Chapter 6
It was dark at night, and it was raining. Stephen was still sitting on the footpath. He had nowhere to go. If he went back to Christine, she would be in danger too. The only option left was death. He should end this pathetic life.
Without thinking any further, he jumped in front of the next car that came. Then everything went black.
Tony was working in his lab on a new invention when Rhodey entered.
“What is it, Rhodes?” Tony asked.
“It’s about Stephen,” Rhodey said.
“You can stop spying on him. I’m not interested in him anymore,” Tony said.
“Stephen is in the hospital. He was hit by a car. It seems like a suicide attempt,” Rhodey said.
“What? Is he okay?” Tony asked, concern evident in his eyes.
“I don’t know. I can send our men to inquire if you want,” Rhodey offered.
“No, I’m coming. Let’s go,” Tony said, standing up and hurrying out. Rhodey followed him.
When they reached the hospital, Tony rushed to the inquiry desk.
“Where is Stephen? An accident case?” Tony asked.
“Uh, Mr. Stark... We have to check,” the woman at the desk said nervously.
“Do it fast,” Tony ordered.
“Mr. Stark, a patient was admitted an hour ago from an accident. He’s in the ICU,” she said.
“Take me there,” Tony demanded.
“We can’t allow strangers in the ICU, Mr. Stark,” the woman said, her voice trembling.
“You think I’ll be stopped by your stupid rules?” Tony growled in a dark tone.
“I’m sorry, I’ll show you,” the woman said quickly.
Tony followed her to the ICU.
When he entered, he saw Stephen lying unconscious. His head, hand, and legs were bandaged. One of his beautiful eyes was bruised, and his plump lips were swollen and cut.
Tony felt his eyes fill with tears. Was he crying for Stephen? When was the last time he had cried? Yes, it was when his mother died. Seeing Stephen like this made his heart clench, and knowing he was partly to blame shattered him even more.
Tony sat near the bed and gently caressed Stephen’s head.
A doctor entered the room.
“Visitors aren’t allowed in here,” she said.
“What’s his condition, doctor?” Tony asked, his voice trembling.
“Mr. Stark?” The doctor was surprised.
“How is he?” Tony repeated.
“He lost a lot of blood. His right arm and leg are fractured, and he has a concussion, but we’ve taken care of it. He’s stable now and should wake up in about six hours,” the doctor explained.
“Oh, great. Thanks,” Tony said, relieved.
“Mr. Stark, do you know him? We’ve been trying to get his details to inform his family,” the doctor asked.
“He’s Stephen Strange, a first-year med student at Columbia. He works at Sanctum Café,” Tony replied.
“That’s helpful. We’ll reach out to his family or friends. But, Mr. Stark, the patient is prone to infection, so we can’t have visitors in here,” she said calmly.
“Okay, but let me know when he wakes up. I’ll be outside,” Tony said, walking out.
“Sure,” the doctor said.
Tony sat on a bench outside.
“Boss, let’s go back. I’ll stay here and inform you when he wakes up,” Rhodey suggested.
“No, I’m not leaving, Rhodey. I should be here,” Tony said.
Rhodey had never seen his boss this vulnerable. Tony had never shown his emotions like this before.
After some time, Christine and Wong rushed into the hospital. They saw Stark sitting on the bench and shot him looks of hatred as they headed toward the doctor.
“Doctor, we’re Stephen’s friends. How is he?” Christine asked nervously.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Tao. Stephen is stable now. He’ll be moved to a room tomorrow,” the doctor replied.
“Oh, thank God!” Christine said, relieved.
They sat on a bench opposite Tony.
“Christine, I’m partly to blame for this. I told him I couldn’t give him his job back because we’d all be in danger,” Wong said.
“No, Wong. It’s not your fault. We both know who’s really responsible for Stephen’s current state,” Christine said, glaring at Stark.
Tony looked down. He had caused many deaths before, but this one filled him with guilt.
“Boss, let’s go,” Rhodey urged again.
“I told you, I’m not leaving,” Tony said.
“Why are you staying here, huh? To make sure he’s actually dead? You ruined his life,” Christine said, tears streaming down her face.
“Shut up,” Rhodey growled, walking toward Christine.
“Or what? You’ll kill me too? Go ahead. I’m not afraid of your boss,” Christine shot back.
“Rhodey, stop. Let’s go,” Tony said.
He glanced at Stephen one more time before walking out.
Stephen felt his entire body aching. He couldn’t even open his eyes because of the bright light. Where was he? Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw Christine sitting beside him.
“Christine?” he croaked.
“Steph, you’re awake?” Christine said, smiling.
“I’m not dead?” Stephen asked.
“Why did you do that, Steph?” Christine asked, her voice filled with pain.
“I felt like I had nobody. I didn’t want to put you in danger,” Stephen said, sobbing.
“Don’t say that. You have me and Wong,” Christine reassured him.
“Did Nic call?” Stephen asked.
“No,” Christine replied softly.
“He doesn’t want me anymore, does he?” Stephen asked, smiling sadly.
“It’s okay, Steph. If he can’t understand you, let him go,” Christine said.
“What am I going to do now, Christy?” Stephen asked, still sobbing.
“We’ll find a way. Don’t worry,” Christine said gently.
As they were talking, Pepper entered the room.
“Stephen, how are you?” she asked, smiling warmly.
“Miss Potts? What are you doing here? Your boss will be angry if he knows you came to see me,” Stephen said, surprised.
“Actually, Tony sent me with these flowers for you,” she said, handing the bouquet to Christine.
“Flowers?” Stephen asked, confused.
“Yes, he wanted to come see you, but he didn’t want to upset you by being here,” Pepper explained.
Stephen was completely baffled. Why would Stark care about him?
“I should go now, Stephen. Take care,” Pepper said and left.
Stephen watched her leave.
“Steph, there’s a note in the bouquet,” Christine said.
“What?” Stephen asked.
“It says, ‘Sorry for everything,’” Christine read aloud.
“I’m 100% sure that’s not written by Stark,” Stephen said skeptically.
“Steph, he was here yesterday to see you,” Christine revealed.
“Are you sure?” Stephen asked.
“Yes. I lashed out at him, but he didn’t say anything. He just left,” Christine explained.
“Why? Is he feeling guilty about this?” Stephen wondered.
“It seems so. Let’s talk about this later. You need to rest now. I’ll be here,” Christine said, softly caressing his head.
“Thanks, Christine,” Stephen said gratefully.
“No worries. Now get some sleep,” Christine said.
Stephen closed his eyes, trying to rest.