Sunlight streamed through the giant window, completely illuminating the room, but Pepper didn't wake up until she heard a voice calling her.
"We are going to the doctor, hon."
"Huh? Agh… Tony, I just woke up. I already feel better, really…"
"Pepper, it's midday," the engineer said, frowning slightly.
It had been just two months since the incident with Killian, and Stark needed more time before he would be able to be away from Pepper without worrying. Or, in this case, to stop bothering for her if she felt unwell. In the early morning, Tony had woken up, alone, in bed.
"Pepper?" he called, standing up with squinting eyes. He saw the light on in the bathroom.
"Are you okay?" He walked slowly to the bathroom, but quickened his pace when he heard loud groans. "I'll take that as a no," he muttered under his breath.
Pepper's body curved into the toilet as she heaved the entire contents of her stomach into it. Her hair stuck to her face, eyes irritated from the effort.
"Oh God. Tony, I don't want you to see me like this!" groaned the blonde before lurching back over the toilet.
"That's nonsense," Tony gently moved her hair to the side. "Jarvis, wake up Banner"
"Tony, no..."
"Honey, I usually listen to you, but I'm not the one throwing up at dawn," he said wryly.
"I feel better already." Pepper sat on the floor in a cold sweat, but really was feeling better. "I don't want you to wake Bruce up for something like this. You'll make him regret living here."
Tony sighed. "If it makes you feel more comfortable we can see a different doctor . At that Pepper screwed up her face.
Will you at least let me take you to the doctor in the morning?" He asked worrying .
"Only if I don't feel better, and only if you let me go back to sleep until then."
"Sounds fair. Can you tell me what happened?"
Pepper rolled her eyes. "It's nothing Tony, I stood up too fast when I got up for a glass of water and felt nauseous, that's all. Let's go back to bed, okay? I'm tired."
And even though Pepper denied it, Tony could still see the pallor of her face at noon. Jarvis' scanners only detected dehydration, but could not explain the morning's events.
"I think it would be better to call Banner"
"Tony, we talked about this," it was Pepper's turn to frown "you're just going to make him angry"
" He's not going to turn green just because..."
" ... I didn't say green, just annoyed, Stark" She let out a sigh.
When she woke up again less than half an hour passed before Tony took her to the hospital. Pepper would've been red with embarrassment if she hadn't been so dehydrated. She was embarrassed that her mate had taken her to such an ostentatious place just because she was dizzy and had one sleepless night.
Having ruled out a stomach virus, Pepper was taken away for a blood sample. Tony could only cover his mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to conceal his concern.
An hour passed before they got the results, at which time Pepper was in bad mood, missing breakfast and not eating all day. Both were on the verge of a nervous breakdown (out of concern and hunger respectively), when the doctor finally arrived with the results.
"Sit down, please," he said politely, pointing to the seats in front of his elegant desk.
"Is it that serious?" asked the engineer, becoming more and more tempted to chew at his nails. Pepper shook her head.
"Just because I offered you a seat doesn't mean it's a bad news , Mr. Stark." He gestured toward the chairs again, "Please."
Tony took his wife's hand, and as soon as they sat down, the doctor smiled and continued.
"It is big news, but not necessarily bad news. Congratulations, Miss Potts is pregnant."
Pepper's face lit up with excitement, and Tony... Tony could not digest the new information. He? A dad? Just a few months ago he was trying to stop an alien invasion, and a god had that had caused not one, but two incidents on Earth. He had teamed with the world's rarest subjects on the planet, his best friend was green and, to top it all off, he had made a few enemies along the way. How was he going to have a baby knowing what was out there? How could he be a father while trying to deal with so many important problems?
On top of all that, he was not thrilled about having to change diapers or deal with the constant crying, but the truth was, none of those things really scared him. His real hesitation came from the fact that he did not want to repeat his own father's mistakes. He wanted to prove to himself that he was a better man than Howard.
"Wait, pregnant? Are you sure?" Tony glanced at Pepper, with an almost indecipherable mixture of happiness and disbelief.
"Yeah, pretty sure. The blood tests confirm it. With you morning sickness being this bad my guess is that you are three months along, but we'll know for sure once we run more tests ."
Tony felt his blood freeze. Three months? Pepper had received an injection with the Extremis virus from Killian, just two months ago. If she really had been pregnant that time then…
For god's sake…
"I need Banner!"
