Tony woke with a startled cry, the images of the desert and the brutal beatings he'd received now replaced by his dimly lit room and the slow tick of a nearby clock. His head turned, his hazel eyes glancing upwards when he heard a soft whisper come from his left side. Pepper, he thought to himself. Tony's eyelids fluttered closed momentarily, but when they opened once more the perfect porcelain face he'd grown so accustomed to was still starting down at him with a look of concern.
"Shh, Tony. You had another one of your nightmares," Pepper cooed soothingly as she dabbed at Tony's forehead with a damp washcloth to rid him of the sweat that had built up during his episode.
Her delicate features were now bathed in the soft glow of the lamp resting on the nightstand beside her. Tony's thoughts drifted back to the moment when he first landed safely back in California; the way Pepper looked when he exited the plane battered and broken. She greeted him with the usual witty banter and soft smile, but Tony could always see beyond Pepper's well maintained appearance. He picked up immediately on her barely flushed cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. She had been crying, that much he could tell, and although he always was one to tease her he decided to let this opportunity pass. Since his return, Pepper spent every waking moment at Tony's side, and this included nightly stays to make sure he wouldn't be alone during his flashbacks. After all, Tony knew damn well that she was the only one he'd let see him in this vulnerable state. And with that thought he was quickly brought back to reality as he felt another cold dab at his forehead.
Tony shuddered. "I.. I'm alright now. Thank you, Pepper."
Pepper nodded her head in response, causing her delicate blonde locks to bounce as she did so. Tony couldn't help but admire her features as she set the washcloth aside. His brows quickly raised when she addressed him.
"What was that," he asked, clearly distracted.
His response was met with Pepper's all too familiar smile, and despite the immense amount of pain he was in, he couldn't help but smile as well.
"I said you need to go back to sleep. I told Rhodes he could come and see you tomorrow."
Tony nodded, his hand instinctively reaching out to take Pepper's, his voice a soft whisper. "Stay with me, Pep."
"Of course, Tony," she said. Pepper slid down on top of the covers in her slender gray dress and rested her head against the pillow besides Tony's. "Get some sleep," she whispered as her hand found its way to Tony's chest.