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I OWN NOTHING; I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS.
"A Child's Hero"
. . .
Part Two
Once they arrive at the hospital, the doctors and nurses immediately take the girl out of his arms and place her on a stretcher. Doctors surround the stretcher, making Tony have a hard time seeing her. He can feel his stomach turning as he watches them take her away.
As Tony folds his arms across his chest, he looks down at the white tile floor, and that is when he spots the Iron Man doll on the floor. A sad smile forms on the billionaire's face as he kneels down to pick up the doll. He stares at it the entire time as he walks over to the waiting room, sitting down on one of the plastic chairs, and waiting for any news on the small girl who, by the looks of the old scars that he noticed on her body, has been abused for quite some time now. Who knows what the small child has gone through…?
Tony doesn't know how long he has been sitting there, but he was dozing off in the chair with the doll in his arms. He had his head leaning back against the wall as he sat there, waiting to see if the girl was going to be okay or not.
When he feels a hand touch his shoulder, he jumps a little, and his eyes snap wide open to look at the young nurse standing in front of him with a clipboard in her hand. "Excuse me, sir, but I need you to fill this paperwork out."
Tony stares up at the nurse with a confused expression on his face before slowly grabbing the clipboard from the nurse's hand and looking at the paper with a bunch of questions and blank lines that are waiting to be filled out by him. He shakes his head and looks back up at the nurse, "Er, I don't exactly know anything about this girl-"
"Fill out the paper as best as you can." The nurse shrugs and turns around to start walking away from Tony.
He frowns and stands up as he throws his arms up in the air, "But I don't even know her name!" When he realizes the nurse is gone and no longer listening to him, he rolls his eyes, and sighs, "Great."
"Tony?" Pepper asks as she walks over to him after spotting him in the waiting room, standing there with a clipboard in his hands. "Thank God you are alright! I was worried about you."
"Me? Psh, no need to worry over me, I'm fine." He says with a sigh as he runs a hand through his hair while he sits back down. She walks over to the chair that is seated next to the one Tony is sitting on, and she sits down. "What happened?"
"Honestly? I have no idea. I heard someone scream, went to check it out, found some asshole holding a young girl up against the wall choking her. I punched him, but instead of going after him when he started to run, I went to help the girl. She was okay for about a second before she started having a seizure."
"Oh my God." Pepper gasps as she places one hand over her open mouth and the other over her chest where her heart is, "Do you know if she is going to be alright?"
Shaking his head, the billionaire sighs, "No idea. There hasn't been any news on her and no one is telling me anything." There is a moment of silence before Tony lets out a groan and yells, "I hate waiting!" He pauses for a second before adding with another sigh, "I need a drink…"
"Tony," Pepper warns, "knock it off. I'm sure the doctors are doing everything they can to help the girl. Do you know her name or anything about her?"
"Nothing; I didn't have a chance to find anything out. She looks about, maybe, six or seven? But that's about all I know." Tony runs his hands over his face and shakes his head, "Pepper, you didn't see this girl. She was covered in bruises and she had so many scars, new and old. Her clothes were ripped and torn; her body was freezing from the cold. This guy… he was going to kill her. God, I want to strangle him and-"
Pepper stops him by placing a gentle hand on his thigh and she offers him a small smile, "She'll be okay, alright? Once we can see her, we'll find out more about her and what happened to her. For now, you need to relax and take a deep breath. Deal?"
He stares into her shining blue eyes and the small, reassuring smile on her lips that can make his worst day the best. He nods his head after a moment and mutters, "Deal."
He then quickly adds, "But they better hurry up because I'm losing patience."
Pepper smiles and just rolls her eyes at him as she places a gentle kiss against his cheek, "I'm sure the doctor will be coming out any second with some good news."
"If they're not out in five minutes then I am going to-" Tony begins to rant, but before he can finish, a doctor interrupts by clearing his throat and putting up a hand. "There is no need for that, Mr. Stark. The waiting is over, you can calm down."
The doctor had short blonde hair that goes up to her chin with glasses that hide her bright, icy blue eyes; she is tall and thin, and her accent is what seems to be British. She offers Tony a small smile and nods towards Pepper before glancing back down at her clipboard that she holds with one hand and a black pen with the other. "I am Doctor Elissa Taylor and I was the one who treated the young girl that was brought in. I was told by a few people that I was to come straight to Mr. Stark who is waiting anxiously for news on the girl, is that correct?"
