When the boys had been younger, she'd been able to take away their pain with cuddles and stories and long talks. Thor was more likely to bounce back, getting defiantly back on his feet, even often before he was well enough to do so. Loki also tried to look tough, but not in the physical way. Instead, he merely lifted his chin with pride and pushed back any signs that anything was physically wrong. Yet even though she hadn't carried Loki inside of her, he was still very much her son and she knew without question when he was hurting.
But hugs and something warm to drink wouldn't fix this. She knew it as well as he did. It didn't change her heart's desire to take his aches and pains from him. The pain he was feeling would, in many ways, hurt more than a physical wound would have. And no amount of medication would take it from him.
With some effort, she possibly could pull the hurt out of him. She could make him forget, even. But she didn't want that, not really. Darcy Lewis had been such an integral part of who Loki had become, and losing her would continue to shape him. This was a part of living. And Loki, whether he wanted to be or not, was still very much alive.
She squeezed his hand in return, lightly rubbing his knuckles with her thumb as she watched him try and pull himself from his darkness. She knew why. It was for her. And that was difficult. He needed to focus on him, he shouldn't have been so worried about her. "Do not apologize, my boy," she said softly, bending to drop a kiss against his forehead. "You've been hurt and you need time to heal. You will be fine, you are correct there. But it will take time."
There were so many differences between this young man and the boy she'd left behind on Asgard. So many different choices had led to his current state. Regardless, she loved him still. Even through the worst, she still believed there was a good man inside, some hint of the boy she'd raised as her own. And this boy...this man -- it was time to admit her son was an adult now, and was facing adult levels of heartbreak -- was one she could truly be proud of.