Narrator's POV

"Stephen. Stephen are you home?" Tony asked, as he knocked on the Sanctum's door.

It was already dark outside, and Tony was worried after Stephen had rushed off like that.

He heard footsteps coming from behind him.

It was Stephen.

"Oh." Tony smiled at him. "I thought you were inside."

Stephen looked up at him. His eyes were red and puffy, he didn't look good at all.

"Stephen?" Tony asked. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Stephen didn't say anything.

"Is everything okay? You took off pretty fast back at the air-"

"Hah..." Stephen sighed, falling forward into Tony's arms. His knees felt weak, he was so low.

"Stephen!" Tony gasped, catching him.

"I'm so tired." Stephen said, closing his eyes.

///0///0

"Hm..." Stephen groaned, feeling softness and warmth all over him. "Ah!" He gasped sitting up. He was in bed.

"It's okay. Calm down Stephen."

Stephen turned to his left, where the sound of Tony's voice came from.

Tony sat in a chair next to the bed.

How did he get here?

Wait a minute...

He looked around.

This wasn't his room.

This wasn't the Sanctum.

"Wha-where am-"

"You're in my room." Tony said.

"How did I get here?" Stephen asked. "What happened?"

"You fainted." Tony said. "I scanned you. Your oxygen levels were very low, you were somehow in a state of shock." Tony explained, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his dominant knee.

Stephen pinched the bridge between his eyebrows and sighed, putting both hands over his face soon.

"What happened last night, Stephen?" Tony asked.

"I..." Stephen sucked in a breath. He could feel tears already settling in his eyes. "She-" He gasped, taking his hands away from his face and looking down at them.

"Stephen." Tony placed a hand on Stephen's shoulder, leaning a little closer. "It's okay. I'm here."

Stephen looked up at him, tears ready to make their way out of his eyeballs. "I couldn't save her." He said.

Tony's expression fell saddened. "I'm so sorry."

"It was my fault." Stephen said.

"Stephen, no." Tony said softly. "It's not your-"

"I could've saved her." Stephen said. "But I didn't. I-If I would've come back earlier, I could've..." He looked out in front of him, a disturbed look plastered on his face as tears slid down his face. "Why didn't I... I should've..." He couldn't finish his thoughts as pain settled in every inch of him.

It was too painful, too fresh to talk about right now.

Stephen looked back at Tony. "I'm sorry." He sniffled. "Sorry you have to see me like this." He scoffed.

"No, no." Tony said. "It's fine. It's all...fine." He reassured. "I understand. I do."

"It's just that..." Stephen's breath quivered. "She was- Oh god." He gasped.

"Hey, hey." Tony said. "Look at me."

Stephen looked at Tony.

Tony took his face in his hands and wiped Stephen's tears away with his thumbs. "It's okay to cry. It's okay." Tony told him. "I'm here. I've got you."

Stephen tried his best to put a smile on his face as his own teary eyes fell upon Tony, but was unable to do so.

Instead, more tears made their way out of his eyes.

>knock< >knock<

"Um, Tony." Pepper's soft voice entered the room.

Stephen looked up at her.

She gave him a smile.

Tony looked back at her. "Yes?"

"Um, our guest is asking if she can come in." Pepper said.

"Yes. Let her in." Tony said.

Pepper opened the door, stepping aside.

Olive slowly stepped into the room.

"Olive." Stephen said.

Olive looked at him, reflecting the same pain as Stephen. "Hello, Dr. Strange." She put on a broke smile.

Stephen got up, going up to her and taking her hand. "Are you-"

"No, not at all." Olive said.

"I'm so sorry." Stephen said. "I really am."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Olive said. "Death is something we cannot avoid. It comes to all of us to collect our debt. Some sooner than others." She said, her stare falling to the ground.

Stephen rubbed her arm.

"I wanted to um..." She said, opening her small purse that hung from her shoulder to her hip. She took out a pink envelope, glitter falling from it. "Madeline made it." She said, handing it to Stephen.

Stephen looked at the pink over glittered, drawn on, filled with stickers envelope.

Dr. Pickles was written on it with a smiley face next to it.

"She told me to give it to you before she went into the operating room." Olive said.

Stephen looked up at her.

"I haven't opened it. She said it was for you and only you."

"Thank you." Stephen said.

"We're..." Olive sighed. "We're having the funeral tomorrow. I thought maybe you should know."

"I will be attending." Stephen said. "I think I'd like to give her one last goodbye."

"I will reserve a spot for you and your friends." She said.

It was quiet between Olive and Stephen.

"Olive..."

Olive completely fell apart in front of Stephen.

Stephen embraced her. "I know..." He held her close. "I know."

Tony and Pepper looked at each other, exchanging sad glances and looking down at the floor.

///0///0

Olive got into a cab, giving Stephen one last glance before closing her door.

Stephen waved at her from Tony's front door, watching her leave. He looked down at the envelope in his hands.

"Stephen..." Came Tony's voice behind him.

"Excuse me." Stephen said, walking away from Tony and into an empty room. "Hah..." He sighed, looking down at the envelope again.

Dr. Pickles

Did he really want to open this?

"God." He sighed, looking up and blinking. He didn't want anymore tears to fall from his eyes. He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes, and letting his breath out. He opened his eyes, turning the envelope with the opening facing him.

It had been sealed with a white daisy bandaid.

Stephen peeled it carefully off and took out a folded white piece of notebook paper. He unfolded the paper. He smiled once he noticed the letter had been written in blue crayon.

Madeline's favorite.

He began to read.

Halfway through the letter, he put a hand up to his mouth.

Tears made their way out of his eyes and down his cheeks as he continued reading.

Once done reading, he looked up.

The letter fell from his hand, onto the floor; and Stephen began to quietly sob behind the closed door to the room he'd gone into.

///0///0

"Dear Doctor Pickles, I really hope you had a very fun time at the beach. I really like the conch you got me. I put my ear up to it and can hear the ocean. It's also very fun to blow into it and make noise. I don't mean to be a party pooper, but I know what's going to happen. I know I'm going to die. I know I'm not gonna get better, but that's okay. You took good care of me and made sure I had a smile on my face everyday even through thick and thin. Please don't cry, and please tell my mommy and daddy to not cry either. Make them laugh like you made me laugh. Thank you. I love you Doctor Pickles. P.S: one more thing. When you went to the beach and saw the dolphins, did they feel slippery?" Stephen looked up at the crowd sitting in front of him in pews as he stood behind a podium.

Everyone was dressed in black dresses or suits.

Stephen was trying so hard not to cry in front of everyone. "This little girl made my job working as a doctor very enjoyable." Stephen said. "And yes, Madeline." He sniffled, looking down at his shiny black shoes. "The dolphins felt slippery." He gave a little laugh. "They smelled like fish too." He said, he sniffled.

A few tears dropped from his cheek onto the red carpet he stood on.

"I will miss you baby girl." Stephen said, walking over to the nicely decorated coffin next to him and placing a dolphin plush on it. "You made everyday in my life a good day with that beautiful smile." Were Stephen's final words before he walked away and took a seat next to Tony in one of the pews.

A woman walked up to the podium, reading something off a white slip of paper. "Olive and Timothy have been very long time friends of mine..."

Stephen wasn't listening. He was too busy trying to drown his pain away, but it was very hard.

Tony placed a hand over one of Stephen's shaking hands, soon intertwining their fingers to comfort him.

Stephen looked at him.

Tony looked at him, giving him a gentle smile.

Stephen gave him a broken smile, then looked away; looking down at his feet, and the smile leaving his lips.