"Yes, I've been waiting for a while and I need to know how she is. What the hell took you so long?!" He was losing any patience that was possibly left inside him and he can't help the way his voice begins to raise as he talks. He can feel his heart rate quicken as he stares down the doctor, silently praying that whatever the doctor has to tell him, is good news and nothing else.
Choosing to ignore him, Doctor Taylor simply narrows her eyes back at him and replies, "I am here now, aren't I? By the way, screaming at the staff and complaining was not going to make me finish treatment any faster. Now, about the girl-"
"What about her?" Tony cuts her off, not being able to help himself. His body is shaking with anxiety and despite the fact he has only known the girl for merely ten minutes, he doesn't know what he would do if the doctor tells him that something is wrong or worse, she didn't make it.
Pepper slaps his shoulder and glares up at him, "Tony, let her finish explaining." She then turns her attention back to the doctor, "Please, continue."
Doctor Taylor nods her head and clears her throat, "The girl suffered from a severe seizure when you brought her in, Mr. Stark. We did some examinations once we were able to control the seizure and we found out what mostly caused it. The girl had many wounds all over her body, many that were still infected and had to be there for a few days. She has a severe case of asthma so her lungs were closing and she couldn't breathe, but we managed to get her breathing back to normal and that under control. The thing is, after we looked over the tests we took while she was in recovery, we found she has a tumor in her brain that causes the seizures. We believe the tumor is not cancerous, but we would like to watch it and start radiation to shrink it or we can try another method, considering we prefer not to use radiation on small child. Her toes have frost bit, but thankfully, none have to be removed, but she does have pneumonia, which we are keeping a close eye on, but hopefully she should be all better in just a few days."
The doctor could have continued down the list of problems and medical issues that the young child is suffering, but why the way Tony and Pepper's faces paled, she figures she should give them time to comprehend all of this; it's a lot to take in, that's for sure. "I know it's a lot to take it, but those are the major things. Scars, bruises, cuts; you name it, she has it, but those will most likely heal up in a few days. However, she must be emotional scared as well, which there is no time limit for that kind of healing."
Tony opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. He clenches his jaw and closes his eyes, trying to keep his posture and not just fall to his knees like a broken superhero. He sucks in a deep breath and nods his head slowly; his brain trying to wrap around all the details the doctor informed him of the girl's condition.
Pepper, noticing Tony's tensed body and the way no words will leave his lips, she offers Doctor Taylor a small smile and nods her head, "Yes, thank you so much. Um, what room is she in? Can we see her?"
"Yes, of course you can. She is in room 220B; the second floor. She will probably be unconscious for a while, but you are more than happy to stay as long as you want. There should be a red button beside her bed in case you need one of the nurses." Doctor Taylor tells them and then after giving them a sharp nod, she turns on her heels and walks off to check on her other patients.
Pepper faces Tony and strokes her fingers through his hair, managing a small smile, "Are you okay? You ready to go see her?"
"What? Me? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Let's go." He starts walking, but stops and quickly hurries back to the chair he was sitting on and grabs the small, damaged doll. He stares down at it as he walks back to where Pepper is standing.
She raises a curious eyebrow at him, "What's that?"
The billionaire clears his throat and shakes his head, "It's hers." Without saying another word, he walks off towards the elevator, keeping his eyes locked on the doll, as Pepper trails along behind him, wondering if he is truly okay or not.
. . .
Pepper's fingers wrap around the doorknob to the hospital door and she gently pushes it open as quietly as possible. She sighs as she catches sight of the small child that looks like she has been through hell and back. Tony walks in behind her and he can feel his heart sink to his stomach as his eyes land on her bruised face.
"I don't understand." She whispers as her husband shuts the door behind them. "How could someone possibly do this to a child?"
"A sick bastard, that's who." Tony practically growls as he walks slowly over to the side of the bed so he can have a better look at the young girl. He stares at the bruise marks that are wrapped around her neck, showing someone tried to strangle the life out of her. He can feel his blood boiling inside of him and he has to squeeze his eyes shut and count to ten in hopes of calming himself down.
Pepper walks over to the other side of the bed and she gently strokes the young girl's cheek as lightly as she can. She shakes her head and can feel tears forming in her eyes; it is truly heartbreaking to see a child like this, so brutally beaten and hanging onto a thread of life.
The two of them hang around at the hospital, sitting beside the girl's hospital bed, waiting for her to wake up. Nurses came and went every few hours, checking on her and seeing if there is any improvement. Pepper went a few times down to the café to grab them some coffees while Tony stayed by her bedside the entire time, refusing to leave.
