Title: The Future is Not Guaranteed
Author: Shannon – shannyfish
Disclaimer: Iron Man does not belong to me, but Marvel Entertainment and Disney. This is for entertainment purposes only.
Rating: PG13
Summary: Pepper and Tony return to Malibu. They are faced with coping with their experiences in Afghanistan as well as trying to move forward… But will it be done so easily? Sequel to "All That Counts".
Warning: none right now
Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has read and taken the time to review or PM me about "All That Counts" as well as my other stories! I'm going to TRY to keep this all in Pepper's POV…though maybe I'll sneak in one Tony chapter…we'll see! Also! Constructive criticism is as always appreciated! Check out my blog on my writing at .com
. . .
"Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed." ~ Wayne Dyer
. . .
Being back wasn't as she thought it would be. Pepper had expected some kind of weight to be lifted off of her… That didn't happen. The best part of coming home so far had been Happy at the airport waiting for them. He'd saved her from Rhodey and Tony's back and forth and had been just as happy to see her.
"You can't be serious…" Rhodey exclaimed.
"I'm not going to a hospital… Obadiah's already arranged for a nurse…" Tony explained.
"What about x-rays?"
"They can bring the machines to the house…"
"Seriously?"
Pepper wasn't sure how any of this surprised Rhodey and was half tempted to ask Happy to pull over, so that she could move up into the front passenger seat with him. Tony had paid little attention to her during the flight, which was fine…it had kept Rhodey from using anything else in their argument.
"Pepper, where am I going first?" Happy called into the back.
She wondered if he sensed the unease and insanity back there. "The house," Pepper told him.
"You sure? You don't want me to drop you off first?"
"Wait…wait…wait… What am I missing?" Tony asked, as if he'd suddenly realized that Happy had been talking.
"Nothing," she told him with a slight frown. "We're going to the house… Obadiah has the doctor waiting…he also has an x-ray there… He wants both of us looked over… Happy is to drive Rhodey wherever he wants to go once we're there." She'd received orders once they hit the ground. Obadiah had sent her a brand new phone, it was obviously whatever had just been released since it wasn't exactly the same as the one she had had before.
"What if we want to hang out?" Tony asked.
"I think you could use the rest."
"What if I—"
"Just do what you want then," Pepper said and then looked down at her phone. She wanted to speak frankly to him and from her heart, but she couldn't… Not with Rhodey there…and not with Happy so close and listening in.
"Pep—"
"Do what you want, Tony…but at least let the doctor look at you first," she said and her voice was softer. It was so hard because she felt like she was thrust right back into things after she and Tony had said that things would be different. They weren't different. The moment they stepped off the plane, everything had been pushed back into her hands and had pretty much been forced to be in place by Obadiah…
She wanted to go home.
She did.
But her job had always come first…no matter how many times she'd told herself that she wouldn't turn into that person. It came with being someone's personal assistant, especially when that someone was Tony Stark. She needed to make sure that he behaved, though…at least enough for a doctor to look him over and for some x-rays to be taken. There was also the fact that Obadiah apparently wanted that same doctor to look her over and x-ray her…and she had to admit, she'd rather do it at the Malibu Mansion than to be checked into the hospital to have all the work done. The press would already be waiting at the gates of the mansion; they didn't need to add to the fire…
"Okay," was all he said quietly before sitting back in his seat.
It seemed to quiet them all and Pepper was happy for it. She'd been going through five months of e-mails and making notes. She needed to find out what of what she received was still relevant and what she didn't need to worry about. No matter what happened over the last five months, she couldn't just hide away or go on vacation or try to disappear…she had a job to do and it was demanding… And Obadiah was ensuring that she start right off. Pepper had wondered if it was because she'd kissed Tony in front of him and Rhodey… Was he worried that she'd become some kind of sexual harassment suit? Did he think that after everything that she'd just up and quit? Or did he think that pushing her back in immediately was somehow helpful?
Tony was quiet the rest of the ride to the mansion. Occasionally she'd look over to check on him and she'd find him looking at her. Usually once she saw Rhodey had noticed, she'd look back out the window. She just hoped that Rhodey didn't tell Obadiah anything about the kiss…or kisses…before they'd boarded the plane in Afghanistan. That was the last thing that he needed to know right now….
. . .
"There he is!" Obadiah said as they exited the car. Pepper stayed off to the side and tried her best to be invisible. She suddenly felt like how she'd been in the cave before…and she felt a bit of panic rise in her.
"You okay, Pep?" came a quiet voice from the other side of her.
It caught her by surprise and she jumped a bit and looked over to see Happy there. She tried to keep a smile in place. "Fine… Just tired…"
"Let me take you home," Happy practically pleaded.
"Obadiah wants Tony and I both looked over first," she whispered.
"And then home," he insisted.
