Tony smoothed sunscreen on his daughter's face, neck, back, arms and legs that Saturday in Rhodey's back yard. She was wearing a sky blue, ruffly one piece swimsuit, complete with water wings, and pink flip-flops. He'd braided her red hair in a long braid down her back, with her bangs being held back by the goggles she wore perched on the top of her head.
The family had gone to Rhodey's for the BBQ they'd discussed on the anniversary of Pepper's death, and both kids were anxious to cut loose and blow off some steam in their Godfather's pool.
"Okay, little missy, you are go for take off," Tony stated, cocking his head and looking at his daughter with a smile.
The little girl squealed as she kicked off her flip-flops, plunked her goggled down over her eyes, and she and her brother took off running down the deck of the pool, the both of them cannon-balling into the middle of it. The men laughed at the children, and Rhodey cracked Tony a beer and handed it to him before he flipped the burgers he had on the grill on his back patio.
Tony nodded in thanks and took it from him, taking a long swig and watching his kids play in the water as he leaned on the porch railing. Rhodey soon joined him. "To another year," he said, holding up his beer bottle for a toast.
Tony smiled and nodded, clinking his bottle with Rhodey's. "To another year," Tony repeated.
Rhodey took a long pull off his bottle, and smacked his lips as he swallowed his beer. "Kids seem like they were excited to come," he commented.
"Are you kidding?! It's all Ginny could talk about since you called," Tony replied. He chuckled and shook his head. "She's all Pepper," he said, watching Ginny splash around. "More and more so everyday."
"I can imagine," Rhodey said. "And H.A is you all over again. I hope you get some mercy when that kid turns 18," he joked.
"For my sake, so do I," Tony joked back.
They laughed.
"You have a beautiful family, Tony," Rhodey mused. "You're a lucky man."
Tony smiled bashfully. "Thanks, man," he murmured. "I know I'm lucky. I just wish she were here, you know?"
"Of course," Rhodey said. "We all do." Rhodey gave Tony's shoulder a brotherly pat.
Tony narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, remaining silent as he gazed at the kids playing in the water. Ginny was climbing out onto the deck and jumping back into the pool over and over, and H.A was doing flips off the diving board. "It's still happening, you know. The nightmares, I mean," he said softly.
Rhodey looked at his friend, and furrowed his brow. "Really?" he said.
Tony nodded. "Yep. And they are as vivid and detailed as the real thing was," he said. "Like the other night? I dreamt about when Pepper collapsed that night, when H.A had been so sick? And I woke up in a cold sweat."
"Damn," Rhodey said sympathetically.
"Yeah," Tony said. "And the worst part of it is? I think Ginny saw the whole thing. I looked up and there she was, in the door way of the bedroom, telling me she'd had a bad dream and needed to crawl into bed with me."
"So, what did you say to her?" Rhodey asked.
"Well, a second later, and I wouldn't have been there. I was just about to run down to the shop to find something to do to clear my head when she appeared," Tony said.
"Good thing she came when she did," Rhodey said.
"Yeah," Tony agreed. "This might sound weird, but...I kinda took it as a sign," he said.
"A sign? For what?" Rhodey asked.
Tony shrugged. "I don't know," he said. He turned around and set his bottle on the glass table in the middle of the porch. Then he leaned back on the railing, facing forward now, propped on his elbows. "I was a mess just after the dream. I couldn't help it. And I let it out into the ether that I just couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't be without Pepper anymore. And then Ginny appeared. So I guess I took it as a sign that... that maybe Pepper was...listening, or something, you know? And she sent Ginny to our room to make me feel better." He looked at his friend and smiled sheepishly. "Weird, right?"
Rhodey shook his head. "Not at all. I have to believe that the ones we lose don't ever really leave us, Tony. I think they can hear us, and maybe even see us."
"You really believe that?" Tony countered.
Rhodey smiled bashfully. "Well, I know it's not the most scientific concept, but yeah. I do. And it kinda sounds like you just might, too."
Tony turned back around and worked his jaw in thought. "I suppose I do a little, yeah," he replied. "Sometimes, it feels like she's right there, you know? And then sometimes, it feels like she couldn't be more far away."
"How about the kids? Do they still talk about her as much as they used to?" Rhodey asked.
Tony smiled. "They do. But the other day, at the mausoleum, H.A snapped at Ginny for saying she missed her mother as much as he did. I don't know what that was about, but he's never done that before."
"Is he angry about something?" Rhodey asked.
Tony shrugged. "Not that I'm aware of," he said. "But Ginny was quite a bit younger than H.A when Pepper got sick, so it would stand to reason that she wouldn't remember things being as bleak as they were. Maybe that's what's getting to him? That he and I had to witness so much more than she did?"
Rhodey shook his head. "I don't know, man," he said.
Tony furrowed his brow. "I would never want Ginny to have to remember the things that H.A and I do, you know? In a way, I'm glad that she was so little. All of the memories that she has of Pepper are very happy. She doesn't remember all of the time spent in the hospital, or having to watch Pepper suffer. You know what she said she misses most about her mother? Her smell. She said she had a good 'mommy smell'," Tony said. They chuckled, but then Tony swallowed hard, his eyes becoming glassy with tears.
