"Honey, she's not coming," Maria reminded her son.
"I know," he replied, though he couldn't help but glance the clock once again. It was 10:38 in the morning and Pepper's final had started an hour and thirty eight minutes ago. For some stupid reason, a part of Tony was hoping she had finished and was on her way over to see him before he was wheeled into the operating room for prep.
He laid back down on the bed and frowned. As time was winding down, he became more anxious. Then, as if on cue, Dr. Ashford walks in. The doctor greeted his father and smiled at his mother.
"We're ready to take him in. The surgery should last no more than four hours. We'll try our best to get all of it out, but like I told you several times before, sometimes it's just not possible. Based on MRIs and his CTs, we should not have a problem removing the tumor, but if it affects any of his motor processes in the slightest, we need to talk about undergoing chemotherapy as an alternative option. Now that's not something new to either of you. It is however the patient's choice, and Tony and I will talk about it more in detail should the need for the process occur. He will be awake the entire time because of the tumor's location. There are going to be electrodes in place so I can locate and avoid the functional areas of his brain. Every thirty minutes I'll have the nurse ask him to talk, count, look at pictures, move his arm. Another nurse will be there to monitor his vitals; help Tony remain as calm as possible, or as one possibly can given the extent of his circumstances."
"Updates?"
"Of course, Mr. Stark. Every hour on the dot I'll make sure someone comes out to gives you the details."
That's what Howard wanted to hear.
"You ready to for this, Tony?"
Tony nodded, acknowledging Dr. Ashford and his question.
"Great. I'll see you in five minutes."
Maria walked over to her son and bent down to place a kiss on his forehead. She gave her son a warm smile and said, "I love you. Please do well."
"I love you too," he replies with a smile.
"We'll see you in four hours, okay, kid?"
He turned at his father's words. "Yeah."
Howard gave his son's shoulder a squeeze as the nurses wheeled him off. As soon as Tony was out of sight, he let out a deep breath and turned to Maria. "This is going to be hell."
About two hours later was when Pepper arrived. The instant she walked into his room, she halted in place. She did not expect his parents and now that she was face to face with them she didn't know how to proceed.
"Pepper, please, come in," Maria invited warmly.
"Hi, Mrs. Stark. I can see how drained you are."
"Howard and I haven't slept in almost twenty four hours. I literally feel like I need to be a sloth for a day."
Pepper let out a small laugh and turned to the male figure in the room the second he spoke.
"Is this the girl from high school?"
"Yes," his wife answered.
"Fine, then she can stay. Now quit block the television."
Maria shook her head at her husband's rudeness. "Have a seat, sweetheart. Tony's doing fine. One of the nurses just came in to give us an update. They've isolated the tumor, he's passing the questions he's been asked and his reflexes are perfect. In another two hours, he should be out. It's crazy even with the reassurances he's going to be fine, I still can't help but thinking maybe fifteen minutes from now, all that can change. It's hard, sitting here."
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Pepper said. She knew no matter what she said, nothing could calm the thoughts of a mother. Telling her not to worry or think about it would be impossible.
"I was just going through some old pictures to get my mind off the operation. Look at this one." Maria handed her phone over to Pepper and smiled. "He just turned two and he had to have that piece of lemon. Tony had bite it, must have been am minute before, and hated it, but for some reason he wanted to shove it back in his mouth again. It was ridiculous, I couldn't believe it. I guess it's how all babies are around that age. They don't make much sense, but it's adorable."
"Did he have blue eyes?"
"He had them until he turned three. I really miss them."
Pepper smiled at the next picture. They were at an amusement park of some kind and Tony was on a horse on the carousel. His dad was standing next to him with his hand on his son's back for support. Tony was pointing up at the top, his focus on all the decorations.
"Howard will never admit it, but he has this picture up somewhere in his office," Maria whispered.
Pepper laughed and swiped to the next one. She spent the next two hours going through photos and eventually was left alone in the room when his parents decided to stretch their legs and grab dinner. The nurse had said Tony would be out in another twenty minutes and would be wheeled into the ICU unit for overnight monitoring. She must had fallen asleep after hearing the news because the next thing she knows is she is being woken up by a light tap on her shoulder.
"He's out," Maria said with a smile.
"Oh, he is?" Her mind had gone to an instant state of alertness.
"He's a bit sleepy, but he's alright."
"Can I see him?" She asked because she didn't want to intrude.
"Of course."
Pepper followed Maria in silence. They rode the elevator to the sixth floor and turned once they stepped out. His room was the second door on the wing.
"Oh, good, Mrs. Stark. I was just talking to your husband. Can I have a word with you out in the hall?" Dr. Ashford was still in scrubs attire. "I have some news about your son's operation. I'll try to make it quick. I know you're both tired."
Tony couldn't move much, he was tired, but he smiled the instant he saw Pepper's face cross his field of vision. "Hi," he mumbled.
"Hey," she whispered as she came closer to his bed. "I know it'll never happen, but if you ever decide to shave your head...don't."
He chuckled. "I'd be exhausting, but I'm tired."
"Get some rest." She sat down in the chair next to his bedside and fell asleep along with him.
A few hours later and she was again startled by someone lightly shaking her awake. She was embarrassed when she saw a nurse.
