Thank you guys for the reviews! Sorry for not posting yesterday, I'm spacing out the chapters a bit more and I was busy anyway.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy.

Words: 2,304

"All the flowers really brighten up the place." Pepper says with a glance around the hospital room. "I mean, they make the place so bland. Like they're trying to make their patients go crazy."

Sighing, Pepper turns back to Ada and brushes her freshly combed hair from her face. "MJ brought some borage flowers." She informs her. "I'd never even heard of those before. Steve brought asters and Sam got you a falcon themed stuffed bear." Picking up the toy, Pepper twist it before setting it next to the teenager. "That shouldn't surprise me. And I doubt it does you."

Ada hasn't woken up. She's clenched her hand around theirs a few times, even opened her eyes for a minute yesterday. But she hasn't woken up. Dr. Anderson says it's normal, a good thing. A sign that's she's on her way to waking. Pepper is trying to be patient but it's hard.

The door opening has Pepper looking up as Tony enters. He carries two coffee cups in his hands. He hands her one while placing a kiss on her cheek. "What are you guys talking about?"

"The flowers." Pepper gestures towards the colorful plants. "And Sam's gift." She holds up the bear for Tony to see, smiling when he rolls his eyes.

"I got these today," Leaning from the chair, Pepper grabs her purse from the bench below the window and pulls it into her lap. She pulls out a manila envelope and the papers inside it. "The last ones." She tells him while handing them over. "Just sign. That's the last step other than...adoption."

Sighing, Tony looks up from the papers and to Ada's sleeping face. It wasn't so hard now, without the ventilator, her hair was brushed, covering the incision on the right side of her head. The gash on her lower left jaw was healing quickly. It only she'd wake up.

"That's her decision as much as it is ours." Tony mumbles to his fiancée and she nods in agreement.

"And um,' Pausing, Pepper looks down at Ada before nodding to the door. "Let's talk in the hallway." She might not be able to hear them, but Pepper wasn't taking that chance.

Tony follows her without a word, closing the door quietly behind him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Pepper is quick to assure him. "Well, not exactly. It's uh...Nathan." Tony furrows his brows in question, crossing his arms over his chest. "He needs a funeral. Even if his mother was in any condition to handle it, she wants no part." Tony's eyebrows shoot up. That was harsh. He thinks he's starting to understand Nathan a little more. Only too late. "He has lawyers who had his will. There are instructions and the cost is covered it's just..."

"Ada," Tony fills in. He imagines she'd want to be there but grief is a strong thing. He remembers not wanting to attend his own parent's funeral. And they don't know when she'll wake up, when she'll be able t leave the hospital long enough to go.

"We can wait. I'm helping everything get situated." Pepper informs him with a sigh. "All we need is a date."

"I wish I could give you one." Tony looks beside him to the door and releases a breath. It was amazing how life could change so quickly. "I'm going to have to tell her that her father is dead. How do I do that?"

Taking his hands into her own, Pepper looks him in the eyes when she answers. "There's no easy way. But we'll figure it out and we'll do it together."

Hand in hand, Tony and Pepper renter Ada's hospital room and retake their seats. The rest of the day is uneventful. Rosa visits the girl again, bringing yet another vase of fresh flowers. Pepper thinks they'll have more than a garden soon.

Ada had spoken of Rosa before. Told Tony about how she'd worked for her family for so long. And now that Ada was the only one left and coming to live with them, he did the only reasonable thing and offered the woman a job. It would be good for both of them. Rosa wouldn't have to look for a new place to work and Ada would have someone familiar around she's known since she was a child.

It's Pepper's turn to go home that night, leaving Tony to camp out on the hard couch under the window. He doesn't really sleep. Maybe dozes a few times but his eyes shift from the horrible view out the window and to Ada. He knows looking over every five seconds won't make her wake up but he can't help it.

Maybe he shouldn't have had that fourth coffee.

Ada feels tired. She just wants to go back to sleep but she can't remember what day it is. She might have school and she can't be late. Maybe a few more minutes can't hurt. It's when she tries to turn over that Ada knows something is off. She's not in her own bed. She can't remember going to sleep but that happens sometimes when she falls to sleep but this is different.

She shouldn't be asleep. She was...what was she supposed to be doing? Worry seeps into her chest, squeezing around her heart in an uncomfortable way. She needs to get up and find out what's going on. Opening her eyes is harder than she remembers is being. Her vision is blurry and the teenager blinks. It's not bright wherever she is, but she can make out the off white ceiling above her.

Something's tickling her nose. Ada lifts her left hand when her right won't listen to her. She finds something wrapped around her face. She doesn't know what it is but she wants it gone. So weakly gripping the smooth item, Ada clumsily pulls it away from her face.

She thinks she hears something to her left before a fuzzy face appears in her sightline.

"Ada?" The man asks. She knows him, right? But why is he here?

Opening her mouth to ask him just that, Ada winces at how dry her throat feels. Maybe she's sick. Her mouth feels funny and she does not doubt that she has the worst case of morning breath. "It's okay, don't try to talk." Ada furrows her brows. Why shouldn't she talk?

"I know you're confused," Huh, he must've seen it on her face. But before he can say anything else, someone else appears. A pretty lady on her other side. Ada is sure she doesn't know her.

