Five

September 4, 2016 – How My Health Really Is Ft. Dr. Cho

"Hello, everyone, I'm Tony Stark and above all else, I am an engineer, but I am still a squishy human. I have here with me my physician, Dr. Helen Cho." He waves to the Asian woman standing next to him. "Welcome, Dr. Cho."

"Thank you, Tony." Dr. Cho nods.

"So I haven't been very transparent about what happened in Siberia and the long term effects on my health." Tony spoke seriously to the camera. "This won't be a fun video. Some viewers might want to be advised for medical operations being discussed but no visuals." Tony cleared his throat. "When I became Iron Man, I was tortured, in Afghanistan, to do what the terrorists wanted, I escaped but the fact of the matter is I had pieces of shrapnel inching their way to my heart with every passing second. The doctor there hooked a car battery to my chest to keep it away."

Dr. Cho took over. "But the car battery was killing him slowly, so Tony created the arc reactor and he was much better until I came up with a solution to remove the arc reactor and the shrapnel and he was improving, his lung capacity had increased, his chest was not hurting anymore… It was a good time. Until Siberia."

"Until Siberia." Tony took over again. He sighed. "I had taken some damage to the chest of the suit, the suit caving in, into my still healing chest bones, rebreaking them. It had been some time since my surgery but my diet didn't lend itself to a calcium dense diet, so it took a while. I knew it was a risk going to Siberia but I did it anyways. The damage caused the suit to go offline and I had no way out of the suit, no way to get help, no way to call anyone at all. It sucked." Tony said frankly. "I eventually was rescued by FRIDAY, my AI, who sent a medical team to my location, she was afraid for my health."

"I was with the medical team and I knew that I had to make some tough calls. There was a serum, created, synthesized that I had been experimenting with, that would help Tony but it was largely untested. Tony wouldn't have wanted it under any circumstances except the most daunting ones. If he was going to die. And he was…" Dr. Helen Cho swallowed. "His heart stopped three times on the table while trying to implement the serum to his body. But he pulled through and he made it. It undid the damage of Siberia, undid his damage to his liver due to his drinking and took away his chronic pain. But I had to put the arc reactor back." Dr. Cho admitted.

"I woke up and I knew I had to change. I had people who cared about me. I couldn't keep doing these crazy stunts, I had friends, I had an ex-girlfriend who I was still on good terms with, I have people depending on me to be okay. And I wasn't okay. I hadn't been for a long time. So I took a month off after I woke up, which is an extremely long time for me… I went to Hawaii with Dr. Cho and her team and we found the best psychologists to help me, after signing their life away in NDA's, and I got the help I needed. Finally. I have PTSD, I have Suvivor's guilt, I have a way that I handle close relationships, where I need to throw money to show my affection. I'm working on all that. I'm working on my dependency on alcohol. I'm working on creating a more balanced work life with the Avengers so my health doesn't go downhill again. I can't be in the field for some time. I'm really working on me. And even though I cannot believe it, this YouTube thing is helping. It really is. I get to just film whatever I want and no press conferences, no pressure to make a new product, no stress from the Board of Directors for SI, just making fun content. I wanted to share my health situation with you, so you understand why I've changed. For what I think is for the better."

Tony smiled at the camera, genuinely.

"Thank you and I'll see you next time. Stark out." He turned off the record button on the camera. "So, how was it." He asked.

"I think you've made leaps and bounds. I'm still keeping you out of the air for now."

"Oh, come on!"

Pepper stared at Happy.

"Run that by me again."

"Um, Miss Potts, there are flowers and teddy bears and get well cards sitting outside the Stark Tower in great amounts. I think it has to do with Tony's last video?" He repeated.

"I guess bag them up and deliver it to him? After searching for any poisons, standard screening." Pepper suggested.

"Yes, ma'am." Happy ended his call. "Bag them up, search for any threats. Standard procedure."

The security guards started doing just that and when they made progress, one of the well-wishers came right to the security desk and handing it directly to him.

"Tell Mr. Stark that my father had PTSD from the war before he took his own life. I hope he has the proper support that he needs. He has my best wishes." A young woman told him before handing him a card, turning around and leaving.

Happy opened the envelope, scanned for any liquids, or threats. Seeing none, he handed it to the growing collection of cards.

"First delivery, move out." The security guard lifted the bag and went to the lab floor, where Mr. Stark's personal labs were.

"Sir." He knocked on the lab. Mr. Stark looked up, glasses perched on his nose. He looked at the bag the security guard was carrying.

"Whoa, is it Christmas?" He joked.

"These are from your well-wishers." He sat the bag down.

"Wow. They've been searched for any security risks, right?" He asked.

"Of course. I must report back." The security guard ducked out of the lab quickly.

"FRIDAY, take a picture and upload it to my Twitter, tweet OMG guys, thank you so much! Can't wait to read the thoughtful cards!"

"Tweet sent. Chirp chirp." Tony chortled. "Must I say that everytime, Boss?"

"Of course!" Tony grinned, unrepentant.

FRIDAY sighed.