Note: This is set in a Thanos-less universe

- 2020 -

 Bucky Barnes and I had been dating for almost three years now, and I helped him through thick and thin. We met at the hospital I worked in, me being a doctor and him being a patient. I remembered it vividly, other nurses desperately dragging me towards the ICU telling me they had to bring in an Avenger who was in critical condition and missing an arm. I had dealt with a few of the Avengers before, and that was why they were desperate for my help. It was my job to stay calm but a part of me was panicking on the inside knowing that a missing limb of a superhero was going to be incredibly intense to recover.

I burst through the doors to see doctors and nurses surrounding a bed with tables of tools beside the bed. On one of the tables I was shocked to see a metal arm, and a part of me relaxed realising that this was their newest member Bucky Barnes. Steve was watching on through the window in the room, and I put on my apron and gloves, making way and taking charge.

It didn't take too long for Bucky to wake up. I had had to give him a total of twenty-five stitches and a blood transfusion, as well as cushioning the bruises building up all over his body but after a couple of days he finally awoke. I introduced myself and informed him of what we had done and it didn't take long for the Florence Nightingale effect to kick in, as when he was finally discharged he asked me on a date and the rest was history.

We were living together, Bucky finding it awkward to live at the Compound given his history with the Starks. It took him a while to open up about his true past but I was understanding which he was extremely grateful for. He had told me a little about life prior to the Winter Soldier, about what he and Steve would get up to in the 1940s, about the Howling Commandos and he even, rather solemnly, told me of what life was like partaking in the war and it sounded horrific.

One thing he didn't tell me much about however was his family. I knew he had three siblings and that his parents had a bit of money, but not much else. He mainly told me stories of Steve and their friends whenever he spoke about the past. Plus Bucky was 106 now, so the chances of any of his immediate family being alive now were slim to none.

I was working an early morning shift, so at 03:00 I woke to the sound of my alarm. Bucky groaned next to me, hitting my phone on the bedside table with his pillow before slamming it over his head in an effort to muffle the noise. He definitely wasn't a morning person. "Sorry baby," I pulled back the pillow after I'd turned off the alarm and kissed his cheek. He groaned again, still irritated but a little bit more content after my action of endearment.

"Why d'ya have to do these early shifts?" He growled, his voice deep.

"Someone's got to do them," I said and he wrapped his arms around my waist as I was about to stand, preventing me from getting out of bed.

"Why can't someone who's alone or in a loveless marriage do them? They don't have to leave anyone alone in bed then," he growled and I laughed.

"I'll be back at 13:00, time will go by in an instant! You usually sleep in until then anyway," I teased, poking his cheek and he pouted. I took this opportunity to stand, slipping out of his grip and heading to put my scrubs on. Unsurprisingly when I came back from the bathroom Bucky had already fallen asleep again, snoring softly, the duvet askew revealing his torso. It wasn't just him that was irritated by these early shifts, I was too as it meant I didn't get to spend the morning snuggled up against his body.

Eventually pulling my eyes away I headed out to the hospital, yawning as I walked through the automatic doors. My nurse Sophie came to greet me with a folder in her hand. "Morning Doctor," she said eagerly.

"Hey Soph, anything for me?" I asked and she handed me the folder.

"She came an hour ago from a care home, she had collapsed and her blood level is all over the place. She's in ward 52 and has been hooked up to a drip for now but they want you to lead her treatment," she told me, the two of us walking to ward 52. "How's Bucky?" She asked eagerly and I raised my eyebrow at her. She always seemed keen to know how my boyfriend was doing.

"Still in a happy relationship with me," I teased.

"I didn't- I wasn't-!"

"I'm only teasing Soph, relax. So who is this woman?"

"Her name's Rebecca, she's 96 so very delicate. Doesn't have the strength to walk on her own, she uses a wheelchair. She's the oldest resident in the care home," she explained and when I opened the folder I froze on the spot. The patients full name was Rebecca Barnes, and she was born in 1928. I remembered Bucky's youngest sister was called Rebecca, and I was sure she was born around a similar time. "Er, Doctor? You okay?" Sophie asked, realising I had stopped walking.

"Yeah- er, yeah, sorry," I muttered, my mind in a whirl as I stared at the woman's portrait. She was indeed very frail looking but she still wore a sweet smile. When I entered her room she was sound asleep, her heart monitor beating healthily. She was still hooked up to her drip which was slowly going down, but asides from that she looked to be pretty healthy.

