Steve opened his mouth, and was about half a second away from saying something to the effect of 'she'll probably be sleeping, hopefully', before he remembered that Marie knew nothing about his mother, or his own life. Now really wasn't the time to explain it to her, either - and if she'd just been another shopkeeper, concluding their business and being friendly, he wouldn't have thought anything of it.
But that wasn't the case, and he found himself... both anticipating and dreading having to explain his life to her. He wondered if other people periodically took stock of their lives, categorizing things so they'd have an easier time of explaining what was happening when they finally met their soulmate. Steve was beginning to realize that his life was even more different than he'd anticipated, because he'd never gone through the anxiety of wondering about his soulmate, what they might talk about and learn from each other - he'd always had that, or near enough that he figured it counted as 'always'.
He finally just nodded and gave another small smile, replying, "Yeah, yes. I hope so, too." He dipped his head, more a shallow bow than another nod, before deciding discretion was the better part of valor and just turning and exiting the shop, determinedly not looking back, even through the shop window, for just one more glance at Marie. His other soulmate.
"Only you, Rogers," he muttered darkly to himself, as he weaved through the foot traffic on the way to the hospital.
His mother was drifting in and out of sleep when he arrived, but didn't seem to be in too much pain. A quick glance at the chart at the foot of her bed told him why; they'd upped her morphine. Again. He'd been a nurse's son his whole life, he knew what that meant. They were making sure she was comfortable. He knew a couple of the nurses on the night shift, actually colleagues of his mom's before she grew ill and wasn't allowed to work in a hospital setting anymore. Maybe he should talk to them about...
Steve resolved to discuss the situation with Bucky. Which led him back to thinking about Marie, as he sat and held his mother's limp, but still warm hand, his fingers stretched out to feel her fluttering pulse. Would she want to be a part of this decision? If she disagreed with him... frankly, even being his soulmate, he just didn't know her - well, at all yet, and certainly not well enough that her opinion in the matter held any weight. Bucky's held weight - but Bucky also knew him well enough to know that if Steve decided something, there were few things that could change his mind.
Glancing at his watch, Steve realized visiting hours would be over pretty soon, as would Marie's shift. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to his mother's forehead, before gently placing her hand on her torso. He gathered his jacket and quietly made his way out of the ward, nodding to the nurse at the desk as he left.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2016-11-15 03:59 am (UTC)But that wasn't the case, and he found himself... both anticipating and dreading having to explain his life to her. He wondered if other people periodically took stock of their lives, categorizing things so they'd have an easier time of explaining what was happening when they finally met their soulmate. Steve was beginning to realize that his life was even more different than he'd anticipated, because he'd never gone through the anxiety of wondering about his soulmate, what they might talk about and learn from each other - he'd always had that, or near enough that he figured it counted as 'always'.
He finally just nodded and gave another small smile, replying, "Yeah, yes. I hope so, too." He dipped his head, more a shallow bow than another nod, before deciding discretion was the better part of valor and just turning and exiting the shop, determinedly not looking back, even through the shop window, for just one more glance at Marie. His other soulmate.
"Only you, Rogers," he muttered darkly to himself, as he weaved through the foot traffic on the way to the hospital.
His mother was drifting in and out of sleep when he arrived, but didn't seem to be in too much pain. A quick glance at the chart at the foot of her bed told him why; they'd upped her morphine. Again. He'd been a nurse's son his whole life, he knew what that meant. They were making sure she was comfortable. He knew a couple of the nurses on the night shift, actually colleagues of his mom's before she grew ill and wasn't allowed to work in a hospital setting anymore. Maybe he should talk to them about...
Steve resolved to discuss the situation with Bucky. Which led him back to thinking about Marie, as he sat and held his mother's limp, but still warm hand, his fingers stretched out to feel her fluttering pulse. Would she want to be a part of this decision? If she disagreed with him... frankly, even being his soulmate, he just didn't know her - well, at all yet, and certainly not well enough that her opinion in the matter held any weight. Bucky's held weight - but Bucky also knew him well enough to know that if Steve decided something, there were few things that could change his mind.
Glancing at his watch, Steve realized visiting hours would be over pretty soon, as would Marie's shift. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to his mother's forehead, before gently placing her hand on her torso. He gathered his jacket and quietly made his way out of the ward, nodding to the nurse at the desk as he left.