A/N: Any of my stories are better read by using the half-screen option of . I write them with that intention, thus the continuously broken lines if read in wide mode

Thank you all so much for your feedback, alerts and favorites ^_^


Chapter 3

"Here's your juice, Mr. Stark. We only had strawberry flavor left, is that OK?" The nurse asked, having returned from the children ward for the third time to gather a drink for the billionaire.

Tony nodded, taking the small box of Juicy Juice from the nurse that had just delivered the news of his life. Once more, his shaking hands struggled to remove the small straw attached to the back of the container, and struggled even more to get the wrapping off it. The nurse, giving him a warm smile, grabbed the wrapped straw from Tony's fumbling hands.

"Here, let me help you."

Tony nodded again as he watched the nurse's dexterous hands take on the seemingly difficult task of unwrapping the small straw and placing it inside the container. Handing it back to Tony, he whispered a thank you to her before sipping on the juice. His blood sugar level had hit the floor when he had been asked about his baby and his intention of taking it home, and even Rhodey's sudden bolt of energy did not spook away his shock.

Fucking Rhodey; I'm gonna kill him!

After having three boxes of juice, Tony finally felt the tremors in his body beginning to subside. He was trying his best to calm down in order to be taken to the pediatric ward of the hospital, as this had been a condition he needed to fulfill to guarantee the visit to see his baby.

HIS baby.

HIS. BABY.

My. Child.

Suddenly, he needed one more juice to regain his composure.

"Oh, Mr. Stark!" the nurse said to get his attention. "You're little girl is so cute! She's gonna be a heartbreaker when she's older."

At the nurse's comment, Tony spat the contents of his mouth every which-a-way, which included the nurse's uniform and face. The nurse's smiling face turned to one of incredulity at Tony's reaction before she grabbed the closest rag to her to wipe off the liquid from her face. Tony immediately stood up, gesturing to the nurse his deepest apologies.

"It's OK, Mr. Stark. I-I'm gonna go change. I'll be right back."

"I'm sorry," he sincerely relayed to the poor woman once more as she neared the exit of the break room. He was just coming to terms with the idea of having baby, but having a girl just complicated things for him, tenfold. How was he supposed to keep the creeps, like her daddy used to be, off his little girl?

Acknowledging his apology, the nurse finally left the room, leaving the still stunned Tony to stew in his thoughts. He grabbed a tissue to clean the juice off his face before resting his head and back against the chair he was sitting on.

A baby. Pepper and I have a baby…a girl.

Now that he was alone with his contemplations, the magnitude of his new situation finally dawned on him. Little over 36 hours ago, he had been a lonely man planning on living the rest of his life by himself and with his dog. Today, he was the father of the daughter of his once presumed dead girlfriend, who had mysteriously crashed on a coast in a different country. Just yesterday he had cared for no one but himself. Today he had a living girlfriend, a daughter, and a dog to protect.

He should have taken his nap earlier when he had the chance.

To add worry to shock, he knew he had to call Pepper's parents to tell them the news that not only were they the parents of a living Pepper again, but also the grandparents of their child; a child born out of wedlock.

I'm screwed.

His quiet self-pity fest was interrupted by a knock on the door by the nurse returning after cleaning up. His eyes darted to her, and his anxious state earned him a smile. "Are you ready to meet your daughter, Mr. Stark?"

He took one last sip of his juice before throwing it in the nearest trashcan. He stood up and wordlessly followed the nurse down the hall and into the elevator. Once there, the nurse pressed the button for the 7th floor, and he held his breath, staring at the numbers slowly blinking on an off as they headed up. A few seconds later, the doors finally opened to reveal a long hall, not much different than the floor where Pepper was being held. The nurse pointed Tony to exit the elevator, which he immediately did.

Once out, Tony followed the nurse to the middle of the hall where they made a right, walked to the middle of it again, and made a left. After only a few steps, Tony was faced with a long glass wall, showing many cribs filled with babies on the other side of where he stood.

"Wait right here, Mr. Stark. I'll bring her right out."

Tony nodded, unable to say anything as the butterflies in his stomach made it difficult to think. He watched the nurse walk inside the room and head straight to a middle crib. She carefully picked up a tiny baby wrapped in pink clothes before turning around and exiting the room with the child in her arms. Tony held his breath as the bundle was taken to him.

"Hello, baby Stark, it's time to meet your daddy."

Tony's eyes glued to his daughter, in awe at how tiny she was. He quickly determined that in Pepper's condition, the baby was probably malnourished. The lack of nutrients, however, had no impact on the cute looks of her. The nurse had been correct; she was going to be a heartbreaker.

Just like her daddy.

"Would you like to carry her?"

Tony looked at the nurse and then back at baby Stark, unconsciously extending his arms to take her in. The nurse could tell Tony had never held a baby before, so she took a moment to show him the proper way to do so. After making sure he was correctly holding her, the nurse excused herself to give the new father time alone with his daughter. Tony's smile came to him without even realizing it, the girl in his hands already filling his heart with joy.

