"Time is a very healing place, one in which you can grow."-Denise Tanner
My back ached from sleeping in such an odd position in that chair. My legs were over the arm rest. I did sleep well though, and that was good. I peered over at the clock on the nightstand. Then I remembered it wasn't digital and that I wouldn't be able to really see it. Slowly I got up from the chair, making sure I didn't cause any ruckus. Light on my feet, I made my way to the nightstand. Picking up the clock, I squinted at it. 9:00. I hadn't slept in that long in a while. I saw the covers move, and a quiet moan.
"Andrea?" He mumbled, sitting up in bed. "Hey sleepyhead." I said. His hair was completely a mess. Parts of it stuck up and others laid stick strait. "Did you sleep in that?" I asked him. "Yeah, definitely not the most comfortable." Tony said, referring to the leather pants. "Write your sizes down for me, okay?" He still looked half asleep. Running his hand along the table, he grabbed the aspirin. Taking two, he gulped both down. "Thanks, Pepper."
Right after he said it, his eyes closed shut and his nose wrinkled up. "So sorry. I'm sorry." About a year ago, I remember reading an article on her. At her young age, she had a heart attack. They found out she had a defect in her heart that was congenital (so she had it when she was born), but it was never caught. A few days after, she passed away. Tony was devastated. The press rumored about becoming severely depressed, and that wasn't hard to believe. I did feel bad for him, but I didn't know why he called me her. I didn't really look like her.
"Hey, it's alright." I whispered. Tony's hands covered his face and he rested his elbow on his knees. "I know what that feels like." I added. Tony's fingers parted, revealing his eyes, but he remained silent. "I had an older brother I was very close to, and when I went off to college, he passed away." This was something extremely personal, and I had no clue why I was telling him this. I blamed empathy for it, but empathy isn't a bad thing either. "He had down syndrome." I sort of blurted out. "It caused him a lot of medical problems, many to do with his heart. One day it just gave out." I took a seat next to him, unsure of what else to say. I just knew I had to say something. "I didn't even get to say goodbye because I was half way across the country by then." Tony removed his hands from over his eyes, and sat up strait.
"I almost chose the college that was very close to home. I regret it every day." I turned to face him. "I'm so sorry." He said. "Then, I think about what he would have wanted me to do. He helped me pick out a college. We toured them together." Painful memories bombarded my mind, but I pushed them aside. "Whenever I don't know what to do, I think, 'What would my brother say?'. That's what's gotten me though all these years." Tony just looked at me for a while. His hand hesitantly touched my shoulder. Without a word, he got up and headed into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. I took in a big breath. I hoped he would be alright.
After fixing my hair in the mirror in the room and putting my shoes on, I knocked on the bathroom door. "Tony, I'm going to go shopping for some food and clothes." A few seconds, the door opened up. Pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, he gave it to me. On a napkin he scribbled down his sizes. He still didn't say anything, but he smiled slightly when he gave it to me. "I'll be back soon." I opened the door. "Please, keep out of trouble." I added. His smile grew and I closed the door behind me.
I browsed a few stores, and I found a few dresses that weren't too bad. Eventually I found Levi jeans for girls. They fit a bit funny, but I was just glad to find pants. Shopping for Tony was hard. I had to find material that would cover the arc reactor. I did end up finding some though after some digging. I was surprised by how cheap everything was. Gas was only twenty-four cents! Now its four dollars! I enjoyed that part of my shopping trip.
I didn't have a car, but the cabs were so inexpensive, I was alright. I only had to use it once, and that was to the grocery store. I was looking for a Wallmart or a Hyvee or Target, but none of the above where here. Still, it was a cute little store with nice employees. Everyone dressed so nice and the slang was weird, but I was alright with that. I just had to watch what I said.
I gathered up milk (only a $1.01), some bread (a steal at 19 cents), then looked around for other essential things. I got some more shampoo and conditioner, razors, make up, and more aspirin. I tossed in some coke too. Grabbing other odds and ends, I made it to the register. My purchase was under fifty dollars and I about laughed at how cheap this was. Have fun with inflation!
I took the cab back to the hotel. My hands were absolutely full with groceries and clothes that I had to stick bags inside of other bags just to carry it in. Someone on the elevator was nice enough to push all the buttons for me. When I got to the door, I set everything down. Digging for the key, I finally found it and unlocked the door. Picking up the rest of the stuff, I headed on in. "Hey Tony-" Then I stopped.
Wires, screws, parts, and pieces were spread every which way all over the room. The TV was completely taken apart, along with two of the lamps. "Tony!" I yelled. His head peaked up from the side of the bed. "Oh, heeeey." He said sheepishly. "It looks like a tornado went though this room!" Everything was an absolute mess. Tony stood up and motioned to the whole room with his hands.
