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Words: 3,003

It's no surprise to the billionaire when he gets no sleep. He hadn't thought he would anyway, but on top of the uncomfortable chair making his back ache, a nurse would come in every few hours to check on Ada. They tried to be quiet, he'd give them that, but at the smallest noise, he was alert once more.

At exactly six am, Pepper appears in the doorway. If Tony didn't know any better, he'd say she looked as put together as always. But there are bags under her eyes. They're covered with concealer but he can see them. Her hair is slightly more frizzy than normal and there are wrinkles in her casual clothes.

"Did you get any sleep?" She asks him as she hands him a cup of coffee. Food and Drinks weren't necessarily aloud here, but Tony doesn't question it.

"Did you?" He mumbles into the cup, ignoring the look Pepper throws him over her shoulder. She's standing next to Ada's bed, pushing a strand of hair from the girl's face.

"Goodmorning, sweetie," Pepper speaks to her as if she were awake. "Peter and May are going to come by soon. Stay as long as they can." Turning her head away from the girl, Pepper talks to Tony. "I spoke to Steve, told him what happened. They want to come by too. I told them the visiting hours."

Tony nods his head without lifting it from where it's resting against his hand. He had been at the compound when he got the call. So when he suddenly dropped everything to rush out of the building, face deathly pale, the others had raised questions that he hadn't stuck around to answer.

The door sliding open has both adults turning to see a nurse entering. Tony honestly isn't sure if it's the same one that's been in and out all morning or not. "Sorry for barging in." She apologizes, closing the door behind her. "I have Ada's personal effects." She holds out a small bag to Tony who takes it quickly. "I'm just going to check on her quickly then I'll be out of your hair. But she is scheduled for a scan at nine to check the swelling in her brain."

"Thank you," Pepper nods to her before the nurse looks over Ada's stats and checks her IV's. Tony looks down at the clear bag in his hands. It's small, only holding a few items. Ada's phone, which is dead. Some chapstick, a key, a necklace, and a ring. The necklace pendant gives him a pause but Tony shakes his head before placing the bag aside.

The nurse leaves soon without another word. Tony stays in his seat and Pepper pulls up another chair to sit next to Ada, holding the teenager's uninjured hand in her own. She talks to her easier than Tony can. He envy's that.

Peter and May appear not long later. And even though they're one over the visitor limit, no one says anything. "Here, Peter," Pepper stands from her chair, allowing the boy to sit before she joins Tony and Pepper. "It's okay to talk to her." She reminds him when she sees the lost look in his eyes.

Lifting his hand in a stuttering manner, Peter hesitates to rest it on Ada's. He bites his lip when he feels his eyes heat up and when the first tear falls, he stands from the chair so quickly it slides back before he bolts from the room. May calls after him but he ignores her and turns into the empty hall past the rooms in this section.

He breaths deeply, chest heaving. The tears are pouring from his eyes but he doesn't make a sound as he runs his hands through his hair before balling his hands into fists, pulling on his brown locks.

"Pete?" The teenager doesn't let it show how much the voice surprises him. Instead, he keeps his back to them and sniffs while wiping his face. "Peter."

Finally spinning on his heels, Peter looks at Mr. Stark with broken eyes and whispers. "I'm Spider-Man," He gestures to himself, standing his ground when Tony slowly walks to him. "I he-help people, it's what I do. But how, how am I supposed to help her? She's my best friend and I can't do anything but sit here."

"Oh, kiddo," Taking the last step between them, Mr. Stark wraps his arms around the boy and holds him tight as he cries into his shoulder. "You can help her. By being there, talking to her. Letting her know you're here." Rubbing Peter's back, Tony takes a deep breath. "And when she wakes up, she's going to need you more than ever."

"What if she doe-"

"Don't even think that."

"But the doctor said she might not wake up."

"Kid, Ada is going to wake up." Tony states sternly, grabbing the boy's shoulders and looking him right in the eye. "She's going to wake up and she's going to be fine." Not for the first time, Tony wonder's if he's trying to convince the person he's talking too, or himself. "Now, what do you say we get back in there? I think you've worried your aunt."

"Yeah, sorry," Peter nods and wipes his eyes but Mr. Stark only claps the boy on the shoulder and shakes his head.

"Don't be sorry, Pete." Pausing outside the right door, Tony turns to the boy, taking in his face before throwing his arm over his shoulders and ushering him inside.

"Sorry," Peter mumbles again when May takes him into her arms, his voice muffled by her shoulder.

"It's okay, sweetie," May tells him while running her hand over his hair. "It's okay."

