It was a dangerous job to be a nurse for the
military, Connie knew that from experience
thanks to her mom, the title was more than
enough to keep some people up all night
trying to forget what they had gone through
each day. What the wavy-haired, petite brunette
did was just live with what she had done instead
of trying to lie to herself. She had never killed anyone.
Until the day that she wasn't fast enough.
The air had been frigid and she had been kept late
because there had been an attack. Many soldiers
were battered and the nurses were over their heads
in people. She had been so tired and her hands were
so shaky. Everything was black and white in her eyes
except for the red that stained her hands. She did
everything to fix what she had done but it was no use;
she wasn't fast enough.
The soldier had died in her arms gasping for breath.
Since that day, Connie has never let herself slip from
her focus. She became one of the best nurses in the
whole base but it still wasn't enough. Her colleagues
would tell her that it wasn't her fault but that wasn't how
she viewed it. She saw the truth: the war didn't kill that
soldier-- she had. He hadn't died honorably; she had
made that impossible for him to do. The war had
changed her and she didn't know if she liked the new
Constance Oswald. The girl who now gave everyone a
smile but couldn't hide how truly skin deep it was.
She had lost so much in the war: her happy outlook on
life, her mother, Bucky Barnes. Well, to be precise, he
wasn't gone but he might as well have been. They had
gotten in a huge fight before he left when she had told
him that she was becoming a nurse. He had told her
that she was stupid for wanting to throw her happiness
away just to see people die.
When word went around that the soldiers were coming
home, Connie didn't falter. She didn't let her mind stray
to Bucky because she knew she would end up disappointed.
The soldiers came home and the nurses were sent to mend
any wounds. The first soldier she saw looked so much like
the soldier that had died. She patched him up and sent him
along to another nurse. She heard them chatting and somehow
they had gotten on the topic of his brother. Apparently the nurse
knew his family. The nurse made eye contact with Connie before
dropping her voice. It was obvious she was telling the soldier that
Connie had been with him last before he died.
She heard someone calling her name a few times before
they grabbed her arm and pulled her over. She tried to fight but
she quickly locked her chocolate gaze with Bucky Barnes. She
could feel a lump in her throat as she stared at him, knowing
that what he had told her before was right. She sniffled a bit
before pulling out the bandages and the sterilizer. She cleaned
his wounds, trying not to make eye contact with him while he
did everything in his power to get in her line of sight. He
whispered the nickname he had given her before he had left
and she pulled away sharply. When she had finished bandaging
him she made a bee line away to the next soldier.
All nurses stayed late that night. When they were all relieved for
the night, Connie quickly hurried out and started walking home.
Sure, it was a bit of a long walk but Connie needed the time to
clear her head. She was also positive that Bucky was waiting for
her somewhere to pop out and ask her what had happened earlier.
For the most part it was a quiet walk home but as she got closer to
her house she began to feel like she was being watched. Pulling
her coat closer around her, she kept her eyes low to the ground.
She was a block from her apartment and she was beginning to
get anxious.
Her brisk walk had turned into a sprint in a matter of seconds,
heels clacking loudly against the pavement as she saw her
apartment coming up. As she ascended the stairs she saw
the door was open. She slowed her pace and reached for
an umbrella before she was pulled violently further into her
place and pushed roughly into the wall.
She stared at her attacker, seeing it was the soldier from
earlier. He reeked of alcohol and he was staring at her with
passionately angry eyes. She felt something press against
her forehead. Memories of her mother being in this very
position flooded her mind. She had hidden in the cupboard
and heard the bang of the gun. Hearing someone walk into
the apartment, she recognized the voice immediately.