"No, I went through this room!" Well, looks like he's feeling better now. "Do you even know what you're doing?" I asked, setting the groceries on the counter tops in the kitchenette. Tony looked taken aback. "I'm an engineer!" He said with pride. "I'm an engineer!" I mocked him in a dopey sounding voice. "You'll never understand, lab rat." I laughed at the use of my nickname. It seemed like forever since I've heard it, when it's only been a few days. Yup, Dr. Freeman broke time.
"I'm sure I won't, grease money." He turned to face me. "Ha, I like that one!" I rolled my eyes as I put things away. Tony began to dig though the bags with clothes. I didn't realize he was only in his boxer shorts. "Thanks for the clothes." He said, sounding sincere. "You're welcome." I said with a smile. "Oh, for me?" He said. I forgot I threw a few of my things in his bag. I tried to keep them separate. Holding up the blue skirt I got, he pinned it to his waist with his hands. "How do I look? Too short? I don't really want to go for that kind of look." He got a good laugh out of me.
"Put it back Tony." He shrugged and tossed it into another bag before looking in that one. "That one is mine!" I yelled. Tony dropped it where he was standing. "Sorry! I didn't know. Lace though, really?" I rolled my eyes and began to put the last bag of food away. "Shut it, Stark." I warned. He wandered into the kitchen, opening everything that I had put stuff away in. "The bill came under $50." He about dropped the milk out of the small fridge. "Well, in 2013, I may be a billionaire, but here, I'm probably about a trillion." The thought seemed to please him, so I let him revel in his fancies.
Soon I had dinner on the table (well, we had to eat at the desk). "Sandwiches?" Tony asked. "Yeah, I bought lots of bread too, plus they are easy to make." He sat down and looked at me before picking his up. "What, afraid I poisoned it?" Tony shook his head no. Shrugging, I sat down and ate too. "It's awfully dark outside." I comment, trying to make light conversation. "Well, there's this thing called the sun, and it sets after 7 o'clock." I rolled my eyes. "But," He added, wiping his mouth. "You wouldn't know that, you're just a biochemist."
As we were getting ready for bed, Tony remained silent, just like at dinner. I was beginning to worry. Not that I would admit it to him or anything, but I was. "Did you change your bandage?" I asked, exiting the bathroom. I had bought myself some pajamas and they looked more comfy in their package then they actually were. "Yeah." He said. Yeah. That's it? No sarcastic comment on how it was oozing blood or how I probably messed up his body? "You can have the bed." He told me as he headed for the chair. "We can take turns."
I sat down at the end of the bed. "You sure you don't want it? That chair might be uncomfortable with those stitches in your side." He shook his head. "No, you can have the bed from now on. The stitches don't bother me that much actually." For some reason, I could still feel tension. I felt responsible for it though. It was awful to see someone who is so carefree and funny be down. "I was going to be a doctor, so I took a lot of premed classes. Then after I did biochem, I took a few for fun." Tony looked at me like I was crazy.
"Oh, so I am not going to major in it, but I still think it's fun, so just sign me up for a few of the hard ones." He mimicked in what I guess was suppose to be my voice. "Yeah, basically." I scooted up to the pillow and slid underneath the covers. "Nerd." He muttered. "Hey, so are you, engineer!" Tony had just turned off the lamp, but I heard a laugh. "Well, thank God that you took them anyways!" He said. Then it was silent for a while. I tossed in bed a bit. Tony's cologne was still on the pillow and blanket. Inhaling deeply, I decided I liked it. Musky, but spicy at the same time.
"I'm sorry." I heard out of nowhere. "Why?" I asked, propping up on my elbow. Even though I couldn't see him well, I could still see his illuminated chest. "When we first got here, and you told that man I was your special brother. I acted offended. I didn't know you had a brother like that, and one you were close to. Do I remind you of him?" He said the last bit quieter.
"Please, don't worry. It's not something I usually share with people. And yes, you do remind me of him. Not your arrogance and huge ego, but," I paused. I really didn't want to say. Forcing myself to, I continued. "He just understood me. I mean, he couldn't express it like you or I can, but I just knew." There was a long silence before Tony started talking again.
"You're just like her, really." I assumed he was talking about Pepper. "Organized, intelligent, too nice, and you have some good comebacks." It made me uncomfortable that he was comparing me to someone that he loved so much. Still, I was flattered, and completely thankful that the lights were off. I shifted hesitantly in bed. "Tony, you don't have to talk-"
He began in the middle of my sentence. "What you said to me earlier keeps rerunning itself in my mind. I keep thinking 'what would Pepper want me to do?' Thanks for that." The light that was shining so brightly on me soon dimmed as he shifted in the chair. "You're welcome." I whispered. "Goodnight Tony." I heard more shifting noises. "Goodnight you big nerd." With a smile, I drifted off to sleep.