ONLY ONE WHO CARED

Having woken up with a banging headache, the last thing she wanted to do was to have a meeting with the Secretary of State. He was an important man who got what he wanted, so she couldn't exactly turn it down, yet she felt the urge to burrow into her blankets and hope he forgot about her. 

As she knew, having hope was fruitless. Rhodey came by her room half an hour after they told her what was happening, grinning at her. "People just seem to have something against your head." 

She couldn't hold back her laugh, even if it sent another spike of pain shooting throughout her body. He noticed her wince, not saying anything about it. It was clear that she was in agony, with her arm recently being shot, having headbutted a guy and being knocked out by a panel of wood -it seemed stupid to ask if she was okay. So he stayed silent. 

"So Ileana," he stood at the door, watching the nurses transfer Ileana's weak body into a wheelchair. "Where did you learn to shoot like that?" 

She shrugged, unable to form a response. He seemed disappointed, letting it slide. He concluded that she must be really tired, and couldn't muster the effort in replying. Tony hadn't told him that he'd seen her using sign language to communicate with Bucky, something he assumed was how the two of them talked secretly. Like a secret handshake between friends, something that brought them close together. It was also the thing that tore them apart - her voice hadn't been able to scream at him to come back, to help her, to prevent the blood from covering her hands. 

Her body slumped in the wheelchair. The nurses had finished getting her into the wheelchair, and one of them had taken position behind the handles when Rhodey stepped forward. "It's okay, I've got it ladies. No need for you to waste your time doing this." 

The two nurses exchanged a glance, hesitantly nodding and stepping away from the wheelchair. They left the room before Rhodey could change his mind, scurrying down the hallway and attending to other patients. Once they were alone, Rhodey grinned, nodding towards the wheelchair. "Is it okay if I push it?" 

Ileana nodded, shuffling slightly in her seat. She had never felt more uncomfortable - Rhodey was a really nice guy, who didn't seem put off by her lack of words and filled the silence with his own. It was mindless chatter, but she didn't mind. It distracted her. 

He walked to the chair, placing his hands on the handles. "Tell me if I'm going too fast, or if you're in pain. You don't need more discomfort." 

She nearly snorted. Even if any of those things happened, she couldn't exactly tell him. Unless he knew the only language she spoke, or had a pad and pen on him. Still, she shook her head to ease his nerves. 

She was confused at why he thought he would be going too fast. They were steadily strolling down the corridor, her being guided down the florescent halls. This had been the most she'd seen of the compound, and her curiosity controlled her eyes that ogled the pristine walls and tiled floor. Strong whiffs of bleach crept up her nose, and she had to scrunch it to stop the tickling within her nostrils. 

They continued on in silence, the basic tiles slowly transforming into posh laminate. It made the ride much smoother, and she sighed at the ease. The ridges of the tiles of the floor had jolted her arm so much she was on the verge of tears. She was grateful that Rhodey was behind her. 

Glass walls rose around her, and Rhodey confidently rolled them to the elevator. She didn't think anything of it, thinking that Rhodey was taking her to the meeting with the Secretary of State. Her palms grew sweaty at just the thought. Her nerves were on edge, and she curled her hands around the material of her hospital gown. Rhodey caught sight of her white knuckles, leaning over to press the button on the panel. She was overwhelmed with a musky smell that set her senses on fire. It was nice. 

"Don't worry, Ana." Rhodey spoke up, clapping her lightly on her shoulder. "I can call you Ana, right?" 

A smile had consumed her face, stretching from one ear to the other. Happiness bubbled within her, popping any nerves she had about meeting a government official. Someone gave her a nickname, apart from Bucky. To some people, this would be normal. To Ileana, it meant everything. It meant that someone cared enough to give her a label that wasn't dictated by herself. 

She liked the feeling. 

Again, she nodded her head vigorously. Rhodey's grin widened at her enthusiasm - he could see her breath taking smile in the reflection of the elevator. "I know you're nervous Ana, so I thought we'd wind down before going there." 

This peaked her interest. She spun around, frowning at him. He saw the clear confusion on her face, and he refused to reveal any details. "Trust me, it'll be amazing." 

Ileana couldn't help it. She trusted the man that should hate her for killing the agent. Hell, she hated herself for killing that agent. His kindness towards her led her down a path she'd never walked down, not even when Bucky showed up in her life. She felt that this was the beginning of something new. Of something mind blowing. 

The elevator pinged, the doors sliding open with ease. Rhodey wasted no time rolling the wheelchair out of the elevator, humming to himself. It was off-key and out of tune, and yet Ileana found it comforting, allowing her tense muscles to relax along with the awful melody. Her eyebrows pulled closer together when out of the glass windows, she saw the ground and people milling around. She twisted around to raise her eyebrows at Rhodey, but all he did was zip his lips and mimic throwing away the key. 

