A motion in front of him drew Tony out of the private world that he and Pepper were sharing, just then. She was engulfed in his arms, not quite dozing, but so numb from the events of the night that she needed to be silent to process them – and, of course, dealing with the danger that their son was in. Tony was in the same boat, of course, and as he held Pepper, he was thinking back to the battle for the compound, trying to think of what else he might have been able to do. What he could have had Peter do that might have hurt him less than the stones had.
So far, despite his brilliant brain, he hadn't come up with anything that would have worked as well as what Peter had done.
He opened his eyes, sensing that he wasn't alone, and saw Shuri kneeling down in front of the sofa that he and Pepper were sitting on. The Wakandan princess' eyes were worried and filled with compassion and damp with tears that must have already been shed.
"I am sorry to intrude," she said, softly.
Pepper sat up a little when she realized Shuri was there, and Tony let her go, save for his hold on her hand.
"You're not intruding, honey," Tony told her, honestly. "Did you see him?"
A single tear ran down Shuri's cheek and she nodded.
"I have. The injuries are severe."
"Can you help him?" Pepper asked.
She nodded, again, and Tony looked around the room. He saw that Natasha was there, holding Nutmeg, and Stephen was standing beside her. Other than that, the room was empty save for themselves.
"I want to try something that is still somewhat experimental, but I believe it will work better than simply using nanotech. I developed it for burns, but have never had a patient seriously enough injured that I thought it necessary."
"Experimental?" Pepper echoed.
"Experimental doesn't mean untested, Pep," Tony assured her, gently. He was a lot more familiar with the word than she was. For that matter, aside from Shuri (probably) he was a lot more familiar with the word than anyone on the planet, most likely. "What is it?"
"Will you come with me?" she asked, standing up. He saw that she was dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers. She didn't look like a princess, just then, but her movements were graceful and courtly, and there was no doubt that she was. Even then. "It would be easier to explain if I show you."
Meaning that she'd brought it with her from home – just in case.
Tony and Pepper both nodded, and Tony got up, first, his hand helping Pepper to her feet. The five of them moved to the operating room down the hall from the room that they'd been in, and Tony frowned when they walked in the door – even though his gaze immediately went to the bed that Peter was sleeping in. Before either of them could wander over to watch him, Shuri led them to a large glass tank that looked like nothing more than a huge fish tank of some sort. It was dimply lit from the inside with a muted blue light, and there were monitors of various types attached directly to the side. Not glass, but not plastic, Tony saw, immediately.
"An immersion therapy?" he asked.
He was always up to date on the latest technology, even when it didn't actually apply to anything that he did, Researching things like that kept him out of trouble when he was in between projects, and that kept Pepper happy.
Shuri nodded.
"With a twist." She went over to stand by the tank. "I'm certain the nanites can heal Peter's injuries, but the process takes a long time, and can be painful."
"Which is why we have him in the coma," Stephen added, moving to stand beside the girl, while Natasha went to stand on the other side of Pepper, flanking her to add to the support that Tony was providing. "To keep him from waking and moving too much – especially considering how strong he is."
"He could hurt himself and cause damage to the skin and tissue that we are healing."
Tony and Pepper both nodded their understanding.
"You want to put him in water?" Pepper asked, guessing.
"It isn't regular water, however. It is nutrient rich, laced with nanites and starches that will make it more buoyant than regular water – and is oxygenated," Shuri said, nodding. "He would be fully immersed. The water will support his body and keep from having any particular position from rubbing and maybe slowing his healing, and the nanites can work on healing him without the need to regenerate themselves as the fluid in the tank would do it, instead."
"Drawbacks?" Tony asked, looking between Stephen and Shuri.
"You won't be able to touch him," Strange replied. "Once he goes in, he's there until he heals enough that we can safely put him in a bed to finish the process."
"And it can be unsettling to see," Shuri added, soberly. "He will be underwater, and even though he will not need to breathe, watching him may make you feel like trying to pull him out to rescue him."
Tony looked at Pepper, who was staring at the tank.
"Any medical drawbacks?" Pepper asked, finally.
"None," Stephen said. "I agree with Shuri that this is his best bet – especially to save the hand. If he goes into the water, we won't have to worry about infection, and it will make use of his healing abilities by a factor of forty percent."
"Sixty," Shuri corrected. "We would use the nanotech, regardless, but it has to be your decision, of course."
"Do it," Pepper said, immediately. "If it'll help, then we'd be stupid not to allow you to try it."
Tony nodded his agreement, his fingers still laced through Pepper's.
"Yes."
"It will take me a few minutes to finish setting the parameters," the princess told them. "While I am, you could take a moment to be with him before he goes into the chamber."
That was a good point. Pepper nodded, and she and Tony moved toward the bed, leaving Natasha with Stephen and Shuri. Pepper went to the left and Tony to the right, and both brought a hand to Peter's face when they looked down at him. Neither said anything to their son, because it would have felt like it was goodbye – and they weren't ready for that. Instead, the simply touched him, their fingers meeting and touching each other's in Peter's hair when they reached to push his bangs back from his forehead.
After a minute of silence, Shuri walked over to join them.
"It is ready."
Tony nodded, leaning over and pressing a tender kiss against Peter's forehead, and then watching while Pepper did the same.
"Thank you, Shuri."
"You are welcome. I left the option available if you want to interface your AI with the chamber to keep track of all activities."
"We can still sit with him, though, right?" Pepper asked.
"Of course."
Strange stepped up beside Shuri.
"You can't be in here while we're transferring him, though."
Neither argued, knowing that he had his own reasons for that, and they probably didn't have anything to do with Peter's health, and everything to do with watching their son be put into a jar like a pickled lab specimen.
Tony reached over and took Nutmeg from Natasha, who had been watching in silence.
"Go spend some time with him," he told the assassin. "He's not going to be able to sneak into your bed for a while."
She smiled, looking a little teary-eyed, and moved to the side of the bed, which Pepper vacated for her.
"You three should go get something to eat," Stephen suggested. "And then some rest. We'll call you when you can come back."
"It won't be too long, though, will it?" Pepper asked.
"No. But he needs you in good health, and so does Tony. So take care of yourself and do what I say," he told her, kindly.
A far cry from the egotistical, uncaring ass that he'd once been, he knew. Even geniuses can have personal growth. Look at Tony.
Stark took her hand, again, with the hand that didn't have Nutmeg.
"Thank you both."
"Wait until you get her bill," Strange said. "You think it's expensive to have an onsite brain surgeon? Try itemizing the value of a princess' time."
Shuri managed a smile at that, as did Tony and Pepper. They looked over just in time to see Natasha press her cheek against Peter's, murmuring something to him that they couldn't hear.
"You'll call?"
"As soon as we can," Shuri promised.
Romanoff walked over and joined them. She looked pale, but resolute.
"We'll be in the lounge," Tony told them.
It was quiet without being too quiet, and would give him a chance to talk to the others and see what he'd missed.