The Fixer

Do over

Sitting back Steve in the chair next to her bed he let out the breath he'd been holding. Joanna was finally asleep much to his relief. Last night had been one of the longest, scariest and most amazing in his entire life. When Loki came to find him he thought the Asgardian was there to fight him for what he'd said to Jo, but what he had to say had him shocked in more ways than one. Joanna was pregnant and he was the father. She'd been originally pregnant with twins but she'd lost one and had very nearly died from blood loss. They weren't unsure what caused the miscarriage, but it didn't matter because either way he blamed himself.

Sitting up he leaned forward to hold her outstretched hand in his and brushed back her hair so it wouldn't bother her as she slept. The only thing he cared about was that she and the baby who'd survived was safe. Everything that's happened up until last night didn't matter; it was all so trivial in comparison to what he almost completely lost. Rubbing his thumb over her wrist he brought her hand up to kiss the back of it in gratitude. She'd listened to him explain every stupid decision and mistake he'd made when it came to how he had dealt with his feelings for her.

Of course she'd called him an idiot for acting like that. Well she'd been much more colorful in her description of how moronic he'd been, but that was neither here nor there because he agreed with her. By the end of their talk things were still on shaky ground, but she said that she'd stay in New York for now while she recovered. It was more than he could hope for. Steve would take it because this gave him a second chance to show Joanna who he really was. To show her that he'd be a good father and a good partner if she'd have him..

The sound of the door to Joanna's room drew him from his busy mind to see Loki and Tony standing there in the doorway. Holding a finger to his lips he tipped his head towards the hallway to let them know they could talk out there. Both men glanced over at the sleeping woman who quietly protested in her sleep when he took his hand back. A feeling of warmth filled his heart at the sound because it meant, at least in her subconscious, that she had feelings for him.

Leaning down, Steve whispered as he kissed her forehead, "I'll be right back, I promise." With a small frown on her face Joanna let him go and settled back to sleep.

Fixing her blanket he gave her one more look before turning to Tony and Loki who were watching them with smiles on their faces. Biting back his own he strode out of the room closing the door behind him. Tony flicked his eyes towards Joanna through the window before looking back at him. "How'd things go last night?"

Shrugging Steve leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "We talked."

"And? Is she staying or not?" Loki asked him, taking an impatient step closer. Steve nodded once, but caused the gods smile to disappear at what he had to say next.

"It's only until she's well enough to travel. Jo's determined to go home to Vancouver and so far nothing I've said has changed her mind." The Asgardian scowled at him as if to say 'what was the point of me letting you know if you couldn't change her mind?' "It just means I'm gonna need everyone's help to convince her to stay."

Both men glance at each other before looking back at him. "Anything. What do you need from us?" Tony asks, eager to help in any way.

"Well first thing would be to bring her family here. She's going to need their support to help her through.." Roughly clearing his tight throat Steve pushes out the words. "The loss of our baby." Quickly wiping away some stray tears he sniffs to try and push his loss down so that he can focus on Joanna's. She needed him to be strong for her and he would be. Tony came over and pulled him into an unexpected yet comforting hug.

Leaning back but keeping his arms around him Tony tells him, "I'm so sorry for your loss, Steve. I'm here when you wanna talk alright. Don't bottle it down. I know from experience that it only makes it worse." Patting his back, he thanks his friend for his support when his words finally click in his head. His eyes take in Tony's face and sees the pain of losing a child reflected there. Nodding he promised he'd seek him out.