It was a silent walk back to the hospital, but at least this time Steve wasn't making it alone. He waved Marie and Bucky back while he went to talk to Ardith at the nurse's station. She was older, and always sympathetic to him, and he knew she'd understand what he was asking.

He spoke with her for only a few minutes, before she was nodding and waving them toward the room. Steve bit his lip and glanced at Marie. "You don't - have to come in, if you don't want. I just wanna say a few words to her, that's all." He wanted to say goodbye. Bucky was coming in with him, for support, and to say his own goodbye, as she'd been as much his own mother as Steve's. But Steve didn't want Marie to be uncomfortable, listening to his last words to his mother, a woman she'd never get the chance to really meet.

He was probably selfish in kind of hoping she'd want to go in, though. But he'd understand if she wanted to stay outside in the hall.