Chapter 4: Devotion

Tony ran his fingers through his hair, wearing a grim and desperate expression. "Doc, is there nothing else you can do? A blood transfusion? Anything?"

Dr. Palmer shook her head, her face equally grim as she could sense Tony's attachment to the girl. "I'm afraid not, Mr. Stark. We have done all we can for Miss Regan. I'm afraid all we can do is wait and keep her comfortable."

Tony felt as if he had been punched in the chest. His friends were dead, and the girl he loved as a daughter was dying. He had never felt so helpless and this close to failure. He was forced to wait until someone saved the little girl he might have called his own.

"I see," Tony said, tears in his eyes. "Can I see her?"

Dr. Palmer nodded, understanding Tony's love for Brigid. "I'll let you be alone with her."

Dr. Palmer led Tony away to Brigid's hospital room where she pulled the curtain closed.

"Take as long as you need," she said quietly.

Dr. Palmer left the room as Tony sat by Brigid's bed. He was overcome by the state Brigid was in. Brigid's legs were bound in casts and there were numerous cuts and bruises decorating her body. She was covered in bandages and protruding from her were a number of wires and tubes keeping her alive. She was as pale as the hospital gown she wore. Tony was nearly sick to see her in such a state.

"Hey, Little Leprechaun," he said, holding her hand, love and grief written on his face, "It's me, Uncle Tony. I'm so sorry, little one. I should have been there with you. You wanted me to come, and I didn't. I never should have let you go. I promise, after this, I'll never let you go again. But you gotta fight. You gotta come back to me, sweetie. You come back and we'll make all the jetpacks or anything you want, I'll tell you stories, and I'll let you stay up as late as you want eating cheeseburgers. But you have to come back to me. Come back to me, and I'll spoil you so much, your mom and dad would go crazy."

Tony tried to resist, but he could not help a tear falling on Brigid's bed as she lay still on her bed.

"I love you, Little Leprechaun," Tony whispered. "Your mom and dad would kill me if anything ever happened to you, you know that. I would never forgive myself. So please, wake up and get me off the hook here, girl."

Dr. Palmer entered to change Brigid's IV bags. "Excuse me, Mr. Stark. I'm just gonna change her IV."

"Yeah, sure," Tony said, wiping tears from eyes to hide them from Dr. Palmer.

Dr. Palmer softened as she looked at Tony as he held Brigid's hand. "You really love her, don't you?"

"Yeah," Tony said, lowering his defenses, "I never thought of having children but she might be that kid."

"I'm sure she knows that," Dr. Palmer comforted. "I think she knows you're here for her."

"Yeah, but that's not really enough," Tony said in frustration, the pain plastered on his face. "She's suffering. A kid like her doesn't deserve that. All she did was love a selfish jerk like me and she's paying for it. Doesn't sound fair, does it?"

"Sometimes life is hardest for the best people," Dr. Palmer said wisely.

Tony took one look at Brigid, her broken body laying in her bed. He could not stand seeing her like that and being unable to do anything about it. Tony felt as if he could vomit at the sight of seeing the girl he loved like his own so small and broken. He was angry with himself for not being with Brigid when she wanted him. He was determined to correct that mistake.

Dr. Palmer looked down at Tony. "Mr. Stark, why don't you go home? There's nothing more that you can do here. You need your rest."

Tony stared crookedly at the doctor. "You're serious? I already left her when I shouldn't have. I'm never doing that again."

"Mr. Stark-" Dr. Palmer argued.

"I'm not leaving here unless it's with Brigid," Tony said firmly.

Dr. Palmer nodded, but hesitated, knowing that she was breaking policy, but she left an extra set of pillows and blankets and left the room.

Tony pulled up a sofa right next to Brigid's bed and his face softened. "Hey, my Little Leprechaun. I'm right here. I'm never leaving again. Just like I promised. Now come on. You gotta promise to come back to me. Come back to me and I'll never leave you. Come back to me, please."

Brigid found herself in her bedroom but she was alone. She found her injuries mysteriously gone and her heart was doing backflips when she saw two familiar figures. "Mama, Papa!"

"Brigid, we're right here."

Brigid turned to find Astrid and Declan behind her.

"Mama, Papa, where am I? Am I dead?" she asked, her bewilderment written on her face.

Astrid shook her head. "No, little one. You haven't made the journey, but we have."

"No!" Brigid cried, the pain in her voice. "I knew it would happen. I had that dream. I should have stopped it!"

"Dreams are not set, neither is the future, my darling," Declan said, his face tender and gentle as he gazed at his daughter.

"I have to go back without you," Brigid wept, desperate for more time. "I don't want to."

Astrid shook her head,gently smiling at her daughter. "Brigid, you can't stop living because we aren't. You have to live for us. Carry on for us. You have to take care of your Uncle Tony."

"Isn't he supposed to take care of me?" Brigid asked.

"My statement still stands," Astrid said with a sly smile.

Brigid smiled through tears. She wanted to stay but she knew there was much she had to do. "I miss you. I love you both so much."

Declan held her and gave her a bright smile. He wanted to be with his daughter and it broke his heart he could not. She had her own journey and he could not keep her from it. Still, his heart tore in two knowing he would never be with her. "We love you, Brigid. We're so proud of you."

"I'll never forget you," Brigid whispered as tears rolled down her cheeks like a fountain. She had her life, but it was no less painful without her family.

Although Brigid's meeting with her parents was brief, time in the land of the living dragged on for Tony. Two weeks had passed and Tony never once left Brigid's side. After many weeks, Tony had grown haggard and weary as he waited for Brigid to wake. Dr. Palmer gloomily eyed Tony. Tony knew what she was going to say as soon as she said it.

"Spare me," Tony said bluntly, giving her a sour look. "I know I look like shit. I'm staying here until she wakes."

Dr. Palmer nodded before changing Brigid's IV and leaving the room. Usually the nurses would take care of this sort of thing, but the physician was handling this room due to vetted emotional interest.

Tony sat by Brigid's bed once more. "Hey, Little Leprechaun. I know you're not sleeping," he said. "You always used to do that to me to stay up later and I would let you. You wake up now I promise you won't even have a bedtime. We'll eat cheeseburgers and get into all sorts of mischief. I promise."

Tony kissed her head and he was about to leave when Brigid's monitor began to trill. Tony looked up and noticed her heart rate rising.

"Come on, I know you're in there," he pleaded, hope in his eyes, his heart racing with apprehension and joy as he gripped Brigid's hand, hoping to be her lifeline back to him.

Slowly, Brigid opened her eyes, adjusting to the light and her cracked voice called to him. "Uncle Tony."

"Hey, Little Leprechaun," Tony whispered in so much relief that he could do nothing but shower her with kisses.

"Can I have a cheeseburger?" Brigid whispered.

Tony giggled as he kissed her head. "Of course, Little Leprechaun. I'll get you all the cheeseburgers you want."

Tony had lost a part of his life but in that moment he felt glad that one part was given back to him.