Pepper smiled over at him and leaned into him a bit. "I missed you," she told him. He'd always been the other person to help her with getting Tony to behave. He wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her arm for a moment. They just stood there while Obadiah talked to Rhodey and Tony. At least she wasn't completely invisible.
She felt like she was losing it. She kept blocking out voices and conversations…or least she thought she was unconsciously doing it. She had no idea what Obadiah had just said to Tony or Rhodey and had only followed when Happy had given her a nudge and walked with her.
Inside, there were people waiting and Pepper suddenly felt overwhelmed. This is what she wanted to avoid. Obadiah had really done a job of bringing the hospital to the mansion… She'd thought there'd be a doctor and a nurse…but there were far more people there.
"What the hell is this?" Tony exclaimed.
She knew that was coming.
Pepper put a grateful hand on Happy's arm and gave him a smile before moving away from him. She moved herself up to Tony's side. "Go on up to your room… I'll get this sorted," she told him.
"I agreed to a doctor—"
"I know," she told him.
"And an x-ray—"
"You may need more than one…"
They just stared at each other for a moment before he headed past all of the medical staff. Rhodey and Happy were trailing behind him. She sighed. Obadiah had just overdone it just a bit, especially for the first day. They'd spent time in the medical ward at Camp Joyce…and this is not really what they wanted to come home to.
"You handled that well," Obadiah told her.
She turned to him and told herself to stay calm. "I don't think we really need this many people in the house…"
"I was trying to be prepared…" Obadiah told her. "I wanted you both checked over and cleared today…if we could…"
"Did you have them set up the equipment for the x-rays in one of the rooms?"
Obadiah nodded. "They set up blood work equipment and anything else they needed in there as well…"
This was going to be a lot more stressful than she'd wanted the day to be and she was sure that Tony was not going to have it either…" Pepper looked around and then looked back to Obadiah. "Figure out what's essential that needs to be done today. One doctor in the room… If I need to take notes for him, I will, but Tony's not going to want five people in there…"
He sighed with frustration, but Pepper didn't understand why this came as such a shock to Obadiah. He'd known Tony long enough. He wasn't a good patient and he didn't like to be crowded unless it was by models… "Go on up and check on him… I'll have the doctor knock when he's ready to see him…"
Pepper nodded before heading up the stairs. She stopped at one point, when she was almost to Tony's room and out of the range of Obadiah's eyes, she held onto the wall for support and tried to wish the pain away. It was past time that she was supposed to take the pain medications, but she hadn't really had the time. And it wasn't going to happen right now either…
She took a moment, made it the rest of the way to Tony's room, composed herself, knocked on his door, waited a grand total of ten seconds, and then entered. "Tony… There's going to be a doctor coming up in a minute…" She halted when she found Tony in only his boxers showing off his arc reactor to Rhodey and Happy.
"Do you know if they've all signed the confidentiality agreement?" Tony asked.
"I'll make sure of it," she told him.
He looked over at her and it was like there was something between them. She didn't know how to explain it. It was like their eyes were talking… She felt like he was trying to tell her something…
"Everyone needs to leave this room, except Pepper," Tony announced.
"Pepper needs to rest," Happy argued, but Rhodey was pushing him out the door.
She heard the click of the door and she looked down at her hands, which were folded neatly in front of her. He was there a moment later with his finger under her chin. He lifted it and he was looking at her so full of concern. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"For what?" she managed to get out, but tears were already rolling down her face.
He pulled her into his arms and enveloped her. His hand was stroking her hair and she felt like she was melting into his embrace. "For Obadiah… For being a jerk…on the plane and in the car… For—"
There was a knock at the door and Pepper was pulling away and wiping away her tears. She sucked in breath and then gave Tony a look that told him to behave. She just hoped he did it. "Just a moment," Pepper said as she walked towards the door.
"Pep," he said quietly.
She turned to him. "We can talk more after the doctor looks you over…"
Tony nodded and she opened the door to let the doctor in. She saw Tony sit on the edge of the bed, but he still didn't look happy. He looked downright miserable.
They couldn't have a conversation right now. As much as she wanted to just curl up in bed and let him hold her while they both slept…they couldn't. And Obadiah was watching every move that they made. "Do you need me to stay, Doctor?" she asked.
The doctor looked over at Tony and looked like he was waiting for him to answer. "Not unless Mr. Stark requires your supervision." The doctor was older, but seemed to be tough enough to deal with Tony. He'd need to be.
"Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" she asked.
"That'll be all, Ms. Potts," he told her in standard response. She turned and he stopped her. "You're not leaving though, right?"
"I'll be downstairs checking on a few things… I'll check in with you before I leave," she told him before disappearing. In truth, Pepper was hoping to hide away in one of the extra rooms. She just wanted to lie down and close her eyes for a few minutes. She hurt and she was confused and overwhelmed. It wasn't a good combo.