When they pull apart, Peter lets his aunt wipe his cheeks before he retakes the empty seat next to the hospital bed, this time taking his friend's hand without hesitation. "Uh, hey," He mumbles. He feels a little weird talking to her when she's not awake, but he'd do it even if the chance she could hear them was small. He didn't want her to think she was alone. "So, MJ and Ned are coming by later. Um, I think MJ will be disappointed, she was really excited to give you your gift. Not that she acted like it, you know how she is."

Peter continues to ramble to his friend, falling into his easy, talkative self while the adults stand behind him, either watching or talking amongst themselves.

When visiting hours are over, May and Peter stay until a nurse asks them to leave. And they go with the promise to come back. And after much convincing from Pepper, Tony leaves to shower and try to get some rest while she stays with their daughter.

Doctor Anderson stops by while he's gone. Pepper thinks about waiting for Tony to get back but decides against it. Anderson is busy, he's taking this time to talk to her now, she'd listen and inform her fiancé later.

"Well, it's good news," Pepper isn't sure she's ever released such a big sigh of relief. She braces a hand on the edge of the bed and Anderson offers her a smile. "The swelling has gone down. Not as much as I'd like, if I'm honest, but it looks good. If it keeps at this rate, it should be gone completely in a day or two."

"What else?" Pepper questions, narrowing her eyes at the man when he pauses.

"It's not surprising," He says like a warning. "But Ada still isn't breathing on her own."

"Okay," Pepper nods, clearing her throat and wrapping one arm around her middle, resting her other elbow on it and chewing her nail. It was an old habit, a nasty one she thought she'd gotten over.

"Don't be discouraged," Anderson tells her but Pepper can't help but think that's easier said than done. "We're keeping a close eye on her. The thing that has us most worried right now is her white blood cell count. It's a little high, which is evidence of infection, so we're going to start her on a round of antibiotics."

"Alright," Pepper releases a breath and looks over her shoulder at the teenager lying in the bed. Her teenager. "Thank you."

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to let us know." Anderson says before leaving her alone.

Tony returns - somehow looking more tired than when he left - when he can and Pepper fills him in on what the doctor had told her. She hates the look in his eyes. Helpless and lost. Tony is used to fixing things. It's rare for him to find something he can't fix. And he can't fix this, only sit and twiddle his thumbs. For someone like Tony, that could drive him mad.

He mentions getting another doctor to consult. Not that he hadn't done an extensive background check on Dr. Anderson, who was a really good doctor. But this was his kid they were talking about. He needs to know that he's doing everything he can to make sure she's going to be okay.

When the next visiting hour arrives, Ned, Mj, and Peter find their way into their friend's hospital room along with Ned's mother. One again exceedingly the number of visitors at once. And again, no one says anything.

Ned stays close to his mom, lower lip wobbling. Peter tries to comfort his best friend with a hand on his shoulder, tries to assure him that Ada's going to be okay. But that's a hard thing to do when you're not sure you believe it yourself.

MJ's face gives nothing away. Anyone who looks at her would assume nothing is wrong. She plops down in the chair next to Ada's bed, pausing for only a second before talking to her friend like it was any normal day.

They wanted to bring flowers but they weren't allowed in the ICU. MJ grumbles about it for a minute before telling Ada flowers are overrated. She then proceeds to pull a fake apple blossom from her pocket and place it on the little, wheeled table beside the bed.

Pepper steps forward after a while, telling the children they can all stay until someone asks them to leave but also informing them of the messages blowing up her phone. A group of anxious heroes are waiting impatiently for their turn to visit as well.

"I'm sure you're tired of these losers anyway," MJ says to Ada, pushing herself to her feet. She places her hand on top of her friends and squeezes before striding out the door. Ned, Peter, and Mrs. Leeds say their goodbyes and walk out with Pepper, leaving Tony in the room.

"I don't know about you, kid, but this day feels like it's never going to end." He says to the girl, perching carefully on the side of her bed. It still wasn't easy, looking at her, seeing the tube down her throat, and the bandage on her head. Her closed eyes. But he can't not look. If he did, she might disappear. "And I can't deal with Clint right now, if Legolas comes in here and runs his mouth, my brain might explode."

"That's because you need sleep." Pepper tells him from her place by the door.

Shaking his head, Tony takes Ada's hand. "Just say the word and no more visitors today." As if waiting for a response, neither adult speaks or a moment but Pepper soon finds her voice.

"I don't think the people waiting outside this door would like that."

"Well, it's not up to them, is it?" Tony asks his fiancée, finally looking up to meet her eyes. "Might as well let them in before they cause a ruckus in the hallway." He waves lazily at her and stands from the bed.