The sun began to rise over the horizon as morning came. They have been there at the hospital all night, never leaving unless to use the bathroom or get something to eat just to bring it back to the room. While early morning came, Pepper was sleeping on a plastic chair with her head resting in her arms as they are neatly folded on the bed. Tony sits on the other side of the bed, exhaustion written all over his face as he fights to keep his eyes open.
Just as his eyes begin to flutter close, he hears a soft moan, which causes his eyes to snap wide open. He looks immediately at Pepper and when he sees it wasn't she who moaned, he looks at the young girl's face. He licks his dried lips and whispers, "Can you hear me? Are you awake?"
The girl's eyebrows furrow together while her eyes remain shut. Slowly, her lips part as another painful moan escapes her lips. Tony quickly jumps to his feet and says a bit louder, "Pepper, wake up. I think she's finally regaining consciousness." He glances at his sleeping wife and he sighs, saying louder again, "Pepper! Wake up."
Pepper lifts up her head as she yawns while rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. "I'm awake." She blinks hard to readjust to the light and she asks in a groggy voice, "What's wrong?"
"I think she's waking up. She's awake, Pepper." Tony smiles widely as he watches the young girl's eyes begin to open at a slow speed.
The child's emerald color eyes scan the room slowly, the blurriness slowly fading away as she blinks. She swallows and licks her dried lips while her mind tries to figure out where she is. The last thing she remembers, she was being choked by the man, Michael, and losing consciousness. She opens her mouth to say something, but her words are stuck in her throat.
"Don't try to speak." Tony quickly says and then adds with a sad smile, "You're safe now. It's okay."
"You're going to be okay, sweetie, you hear me? You are going to be just fine." Pepper says sweetly as she places her hand gently on top of the girl's hand.
The girl flinches at the sudden contact with another person, but she relaxes when her eyes lock with Pepper's sparkling ones. The girl stares at Pepper for a few moments before slowly turning her head to look up at the famous billionaire who no doubt saved her life. As she looks up at the tired man, she starts to remember him standing over her and she managed to whisper, "Iron Man", before everything went black.
"Can you tell me your name?" Tony asks quietly and then turns his head towards Pepper, "Can you get the doctor?"
She nods her head and quietly stands up. She looks at the girl one last time to offer her a reassuring smile before walking out of the room in search for Doctor Taylor. Of course, she knew she could have just pressed the red button, but she figured it would give the girl some time to adjust and give Tony some time to get some information of who the girl actually is.
The room holds thick silence that could be sliced with a knife as the two of them sit there without saying a word. It takes a few moments, but finally the girl opens her mouth and says, "W-Where's my… where's my doll?"
Tony's eyebrows shoot up at her question and he quickly turns around to pick up the doll that is covered in dirt off the small table. He walks back over to the bed and hands her the Iron Man doll with a small grin plastered on his face, "Here you go, kid."
She practically snatches it from his hands and hugs it tightly to her chest. She smiles, "Thank you."
"Now," He begins as he sits back down on the chair that's placed beside her bed, "can you tell me your name?"
She hesitates at first, searching his eyes, but the only thing she finds is reassurance and protection. She takes a deep breath, realizing she has nothing to fear, especially not when her all-time hero is in the same room with her. "My n-name is Isabella Rose. I'm seven years old."
Tony nods his head, now they are getting somewhere. "Hello, Isabella. I'm Tony Stark, which, er, of course you know that already. Can you tell me how you ended up with that man? Was he a relative or…?"
"No!" Isabella quickly says, her eyes large as tears threaten to spill. "He was not a relative."
"Okay, okay, he wasn't a relative." He puts up his hands defensively and then adds with his eyebrow raised, "Then, who was he?"
Isabella looks down at her doll and shrugs her shoulder, "His name is Michael. He works at an orphanage… t-the one I was at. He works for the owner of the place and they… they aren't nice to the girls there."
Yup, it was official; Tony now really wants to strangle the life out of that man. The rage burns inside the billionaire, but he sucks in a deep breath and tries his best to not go insane. "They weren't nice? Why were you at the orphanage? Where are your parents?"
The room hangs in silence once more and Tony can tell he hit a sensitive topic that she must not want to talk about. The thing is, he needs to know. He needs to know if there is a mother and father searching for their baby girl or if she is truly alone in the world. He needs to know if there is a relative that he can reach out to or this child has to return back to an orphanage that tortures her- no, he won't allow that. He won't let her suffer anymore and go back to that horrified place.
