So glad you guys are still into this one! The action is going to start taking off very soon! And once it gets moving, you'll need to hold on for the ride!
Thank you all so much for all of your support! And happy reading! :)
"Yes! Hello?!" Pepper said, answering the call anxiously.
"Ms. Potts? Dr. Stephens, here," the doctor said. "My nurse tells me you're having some pain and a little bleeding?"
"Yes," Pepper confirmed.
"When did this start?" the doctor asked.
"Late this morning. I think it was around 11? And about every hour, I've been feeling these sharp pains. And I just noticed that I've started bleeding. That's when I called," Pepper explained.
"And is the bleeding heavy at all?" Dr. Stephens asked.
"No, but it's just enough to notice it," Pepper replied.
"How would you rate the pain? Is it doubling you over? Are you just uncomfortable?" the doctor coaxed.
"I'm not doubled over, no," Pepper said. "But it is uncomfortable."
"Like mild menstrual cramps?" the doctor asked.
"No," she said. "They are more of sharp jab, right above my pubic bone, and they're not lingering. They come and go."
"Good," the doctor said.
"Good?" Pepper repeated.
"Yes," the doctor replied. "From what you're telling me, you're experiencing the joy of having an ever-expanding uterus. A little bleeding and a few sharp pains here and there can occur in early pregnancy, and then it will clear up because your body just adapts to the changes. The muscles and ligaments have to stretch, and with this being your first pregnancy, that isn't always a lot of fun. But just know that means your baby is growing, too," the doctor assured.
"It does?" Pepper said, smiling in relief.
"Yes, ma'am," the doctor replied jovially. "Just make sure you are resting, and staying well hydrated, but if the pain changes to where it starts to feel more like menstrual cramps and the bleeding worsens, you need to come in directly or go to the emergency room, okay?"
"Okay," Pepper agreed. "This should go away, then?"
"It should," Dr. Stephens said. "Normally within a day or so."
Pepper sighed. "Thank you," she said. "I was afraid something was really wrong."
"That's understandable. It's your first baby, and it's hard to know what to expect. But you can always call and ask questions," the doctor said.
"I know, and I appreciate it," Pepper replied. The ladies bid each other goodbye, and Pepper immediately dialed Tony, sighing with relief.
It rang once, and Tony abruptly picked up. "Yeah? What did she say?" he said as he answered, his voice still very anxious.
"She said I'm fine," Pepper said.
"You are?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "She said that all of this is just the result of my uterus expanding and that it's kind of a good sign because that means the baby is growing, as long as the pain and the bleeding doesn't increase."
Tony sighed with relief. "So junior's still okay? We're good?" he asked.
She chuckled happily."We're good. She just said to rest, and stay hydrated, and it should clear up within a day," Pepper reported.
"Well, that's good news," Tony said. He sighed. "Okay, so should I come up anyway? Just in case?" he asked.
Pepper smiled, loving that he was so concerned. But she knew these next few days would fly by. "There's no need," Pepper said. "Just be up here on Sunday, like we planned."
"You're sure?" Tony asked.
"I'm sure," Pepper said.
"Okay," he said. "But if anything changes, anything at all, I'll be there in two shakes."
"Fair enough," Pepper said.
"So? You feeling any better?" Tony asked.
"I am," Pepper said. "I haven't had any more pain, so I think I'll try to lie down and get some rest."
"Then, sweet dreams, baby," Tony said. "I'm so glad you both are okay."
Pepper smiled, her heart touched at the sound of relief in his voice, and it made her ache to be with him again. "I know I just told you to stay put, but I miss you. I can't wait to see you again."
"I miss you, too," Tony said. "But we're at, what? T-minus 72 hours, and counting?"
Pepper grimaced. "Mmmmmm, right now that sounds like a lot," she said.
Tony chuckled. "Well, take your nap. That'll at least shave off a few of the 72," he joked.
Pepper chuckled.
"Give mini-Stark a pat for me, huh?" he said. "I love you both."
Pepper giggled. "Will do. And we love you, too," she said, bidding her husband a reluctant goodbye and climbing under the covers for some much needed rest, giving her belly the promised affectionate pat for him before drifting off to sleep.
