What's this?! A two-fer! Seeeee! I TOLD you I had been inspired! (Thanks again, nancyozz!)
Happy Reading!
Dr. Cho gave both men a polite smile as she approached, but Tony could read something troubling in her eyes, causing a lump to form in his throat.
"Gentlemen," the kindly doctor said when she reached them, nodding at each one.
"Cho," Tony said, his voice cautious. "What's the verdict?"
She smiled politely again. "Well, before we go over the results of the scan, I do have one question for you, Mr. Stark."
"Anything," Tony volunteered.
"Is your wife aware that she was pregnant before the accident?" she asked.
Tony frowned, and shook his head. "No," he answered.
Cho smiled, and nodded in understanding. "Then I'll be sure to tread lightly," she said to him. Tony furrowed his brow at the cryptic message, but said nothing as she moved past the men to enter Pepper's room. Grabbing the door handle, she ushered them inside first, and she followed behind.
Bruce went first, and then Tony took a deep breath, the fear of what Dr. Cho might have found suddenly gripping his insides. Still, he willed himself to march through the door. But upon seeing Pepper again, he felt his resolve weaken, and it made him walk briskly to her, planting a swift kiss on her lips, cupping her face in both of his hands.
Pepper squeaked in surprise, and her mother cooed a loving, "Oh!" at the display of affection. But all Tony could hear was the pounding of his heart in his ears. He slowly broke away, but kept his hands where they were.
He noticed Pepper was a bit dazed from the unexpected kiss. "What was that for?" she asked quietly, not being able to help a soft smile turn the corners of her mouth up. Tony also noticed her cheeks had blushed.
He smiled, and rested his forehead on hers. "I just couldn't wait another second," he told her. Then he pulled back with a curious look. "Too weird?" he asked cautiously.
Despite the growing tension, Pepper smiled back, and brought her hands to rest gently over the top of his. She shook her head. "No. No, it's not weird," she assured him, her voice a bit breathless.
Tony grinned, and chuckled. "Funny. That's the same thing you said the first time I kissed you," he recalled.
Pepper gave him a coy smile, and chuckled softly.
Tony raised his head to look at her squarely, and his expression went from one of mirth to contemplation."Whatever she has to tell us," he whispered. "We'll get through it. I promise."
Pepper's eyes suddenly filled with the same trepidation he felt. He gave her a weak smile, and moved to gently brush a lock of stray hair behind one of her ears. "I promise," he repeated, looking deeply into her eyes.
She watched him curiously as he took a seat on the bed beside her. He grasped her hand, and brought it to his lips for a kiss. Then, keeping it held in his, he gave her a loving smile, and a wink, despite the worry she saw in his expression. She tried to smile back, but couldn't help the feeling of impending doom from flooding her mind, wondering what the doctor could have told him that had him so uneasy.
She anxiously shifted her gaze from her husband to Dr. Cho, and the doctor began to speak.
"First of all, let me start by saying that the results of the brain scan are quite remarkable. The nanobot therapy was a resounding success. There is virtually no trace of lasting brain injury. At least not physically," she said. "With these results, I have full confidence that your memory will return in time."
Pepper exhaled in relief, and she and Tony smiled widely at each other. "There's some good news," he murmured sweetly, wrapping his arms around Pepper's shoulders, and hugging her to him.
She nodded and smiled. "Yes. It is," she said, hugging him tightly back. The thrill and comfort of being in his arms felt particularly reassuring, and she closed her eyes to relish the sensation. Never mind the fact that, paired with his kiss, her insides were positively vibrating in reaction to all of his affection plus the stress of the moment.
"That is wonderful news," Dr. Cho agreed. "But I do have to warn you. Even patients without any lasting physical sign of brain injury still have to cope with certain, and spontaneous, changes in behavior."
Tony and Pepper exchanged glances. "Like what?" he asked, turning his eyes back to the doctor.
Cho stepped closer to them, her lips pursed, and her expression intent. "There may be times, Mrs. Stark, when you may experience a sudden and severe change in mood, along with possible emotional outbursts you may have trouble controlling. You might have sudden muscle weakness, or sever fatigue come on without warning. You might experience periods of confusion and frustration when performing basic tasks or...trying to maintain your train of thought. But I assure you, most of these will pass in time."