"My parents..." The girl whispers as she allows one single tear to roll down her bruised cheek, "My parents are dead. They died in a subway accident three years ago. I-I then lived with my aunt for two months before she died 'cause of cancer. Ever s-since then I have been living at the orphanage. I tried escaping a few times, but M-Michael always found me."
Tony didn't even realize how he was gripping the white sheets tightly in his fists until he looked down at his hands. He releases the sheets from his grip and sighs, "Isabella, you're safe now, okay?" He looks her straight in the eyes and then he lifts his finger to point it straight at her, "You're going to be safe from now on, if it's the last thing I do."
. . .
Doctor Taylor grins widely at Pepper and Tony as she closes her notepad and slides it into her pocket. "Well, well, well…" She turns her head towards Isabella so smiles up at the doctor, "Looks like you're going to be just fine."
"I am?" Isabella asks as her eyes widen and the corners of her lips curve upwards into a smile.
"She is?" Tony and Pepper both question in unison as they glance over at Isabella and then back at the doctor. They're relived she is going to be okay, but they surely weren't expecting her to after everything that has happened.
Doctor Taylor chuckles and nods her head, "That's right. I mean, she will need to take pills everyone morning when she wakes up and every night before she goes to bed to prevent seizures and these pills should also hopefully shrink the tumor and she will need to keep an inhaler with her at all times. Other than that though, including therapy, she will be alright. I just prefer she stays here for one more night before she is released, but I will need someone to actually release her to." The doctor glances between Pepper and Tony before clearing her throat, "If you need anything, you know where to find me. I will come back later to check on everything, too."
Instead of waiting for a reply, Doctor Taylor nods her head, turns around, and walks out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
"Mr. Stark…" Isabella's quiet voice interrupts the billionaire's thinking as she squeezes the Iron Man doll even tighter. "What is going to happen to me? You… you said I'm not going back to the orphanage, but then w-where else am I going?"
Pepper and Tony glance at each other and they search each other's eyes. Neither of them knows what to do; they're both clueless at this point in this situation. All they know is that they have a small child depending on them to find her a good, safe home.
Choosing to change the subject for now, Pepper offers her a smile and points to the doll in her arms, "So, is Iron Man your favorite superhero?"
There is absolutely no hesitation as she quickly nods her head and grins widely at the question. "Yup! I use to have a pair of Iron Man pajamas, but they got ruined. I love Iron Man… he's my hero!" She then looks over at Tony with the cutest and largest smile he has ever seen. She then adds quietly, "You're my hero."
Pepper's hand flies to rest over her chest where her heart is as she looks over at the child in awe while Tony stands there completely still and speechless. She knows those words affected her husband more than anyone could even imagine; those three simple words will be stuck in his head, repeating nonstop, for the rest of his life.
When the girl sees that Tony hasn't moved a muscle or said a single word, she frowns and looks down at her hands, "Did I say something wrong?"
Pepper's eyes widen in alarm and she quickly shakes her head, now speaking for her husband. "What? Oh, no! You said nothing wrong. He's just… surprised and… what you said meant a lot to him and he just doesn't know how to respond, that's all, sweetie."
She glances at him and then she smiles at Isabella, "Honey, can you give us one second? I just need to talk to him alone for a moment." When the child nods her head, Pepper marches over to Tony, grabs his arm, and yanks him to the other side of the room where Isabella can't hear them. "Tony! You have to say something. She thinks she said something wrong."
"I…" He tries to find the right words, but he lets out a frustrated sigh and runs a hand through his hair, "I just don't know what to say. Pepper… what are we going to do?"
"We need to find her a home or maybe another orphanage…?" Pepper suggests, but Tony shakes his head and gives her a disgusted look, "No! She's not going to anymore orphanages. They abused her, Pepper, physically, emotionally, and… sexually. She told me what they did to her and I promised her I won't let her be hurt again. I… I'm going to protect her."
"Then what do you suggest? She has no family, no relatives, no-" Pepper stops speaking in the middle of her sentence when she realizes what Tony is implying. "No. Tony, no! Are you crazy?"
"A child needs us." He simply says as he looks down at his wife. He grabs her hands and holds them tightly as he whispers, "This girl needs our help."
