CHAPTER 11

"Next left" I ordered and Steve turned the steering wheel obediently. He was a good guy for doing this. I had to thank him later.

"So… Alicia? That's her name?" he asked and I nodded, running my hand through my hair, "Alicia Gomez".

"And… the other two people?" he asked again.

"Andrea and Rafael Gomez" I replied and he glanced sideways at me, "As in?".

"As in my son and daughter" I replied and he looked shocked for a moment before quickly refocusing on the road. Wonder why.

"Another left" I said again… and then the first police car came into view.

The car hadn't even stopped before I jumped out, stumbling slightly, but quickly regaining my balance and running towards the nearest officer.

"Where are they?" I asked frantically and he turned to me, "Name?".

"Their my fucking wife and kids mate, just let me see them" I said, almost shouting.

"Name" he said again and I swore loudly, tossing him my ID and shoving past before he even had a chance to open it. Where were they? I easily caught sight of an ambulance… and Alicia sitting in the back with one of those thermal blankets around her shoulders. I ran over to her, trying to fight back the tears welling up, and she pulled me into a tight hug.

"What happened?" I asked as she buried her head in my shoulder, crying her heart out.

"The… T-the car… I took my eyes f-from the road… just one second… t-then it crashed into t-the roundabout… and… and" she couldn't continue.

"Shhh, its ok, everythings gonna be all right" I hussed, softly rubbing her back, "You said the kids where with you?".

"Andrea and… and Raffy" she replied shakidly.

"What happened to them?" I asked again and she broke down in a fresh wave of tears, "Raffys… Raffys in the other ambulance…".

"And Andrea?".

"They… they t-took her to the nearest… hospital… the one about 11 m-m-miles away" she replied, "T-they don't know if… if… if she'll make it".

That was too much to handle. And the tears overflowed. Squeezing my eyes shut, I buried my face in Alicia's hair, trying my hardest to stop crying. It didn't work. And the tears continued to stream down my face. But what father in their right mind could remain calm when they knew their baby girl could die? Andrea was only four months old. She didn't deserve to die. She was too young. She was NOT going to be taken away from us. Not when we only just got her. And so Alicia and I remained like this, our tears mingling together as we sat in the back of an ambulance, wishing and hoping and praying that our little angle would pull through.

"I'm going to find Raffy" I said quietly, pulling away from Alicia. She sniffled, nodding silently and I slowly stood up. I had officially cried my heart out. I had no more tears to give. I had run dry. It was only then I realised how late it had gotten. We must have sat there for at least three hours. And I thanked god that the doctors and police stayed around. Giving Alicia a gentle kiss on her forehead, I slowly began walking over to the other ambulance, oblivious to my surroundings. I had to know that Raffy was ok. That's all that mattered.

"Mr. Gomez?" A doctor asked and I nodded mutely. He sighed, and looked over his shoulder, "Rafael is fine. A few scratches and a broken arm, but he'll survive. Your wife, Alicia Gomez I presume, has 2 broken ribs, a third one cracked, and a head wound. She has a concussion so keep a close eye. But otherwise she's also ok".

"... And Andrea?" I asked quietly and the doctor sighed again, "it's too early to tell I'm afraid. She's still in a critical condition. We'll ring with an update". I nodded slowly, "Rafael, can I... See him?".

"Of course. He's able to go home now" the doctor said smiling, "he got off pretty easy under the circumstances".

I smiled back at him weakly before continuing to the ambulance. When Raffy saw me, his eyes immediately lit up and a huge grin spread over his face.

"DADDY" he screamed, running towards me. I easily caught him, picking him up, being careful of the sling around his arm.

I grinned at him, "How's my little solider today?".

"Mummy had an accident" he replied frowning, though with his current speaking abilities, it came out like "Vummy hadden a dent".

"I know son, trust me I know, but you and mummy are ok" I said gently, brushing back his blond hair from his face.

"...Andrea was cryin" he mumbled and I nodded, quickly swallowing back more tears. I was expected to be the strong one. And I was not going to break down again in front of my son.

"Andrea's going to be fine. She's a Gomez ain't she. And we're fighters aren't we?" I asked, tickling him, "Aren't we?".

He laughed, trying to push me away, but the fact that I was holding him, made that rather difficult, "ok ok. I gip up".

I smirked, and he returned the favour. He had my smirk as well as my eyes, a mischievous, quirky little grin that made you think we were up to something.

"I was scared Daddy" he said, wrapping his hands around my neck protectively.

I sighed, pulling him closer, "I was scared too Raf, I was scared too".

"Did he just call him Daddy?" I heard someone ask and I looked up to find Steve and Tony slowly walking my way.

Steve nodded, "that's his son. He's got a daughter as well".

"Why don't you go over to mommy" I whispered to Raffy putting him down. He nodded and gave me one last hug before running off. I smiled slightly, watching as he reached Alicia and showed off his new cast before turning back to the two men as they reached me.

"Cute kid. Yours?" Tony asked and I nodded.

"What's his name?" He asked again.

"Rafael Gomez" I replied and he smirked, "got your eyes".

"I know" I replied, smiling slightly.

It was only then Steve noticed, "What about your daughter?".

I looked away, willing myself not to cry again, "Andrea? She's..." I silently cursed as my voice broke, "They don't know if she'll survive or not".

"God, Oh jeez, hey, man, we're sorry" Tony stammered and I forced a weak smile, "It's ok. We have to prepare if worst comes to worst anyway".

"... How old is she?" Steve asked quietly and laughed softly, "5 months next week".

"Wow. She's young. What about Rafael? How olds he?" Tony asked.

"2 years. Birthday was only three or four months ago" I replied, putting my hands in my pockets.

"So you've got a 5 month old, and a 2 year old" Stark said slowly.

"And a 4 year old" I added and they both looked up surprised, "you've got more kids?".

"Three kids. Two daughters. One son. Andrea's the youngest, then Rafael, and then Rosa Maria. She's 4. Spitting image of her brother" I explained.

"Where's she now?" Steve asked and I glanced down at my phone, "she'll be finished play school in an hour".

"So you've got three kids... And a wife" Steve said, almost clarifying it. I nodded, looking over at her. She was smiling at Raffy, who was trying to cheer her up. Even though he was a cheeky little thing, he could be good when he wanted to be.

"Bruce'll want an update" Steve said suddenly, turning to Tony who nodded, taking out a... Phone? A very fancy phone, and walking away with it already at his ear.

"Thanks... For the ride... And for sticking around" I said awkwardly, turning back to Steve.

He just smiled and waved it off, "I had nothing else to do. And It saved your friend from loosing his job".

"And me from crashing in my rush to get over here" I added and he nodded thoughtfully, "true. You must ring that doctor by the way". Alex, yes, of course. He would murder me if I didn't update him. And considering he was a doctor, he knew the chemicals that could do that, without leaving any trace. So murdering me was quiet easy for him really.

"I'll... Most likely see you tomorrow" Steve said slowly, "but for now, I have to give Stark a lift. So... See you I guess".

"Later" I muttered, "and thanks, again, for... Everything". He smiled briefly before turning and walking back to the car, Tony already in the front seat. Then they were gone.