through this before. Which,
unbeknownst to Bucky, he had.
The heavy glass door swung open, admitting Victoria
Steele, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s pugnacious PR bulldog. She swept into the room, nicely
tailored slacks and silk blouse. A rosy-cheeked young aide scurried in her
wake, arms laden with briefing portfolios, tech gadgets, and what looked like
glossy magazines.
"Gentlemen," Victoria greeted with a tight
smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I trust you're feeling up to
this?"
It wasn't a question. Her tone suggested there was
no choice but to forge ahead. Steve and Bucky exchanged a weary look before
giving terse nods.
"Excellent." She dropped into a chair,
steepling her manicured fingertips. "Let's start by rerouting this
narrative. It’s essential that we get ahead of this media firestorm before the
rumour mill grinds you two into hamburger. And let's be blunt, the optics
aren’t great with what went down."
Steve’s jaw tightened. Even without knowing ‘what
went down’ with Sarah’s drug bust and subsequent arrest, he just knew
she had something to do with this coerced meeting. Bucky, however, remained oblivious.
Victoria slapped a glossy magazine on the conference
table, her gaze flickering between the two soldiers.
“This right here… This shit’s dragging you down…
Dragging S.H.I.E.L.D. down…”
Steve tentatively reached for the magazine, his
heart plummeting upon reading the headline:
“Sarah Carter: Good Girl Gone Bad”
Without giving either of them a chance to read the
featured article, Victoria proceeded with her briefing, flicking an expectant
glance toward her assistant. The fresh-faced girl rushed to connect her laptop
to the projector.
“So here’s how we’ll proceed… You’ll both draft
status updates for Facebook, Instagram, and X. We’ll keep it simple for now;
sticking to the Holy Trinity of social media.”
“Social media? No, I don’t think so,” Bucky rasped,
voice still sandpaper-rough from smoke inhalation. “That shit’s for kids. I
don’t do social media.”
“Well, you do now. With the news of your
girlfriend’s arrest on the heels of a failed mission, we need to control the
narrative before it spirals out of control.”
The aide straightened sharply, chiming in.
"Actually, that's not the story trending right now."
All eyes cut toward the young girl as she tapped
away at her laptop. With a few deft keystrokes, she had the projection screen
flashing the latest viral social media clips and tabloid headlines from the
past 72 hours.
"...Carter vs Carter: The Fight For Cap’s Heart...""...secret celebrity girlfriend caught in the act?"
"Hollywood Royalty to Homewrecker: The Incredible Story Behind The Headlines!"
Steve’s stomach clenched as a grainy video showed
Sarah entering his private suite at 4 am, followed by a shaky video clip of a
teary-eyed Sharon making her way through a throng of journalists.
Victoria let the montage of clips play out for
several excruciating moments before silencing the room with a sweeping gesture.
"As you can see, we have a rapidly
metastasizing PR crisis on our hands… Captain Rogers, you and Miss Carter… The other
Carter, that is, will be moving into your brand new love nest with immediate
effect. If anyone questions the rush, you’re simply too excited to start your
new life together, she’s the only one you trust enough with your after-care,
you don’t see any point in delaying the inevitable… Really, the possibilities
are endless…”
Bucky whipped his head to Steve, who simply stared
straight ahead, feeling numb. He struggled to understand why Steve was
accepting the ramblings of this power-hungry, child-faced PR monster.
“As for you, Sergeant Barnes, you’re trusting the
very stable, competent Sarah Carter with your recovery… You’ll be moving
into the Avengers Compound.”
Seeming to take their silence as acquiescence,
Victoria gestured toward her assistant once more.
"Hayley will get you two set up with secure,
sanitized social media accounts from which we'll begin remoulding the public
perception. A few candid updates, some grateful well-wishes, maybe a photo or
two..." She sketched out the plan with an airy flick of her wrist.
The young aide stepped forward, passing them each an
iPad with fresh X accounts already loaded. Steve stared at the blank posting
field, cursor blinking expectantly. He felt Bucky’s sidelong glance but
couldn't bring himself to meet it. After several beats of silence, he finally
exhaled a shuddering breath and began to type.
“We are deeply humbled by the love and tremendous show of support. Your kindness means more than you know. Looking forward to getting back out there.”
Following his best friend’s lead, Bucky begrudgingly
typed out an update of his own.
“It’ll take more than a missile to get rid of me. What is this, amateur hour?Thanks for the well wishes.”
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