"I paged Dr. Anderson." The woman says, only adding to the teenager's confusion.

"Wha-" Ada croaks before coughing when it tickles her throat.

"Ada, do you know where you are?" The lady asks her while gently taking the tubing from her hands and putting it back under her nose. She doesn't want it there, it feels funny.

When talking is too much effort, Ada shakes her head as much as she can. Her head hurts. "You're in the hospital, you were in a car accident but you're going to be okay."

Car accident? There's this boy in Ada's class, she knows he was in a car accident when he was younger. The teenager pushes that thought away, turning to the familiar man who smiles at her and takes her hand.

"I'll bring her some ice chips." The nurse tells Tony when the door opens for Anderson. She whispers to the man before stepping out of the room.

"Hello, Ada," The doctor greets with a kind smile, sitting next to her bed so he wasn't towering over the girl. "My name is James Anderson. I'm your doctor. You were in a pretty bad accident, do you remember?"

Ada shakes her head with a deep breath. Everyone was calm so she tries to copy that. But she was so confused. Why couldn't she remember? She squeezes the hand holding hers.

"That's okay, nothing to worry about." Anderson tells her. "Retrograde amnesia is perfectly normal after an event like the one you went through. It'll probably come back to you in time. Can you tell me who this is?" Following his pointed finger, Ada tries to clear her throat before speaking.

She knows who the man is, she really does. The name only fails to come to her. Opening her mouth just to close it, Ada shuts her eyes and shakes her head as much as possible in frustration.

"It's okay," Anderson tells her, face the perfect mask of calm, contrasting Tony's worried look. "Take your time. Can you tell me yes or no if you know who he is." Ada nods her head as quickly as she can. She does know him, she just can't put a name to his face.

"She does remember you," He tells Tony with a gentle voice. "She just can't place your name." Ada nods again even if he's not talking to her. "It's normal for this to happen. She just needs time."

The words don't make Tony feel any better. He doesn't want it to take time, he wants her to be okay now. He wants this to have never happened.

Ada continues to blink her blurry vision, only becoming more frustrated when it does nothing to clear it. She stares up at the man she knows while the doctor says something else and just when she's going to close her tired eyes again, something clicks. "Mis'er St-stark." Her voice is hoarse, slurring slightly and it makes her throat ache.

Tony's head snaps down to look at the girl, a relieved smile coming to his face. "Very good, Ada," Anderson smiles easily when the girl turns to her. "I know it can be frustrating but you're going to have to give yourself time. You've suffered a traumatic brain injury, you just have to be patient."

He asks her a few more simple questions she tries her best to answer and checks her eyes with an annoying little light. Talking felt hard, finding the right words and making them clear, but her throat does feel better after the lady from before brings her some ice. But she's still tired.

"You've done great, Ada," Anderson tells her before looking across the bed to Tony. "I'm going to set up an MRI for later, just to make sure all is good."

Nodding, Tony breaths for what feels like the first time in months. "Thank you."

"Alright, Ada, you can sleep if you want," Anderson tells her while standing. "I'm sure you're tired. If you feel any pain, just let us know, okay?"

Ada nods, thinking that her head hurts but she doesn't want to bother him. He was probably busy and she could handle a little headache. She was tired, like he said, maybe she'd take a nap.

"You're okay," Mr. Stark tells her with a look she's never seen on his face before. "Pepper is on her way, you can see her when you wake up."

Pepper, she knows her. Mr. Stark's fiancée. But why- Where's-? "Dad?" Mr. Stark's gaze sombers and he opens his mouth but doesn't speak. Dread fills the teenager. "Wh-where's...dad?"

He'd texted Pepper, she's on her way. But he can't wait. The look Ada is giving him... "Ada, you were with your dad during the accident." Bringing her hand up, Tony holds it securely between both of his own. Oh, how he wishes Pepper was there. How was he supposed to do this? Tears were already flooding the teenager's eyes. She knows what he's going to say, he can see it on her face. "I'm so sorry, honey, he didn't make it."

"No," Ada shakes her head, face screwing up as the tears spill onto her cheeks. This can't be happening again. If feels as if she'd just gotten him back and now he's gone? Ada suddenly feels like she can't breathe.

Calloused hands on her cheeks and a soothing voice has Ada's eyes snapping open. She hadn't even realized she'd closed them. Her deep blue eyes latch onto Mr. Stark's. His face is blurry, from tears or because her eyes just won't focus, Ada isn't sure nor does she care.

Tony shushes the girl, rubbing her endless tears away with his thumbs. She tries to shake her head, to deny what she knows to be the truth. But her tongue won't listen to her command to speak and the hands gently holding her cheeks prevent her weak attempts to move her head.

"I'm so sorry, honey," He repeats, wishing above all else that he could take all of her pain away. "Take a breath, okay? Just breathe for me."

Ada tries, she really does try to listen to him but she can't. The vines of grief wrap around her heart and spread to her lungs, holding them tightly as they inch into her stomach. She physically can't breathe.

Muffled noise reaches her ears but Ada can't decipher it. All she knows is that she's lost everything. Then she knows nothing.

Sad beans

Um, prepare youselves for things to come...

The next chapter is a bit shorter than this one so I'll probably update tomorrow.

Teaser: Pepper and Tony share a mournful look over Ada's head

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