It Only Hurts …

"How's the Star Spangled Man with a Plan?" The words were mocking, but the tone was gentle and quiet to not wake up the sleeping patient.

Sam Wilson looked up from his book and froze when he saw the familiar goatee. The vision stood leaning against the doorjamb with his hands tucked under his arms, as if he was cold or simply uncomfortable in a hospital. (Or both — why are hospitals always freezing?)

When Sam didn't answer right away, the vision stuck out his hand.

"Tony Stark," he introduced himself.

"Yeah, I got that," Sam admitted. "Sam Wilson." The black man stood, shook the billionaire's hand and used that grip to draw Tony out of the room into the hallway. "I don't want to wake him up. He just got to sleep," Sam explained. He looked back at the room with a troubled expression. "They pump him full of enough good stuff to keep me out for a week, and it just take the edge off so he can fall asleep. And he only stays asleep for a little while, before the pain wakes him up again."

Tony nodded. "It's a side effect of the super soldier serum. He eats like a horse because his metabolism runs fast. Drugs are just more fuel. Rogers burns through them at top speed. He can't get drunk either," Tony added.

"No shit? That's messed up. How do you know all this?" Sam asked.

"My dad worked on the Super Soldier project. He kept track of any side effects, in order to help Cap. I have dad's notes."

"So he suffers more than he ever shows," Sam said sadly.

"He's a stoic," Tony agreed. "That's something the serum didn't change. He was like that when he was a mouthy little guy who kept getting beat up." Tony looked at Steve's battered face. Even in sleep, Steve's brow was furrowed in pain. "He's got a lot of experience getting beat up," Tony offered in consolation. "He'll be fine."

"He took four bullets — one just a graze and one center mass," Sam said.

Tony flinched and touched his chest where the arc reactor had been embedded, but he said with sarcasm that seemed a bit forced, "Is that all?"

"No," Sam answered flatly. "There was also a knife wound on his arm and, well, you can see that his face got all beat up by a metal fist." Sam frowned in worry. "I thought those would have healed by now," he admitted. "The cuts he got the day before were all healed up by morning."

"Think of it as a good sign," Tony offered. "His body is busy healing the life-threatening wounds. His pretty face will have to wait."

While they watched Steve sleep, Sam filled in Tony about the Winter Soldier, Steve's long lost best friend.

"Bucky Barnes still alive!" Tony said, but then he shrugged. "Guess it's no stranger than a frozen Capsicle."

They stood in silence for a while, then Tony cleared his throat. "Is Red all right?"

Sam was puzzled.

"I saw her getting arrested with you and Rogers," Tony expanded.

"Oh, you mean Natasha. She got banged up, got a bullet through her shoulder, but it didn't slow her down much," Sam said. "She's been in and out, checking on Steve."

Tony breathed a sigh of relief he hoped Sam didn't see. "Good," he said briskly. "I've got a message for her."

"She …"

Sam's stomach growled loudly, before he could say more. He palmed his face in embarrassment.

"I think you'd better feed that lion," Tony joked.

"I don't like to leave him," Sam said, looking at Steve again. "I can't do much for him, but I can distract him from his pain."

His stomach growled again.

"Go eat before you wake him up," Tony said. "I've got this."

Pain pulled Steve into wakefulness again. It was tiresome, he thought.

He knew someone was with him by a soft whisper of movement, the sound of fingertips tapping on a touch screen — nearly silent to anyone who didn't have enhanced hearing. The toe of a shoe was the only thing in Steve's range of vision, but it was a more expensive-looking shoe than Sam wore. The expense clued him in, so, when he tipped his head on the pillow, he wasn't surprised to see Tony Stark diligently working on a tablet.

Tony must have sensed the movement, because he looked at the bed to see blue eyes regarding him sleepily. "Rogers," Tony greeted the injured man.

"Stark," Steve responded. His voice rasped, caught on the "K" and he began to cough. The hoarse dry cough made him hug his wounded abdomen in pain. Tony leaped to his feet in horror. "No, no! Stop it," he said frantically. He spotted a small cup of water on the bedside table and held the bent straw to Steve's lips. "Just a sip," he warned. The water soothed Steve's dry throat and he lay back, panting. Tony stood, clutching the cup with one hand, clutching his chest with the other. Steve remembered this was a man who knew what it felt like to cough with a gaping chest wound.

"You good now?" Tony asked, shaken to see stoic Captain America in such pain.

"Yeah," Steve said.

"Upon consideration, I think you should call me Tony," the billionaire said. "Less coughing, Cap."

Steve waggled a finger in negation. It only took the genius a moment to decipher the charades. "Right, Steve then." Tony hesitated. "You OK?"

"Better than yesterday."

Tony said. "I wanted to say thanks for the heads up, Ca ... Steve."