There wasn't much I could do whilst she was asleep except check over her vitals carefully so as not to wake her. I couldn't imagine how much of a rough night she had had, so I decided to let her rest until sunrise and instead focused on a few of my other duties. I had tried to convince myself that it was all a coincidence, after all New York was a big city and I didn't doubt there were multiple Rebecca Barnes' roaming the streets. Perhaps not many as old as her, but she also could've moved here from anywhere across the country in her 96 years of life.

I did want to find out however, so when she was awake I was determined to get to know her under the guise of wanting to find out about her family. It had reached 08:00 and I had just finished my break so decided to check on her, and I found her laid awake staring out the window. "Hello Rebecca, I didn't realise you'd be awake," I said and she turned to me curiously. "My name is doctor (y/n) (l/n), I'll be looking after you while you're here with us. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Stiff," she laughed and I smiled. "It's not too painful anymore... but it's not right either," she said and I nodded, taking notes on my clipboard.

"Well I can give you another does of morphine now if you wish," I said, checking my pocket watch. "It'll help easy the pain, although it may make you a little drowsy. It's not something we have to use but it's highly recommended," I explained.

"You're the doctor dear, I'll leave it in your capable hands," she said. I got to work refreshing the drip and applying the morphine, distracting her with conversation.

"It's the first time I've seen you here Rebecca, we've never had the pleasure of looking after you before?" I asked.

"That's because I'm fit as a fiddle," she smiled brightly. "Except for now of course..."

"Don't worry, we'll have you right as rain in no time," I said and she laughed.

"I like you. What did you say your name was dear?"

"Doctor (y/n) (l/n)."

"Doctor... good for you (y/n). When I was growing up there were barely any female doctors. It was a mans job apparently," she scoffed.

"Not any more it isn't," I said proudly.

"My ex-husband was a doctor, and a useless one at that," she said and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.

"I'm sorry to hear you're divorced," I said instead and she wafted her hand.

"Ah don't be, he was a useless husband too," she murmured.

"Did you have children together?" I asked and she nodded.

"About the only useful thing he ever did," she said. "I've got three beautiful children... course they're all grown up now though. My grandkids are even having children now!"

"So you're a great-grandmother?" I asked, fixing the drip up securely.

"I will be in two months. First great-grandchild... I almost can't believe it," she was clearly reminiscing on old family memories.

"Do you have any other family?" I asked, keen to find out if she was who I thought she was.

"Not anymore..." she mumbled. "How about you dear, do you have children?"

"No, although my boyfriend has mentioned the idea on more than one occasion," I laughed, speaking the truth.

"Do it dear, I can tell you'd be a great mother," she said fondly.

"I kind of hoped to get married first," I admitted, unsure whether that option was on Bucky's radar.

"Well he'll be stupid not to ask ya! What's the special mans name?"

"James," I said, hoping to get some form of reaction and I did.

"Hm... I had a brother called James. He died in the war," she said and my heart stopped. It really was her.

"O-oh- I'm sorry," I muttered, feeling guilty at the fact I knew it wasn't true. I tried to keep a calm face on for her sake, not wanting her to suspect that anything was wrong and thankfully I managed to cover it up just fine as she never questioned my ever-so-slightly odd behaviour.

I wasn't sure how to tackle this situation. The last thing I wanted was to send Bucky into an emotional overdrive but I knew I couldn't keep this from him - it was far too important. He needed to know his sister was still alive, and she deserved to know that Bucky was alive too. After all I suspected that at 96 she only had a few more years left if that, and she couldn't spend those not knowing what had happened to her brother.

Throughout the day we had chatted away to the point where I sometimes forgot I was at work. She was such a lovely person, and she often made me laugh. I felt somewhat guilty for keeping the fact that her older brother was my boyfriend a secret, but I knew I couldn't come out and say it as it was a sensitive topic.

When I arrived home I threw my keys on the counter in the hallway, feeling tired and knowing I needed sleep, but also knowing that I needed to tell Bucky as soon as possible. He'd left a note for me to say he'd gone out to the shops, so this gave me a chance to have a ten minute nap and plan out how I was going to deliver the news.