Rhodey silently watched his friend as he tried to regain his composure.
"I told her I missed that, too," Tony murmured softly.
"It's the little things, huh?" Rhodey said.
Tony nodded. "Sure is," he agreed. He smiled graciously at Rhodey, and Rhodey smiled warmly back.
"Okay, I'm guessing the burgers are done," Rhodey said, making his way back to the grill. "Kids wanna eat?" he said, quickly plating them up.
"Guys! Soups on!" Tony yelled. H.A was treading water in the deep end. He looked at Tony and nodded, just as Ginny jumped off the deck yet again. But this time wasn't as exuberant as the times before. It looked like she'd landed too close to the deck.
Tony's heart stopped. "Ginny?!" he cried out, as, to his horror, her limp body floated back to the surface.
H.A paddled to his sister, as Tony hurdled the patio railing and sprinted to the water's edge, pulling Ginny's unconscious body to the deck. Rhodey was close behind.
"No, come on honey! Wake up!" Tony cried on his knees, his eyes wide as he watched her skin quickly lose its color and turn a ghostly bluish shade.
"What happened?!" Rhodey asked.
"I think her head hit the deck," Tony said, tipping his daughter's head back to listen for breathing. H.A climbed out, and stood beside his father.
"Dad?!" he cried helplessly.
Tony watched to see if her chest was moving. It didn't appear she was breathing.
Rhodey had two fingers on her neck. "I'm not feeling a pulse, here, Tony," he warned.
"Call an ambulance!" Tony instructed H.A. He tipped Ginny's head back, pinched her nose, and blew air into her mouth. Then he compressed her chest several times, and repeated the pattern. "Come on, Ginny!" he cried. "Wake up, baby!" He repeated the same pattern four more times, each time tears blurring his vision, causing him to swipe hastily at them in between the breathing and the compressions, and each time a little of him dying inside at the thought of losing his daughter.
But suddenly, the little girl spluttered, coughing up what must have been a gallon of pool water. "Oh my God!"Tony gasped, and pulled her to a sitting position. He pounded on her back as she gasped and chocked for breath. He could see the goose egg developing on the back of her head, and Ginny soon went from coughing and choking to whimpering.
"Daddy, my head hurts!" she cried, looking into his eyes. Tony wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her tightly.
"I bet it does, baby," he said, smiling in relief that she was even still around and coherent enough to tell him this. "You've gotta be more,careful, okay? You jumped in way too close to the edge of the deck, and you hit your head."
"I'm sorry," Ginny said. "I'm okay, now, though, right? I can keep swimming, can't I?"
Tony and Rhodey chuckled. "We'll still have you get checked out," Tony assured. He looked at Rhodey and they exchanged relieved glances.
They heard the ambulance siren as it got closer to the house. Soon, Tony saw H.A appear with the EMTs as they rolled a gurney out to the poolside where the three of them were. Tony helped Ginny to her feet and the EMT's instructed her to sit on the gurney as they examined her.
Tony put his arm around his son's shoulders.
"Never thought we'd have to do that again," H.A remarked.
"I know, buddy," Tony said. "But at least we know she's gonna be okay, right?"
H.A nodded and smiled weakly. "Yeah," he said.
"Tony, I'm so sorry," Rhodey said.
"For what? She's okay. It was an accident. These things happen," Tony assured.
Rhodey smiled weakly and nodded.
The EMT's finished examining Ginny a few minutes later, and one of them, a woman with a long blond ponytail, came over to Tony to give him the results. "She's got a mild concussion. What made her lose consciousness was the fact that she inhaled so much water when she fell. If you want, we can take her in. But what they usually prescribe is a lot of rest for the next 4-5 days, and lots of fluids. You may want to keep her out of school, as she'll want to sleep a lot. And for tonight, wake her up every 2-3 hours. That way you know she's just resting, and there aren't any complications."
Tony nodded, and shook the woman's hand. "Thank you," he said. "I think we'll be fine here," he said.
The woman smiled. "I'm sure you will be. Just give her a little ice for the bump on the head, and keep her out of the pool for the rest of the day."
"Sounds good," Rhodey said.
The woman helped Ginny off the gurney and they bid the ambulance crew goodbye. "So I can't swim anymore, today?" Ginny asked her father sadly.
Tony pursed his lips and shook his head. "No, princess. I'm sorry. But, if you want, I think Rhodey's got a burger with your name on it."
"A cheese burger?" Ginny asked.
Tony chuckled. "A girl after my own heart," he said to Rhodey.
"Yay!" Ginny squealed running over to the patio and taking a seat eagerly at the table, her brother following behind her protectively.
Tony exhaled and Rhodey patted his friend on the back. "Close one," Tony said. He furrowed his brow and shook his head. "Wow," he said. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost her, too," he said.
"Just be grateful you didn't," Rhodey reminded him, as they walked over to join the children.