"It doesn't go away," Stark said just as quietly. "Loss hurts. You can learn to live with it but it still hurts and sometimes old wounds are reopened when you least expect it and it hurts more. It's never really over because it doesn't end. They're still gone. You just...make room for that."

He wasn't helping. He was worried he was making it worse. Still, he stepped closer to where she was on the couch, trying not to fidget as much as he wanted to right now.

"I'm sorry."