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“So where are we going, exactly?”
“The hospital in New Orleans,” Sam told Bucky without looking away from the road.
“Remind me-”
“-because you have amnesia.”
“Yeah, har har. But I’ve actually forgot. Tell me.”
“Exactly.”
“What?” Bucky asked.
“What, what?” Sam shot back.
“Why should I know? What?”
“Bare with me, Buck.”
“Where are we headed?”
“We’re going to the ER in New Orleans.”
“Should you be driving? Sam? I can drive—”
“—we’re going to the ER for you.”
Bucky laughed.
“I haven’t been this healthy since before your parents were born, Sam. So, where are we going?”
Sam turned on the radio.
“New Orleans.”
“Right, yeah.”
It had taken them a while to clue in that Bucky was acting on zero short term memory. They’d gone for their morning bike/run, taken their turns in the shower, eaten breakfast with the family. Bucky had made appropriate conversation, walking and talking and smiling. It was only when Bucky tried to double dose on his meds that Sam had noticed.
“You took them with breakfast,” Sam had said.
“Right.”
Five minutes later, Sam found Bucky measuring out pills again.
“You feeling alright?”
“What? Oh, yeah? Why?”
“You’ve already taken those.”
“Oh.”
He put the pills back.
“You, you got a headache or anything?”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
Bucky had started opening the bottles again. “I’m fine.”
That’s when Sam had decided it was time for a visit to the ER.
“So where are we headed?” Bucky asked.
Sam took a deep breath.
“Have you ever had short term memory issues?”
“What are you talking about, my memory’s always just been fantastic,” Bucky replied dryly.
It was a very long drive to the hospital, then a very long wait to see a neurologist.
“Amnesia?” she echoed, doubtfully looking through the online form the nurse had set up for him.
“No,” Bucky said.
“Yes,” Sam said, “He doesn’t have short term memory.”
“Who?” Bucky put in.
Sam gave the doctor a pointed look.
“Let’s find out. If you want to wait in the waiting room, or we’ve got a chair in the hall.”
“Right.”
Five minutes later the doctor slipped out to join Sam.
“He does have amnesia. Transient global amnesia.”
“What, how, can—”
“—It should clear up within twenty four hours. On its own it’s not a concern, but it may be a sign of an underlying condition, so once he’s back to forming memories if you could give him this referral.”
“Sure.”
“Great.”
“He’s fine to drive, etcetera, all good.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. You’re both good to go!”
“Where are we going?” Bucky frowned.
“Home,” Sam said, pulling out of the parking-lot.
“Funny,” Bucky said.
“What’s funny?”
“About what?” Bucky asked.
“What’s funny about you going home?”
“I can’t exactly pull a Steve. Not that that’s home anymore.”
“You can make a new home.”
“I dunno, long term plans feel like tempting fate. What would I do with a house? I don’t know how to do houses, that’s a people thing.”
“You’re a ‘people’.”
“People are crap. You can count me out of the club.”
“What do you want to be?” Sam asked.
“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a doctor. Ironic. Or a pilot,” Bucky grinned at him. “Hey, where are we going?”
“Sarah’s.”
It was annoying for Sam, but he couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was like for Bucky, living wholly in that flickering uncertainty of the present.
“Right,” Bucky nodded. “Thanks for inviting me up again. It’s real nice. You live in a nice place.”
Sam smiled. “Yeah, yeah. Seems infectious. You get down here, Delacroix, I mean, and you’re almost nice yourself, Buck. Different person, you sad closeted extravert.”
“I wish you’d known me Before.”
“What?”
“What?”
“Why do you wish I’d known you Before?”
“I don’t know, Steve seems to think Before Bucky was a big step up. I can’t see how he could be wrong after all the crap I’ve done. I bet I used to be a lot more fun. Normal.”
“Yeah, normal people are boring,” Sam said. “I don’t know if I’d be friends with Before you. Not that we’re friends. But he’s a stranger. I’m work acquaintances with you.”
“Mm, so where are we going today?”
The next morning Bucky’s brain was back online.
“What did I miss?”
“Just a trip to the hospital,” Sam said.
It was mostly the truth.