Pepper looked at Tony, her eyes full of worry, before she met the doctor's gaze. "Most of these?" she asked. Tony began to rub slow circles on her back. "Are you saying that I may have live with some of these effects permanently?"
"It's okay, baby. We'll get through it," Tony murmured. Pepper turned her eyes to him, and frowned.
"I'm afraid only time will tell," Dr. Cho replied. "But considering how far you've come- from a prognosis that predicted you would remain in a coma at worst, and blind at best, I would say you've..."
Pepper shook her head, as her chin began to quiver, and tears flooded her eyes. "No," she said. "It's too much." She turned her head to look at Tony. "I can't ask you to...I mean, you'd be burdened with..."
"Hey, come on," he said, pulling her back into his arms. "Don't do this to yourself."
"Maybe they need a moment?" Bruce suggested.
"Of course," Dr. Cho agreed.
"No, wait," Pepper interjected. "What else is there?"
"I'm sorry?" Dr. Cho asked.
"What else is there to tell me?" Pepper begged. She huffed in agitation. "Here and now. You might as well tell me everything."
"You're sure?" Tony asked.
Pepper nodded emphatically, and swallowed hard. "Yes. It's for my own good," she insisted.
Marilynn walked over to her daughter's bed, and sat down beside her. "I agree, darlin'," she told her, grasping Pepper's hand in hers. "You've never been one not to face a challenge head on."
All three of them turned their gazes back to Dr. Cho. "Okay, Doc. Let's hear it. What else are we looking at?" Tony urged.
The doctor took a deep breath, and then began. "While our main point of this discussion was to go over the brain scan results, I must also bring up anything else we found during the initial pass of the CT machine that's done over the whole body before it's set to focus on the area in question. That being said, I'm afraid the trauma you endured to your pelvis and lower back as a result of the accident has left you...with a degree of disability."
Pepper and Marilynn both gasped, and Tony wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, hugging her to him, as he planted a soft kiss to her temple.
Cho went on. "While I do believe that, with a lot of physical therapy, you can regain most of your mobility, you will, most likely, need the use of a cane. Quite possibly on a permanent basis."
Pepper sniffed as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. She nodded. "Okay," she said, trying to put on a brave face. She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess that's not so bad," she reasoned.
"There...is one other thing," the doctor said, her tone cautious. Her eyes flicked to Tony's for a moment, as if to ask for permission to proceed. "I'm not making any presumptions as to what your future plans are as a couple, in terms of whether or not you may someday want a family, but..."
She swallowed hard, watching the anxiety in each of their faces rise considerably. Tony was the first to break his gaze. She watched him for a brief moment as he looked away from her, and worked his jaw in an attempt to keep his composure.
She continued. "I'm afraid your chances of becoming pregnant post-injury will be very slim. If not impossible."
Marilynn began to softly weep, as Pepper's eyes moved to the floor in front of her, darting around as she processed what she'd been told. Tony turned his gaze to watch her, waiting for the inevitable.
Slowly, Pepper brought her eyes up to meet his, and she looked at him questioningly. "Did we have plans?" she asked, her voice a murmur.
Tony gave her a soft, but wistful smile. He knew he couldn't deny it, as that would disrespect the life of the baby they'd lost. But he also knew, given all the news they'd just received, he couldn't bring himself to tell her that, not only had they talked about having a family, but they'd officially started one prior to everything that had happened. So all he could do was give her a nod once in the affirmative followed by a simple "Yes," feeling Marilynn's sorrowed gaze on him as he said it.
Pepper chewed her lip, and nodded in acknowledgment of his reply. New tears filled her eyes, and she swiped at them hastily. "Wow," she gasped in disbelief. She turned her head back to Tony, and frowned. "I'm amazed you haven't walked out that door yet."
Tony furrowed his brow in confusion. "Walk out that door? Are you kidding? Why would I do that? You're my wife," he countered.
Pepper shrugged, and shook her head. "I'm no longer the one you want, Tony. It's clear we had big plans for our life together, and, by the looks of it now, I won't measure up. You're better off without me. As a wife and a CEO, for that matter. That much is plain."