"Hey, cutie! Do you know who I am?" He asked, quickly being able to tell this was definitely Pepper's little girl. The signature freckles and red hair were already visible on the infant, and while her eyes were still closed, he could already appreciate she had inherited his curled eyelashes.

Not once in a million years had he ever seen himself becoming a father. After his failed attempts at bonding with his own progenitor, he had sworn that if he was not able to be the best dad he could be he would rather not be a father at all. The board of directors at SI had been more than happy with that, since the lack of a successor meant the members of the board could take over the controlling interest of the company at the moment of Tony's passing.

A few years ago he had not cared if the company went under. Today, at this very moment, there was no way in hell he would leave his daughter and her mother without a roof or means to live in case he was not around.

Tony's light movements caused baby Stark to wiggle, slowly opening her eyes to reveal the largest set of brown eyes he had seen on someone other than himself. He expected the newborn to start screaming bloody murder any moment now, but when she just stared back at him with inquisitive eyes, he could not help the chuckle that escaped him. "Do you want to come home with me?"

His question brought to him the realization that, as much as he wanted to bring the baby home this very moment, he could not –at least not until he made some phone calls to prepare the penthouse for her arrival. After what felt as if it were just seconds but had been almost five minutes, the nurse reappeared in front him, giving him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, but I've got to take her back. We can discharge her as soon as you're ready, but not until we are sure certain precautions will be taken upon her departure."

Tony gave his girl one last smile before reluctantly handing her back to the nurse, who took her in with the same caution Tony had been holding her. "Be careful, she's tiny," he said.

The nurse chuckled at the already worrying new father, assuring him she was going to be alright. "Let me get her back to her crib for dinner time, and I'll meet you later to discuss what you'll need to do to take baby Stark home."

"OK, just…you know, please be…"

"We will; don't worry."

"Right! OK, uhm…I'll see you downstairs," he finally said, following the path of baby Stark's trek with his eyes. Once she was hidden behind the crib, he turned around and returned to the elevator. He pressed the button for the 3rd floor and waited for the doors to open. Once they did, he stepped out to the hall and as he rounded the corner, he saw Happy and Rhodey talking to the same two doctors that had visited them earlier.

Rhodey gulped at seeing Tony approach them, and avoided his glare at all costs. Once Tony arrived to join the group, he crossed his arms and stared at everyone present; not at all comfortable with the silence that had befallen them as soon as he had arrived.

"So, what's the deal here?" he asked in his all-business voice.

"We would like to move Ms. Potts to another floor, out of the ICU," the female doctor said.

"Why? Where? Not to the morgue, I hope."

"Not, not at all," the male doctor responded. "We only had her here to prevent the news of her arrival from reaching the media. She's not in critical condition, so a regular room will suffice."

"OK? When will she wake up?"

"We, actually, don't know why she hasn't woken up yet. She's not in a comatose state. Her lungs and heart are working properly. The lacerations on her body have been disappearing every day. We're feeding her via IV and she has gained some weight-"

Tony's head snapped back, holding up a hand in front of him to stop the doctor's analysis. "Whoa! You mean to tell me she was skinnier than this?"

"The most prominent flesh came from her pregnant belly."

It was now Happy's turn to look taken aback. His head snapped several times between Tony and Rhodey, eyes wide in surprise and not believing his ears. "Boss, you have a kid?"

Tony smiled at Happy's old nickname for him, knowing how silly it was for him to continue using it. Yes, Happy had been Tony's bodyguard for ages, but it had been a long time since Tony had ceased being his immediate superior. After taking over the Head of Security position at SI, and recovering from the attack caused by the Mandarin –and losing his pinky finger on his left hand due to it, Tony had thought that Happy would move on from using such a title for him.

Rhodey's loud clearing of his throat was not unnoticed by the uncomfortable-looking doctors and Tony, making the latter narrow his eyes at his friend, remembering he still owed him a chat.

"Yes, Happy. A girl, tell you later, OK?" Tony said in a hurry, attempting to focus his attention to the doctors' information. Rhodey's throat clearing became even louder at Tony's statement.

"Alright! Congrats!" Happy stated as he swatted Tony's arm. Tony nodded quickly before returning his attention to the medics.

"Anyway. If she's alright but just hasn't woken up, can I take her home?"

"It might become a possibility in a couple of weeks. We'd like to run some more tests and begin treatment to help her finish cleaning her up. Depending on her reaction to the procedures, we can discuss her discharge in about two weeks."

"Fair enough. When will you move her?"

"Immediately, we just needed your signed consent," the female doctor explained as she took out a piece of paper from the folder she carried. Tony grabbed the pen she offered him and signed the transfer. After thanking Tony for his cooperation, the doctors again disappeared down the hall, leaving the three men to stare at each other.

