Chapter 5: Dad

"Uncle Tony, where am I?" Brigid asked, her voice cracked and weak.

"You're in the hospital, sweetie. Jarvis told me where to find you. You were in a bad accident," Tony whispered. "You broke your legs in numerous places, hit your head hard enough to have a concussion, and you were in surgery, but you made it."

"Jarvis? What's Jarvis?" Brigid asked.

"Just a really very intelligent system," Tony replied. "He does everything for me."

"I can't want to meet him," Brigid said excitedly. "He saved my life."

"Well, I had something to do with it too," Tony laughed.

Brigid stared long and hard at Tony. She could see he had not shaved and he looked exhausted. His eyes were circled in black and blood-shot. "Were you here the whole time?" Brigid asked, shocked.

"I never left," Tony replied, adamant with eyes glistening. "Not one moment."

"Uncle Tony," she breathed, at a loss for words.

"I had to, for you, Little Leprechaun," Tony declared, devotion in his eyes. "Your mom and dad would have killed me if anything happened to you."

Brigid was grateful that her "Uncle" had not left her and would be by her side. She did not know how long she would have to recover, but she was frightened. Frightened because she had dreamed of this moment for too long and everything she feared had come to pass. That fear tightened when Brigid could not find her parents at her side.

"Uncle, where are my mom and dad?" she asked, fearful to know the answer.

Tony swallowed hard, trying to find the words to tell her. "Brigid, honey, you don't remember what happened?"

Brigid shook her head, as if trying to force the memories back into her head. "I remember… leaving, kissing you goodbye, a flash of lightning, but nothing else."

Tony quivered. He knew that he had to tell Brigid, but he could not bear to tell her while she was so vulnerable.

Brigid looked up at him, her eyes tearing. She was fearful of her dreams and she could not bear them coming true. She tried painfully to raise herself to find her parents, but only screamed in pain. "Uncle, where's my mom and dad? I'm scared. I want my mama and papa."

Tony laid her back down on her fluffy pillow. "Mama and Papa put me in charge of you. They told me to make you comfortable while you get better, and you have to rest."

"I don't wanna rest. I want my mama!" Brigid protested , desperate to put her nightmares to rest. She feared every second her parents did not appear and Tony's stalling did nothing to quell her fears, try as he might.

Tony laid her back down and tucked her under her blankets. "I know, but you're not gonna get better if you don't, and Mama will have my a* if you get worse. Sleep now, and when you wake up, I'll bring you something to eat."

"Maybe some jello?" Brigid inquired, "You think my parents will come see me?".

Tony quivered, uncertain of what to say. He could not bear to lie to her, but he knew he had to tell her somehow.

"I'm sure they will," Tony promised. "Get some rest. I'll get a nurse." Tony kissed Brigid's head as she slowly fell into sleep. He was relieved as the girl fell asleep and yet unsettled. He did not know how much Brigid knew or if she believed him, he barely believed himself. One thing Tony knew for certain was that Brigid's dreams were coming true and it scared him more than he knew. As he stepped out into the hallway, Tony rubbed his face in frustration.

"It seems our patient is awake."

Tony turned to find Dr. Palmer standing before him. "Yeah, she's awake."

"And I take it you haven't told her yet about her parents," Dr. Palmer said wisely. She looked weary, and she looked impatient with Tony.

"Oh, and how did you guess?" Tony asked sharply. He was beyond annoyed and angry with himself. In the past few days, he had lost his best friends and the girl he loved like a daughter lost her parents and he had to tell her. The burden weighed on him like an anchor and he did not know how much more he could take.

"She's just a kid. Not only that, she's a kid I practically raised. How do I tell her that after being in a horrific accident, that her parents are dead? I can't do that," Tony said in frustration.

"Do you love her?" Dr. Palmer asked.

"I stayed here for her, didn't I?" Tony asked. "She's like my own! Have you not been listening?"

Dr. Palmer sighed. "Mr. Stark, if you love this girl, you can't hide the truth from her. You must tell her. She will understand."

Tony winced. He thought of his burden of telling Brigid the truth and the sudden reality of her dreams and it sent a chill down his spine. . "I hope you're right."

"Tony! Tony!" Brigid cried, fearful at being trapped in another nightmare.

