I can't believe this is the end! *cries uncontrollably*
Steve was awoken by a team of nurses wheeling his sleeping husband back into the room.
"He did so good Mr. Rogers," a cheery nurse said.
Steve jumped up and approached the bed just as they were locking the wheels. He leaned over the railing and ran a gentle hand down Tony's cheek.
"How was the procedure?" Steve heard Bruce ask behind him.
"It went perfect. We were able to drain all the fluid from his chest with the tube," Dr. Jones answered while reading Tony's vitals.
Steve looked down and noticed the tube sticking out of Tony's side between his ribs. It was bandaged in place and was connected to a bag on the side of the bed.
"Is he all better?" Clint asked, from where he woke up on one of the chairs.
"He no longer has fluid in his lungs. We plan to monitor him for a few days to make sure he doesn't have this buildup again and to make sure his medicine is working, but after that he should be free to go," Dr. Jones said.
Steve gripped the bed railing to stop himself from collapsing in relief. "Thank you so much, Doctor," Steve said tearfully.
"We are not done yet," the Doctor shook his head, "But you got a fighter there."
Steve nodded, turning love-filled eyes to his slumpering husband.
"He will sleep for the rest of the night, but he should feel better in the morning." Dr. Jones used a syringe to insert medicine into Tony's IV before stripping off his gloves and leaving the room.
Clint, Natasha, and Bruce approached the bed. Tony had an oxygen cannula up his nose but this time he was breathing much better. The tube was large and noticeable but only because Tony's body was pale and tiny due to all the weight he had loss. Despite his sickly look, they were able to breathe easy knowing he was on the way to recovery.
Ten days later, Steve was standing in front of Tony's bed next to the Doctor. Tony was sitting on the edge of the bed in front of them and the other Avengers surrounded them on all sides.
Tony still looked tiny and sick, but he had gained some of his color back. Yesterday, after a lot of begging, Tony gave in and let Natasha cut and shave him. Instead of his typical-length hair, Natasha had cut his hair extremely low- a little longer than a buzz-cut- and had him clean-shaven. It was a lot less hassle during his recovery and Steve thought Tony looked cute with this younger look.
Currently, they were trying to get Tony out of bed for the first time in several weeks. He was as weak as a kitten, but he had insisted on starting his physical therapy early so he could be mobile again. Since it had been two days since the chest tube was taken out, Dr. Jones said they could start.
Dr. Jones directed Steve and Bruce to stand on Tony's sides. "Lift him gently," he instructed the men.
They nodded at each other before lifting Tony under his arms. He grunted as his feet hit the floor and the men gasped as Tony's knees immediately buckled as he was upright.
"It's okay, Tony, take your time," Dr. Jones said. He had rushed up to them when the man was falling and was now holding him by the waist.
Tony squeezed his eyes shut as his joints roared in pain from finally being woken up. His legs trembled and he was sweating already from just trying to stand.
"Breathe," Dr. Jones said. Tony rushed out a breath he didn't know he was holding. After another round of breathing, he finally felt his limbs connect with his body. He opened his eyes and nodded to the doctor.
Dr. Jones searched Tony's eyes for a moment before stepping back. "Don't push yourself too hard."
Tony looked down at his socked feet and willed them to move. He was able to shuffle them by forcing his leg forward. He didn't have the strength to lift up his feet, but he was grateful for the almost frictionless floor that aided his motion.
"You're doing so good, baby," he heard Steve say. It empowered him and he forced himself to shuffle a few more inches.
It wasn't until his chest boomed with a cough he even realized his tired body was starting to give up and more than half of his weight was being held by Steve and Bruce. "Take a breath, Tony," the Doctor said and moved in front of him. The Doctor took exaggerated breaths as an example.
As he gained his breath back, he lost the blissful ignorance he had of his body's pains. His knees wobbled with the weight of holding himself up, his chest burned, and his head pounded. "Sick," he coughed. "Feel sick."
It was the only warning the group got before Tony's body went limp and he started to fall to the side. Several people gasped and rushed to catch him. Tony's eyes were still open but his face took on a green hue and he swayed uncontrollably.
Steve practically dragged him back to the bed while the doctor fetched a basin. Just as the doctor placed it into Tony's lap, the man started heaving violently. Steve held his shoulders to prevent him from falling face-first as his body seemed to be all out of energy for the day.
The team stared at Tony worriedly. "Don't worry, it's just his body waking up," the doctor told them.
Natasha grabbed the basin when Tony was done and brought it into the bathroom. Steve and Bruce helped pull Tony onto the bed and reclined it so he was laying flatter. Tony's eyes fluttered closed but they knew he wasn't sleeping yet.
"You did good, Tony. Rest now and i'll be back tomorrow. We'll have you up and walking in no time." Tony nodded slowly and melted into the sheets.
The doctor checked his vitals once more before leaving.
The team existed in the silence for several moments. "You don't have to rush yourself, Tones. Take your time to recover right," Bruce broke the moment.
Tony nodded but they knew Bruce's advice went out the other ear. Tony was committed to returning to the team and they knew he would push himself to get what he wanted as quickly as possible.
Even so, they loved him for it.
Three Months Later
Despite Tony's deep desire to get back to Avenging, it was obvious now that was unlikely to happen.
He has been home for more than two months now and he still struggles with day-to-day activities. All the damage from his sickness left him with life-long heart problems and severe asthma.
On his good days he is usually okay if he uses the elevator to get around and takes naps during the day.
On his bad days, he needs assistance to get around and his oxygen cannula becomes a permanent fixture under his nose for the day. If he has enough energy to get out of bed, he frequently lays on the couch for hours and tries to force himself from going down to the lab to work.
His team is a big help because on his bad days, they usually watch movies for most of the day or have a game night with cards and Monopoly (Tony always wins monopoly).
He and Steve started using the 'Spoon Theory' to measure Tony's energy levels each day. Tony typically starts out with 12 spoons and in the beginning he would have already lost half of them by brunch, but through physical therapy and his new nap routine, he is able to hang onto them for longer.
Even though he cannot participate on missions, Tony still aids the team remotely by going back to his roots: coding, hacking and building. He hacks into security cameras to aid the team when they need and he builds and upgrades their weapons. In addition, he has more time to focus on SI, like their renewable energy initiative, which makes Pepper extremely happy.
Tony has come a long way and is still recovering, but he is just so grateful he has his teammates and husband to look out for him in times of need.
Thank you so much to all of you who have read and/or reviewed! This is my first Avengers fic so I appreciate all the love and feedback. Thanks again!