Whoop! A new update! But after this I won't be able to do anymore, so please bear with me. But anyway, I hope you all enjoy it.
The clotted darkness before Tony's eyes kept dragging him back under, making him lethargic to the bones and unwilling to wake up. But that soft white light was persistent and penetrated through the gloom, and it was growing brighter and brighter and-
Argh, too bright!
Tony squeezed his eyes shut against the fierce glare and moaned hoarsely. The illumination was harsh and electrical and it tickled his eyelids, trying to pry them apart. Sounds and smells began to infiltrate his foggy mind: a series of mechanical beeps that grew quicker as they rose with his stressed up heartbeat; a low hum of air conditioning that brushed his skin, the sharp smell of disinfectant and soap with an underlying stinky human odour; and someone saying something…
"Tony!"
Tony groggily focused on that noise. It sounded sluggish and warped, but he tried to make sense of the syllables and thread them together. Toe-knee? What was a toe-knee?
No, dumbass! he thought, mentally slapping himself. That's my name. But I don't recognise the voice. Who's calling me?
"Tony Stark, wake up right now before your poor PA does it herself!"
Ah, that was definitely Pepper. A tiny twitch of his lips revealed a smirk. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked hard several times. Everything appeared glossy as if a fine sheet of petrol had been smeared over his vision, the room teetering a few times before standing still. Pepper's blurry outline appeared before him, her fiery hair a smudge of vivid orange around her face. She had her hair down: she never, well didn't usually have her hair like that. Tony thought it suited her better, but suddenly his vision cleared and she was scowling at him, a spot of colour rising in her cheeks and dark shadows sweeping under her gorgeous eyes.
"Hey, Pepper," said Tony, his voice a little croaky. "You look pretty stressed."
"Of course I'm stressed!" she replied fiercely, sucking in a breath. "I'm on the edge right now, Tony! Look at this!" She snatched a clump of her hair and shoved it before Tony's startled eyes. "I'm getting grey hair through worrying about you and the company and everything else!"
"But it's your job to worry about your amazingly hot and intelligent boss" he grinned. "I'm sure we discussed that when you signed up as my PA, but maybe you were too dazzled by me to focus properly."
This didn't exactly help. "Don't try and be funny with me, Tony" she said with clenched fists. "This is serious. You could have died! This is the last time you're going to get away with doing something insane and-"
"Wait, wait, hold it right there," interrupted Tony, raising his hands. He rose and eyebrow and said "What did you say about me dying?"
Pepper paused blinked in confusion. She opened her mouth to say something, but Tony cut her off.
"I'm in a hospital, aren't I?" he said, examining the private ward with both interest and dislike. He absorbed the pale walls and the sunlight pressed against the blinds drawn over the curtains; the metal frame of the bed and the bedside cabinet with his cell phone, car keys and a glass of water on. "You know I hate hospitals, Pep, why'd you send me to one?" He glanced down and wrinkled his nose at the cotton hospital gown. "And whoever put me in the ridiculously embarrassing … thing will be sued for allowing a distinguished guy like me to wear one. I mean this" – he indicated the gown – "does not mix with this"- pointed to his face, which although pale still looked rather attractive to Pepper, who quickly shook such thoughts from her head.
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and fidgeted in the seat brought close up to the bedside. "How are you feeling?"
Ah, she's dropped the anger and she's in with the concern Tony thought. He paused before replying. "Hmm, my body aches so I guess I have a couple of nasty bruises, but no casts or anything so I hoping that means no broken bones. Think I've got a few cuts on me, but nothing major. My head hurts a bit and I feel dizzy. Oh yeah, and I'm hungry and will kill for a cheeseburger right now."
"I'll see if I can arrange something" Pepper smiled.
"Make sure it's not that hospital stuff, that mush that they call "food" is just gross."
"Shall I smuggle in something from Burger King?"
Tony grinned. "What would I do without you, Pepper?"
"Probably not a lot" Pepper smirked.
"Now, you didn't answer my question about me dying" said Tony, becoming a bit more serious.
"You cut over me and I didn't have time to answer" Pepper explained.
"Well, tell me now."
Pepper leaned in closer. "A man attacked you on the race track. He had your technology."
Tony frowned. "Clarify" he pressed.
Pepper frowned a little in return. "He had an arc reactor, but it wasn't in a suit. He had these whip things that looked super-charged and gave the Mark IV quite a beating, but you managed to stop him before he… hurt you."
Tony scrutinized Pepper for a long moment. "Are you high?"
Pepper jerked in surprise at the question. "I-I'm sorry?"
"Because it's really not professional or healthy to be taking drugs, Pepper," Tony said softly but with a hint of a smirk. "I might have to fire you, or send you to rehab."
"I am not on drugs!" Pepper protested, but she was confused. "Why would you think that?"
Tony chuckled once. "Because I haven't the faintest clue what you're on about."
Pepper froze. "What?" she exclaimed.
"Pepper, why are you talking about a race track and suits and arc reactor technology?" Tony asked. "Next you'll tell me I'm on the Moon."
"We're in Monaco" said Pepper, feeling a twinge of alarm and anxiety. What was going on with him?
Tony frowned in puzzlement. "Monaco? Monaco, what am I doing in Monaco? Last time I checked I was in Afghanistan."
Pepper felt her blood turn to ice. No, no it couldn't be. "Afghanistan?" she murmured breathlessly.
"Yeah, I was doing a weapons' demonstration earlier," Tony explained. "Of the Jericho missile, y'know the big new one. And then…" Tony closed his eyes and his brow furrowed in concentration. Then he snapped them open and they bulged in their sockets. "The terrorists! They attacked the Hummer and they have my weapons! All the soldiers are dead!"
"Tony, Tony calm down!" Pepper cried, laying a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her and gasped raggedly. "Take a deep breath." Tony did so, then leaned back against the pillows. "It's OK, you're fine." She stroked his forehead and ran her fingers through his dark hair, then followed the curve of his face. She stopped when she realised what she was doing. Get a grip, girl she told herself, fighting down the flutter in her chest as she reluctantly withdrew her touch from his skin.
Tony smirked. "Thanks, Nurse Pepper. You know, I would feel much better if you dressed up as-"
"No, Tony" she scolded, but her voice contained very little annoyance. She was a little scared and overwhelmingly concerned. If she believed what Tony was saying to be true, than that meant something was wrong. Very wrong.
"So, is the terrorist attack the last thing you remember?" she said, trying to keep the slight tremor from her voice.
"Yeah. A missile hit me and I got blasted away. There was some pain in my chest, but then after that I can't remember anything." He shook his head.
Pepper gasped. "Oh dear God. This is… this is awful!" She leapt to her feet, snatched up her handbag and strode away.
"Hey, where are you going?" Tony called. "You can't leave me here!"
"I'm going to get the doctor, Tony," she replied. "You stay right there, I'll be right back."
Tony slumped against the pillows and scowled.
Ah, end of another chapter. As I said before, I might not be able to update any time soon, but I'll try. Please tell me if Tony and Pepper are in character and if I can improve on anything. Thanks :)