Brigid ran forward, her eyes bulging in horror as Tony was being pulled like a puppet on a string toward a black abyss.

"No! No! I won't let you go!" Brigid screamed.

"Brigid, help me!" Tony cried in terror, desperate to reach Brigid before he could be sucked into the blackness.

Brigid reached out, desperate to help her guardian, but she could not reach him. "I can't reach you!"

To her horror, Tony was sucked away into the darkness.

"Uncle Tony!"

"Uncle Tony!" Brigid cried as she sprang awake. She screamed in pain as she did, as her wounded abdomen was like a fire in her belly whenever she moved.

Tony was at her side and held her in his arms to quell her pain, shaken to see her in such a state. "Brigid, sweetie, it's alright. It was just a bad dream. You're alright. Shhh."

Brigid stopped screaming from the pain long enough to hold him close. "It was so real, like the one I had about my parents."

"What happened in this dream?" Tony wanted to know.

"I was trying to reach you, but you were being pulled away from me, in the dark," Brigid explained, still shaken from her dream. Brigid's injuries and nightmares had taken a toll on her. She was in constant pain, and her eyes were black while her skin was ghostly white.

Tony shook his head, though he knew he was lying to himself and Brigid. "It was only a dream. Besides, I would never leave you."

"But I had one about my mama and papa, and it happened!" Brigid said in frustration. "Don't people have dreams that aren't real?"

Tony shrugged. "Sometimes, but you could not have known about the crash. And I'm not leaving you. Ever. I promise."

Tony kissed Brigid's head. "Hey, I got you something."

Tony pulled out a jiggling cup of green jello. "I thought you deserved a treat.The doc said your stomach should tolerate this."

"I love you, Uncle Tony!" Brigid said happily.

Brigid happily slurped down the slimy goop faster than a whirlpool takes down ships.

Brigid squirmed with pain as she eased back to her pillows. "That was a treat."

"I'm glad. Your mom would kill me if she saw you eating that before your supper," Tony replied, a rueful smile on his face.

"Where is my mama? She never would have let you give me that," Brigid asked. "She hasn't been here at all."

Tony sighed, fear in his voice. "Brigid, sweetie, there is something I need to tell you. I don't know how to, but I need you to listen."

"What?" Brigid asked. "Why are you so gloomy? I'm the one laying in bed and you look worse than I do."

Tony's eyes welled up with tears. "Uncle, what's the matter? I think Mama will forgive you for letting me have jello," Brigid said in jest.

Tony shook his head, his voice catching in his throat. "No, no it's not that, Little Leprechaun."

"Then what?" Brigid asked,desperate for the truth.

"Your parents…Your mom and dad are," Tony said slowly, choosing his words, "Your mom and dad, I'm afraid that they didn't survive the crash, sweetie."

"What?" Brigid asked, her voice rising.

"Brigid, I'm so sorry," Tony wept. "I tried to save them, but when I got to them, they were already gone."

Brigid shook her head, as if denying the truth would make it hurt less. "You're lying! I saw it happen, but it can't come true!"

Tony sighed. "Brigid, I know it hurts, but I am here for you."

"No, I want my parents!" Brigid cried. "I want my mama and papa! I want my mama! I want my papa!"

Brigid could not help but weep as Tony could do nothing but hold her in his arms.

After a week, Brigid and Tony said goodbye to Declan and Astrid. Brigid sat in a wheelchair by the graves as Irish bagpipes played mournful tunes. Brigid held tight to Tony's hand from her wheelchair, even though she refused to speak to him. He was her only comfort and she knew so. Brigid thought she would be with her parents forever. As she sat by the lonely graves, it felt too soon to say goodbye. She returned home with Tony as silent as the stones that buried her parents.

"Welcome back, Sir, and Miss Brigid," Jarvis greeted.

"Brigid, this is Jarvis," Tony introduced. "He knows everything about you. He'll take care of you."

Brigid was not in the mood to entertain her father or synthetic host. She was fatigued and her legs itched. Her heart would not cease to churn after parting from her parents. "Hi, Jarvis," she said flatly.

"I thought we could have some ice cream tonight," Tony suggested, hoping to engage with Brigid in some small way.