The door slides open and Pepper moves to the side to allow Sam and Natasha entry. Sure, it's one over the limit but they were still trying to keep it closer to the rules. A nurse or two may have thrown them a disapproving glance once or twice.

Natasha approaches Tony, surprising the man by pulling him into a hug. He almost makes a sarcastic remark but can't bring himself to do anything other than accept the comfort she's offering.

"Hello, little one," She's moved to Ada's side, brushing back the same lock of hair that Pepper had that morning.

Sam, taking up space on the other side of the bed, rests a hand on Ada's knee over the blanket, eyes roaming over her face. It would never get easier, watching those around him get hurt. His friends, the people he's fought beside. His family. This girl, his honorary little sister...it never gets any easier.

Pepper decides to tell them the basics of what the doctor had told her earlier, standing by Natasha's side. Tony takes the time, knowing that these three people were watching over Ada, to sit in the chair and place his head in his hands and close his eyes. Just a quick rest while he knows there are multiple people he trusts to watch over his kid.

"Tony," A voice in front of him has Tony's head snapping up, his blurry eyes blinking. "I think you should leave with us, get some rest." Natasha tells him, her voice softer than he's ever heard it. She's knelt on the floor in front of his chair to meet his eyes easier. He must have dozed off.

"You guys going?" He asks instead of acknowledging her statement. How long had be been sitting there?

"Yeah, if we don't, the others will bust back here, cause an unnecessary scene." Sam nods, now on the side of the bed closest to the door.

"I don't doubt it." He mumbles while running a hand down his face.

"Tony," Nat says again. "Come get some sleep. You look like you're about to fall over."

"I can't," He shakes his head. "I can't leave."

"She's not going anywhere," Nat tells him while Pepper steps forward, kneeling next to the woman.

"I'll be here," She reminds him, taking his hand into her own. "And the others are in the waiting room, ready to visit. You're no good when you can't keep your eyes open. And you know what Ada would say."

"'That's not healthy'." The words are out of his mouth immediately. That's exactly what she would say, he can hear her voice in his head. See her shaking her head at him in disappointment. "Pep-"

"I got her," Pepper assures him, squeezing his hand. "She's okay. I'll call you if anything changes."

Glancing over his fiancée's shoulder, Tony gazes at Ada for a long moment before giving a weak nod. "I'll take him back to the apartment." Natasha tells Pepper, giving the woman a quick hug while Tony stands and nearly stumbles to Ada's side.

"Hey, kid," He mumbles, reaching for that same strand of hair. "Uh, I gotta go for a bit. I think these guys will drag me out if I don't go willingly, so, I'm choosing my battles." He takes her limp hand in both of his, cradling it like it's the most fragile thing in the world before setting it back on the pillow it'd been resting on. "I..." Pausing, Tony bites the inside of his cheek and shakes his head. "I'll be back soon."

Tony kisses Pepper before allowing Natasha and Sam to lead him into the waiting room where the others are. He'd heard them say it, but for some reason, his mind hadn't computed the fact that some of the others were here.

Steve and Clint stand in a corner, Rhodey sitting next to Wanda and Vision. Tony's glad they figured out how to make him look like a human. Having all the avengers in a hospital waiting room draws enough attention, having a bright red guy standing around wouldn't help. Though everyone did their part to look a little less noticeable with a cap, hoodie or sunglasses.

Rhodey sees him first and stands from his seat, striding towards his best friend until his arms are wrapped around his shoulders. "How is she?" He asks after pulling away but Tony doesn't answer, only waves his hand tiredly. Sam nods as if telling him he'd catch him up later. "The others are still at the compound. We weren't all going to come but it was a fight and..." He gestures lazily to the other people he'd come with.

"She'd hate this fuss." Tony mumbles, eyes watching but not registering Wanda and Vision approaching them.

"Yeah," Rhodey cracks a smile but it doesn't reach his eyes. "But they're stubborn. Wouldn't wait any longer."

"I'm gonna take him home," Nat tells the man, hand holding tightly to Tony's. He's grateful for that, his feet feel unsteady. "Make him get some rest. Pepper is still back there. Two or three of you can go back."

"Thanks," Rhodey nods, patting his friend on the shoulder before Nat leads him outside, leaving Sam to talk to the ones who don't hurry back into Ada's room.

Oh, man, hard stuff.

To (clarify/answer?) Pun Queen's review, a family member of mine was hospitalized for a really long time, in and out, due to a brain injury. I'm using those experiences for this.

And thank you guys for the deep breaths lol. They really helped.

Should update tomorrow.

Teaser: Nothing about this situation is good