XxXxXxXxXx
Tony put down his phone, and sighed heavily, relieved that Pepper and the baby would be okay. It was hard enough that they were apart, but the thought of her being in pain, and he not being there to comfort her in case something happened made his blood run cold. "Plane, schmane. I'd be in the suit and rocketing her way in a millisecond," he muttered. He may have done away with all of the other suits, but the his trusty "suitcase suit" was still operational enough to fly, and he was glad that he'd stored it in New York before the mansion got destroyed. He'd made sure they'd packed it when they flew back from New York this last time, and he'd stowed in it the bedroom closet in case the need for it would arise. He admitted, there was some work to be done on it. It certainly wasn't the most powerful suit he'd built, by any means. The repulsors were only good for a few blasts, at best, and it didn't contain all of the bells and whistles that he'd equipped his other suits with. But, he hadn't taken the time to upgrade it, or build any news ones. Yes, he'd promised Pepper that he'd stop obsessing over building new suits, and doing new upgrades. But there was also a much more pressing reason as to why he hadn't bothered.
If all goes right, I won't have to worry about build a new suit at all in the future, he thought. In his quest to find all off SHIELD's dirty little secrets, he'd come across an old project of theirs that involved creating an Artificial Intelligence security force for the whole world call Ultron. They never got it off the ground, but, now, with his input, it was a worthy solution to the problem of him, as well as the other Avengers, having to put themselves in harms way. Pepper and I could finally build a life together in peace, Tony thought. And not a moment too soon!
He felt like Pepper getting pregnant was just the shot in the arm he needed to get this project underway. Keeping her, and now their baby, safe from the world was priority number one, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he could make this dream a reality. Admittedly, pushing the contractors to get their house done by Valentine's Day wasn't s done just for Pepper as a gift. It was also because he was dying to have his shop back. He needed privacy and plenty of space to get this project underway, and finished as soon as possible. And with threat always imminent from one enemy or another, he knew he was going to be behind the eight ball until Ultron was fully completed and operational.
Tony worked his jaw, lost in thought, as he stared at his half-completed project he'd been working on all day in the R&D department at Stark H.Q., bringing himself back to the present. It was coming together nicely. And, now, he could easily estimate that it would be done that evening, ahead of schedule, which had set his mind to wonder if he really should just pick up and head for San Francisco early. He could surprise Pepper by showing up, and he could also present her with his holographic wedding photo album.
But suddenly, he remembered an appointment he'd made with the general contractor on the house the day after tomorrow that was meant to tie up the last of the loose ends for the Valentine's Day deadline. "Nope, big picture wins out again," he resolved. "Can't miss that meeting."
XxXxXxXxXx
Pepper awoke two hours later to the sound of rain tapping on her hotel room window. She sleepily stretched and yawned, realizing that she hadn't felt any more pain since she'd talked to Tony. And for that, she was grateful. She slowly sat up, stretching and yawning one more time, before climbing out of bed and going to the window. Her hotel room had a perfect view of the Golden Gate bridge, and from what she could see the bay area was still socked in with heavy rain. She decided to check the forecast for the next few days, so she grabbed her phone off the nightstand, and opened her weather app.
Much to her disappointment, the forecast showed heavy rain all the way through Sunday. "Damn," she murmured. She'd hoped the weather would be nice for Tony to drive up in, and for them to go the Gala, but it didn't appear to be in the cards.
She leaned against the window and watched the watery scenery of all the cars move on the streets down below. The dark gray clouds had blotted out the sun, which made the street lights come on early, and made the hour seem a lot later than it was. Pepper checked the time. It was 4:00 pm. She decided to check in on Bill, and then settle in with a little room service and some TV for the evening.
Her phone rang, and the happy-go-lucky Mr. Riva answered.
"Hi, Bill. Just checking on you," Pepper said.
"Oh, hey, Ms. Potts!" the kind man greeted her. "Yes, everything is fine! I've had the opportunity to visit with a few folks, and I've really enjoyed learning about some of their projects they are working on. But I have to say," Bill said, lowering his voice so that other around him didn't hear. "I think we have a leg up on our competition! So far, nothing I've heard about can compete with our technology to speak of. I tell ya', I feel really good about our presentation tomorrow!" he said, excitedly.
Pepper chuckled. "I'm so glad, Bill!" she encouraged. "You know I think you'll do great."
"Thanks!" he said. "Oh! Gotta go. It looks like some more people are coming to talk! Time to shine!" he said.
Pepper chuckled again, letting him go. She was happy that he'd taken to this environment so easily. She knew Bill wasn't exactly a social butterfly, but it seemed now that he was easily getting the hang of it. And, really, she was grateful. After the scare she'd had that afternoon, she could use a little R&R this evening, and Bill was giving her full confidence to be able to leave him to it.
"Now to find a little dinner and a movie," she said, turning on the TV and grabbing the room service menu off the night stand.