A dip in the sofa next to me made my eyes open and Bucky was sat with his right arm around me, a look of guilt on his face about waking me up. "Sorry, I was trying to be careful not to wake you," he said said but I laughed softly and snuggled into his side.

"Don't worry about it," I whispered, nuzzling my head against his firm chest. I was quiet as I thought deeply about how to tell him, and I shuffled awkwardly in my seat.

"What's up?" He asked, noticing a shift in my behaviour. I sighed deeply, needing to get it off my chest.

"I've got something to tell you but you have to promise not to freak out," I said and his eyes widened.

"You're pregnant?" He asked eagerly.

"What? No! No I'm not pregnant- this is something that you really will not expect," I said and this time he looked concerned. "I had a patient today arrive from a care home... a 96 year old woman... and..."

"And?"

"And her name is Rebecca Barnes. Bucky your sister is alive," I said softly and his eyes widened, his body frozen on the spot. "I-I was taking care of her today and-,"

He stood up sharply, almost knocking me off the sofa but I understood how much of a shock this must've been for him. "Are you- are you sure?" He whispered.

"Sh was born in 1928... and she told me she had an older brother called James who she thought died in the war," I told him and he collapsed back onto the sofa, his head in his hands.

"I thought she was dead... I thought they were all dead," he muttered and I rubbed his back soothingly.

"Would you like to see her?" I asked gently and he looked up at me quickly.

"Yes- no... I don't know. How will I explain everything?" He asked, his voice cracking.

"I don't think you'll need to. I think she'll just be happy to see her big brother again," I whispered and to my surprise tears formed in his blue eyes. He stood up quickly and headed to the door, me chasing after him and slipping back into my shoes. Usually we'd travel places on his motorbike but he was too shaken up to drive so I drove us to the hospital, parking up and leading him through the main entrance.

His body was trembling and he pretty much ignored Sophie as she eagerly came to greet him, his mind on one track. I gripped his hand tightly as we stood outside the door where he suddenly froze. "I can't- oh god," he put his head in his hands again.

"Bucky you don't have to," I whispered to him, pulling him in for a hug.

"I want to but- but I don't want her to know what happened to me," his voice broke.

"You won't have to tell her everything... and she'll understand, just like I did," I assured him. "She's a lovely person... look, if you're really that worried we don't have to but- but judging by the way she was speaking of her family earlier, family is really important to her." Bucky nodded his head and I took charge, opening the door to find her sat up reading a newspaper. "Hello Rebecca," I greeted her and she looked surprised to see me.

"(y/n), I thought you had gone home," she said, clearly happy to see me.

"Well officially I'm off the clock but... but I needed you to see someone... someone very important," I said and she looked at me confused. I glanced towards the door, inviting Bucky in and he walked in with hunched shoulders, their eyes meeting for the first time in over eighty years.

"J-James?" Rebecca stared in shock and Bucky nodded.

"Hey Becca," he said softly and tears formed in Rebecca's eyes.

"I thought- I thought you were dead!" She began to cry and Bucky rushed to her side out of brotherly instinct.

"I thought the same about you," he admitted, holding her hand tightly.

"B-but I was told- in the war- Steve said-,"

"I survived Becca, I survived," he said softly, him trying to keep his emotions at bay.

"It's been so long," she cried and I felt myself welling up too.

"I know... I'm here now though," Bucky said, tears in his eyes and she smiled, her lip trembling.

"But how?" She whispered as she recomposed herself.

"It's - er - a long story," he muttered. "God I'm so glad to see you."

"James," she whispered, cupping his cheek.

"Yeah, yeah I'm here," he whispered and the two shared a special moment together, tears still flowing from Rebecca's eyes and Bucky's eyes threatening to do the same.

"Thank you (y/n)," she whispered, turning to me and I smiled.

"You're welcome Rebecca," I said, the three of us staying together for the rest of the day. Bucky told her in small parts what had happened to him, and she praised us for being a perfect couple. She thanked me multiple times for bringing James back to her which made me emotional, and she spoke about how she wanted us to get married quickly so she could come to the wedding.

Seeing the two of them reconnect warmed my heart. It was healthy for Bucky to know that he still had blood relatives out there, and after much convincing from Rebecca he was willing to meet her extended family. This was going to be a fresh start for Bucky and I.