"They came?"

"They came, but I was ready."

"Good. Heard from anyone else?" Steve asked hopefully.

"Clint's OK. Sent me a message for Romanoff. And Thor called to find out what to do with all the bodies. Seems like his girlfriend's bestie tased one of the phony SHIELD agents and exposed their nefarious plot."

"She realized he was Hydra?" Steve was impressed.

Tony shrugged, "No, apparently she just doesn't like SHIELD agents much."

Steve laughed, even though it hurt.

"Stop that," Tony ordered mildly.

Steve controlled himself. "No word from Bruce?"

"Not yet, but the Big Guy's fingers are too big for most cell phones."

Steve understood Tony was saying that they'd have to wait for Hulk to become Bruce again. Tony's cell phone buzzed as if on cue.

"Oh look!" Tony said with false surprise. "I'm getting a call from an unknown number in Kuala Lumpur. Who do I know in Asia?" Tony hit speaker, held the phone close to Steve's bed and said, "Stark's mortuary. You stab 'em; we slab 'em. Special — today only — on half-dead superheroes."

"Who's half dead?" demanded Bruce's voice, as the scientist was distracted from his own problems.

"Cap," Tony answered. "But that's actually an improvement. He was seven-eighths dead yesterday." He held the phone out to Steve.

"Hey, Bruce," Steve greeted the scientist hoarsely.

"Tell me Tony is exaggerating," Bruce said.

"Not this time," Steve admitted.

"Did someone try to kill you, too?"

"Hydra tried to kill all of us, but they were unsuccessful on all fronts," Tony said with satisfaction. "All Avengers accounted for. SHIELD's a mess, though."

Tony told Bruce concisely what had happened. "So there's no SHIELD left to track you down."

"And no SHIELD protecting me from other interested parties," Bruce said. "Back to square one."

"Square two," Tony chided. "You still have Earth's Mightiest Heroes."

"Good to know," Bruce said sincerely. "But it's a good thing I have experience being a fugitive," he added dryly.

"Offer's still open to come work for me," Tony said. "I've got plans," he said mysteriously.

"I'll think about it," Bruce said, in tones that indicated he'd already decided "no."

Tony sighed aloud, but didn't press his friend.

"Listen, Tony, I need you to send a doctor with typhoid vaccine to a small village in India." Bruce told him the name of the village and the women he was with when he was shot. "I hope they're still alive." Tony could picture the frown on Bruce's face. "The other guy seems to think they are, if I'm remembering right."

Tony promised to handle the vaccinations, then he and Steve said goodbye. "Take care of yourself," Tony said.

"You guys, too," Bruce said and hung up.

"How about you, Steve?" Tony said. "My offer wasn't just for Bruce. Care to join me now that SHIELD is done for?"

"Maybe," Steve said. "Got something I have to do first, though."

"Looking for Barnes?" Tony said quietly.

"He pulled me out of the water. Bucky's still in there somewhere." Steve looked earnestly into Tony's eyes. "Bucky never gave up on me. I can't give up on him."

Tony didn't try to argue. He understood loyalty. He just sighed. "Too bad. I could really use someone to move furniture, reach high shelves and get cats out of trees."

Steve laughed, wincing.

"Stop cringing. You're making a liar out of me. I told Wilson I'd distract you from your pain."

Steve chuckled, clutching himself again.

"And you're doing so well at it," a dry voice said behind Tony.

Tony spun on his heel, pointed at Romanoff and recited: "Skagway, Thunder Bay, Pacoima."

"Clint!" Natasha's face brightened into the first genuinely happy smile the men had ever seen on her. The expression lasted just a flicker, before it resolved into her usual smirk, but that flare of bright happiness told the men just how worried she had been. "Thanks, Stark."

"Welcome, Romanoff."

"'Scuse me, gents. I've got to make a call. Glad to see you looking better, Cap." She left as abruptly as she'd arrived.

"Tell Clint the kid's fitting in just fine. And when have you ever been in Pacoima?" Tony called after her. She just waved goodbye.

"Where's Pacoima?" Steve asked.

"Los Angeles," Tony said. "Have you noticed those two talk in cities? It's like a code. Speaking of which, let me tell you about the Shopping List Game..."

The End

A/N: I've decided that follow up stories will run under the title "Enemies List 2: The Cards They're Dealt." It will feature random stories of the Avengers and friends following the events of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Enemies List." Thanks to all the reviewers who commented, particularly to tarynasaurusrex and storyfan101 whose reviews inspired the new title. EL2 will be a collection of stories more like A Very Good Team (which has not been abandoned). First chapter of EL2 will be about Maria Hill, who is left to pick up the pieces as usual, but now for a new boss. Then the reunion of Clint and Natasha. See you next Saturday.