Brigid was broken in body and mind. Her healing legs tingled like thousands of bugs crawling up her body and would not give her any relief. Her eyes were red, circled in black and swollen from her tears and sleepless nights. She felt her heart had just torn in half. She had no heart to entertain Tony. "I'm not hungry," she said sullenly. "I wanna go to bed."

"Or you could be alone with your thoughts. That could work," Tony countered.

Later that night, Tony mournfully looked over old photos of himself, Brigid, and her parents. His eyes glossed over the frozen pictures of Brigid as a tiny infant in his arms, her parents wearily by her side in the hospital. All of these memories were a painful reminder that he needed to be there for Brigid when her parents could not. Slowly, Tony headed upstairs and knocked on Brigid's door. "Brigid, honey, I got you some pizza. Plain cheese. Your favorite."

Tony was dismayed when Brigid didn't acknowledge him.

"I'll save you some," Tony said, dismayed.

Discouraged, Tony headed back downstairs when he heard a noise. Fearing an intruder, Tony grabbed a nearby vase as a weapon.

"Show yourself or I'm gonna come out swinging," Tony threatened.

"Really, Tony, is that how you welcome old friends?" said a woman's voice.

"Sounds like you're having a bit of trouble," said a man's voice.

Tony knew those two voices all too well, but he would not believe it. He knew it could not be real. To his shock, Astrid and Declan were sitting in the living room, lounging on the loveseat. Tony wanted to believe it but his mind would not let him anymore than his heart. He knew his friends were dead and nothing was bringing them back.

"Okay, I haven't lost my mind," Tony gasped, trying to hold onto reality. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" Astrid asked. "We're helping you."

"I got this," Tony declared. "I don't need help."

Declan scoffed, looking grim. He looked happy to see Tony, yet the moment was bittersweet as they were not in the same world. "So, I see. Is that why our daughter is sitting up in her room ignoring you, not eating?"

Tony held up his hands. "Hey, she's your daughter, not mine."

"Exactly!" Astrid said pointedly. "She was our daughter, but we are not here, are we?"

Tony's eyes shifted. "I don't get it."

"You're not Brigid's father, that is exactly the point," Astrid pointed out.

"Is there an echo, or is that just you, Casper?" Tony asked.

Astrid threw an apple, targeted right at Tony's head. "Ow! I thought ghosts can't do that!"

Astrid was frustrated. She was not there for her daughter and the only man who could be was not seeing the bigger picture she wanted him to see. "I am not a friendly ghost, so I'll spell it out," she snapped. "Brigid doesn't have parents, so she only has you, so be there for her, or I'll haunt you forever."

"And we will make it a living hell for you," Declan added. .

"You know, you two are more annoying now that you're dead," Tony chuckled. "I miss you."

"Well, we miss you, you pain in the ass," Astrid laughed, wishing she could hug her friend.

"Take care of our daughter," Declan told him.

"We'll be watching," Astrid declared.

In the blink of an eye, the spirits of Tony's friends vanished as if they never were. Tony felt an enormous weight on his heart as his friends departed again. He realized what they said was true. Brigid needed him now that her parents were gone. Tony knew what needed to come next.

As the days dragged on, Tony managed to enter Brigid's room. Brigid was still asleep or pretending to be as she hid under her blankets, her legs propped up by pillows.

"Hey, I made you breakfast," Tony piped up. "It's there if you want it. I also got this."

Tony showed Brigid papers, which she looked at nonchalantly. "It means that I will be your dad, but only if you want me to."

Brigid said nothing and Tony nodded. He knew she did not want him; she wanted her parents and he could not be that for her.

Before he could leave Brigid's room, he heard Brigid call him. "Tony!"

Tony stopped and turned to Brigid as she held him in her arms. "I want you to be my papa! I don't wanna lose you, too!"

Tony held her tight and kissed her head, ready to be whatever she needed. "Brigid, you will never lose me. I love you so much."

"I love you…Papa," Brigid breathed. .

Tony hoisted her up to her wheelchair. "How about we get some ice cream and watch a movie? I'll let you stay up past ten."

"You're the best papa ever!" Brigid cheered.

Tony wheeled her off as he and his new daughter began a new part of their lives that would shape the both of them.

A/N: Aww, Tony is a daddy now! What will happen? And what is the meaning of these dreams? Find out! Please read and review! I hope you like the changes!