Tony caught the look of longing in Happy's eyes as he stared at Pepper's door, remembering he was not the only one relieved to learn Pepper had survived. He was probably the one that missed her the most, but that did not mean other people were not happy to have her back.

"Hey, Hap. Why don't you go see her?"

Happy's mouth dropped at the suggestion, not sure if Tony was joking. Tony was not known for sharing Pepper time. Then again, he was not known to be a bad friend either.

"Maybe I shouldn't, since they're moving her, you know?"

Tony shrugged. "Tell you what? Why don't you make sure she's taken care of during the transfer while I talk to Rhodey about something, uh?"

With a nod, Happy made his way inside Pepper's room, leaving Tony and Rhodey alone to talk.

xxxXXXxxx

After examining every inch of Pepper's new room, Happy Hogan walked out of it, saluting his boss to relay his approval of the new accommodations. Tony saluted back as he stood up, making his way inside Pepper's room, eager to see her again. Happy allowed the couple some privacy and walked towards Rhodey, sitting next to him, taking up the seat Tony had just relinquished.

"That's a good look for you, Rhodey," Happy said, pointing to the new black eye the General sported despite the continuous glare from Rhodes.

"Shut up, Happy," Rhodey warned, earning him a light chuckle from Hogan.

"So, Tony seems normal."

Rhodey's raised eyebrows and slumped shoulders caused Happy to shrug. "You know what I mean. I'd figured he'd be, I don't know…freaking out?"

"He did; you just didn't see it."

"Ah!" Happy whispered. "I'm happy."

"And I'm Rhodes. Your point?"

"What? Oh! Not that!"

"What? Oh! Whatever, I'm still recovering from the beating," Rhodey said, realizing his mistake before chuckling to himself. "I'm happy for them, too."

"I can't believe she made it," Happy began. "It's a goddamned miracle. She better wake up soon, though. Tony needs her; their daughter needs her."

"I know. You should've seen her when I found her, Happy. As bad as she looks right now, she looks MUCH better than before. And, as much as I want her to wake up, at the same time I don't."

"Why?"

"Think about it, man. What if the Pepper we all knew is no longer there? A fall like that; it can really mess you up. Memory loss? Nerve damage? Brain damage?"

"Mhmm, I…I hadn't really thought about that. I guess the doctors can't tell if there's memory damage until she wakes up."

Rhodey shook his head. "I just hope she at least remembers Tony, even if it's just the old Tony. If not…we're gonna need to tie him up so he doesn't do something stupid."

"Tie him up? Psh, he might enjoy that. As far as the stupid prevention technique…meh, not so much we can do about it. I mean, it's Tony."

"True," the General said as he stared at the door. Happy followed the path of his eyes as they both silently prayed their greatest fears were everything but true.

xxxXXXxxx

"Honey, can you hear me?" Tony asked the sleeping woman as he leaned over and kissed her forehead. He then sat on the edge of the much larger bed to which Pepper had been transferred. His back faced the entrance so that he could look at her. He held her hand in both of his, absentmindedly rubbing circles on it as he spoke to her as if she were awake and responding.

"Guess who I met today? Our daughter! She's beautiful, Pepper. She has your hair, but she has my dashing eyes."

The setting sun and diminishing light coming from the window caught his attention for a minute. He let go of her hand and bent down, taking off his shoes and throwing them under the bed. He then slowly climbed onto the bed and placed his body sideways next to hers, getting as close to her as he could. He rested his weight on his left arm so that he was able to look down at her as he continued his one-sided conversation.

"You know, I got a dog. I named him Jarvis. He's good company. You're gonna love him."

He rearranged her hair so that it was placed away from her face, allowing him to see more of it –or as much as he could with the dimming light. "What is that? You don't like my haircut? I'll have it cut tomorrow, how is that?"

The silently pleading man removed his weight from his arm, placing his head on the side of her pillow and surrounding her waist with his right arm. He knew that if it was not for his money and his threat to the doctors, he would have not been allowed to be where he was at the moment. He planned to take full advantage of the opportunity he had, hospital rules and regulations be damned.

"I'm gonna buy us a nightlight when you move in back with me," he continued his random babbling. "We won't be able to use my reactor for it, anymore. I took it out, Pepper. It's gone," he said as he tapped his chest to prove his point. "I'm now just another average Joe. No more saving the world for me. No more headaches for you. When you wake up…" he began before sighing.

"You'll…you'll stick around, right?" he asked as he closed his eyes.

"I can't believe you're here, Pep. I'd given up…I thought…" he began before exhaling. "I still love you, Pepper. I still do."

Allowing his body to rest, Tony took one last deep breath before losing himself to sleep. Had he remained awake for just a handful more of seconds, he would have noticed the small smirk on his companion's face.


A/N: Any guesses as to what will happen next? I just watched IR3 for the second time, yesterday. I want the movie on DVD NAO!