When she came down the stairs she was relieved to see no medical staff in sight. Obadiah was there talking to Happy and Rhodey and Pepper just prayed that Rhodey hadn't gossiped while she was upstairs. She put on a smile as she approached them. "The doctor's looking in on him now…"
"I have another doctor waiting on the guest room down the hall," Obadiah said and vaguely motioned.
Pepper frowned.
"The one with that painting that you said was too beautiful to hide away in a guest room that no one would ever see," Happy told her.
Pepper knew what he was talking about now. She nodded. "I appreciate you arranging it," she told Obadiah.
"I have to make sure that you're both well taken care of… Those army doctors couldn't have known everything," Obadiah told her.
"They're actually highly trained," Rhodey told him.
Before a fight broke out, she started down the hall. She'd leave Obadiah and Rhodey to argue in her absence. If Happy were smart, he'd excuse himself to do something else too…
. . .
Her time with the doctor had gone by quickly enough and it seemed like they'd even beaten Tony to the x-ray part as well. She was starting to wonder if she needed to go upstairs and check on him…just in case. "Remember Ms. Potts, I want you resting—"
She nodded. "Fill the prescription, the only activity you want me doing is in a pool, and you'll be calling me…"
The doctor nodded. "I would prefer that you be hospitalized until I know for sure…but I want you to understand that I'm quite serious about—"
"I understand, Doctor. Thank you." She didn't want to continue to listen to his lecture. She'd already heard it and even though she was sure that he wanted her to follow his orders right then and there…she still needed to check on Tony…
Moving upstairs towards his bedroom, she avoided Obadiah's gaze and pretended like she hadn't even seen him. As she moved up the stairs she focused on breathing. The pain was getting to be too much for her. She listened at the door, she didn't hear anything. Pepper knocked and waited.
"Come in."
She opened the door and found the doctor sitting on the bed next to him. "Is everything okay?"
"We were just chatting," the doctor spoke up. He patted Tony's knee. "Time to get down to that x-ray," the doctor told him.
"Can you give us a moment?" Tony asked.
"Five minutes and then I'm going to send Mr. Stane up to get you," the doctor said and shook his finger at Tony before leaving.
Pepper watched in amusement and waited until the door was shut before turning her attention back to him. "Did you actually let the doctor look at you?" she questioned. If anyone could get away with skipping the doctor actually doing his job, it was Tony.
"I was already in my boxers when he got in here," Tony told her and motioned to his now fully clothed body. "Or do I need to refresh your memory?" he asked as he reached to pull up his shirt.
She held out a hand and tried to suppress her smile as best as she could, which wasn't very good at the moment. "No…no…that's okay… You getting the x-rays done, though."
"I think he said I only needed one," Tony told her.
"I guarantee you that he actually meant a full set…"
"That sounds like it's going to be boring and take a long time."
"Probably…"
He held out a hand for her and she was hesitant. She took a step towards him. "Pepper…come on…" She finally took it and he pulled her a few steps closer. "Did you see a doctor?"
She nodded. "And did the x-rays…"
"What did they say?"
Pepper frowned. She needed him to cooperate and get the x-rays done. "He said I need to get a prescription filled and that I need bed rest… A lot of bed rest…"
"I have a bed," he told her with a grin.
As he pulled her again, this time all the way to him and his arms wrapped around her she couldn't hold back the pain anymore. She let out the tiniest of whimpers, but knew Tony had heard it because he had suddenly tensed up. She rested her head on his shoulder though and hoped that he left it even though she knew he wouldn't.
"Pep—"
"Shh…"
"What else did the doctor say?"
"A lot of things that he's not sure about and that I didn't want to hear," she whispered.
"Please tell me," he begged.
She pulled back and looked into his eyes. He was worried, scared, and just exhausted. They both were. "You need to get your x-rays done…"
"Pep—"
"I'm going to go and lay down," she told him.
"Stay here," he told her.
"No," she said quickly.
"Why not?"
"Obadiah has been giving me looks," she told him. "I think he's purposely trying to get things back to how they were before…and I don't think he appreciated me kissing you in Afghanistan."
"You kissed me twice."
She smiled. "He still doesn't seem to appreciate it… I'd rather not upset him and cause any problems with this just being our first day back. I'm going to go lay down in the room I was in with the doctor, I'll have Happy go drop off and pick up my prescription, and you'll come and get me once Obadiah is gone…"
"I'll put Happy on food and beverage replenishment as well," he told her.
"Excellent plan," she told him. "Time for you to go…"
"How bad do you hurt?"
"I can handle it… I just overdid it today," she told him. Pepper leaned in and their lips met. They lingered there for a moment and then Pepper broke the kiss. "Three." She just stared at him for a long moment before turning and heading out of his room.
"What about four? I thought we were doing kisses in twos," he told her and got up and followed.
. . .
TBC…