Pepper looks down at the white tile floor and sighs, "Then we help by finding her a home." She shakes her head and looks back up at the genius, "This girl is absolutely sweet and incredible, but we are not ready to take in a child. This is so sudden and-"
"-And nothing." He finishes the sentence for her with narrowed eyes. "I won't turn my back on her. She barely trusts us and I'm her favorite superhero. How do you think she will trust a complete stranger? It's sudden, but I think it is a good idea."
"Since when do you want to be a father all of a sudden? I know you admire how much she loves Iron Man, but you are not thinking clearly!" Pepper says as she cups his cheek in her hand, "I just do not think we are ready and if it is a good idea."
He shakes his head and lets out a frustrated huff, "Do I feel honored that she loves Iron Man? Of course! But despite the fact that police are shutting down that orphanage right now, I am still pissed that something like that went on and this child got seriously hurt! I… I may not be ready to be a father, but for this child who has suffered more pain than anyone in this world should? I surely will do my best. What do you say? Please, Pep, I need you to back me on this and trust me that I am making the right choice here."
The couple stands there, staring each other down for a few moments in absolute silence before Pepper tears her eyes away from his and looks over at the child. "Okay."
"Come on! Pepper, please, will you just reconsider-" He starts ranting, but then he shuts himself up when he realizes what she just said. "Wait, what?"
She laughs and shrugs her shoulder, "She's an adorable child who needs us and if you are ready… then I might as well be too. Now, let's go see if she wants this before we make any decisions, yeah?"
He smirks at his wife's words and then the two of them hurry back over to the bed where Isabella is patiently waiting for them. Tony sits down on the plastic chair while Pepper sits down on the edge of the bed and the two of them watch as the little girl looks up from staring at her doll and looks at the two of them with a questioning look.
"Isabella Rose," Tony begins with a small smile while deep down he is praying that she will be happy with this decision, "Pepper and I came up with an idea and we would like to know if it is okay with you."
She raises an eyebrow and waits for them to tell her their idea. Pepper and Tony exchange a look before Pepper continues on, "Well, we were thinking about what happens to you when you are released and who you are released to. We were talking and, well, how would you think to come back to the Stark Tower and stay with us?"
Isabella's eyes grow wide and she sits up a bit more, but winces at the sudden movement- her body is still sore and in the healing process. "You… you want me to… to live with you both?"
"That's right, kid! You get to live with Pepper and me in a very large tower. Sounds good, doesn't it?" He winks at her with a grin plastered on his face, "It's up to you, but… well, we would really like it if you agreed to come live with us."
"So… do you mean… well then you would both be my… my adopted parents?" Isabella whispers the last part, scared to see how they would react to her question.
Tony looks over at Pepper, who is chewing on her bottom lip, and then back at Isabella. "Well, if that's okay with you and if you want then-"
Before he can finish getting the words out of his mouth, Isabella ignores the pain that shoots through her body and leans over to wrap her small arms around Tony's neck. She smiles widely as she nods her head while another tear leaks out of her eye and rolls down her cheek. "Yes! I would love that! Thank you, Mr. Stark!"
"Hey! It's Tony and Pepper, got that?" Pepper says with a smirk as she watches the child release Tony and then Isabella gives her a tight hug. Pepper rests her chin on the girl's head and she winks at Tony, who only smiles back.
When the girl breaks the embrace and leans back against the pillows, she grins, "Do you have any Iron Man pajamas, by any chance?"
"Oh! You bet'cha I do! You're going to get everything, that's for sure, kid! Now, tomorrow we will get you out of here and move you right into the Stark Tower. It's a new life for you, kid, and I promise you it's going to be a good one." Tony winks and chuckles when Isabella's eyes widen and he sees hope shining in them.
"Thank you." Isabella whispers as she looks back and forth between Tony and Pepper. "Thank you for saving me and… and for being my hero."
Deep down, Tony knew she didn't mean Iron Man. No, she meant being Tony Stark and for coming when he did and saving her life. She meant for taking her to the hospital, saving her life, and now giving her a chance to have a new, happier life. He is a child's hero- and this time for not only being Iron Man, but for actually just being himself. He was this girl's hero and he swears that this day and on, he will always be there for her and he will never let another thing hurt her because he will always have her back and always watch over her.
Tony Stark glances over at Pepper and smiles, which she gladly returns the smile back. Neither of them are sure if they are ready to be parents, but for Isabella Rose, they will surely give it a shot and do their best to be amazing parents to this small, innocent child who now has a future to look forward to and she has them to depend on, always.