"I'm sorry to wake you, but visiting hours are almost over." Nurse Jackie picked up the clipboard next to Tony's bed and recorded his vitals. There were some changes she'd become aware of. He had on an oxygen mask and the tube inserted at his head bandage seemed unnerving. Monitors surrounded him and various drips were inserted into his arm and wrist.
"Can I ask if he's hooked to these tubes because of something?"
"Oh, no, honey. He's fine," the nurse assured. "The drips are to give him his medicine and fluids, others are to measure his BP, heart rate, and urine output. What's attached to his operation site is an EVD. It helps drain out any excess fluid. He also has a nasogastric tube down his throat as an extra precaution. They're protocols we take for every patient to ensure they have the best care, especially for those who have had strenuous operations as his."
"Does it hurt?" she curiously inquired.
"You mean if he's feeling any sort of pain? No, he isn't. My guess is he hasn't felt this good in awhile, but it's going to be entirely different once he wakes up."
An incredibly stressful two days pass. She was finally free from school, so that was checked off, but then there was Tony. He seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness for the most part and that worried her because she hadn't been able to hold a conversation, or rather, he hadn't been able to hold a conversation with anyone for longer than fifteen seconds. Dr. Ashford said it was normal, his brain needed to heal, and no one had a choice but to believe him. Since then, she kept herself busy. She hoped there'd be news about him soon because she was leaving Los Angeles for the next three weeks to vacation in Maryland.
"Hey, Pepper. Tony's awake," Rhodey informed via an unexpected phone call.
She immediately halted in her steps. "What? Really? When did this happen?"
"About two hours ago. I wanted to make sure the wake up was permanent before I called, so I hope you can understand. If you could stop by, I'm sure he would love to see you."
"I'd like that. Thank you." She hung up the phone and smiled. This was going to be a good day.
"They say you can't have water unless a nurse is here. They're afraid you'll choke or something," Rhodey said, handing Tony a cup of ice chips.
"That is beyond stupid."
"I don't make the rules."
He grabbed the cup and sighed. He had woken up to strange beeps and panicked. Dr. Ashford was quickly paged into the room, and as soon as he saw the doctor's face, he relaxed. His presence triggered his memory and he'd been so relieved once he was told that the tumor was completely extracted from his brain. He still a felt a bit out of it, but in another hour or so, maybe he'd feel more alert. That was when he had to test both his cognitive and neurological functions. His results would help determine if he needed any form of physical or occupational therapy.
He leaned back into the pillow, fighting the much needed desire to close his eyes.
"Tony, if you're tired, I'd-"
He shook his head with whatever energy was left.
"Yeah? Tell that to your brain," Rhodey retorted as his best friend began to slip into unconsciousness. He thought about telling him Pepper was coming, but he didn't. Rest was more important.
"He's asleep?"
Rhodey's head snapped up at Pepper's voice and nodded. "Yeah, you just missed him by ten seconds."
"Oh," she sadly said to herself. She walked into the room and up to Tony's bed. Her hand instinctively sat on top of his as her eyes took in his appearance. His cheeks were a little pale but he looked well.
"Tony still has some drugs in his system, so he is going to pass into a light sleep from time to time. He tried to stay awake, but his body wanted otherwise. I guess two hours was enough to tire him out."
"He was tired after he came out of the OR."
"Yeah, these past couple months, he hasn't gotten a lot of sleep. His headaches kept him up all night."
"Did he seem the same to you?"
"From the conversation we had, yeah, he's till him."
Pepper smiled. "Good." She paused. "It's just that he was worried having it removed might make him a different person."
"You don't have to explain. I think you should stay until he wakes up. I need to run some errands and his parents are with Dr. Ashford. He shouldn't have to wake up to an empty room and your face will definitely make him feel a lot better than mine ever can."
And she did stay...not that she planned to leave. She wanted to hear Tony's voice and see those big brown chocolate eyes more than anything.
Nurse Jackie came into the room half an hour later with two other people. "We're going to take Tony down to radiology for a bit, alright, Miss?"
Pepper nods and watches as they wheel him out of the room. "I'm starving," she said. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and although it was overpriced, she guessed she could go down to the cafeteria and get something.
"Pepper!" Rhodey called her name. He was currently in a long line for sandwiches.
She walks up to him. "I hate crowds."
He laughed. "It's lunch. Not much you can do about it. I don't think I've moved for about seven minutes."
"I think I've walked this place for ten just trying to decide what I want," she said.
"There's a tiny bistro right across the street. You wanna go and grab something?"
Pepper took him up on his idea and left the line with him. An hour and a half passed before they're back and there hasn't been any change with Tony. He had woke up for a couple minutes, but because no one was there, he fell asleep. Part of her felt terrible. If she had gotten something from the cafeteria...no, no need to talk about 'what if.' It wasn't important.
She went into his private bathroom to wash up. Having just finished her finals today, she was exhausted. With a sigh, she turned not the water to wash her face, but as she did so, she failed to hear him wake up.
He hears beeping from the monitors first. His throat is dry and the light in the room is a little too bright.
His best friend immediately jumps off his seat.
"Water," he rasped out.
"Yeah, let me get you some...there you go." He handed him the partially melted ice chips as soon as Tony's figure was upright in bed.
He slowly lifted the cup to his mouth and took a small sip. "I know I'm at the hospital so you don't have to ask."
Commotion from the bathroom catches his attention. A silhouette entered his field of vision and his brows furrow as he attempts to catch a glimpse of the figure. "Okay, who the hell is that?"
Stay tuned!
