Tony POV

I went down to the cafeteria in the hospital, I had to be alone. I couldn't bear to see everyone so sad.

I made myself a coffee and took a seat at one of the table's. It was about 4:30am. Just three more hours to spend with my daughter.

I never knew it could hurt so bad to lose a child. It was worse than when my parents died in a car accident. That was particularly hard because I had no one else at the time.

A young woman came into the cafeteria and sat at the table with me.

"You look like you could really use a hug. What's wrong?" she asked.

I looked up. "My daughter is in a coma."

She gasped. "That's terrible. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. We've all been informed that she's not gonna make it. And she's like seven months pregnant." I said.

The woman looked very sympathetic. "Will they be able to save the baby? Seven months is still pretty early."

"Their gonna try. I only wish they would try and save them both. But that would take a miracle." I said.

"Let's hope." she said. "I...lost a son some years ago. I know exactly what you're going through. He was out playing with some friends. He slipped and fell into the lake in our backyard. But the only thing was that he couldn't swim."

"That's terrible." I said. "How old was he?"

"Four."

"Must have been hard for you."

"It was, he was so little. He never got to go to school, go to college, get a job, find love, get married, or possibly start a family. His life ended just too early." she started to choke up. "We had lots in store for him, summer camp, College degrees, all that went down the drain."

Her phone rang. "I have to go. I'm very sorry about your daughter." she stood up and left.

I couldn't stop thinking about what she said. She had lost her son when he was only four years old. He was too young to even start school. But Toni was in her early twenties. She had done everything she had wanted to do. She was married, had kids, had a good life. Though she was still young, as I heard, Fury had plans for her to follow in her parent's footsteps and pick up where they left off.

And now she she never will.

I stayed and reflected back to when I first met Toni. She was only two years old and drop-dead adorable. I remember how she grabbed onto my leg when she heard I was going to be her daddy.

And I made her wait fifteen years before I took her home. And it wasn't because I forgot about her, I was afraid. I was afraid that I would not be a good dad. I was afraid that she wouldn't like me. I was afraid that wouldn't be able to give her the attention she needed. I figured she would hate me because I would be gone so much because of my work. But that night, I pushed those fears aside and went for it.

It had to be the best thing I ever done.

I remembered seeing her for the first time in fifteen years. It was like four in the morning but she didn't seem to care.

I remembered when I first brought her home. How we spent our first night, actually morning, on the couch together with her sleeping in my arms.

I remember how she bonded with everyone else. She was afraid at first, which I kind of expected, especially since that was the day the Punisher attacked Stark tower. She was scared to death.

But that attack only peaked her curiosity. She wanted to know everything. But, Pepper figured if Toni knew what we did on a daily basis, she would be afraid.

So we tried to make life as normal as possible for her.

Then I remembered the jealousy and rejection I felt when she started dating Steve. But it turned out to be the best thing since she found out she was pregnant a few months later.

The twins had to be the best thing that ever happened to us. They drew us closer together. Now, Fury doesn't have to tell us to take it easy or to lay low. We have the twins waiting for us at home.

So many memories were created with Toni, and now, we were gonna lose her.

I was going to miss her smile, the way she used to give me a hug when I came home, the way she and Clint teased each other, her laugh, her messing with my suits, everything.

But most of all, I'm going to miss what a great mom she is. The twins have the best mom in the world. Even though she's just a kid herself, she still cared for them in the best possible way.

It's heartbreaking to know that their little brother will never know her.

I felt wetness on my face.

I checked my watch, it was 5:45am.

Just another hour and thirty minutes.

I sighed. I didn't want to go back upstairs, I didn't want to watch my daughter die.

It didn't seem right.

It didn't seem fair.

I was supposed to go first, not her. Every time I go on a mission, I'm putting my life on the line. I'm constantly in danger. If it wasn't for my suits, I would probably be in her situation. Why couldn't it have been me instead of her?

I decided it was selfish to stay downstairs, she needed me by her side, so I stood up and made my way to the elevator.

I walked on an pressed the button for the floor Toni was on. It was silent despite the three other people in the elevator. They seemed to sense that I wasn't in a talking mood.

When my stop arrived, I stepped off and made my way to Toni's room. The floor was mainly empty even though I didn't get her a private room. But it seemed to fit the circumstances.

I leaned against the wall just before reaching the waiting room. I needed to brace myself once more.

Whenever I would see Toni, it was hard to picture her in the situation she was in. I still saw her as the outgoing sweet girl she was. Not lifeless in a hospital bed. I hoped that the doctors would try to reverse her symptoms and bring my daughter back.

"YOU TELL ME SHE'S OK!"

A loud voice shook the silence. I recognized it.

Steve.

AN: I know what you guys are thinking. But remember, they story's not over yet.