"Pepper, I'm not going anywhere. What did I tell you when I came in? That we'd get through whatever Dr. Cho told us we'd have to face," he reiterated.
"But there is no end to this!" Pepper cried in exasperation. "There's a very good chance I'll always be hobbling around with a cane! I'll never be able to give you the family you say we planned for! There is no getting through, Tony! There's only the fact that I'll just be a burden to you from now on."
Tony could see she was getting more and more upset. But he couldn't get a word in. She'd begun to sob, and swipe at the tears now free flowing from her eyes, as she spoke. "Go. I'm letting you off the hook. You don't have to be here. I'm not what you...You're not going to want me after all of...this," Pepper interjected, gesturing wildly at the room around them. She shook her head. "I know that. I'm not going to pretend I don't. You aren't cut out for this kind of thing. I know you too well!"
Dr. Cho held up a hand in warning. "Mrs. Stark, please understand. Certain circumstances can trigger emotional outbursts. It's best if we just take a moment to..."
"Ginny, honey. Calm down. Please?" her mother pleaded, smoothing her hands down her daughter's upper arms.
"No, mama!" Pepper sniped. "Don't tell me to calm down! I have a right to be angry! I don't want to be a burden to anyone. And I have a right to want to be left alone!"
"But we're not leaving you alone, Pepper! If that's what you want, you're not going to get it," Tony argued.
Pepper began to seethe. "Don't tell me what I'm not going to get! I've already lost so much!" she yelled back. Her chest began to heave, and she began rocking back and forth, as she sobbed.
Tony rushed to her, grabbing her to pull her into a tight hug. Despite her ire toward him, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. Helplessly, he listened to the sounds of her muffled anguished cries against his shoulder. He turned to kiss the top of her head, their bodies rocking side to side in unison. They remained wordless, each of them clinging desperately to the small comfort each of them could provide the other in that moment.
Tony felt Marilynn's hand on his shoulder, and he turned his attention to her. "We'll give you two some time," she whispered, motioning toward the door. "Just come get us if you need us."
He smiled graciously, and turned his head back to nuzzle Pepper's hair, hearing the hospital room door softly close seconds later. The stillness of the room, broken only by the soft sound of Pepper's sobs to break it up, hummed in his ears.
"Why would you want me?" she moaned weakly.
"I want you because I love you," he murmured back.
Pepper slowly raised her head to look at him. Her eyes searched for any hidden insincerity, but he just gave her a loving smile.
"I'm damaged goods," she murmured.
Tony chuckled. "Honey, so am I," he replied, with a smirk. "If anyone should be asking why anyone would want someone, it should be me asking you."
He watched as a smile slowly broke across her lips. "I'm sorry," she murmured. She sniffed, and her chin quivered once more with a new onset of tears. She squeezed her eyes shut.
"What're you sorry for?" Tony asked. "You did nothing. None of this was your fault." The stab of guilt for not accompanying her to San Francisco suddenly reared its head, and he winced at the pain of the old wound reopening. "It...was my fault," he whispered.
Pepper raised her head sharply, frowning. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice heavy with apprehension. "I thought you said it was a landslide. Why? Was there something you did that caused the..."
Tony quickly shook his head in denial. "No. It was nothing like that," he assured her. "I meant..." He paused to take a deep breath, and gather the courage to recall the events of that night. And that meant he'd also have to address the red and gold flying elephant in the room, too. To hell with it, he thought. I might as well start from the beginning.
He squared his shoulders, and looked deep into her eyes. "Pepper, you told me that the last memory you have is the one from your birthday in 2008, correct? And that you remember that I was supposed to go somewhere overseas? With Rhodey?"
She nodded. "Yes," she said.
Tony took both of her hands in his. "Honey, you're not wrong. I did have somewhere overseas to go that day. It was to Afghanistan. To demo a new missile."
Pepper frowned, taking in the details. "Okay," she said. "You've done that a hundred times."
Tony nodded. "You're right. I have," he said cautiously. "But on this particular visit, something happened that..." He paused for a moment, feeling the gravity of what he was about to reveal to her, before he continued. "Pepper, it...changed my life. Our lives. Forever."