He remained stubborn until they arrived to a quieter area of the building. The last person they'd seen walking around was five minutes ago, and it was at this point that Ileana was convinced that Rhodey was taking her to a quiet place to kill her. She wanted to share this with the man rolling her. She opened her mouth. She halted. 

She remembered that they didn't speak in the same tongue. 

Solemnly, she closed her mouth. 

Rhodey stopped the wheelchair, parking it in front of two tall doors. They reached the ceiling, curving their arms down to the ground. An intricate design Ileana's eyes couldn't follow was carved into it. The pattern seemed alive. 

He strolled to the doors, effortlessly opening them. Her eyes widened, and she raised her uninjured hand to her mouth. It was beautiful. 

Ileana knew if she could speak, she wouldn't. Words held no justice for the tropical jungle in front of her, different species of plants sprouting out of the ground and extending their stems to the air. Colours she didn't know existed flaunted themselves, showing off to the two of them. Not one area was plain, or dull or infected with technology. It was all natural, the way mother nature intended. 

"I figured you'd like a change of scenery. The walls here are pretty dull." 

*

She would've felt embarrassed walking into the meeting late if Rhodey hadn't been by her side. He shrugged when the Secretary of State demanded where the two of them had been, easily lying. 

"There were some problems getting her out of the hospital." 

Ileana would've been impressed with his ability to lie so easily if her mind still wasn't on the garden. She'd become intoxicated by it's beauty, and she never wanted to be sober again. 

"Now that we're all here, we can discuss some important matters." Ileana gulped. Her mind instantly jumped to the possibility that they were planning on killing her. Or imprisoning her. All for what she'd done. That would explain why Rhodey took her to the garden. To let her be free one more time. 

Oh god. 

She controlled her breathing. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. She focused on the people in room to distract her from her galloping heartbeat. A gorgeous red haired woman sat with her back straight, a hint of mischief in her eyes. Her clothes hugged her body - a body Ileana couldn't help but instantly envy, knowing hers could never be like that - and her arms were folded with a confidence Ileana knew she would never have. Across from the woman, Tony sat fiddling with his glasses, waiting for the Secretary of State to continue. 

"James Buchanan Barnes is a threat, and he needs to be stopped." Selfishly, Ileana released the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. 

Tony snorted, sliding his glasses onto his face. "Yeah, like that's going to happen. Steve won't let us go near the guy." 

The Secretary of State crossed his arms, staring Tony down with the menace every politician was born with. "He doesn't need to agree, Mr Stark. We have our own way of getting Barnes under our control." His eyes darted to the hunched form in the wheelchair. "Her." 

"Don't you think she's been put through enough?" Rhodey interrupted, his voice sharp. She was surprised no one was cut with it. 

"Miss Popescu will do this if she doesn't want to go to prison. She's already killed two of our agents, on purpose or not is debatable."  

Her head snapped up. Her jaw dropped, staring in disbelief at the politician. Two agents... Her eyes darted to the wall behind them - a bird surrounded by a circle. She felt like she was going to be sick. Her attacker on the streets had been with S.H.I.E.L.D. It dawned on her then that even before the alledged bombing Bucky was accused of being a part of, they were hunting him down. Once the enemy, always the enemy. 

She had a few select words she wanted to scream at the man, and if it hadn't been for her non-existent voice then nothing would have stopped her. 

The red head glanced at Ileana from the corner of her eye, taking in her bony body and protruding bones. "No disrespect, but is she really the best person for the job? She'd break one hit in." 

"We have no other choice Natasha," Tony sighed, rubbing his eyes. "She knows Barnes. I saw her get through to him when he was hulking out. If anyone can do this, it's her." 

"There's a difference between bringing Barnes back and tricking him into getting arrested." The woman, who'd Ileana had learned was called Natasha, nonchalantly retorted. "If she messes this up, she might not come back out of it." 

"We do things like this all the time, she'll have us on her side." 

"But what if that's not enough?" 

The Secretary of State rolled his eyes, clenching his jaw. Natasha and Tony carried on bickering, oblivious to the Secretary's waning patience. He threw down his fist on the desk. The thud jolted them out of their argument, both of them staring at the government official in shock. Calmly through gritted teeth, he spoke. "She will be a part of this mission, do you understand? And if she disobeys us, she'll rot in a prison. That's the least she deserves." 

Being spoken about as though she wasn't there was one of her biggest pet peeves, yet she was grateful for it this one time. It meant that they weren't paying attention to her. They wouldn't see the tear trailing down her cheek. 

No matter what, she wouldn't do what they said. She knew that Bucky wasn't responsible for the bombing, and she wanted her friend back. Even if he had left her behind. He was the only one that had ever cared.