Tony is seriously injured. This chapter deals with Pepper's POV of his injury.


The day was a lot like Pepper's mood, dark, gloomy and grey. She was sitting in Tony's room, at the edge of his bed, staring out of the window at the dull day outside. Tigliath's head was on her lap and she stroked it absently. The big cat and her were taking turns, in consoling each other as they waited for Tony to wake up.

Pepper felt tears well in her eyes as she thought back to the fateful day of the Tournament.

Tony falling to his knees... eyes so wide in a pale face... the way he was breathing, harshly, painfully, as if each breath was his last... and he fainted...We carried him off the field. He was still breathing but so faintly... Then we pulled off all his armor gently and the cut on his ribs! The bruises!

She swallowed hard as she remembered the ugly, purplish black color of the large bruises on his shoulder and his back. And the ugliest of them all, the one around his right ribs, extending from his arm pit to his hip bone. In the midst of the bruise was the cut, a vicious jagged gash, at least 3 inches wide and deep.

They had carried him off the field and to the physician's tent. He had tsked at the wound and had frightened the life out of Pepper, by saying while the injury was not life-threatening, Tony would most likely catch a fever and die from it. She had raged at the doctor to treat the wound at least. So he had cleaned the wound with alcohol, under her watchful eye and stitched it close. Then they had transported him home carefully by carriage, so that he could be better cared for, at Stark Keep.

It had been 2 days and Tony had not woken up yet, from his deep slumber. She stood up and stepped to the side of the bed and lifted the sheet pulled to his neck, to look at the wound.

"The bruise is still purple and ugly but the one on your shoulder has become a little better. The wound... Tony... I don't know what to tell you..."

Speaking to Tony, gave her some small measure of comfort as she could pretend Tony was just fast asleep. But Pepper was not happy with the way the wound looked, yellow and puffy. The black thread of the stitches stood out harshly against Tony's pale skin.

"Tony...," she sighed and pushed his hair off his brow, stroking his skin. He felt cold to her touch and she panicked. Then she looked at the Arc and felt slightly reassured. The blue flame burned brightly in his chest.

"Tony, Tony, I wish you could talk to me... and tell me how you feel. I do not know what to do... I do not know what to do, my lord..." she whispered to him softly, bending to kiss his brow.

He did not utter a sound and she was going to have a good cry, when Tigliath, who had been watching her silently, growled lightly.

Pepper stood up as she heard footsteps ascend the staircase. Then the door burst open as Luna entered. Pepper hugged her tightly, happy to see someone who she could cry with.

"Luna, I am so glad you came!"

"Pepper, I have come with the best doctor in Dale, Doctor Handor..."

Pepper let Luna go, to see a kindly, grey bearded man enter the room. Luna introduced him to Pepper and she smiled as he nodded gently at her. "Let us inspect the patient, yes."

Under Pepper's direction, he went to the other side of the bed, the side on which Tony's injuries were located. The doctor lifted the sheet to look at the cut and Pepper kept one hand on one edge of the sheet, to keep the Arc hidden.

She grew worried as she heard the doctor mutter under his breath and then he inspected the wound with his fingers. He did something painful because Tony hissed in his sleep and pushed himself into her side, muttering incoherently to himself.

"Doctor, you hurt him!" she couldn't help but exclaim as she ran her fingers softly through his hair, trying to calm him.

"My dear lady, it is as I feared. Lord Stark's wound is infected."

She and Luna gasped as the doctor touched Tony's forehead. "You see how cold he is? His body is too weak to fight the infection and his flesh is dying."

"Doctor, what should we do?" she whispered, her heart in her mouth.

He wring his hands and said, "We can remove the stitches, make the wound bleed until the infected flesh is flushed out and then cauterize the gash. But..." he shook his head with worry, "there is a great chance he might get a fever. And then he will need to be nursed out of it."

"And if we leave him like this, he will die of an infected wound anyways..." she whispered. Between a rock and a hard place. Tony, you idiot, I wish you were awake, so I could shake you!

She sighed. If there is a chance he could be saved, I have to take it... I will take care of him through his fever... but I need to take that chance... I can't let him just die...I won't ...

Both the Doctor and Luna were looking at her sadly and Pepper felt tears fall down her cheeks as she said softly, "Let us cauterize the wound. Tell me what you need, Doctor."


All the materials were gathered and arranged in Tony's bedroom. Pepper, Luna and Magdalene would assist Doctor Handor in his operation. They each had specific tasks.

Magdalene being the one with the strongest stomach, would be by Handor's side throughout, helping with the cauterizing and actual body work. Luna would be the coordinator between Happy and the Doctor, for hot towels, clean up and medicine. And Pepper's task was to hold Tony down and talk to him, keeping him calm.

Everyone had washed their hands and were at their positions. Before the doctor's arrival, with Jarvis' and Happy's help, Magdalene and Pepper had placed an old bed sheet under the side of Tony's body, to be operated on. They had spread a large sheet over him and cut a flap out, just exposing the wound, to make it easier for the doctor to operate.

Pepper was sitting near Tony's head, hands absently ruffling his freshly washed hair. She had given him a tiny head bath today morning and washed his beard as well, absurdly wanting Tony to be clean for the operation.

The Doctor entered the room and her heart began to pound. He nodded at Pepper and gave her a small smile.

"Do not worry, my lady, Lord Stark seems to be a fighter. He will get through this."

He came over to the side of the bed, where Tony's wound was exposed. Magdalene handed him a pair of scissors and the Doctor sanitized them, using hot water in a basin. He then wiped them clean and began to carefully cut the stitches on the wound.

Tony muttered and tossed his head and Pepper stroked his forehead and gently placed a hand on his Arc, underneath the sheet.

The Doctor finished cutting and delicately began to pull out each thread strand, placing them in a basin held by Luna. Magdalene quickly collected a number of towels together, in preparation for what was going to come next.

Pepper spoke softly to Tony, words of comfort, words of love, even gibberish. He seemed to be listening to her because she could see his closed eye lids flutter from time to time. She stroked his face and held him still as she glanced over to count the strands of thread being pulled out.

"Just three more, my love, just three more," she said to him soothingly, feeling his prickly, soft beard under her fingers.

The last thread was finally plucked and Tony made a slight sound as the wound began to ooze with yellow pus. A foul smell filled the air and Pepper covered her nose. Luna had to excuse herself but Magdalene said firmly to Pepper, "You need to watch him now, Pepper, this is going to hurt."

She placed both her hands on Tony's shoulders and pushed him down softly. Pepper looked back and winced as she saw the Doctor press the cut, trying to get the pus to come out. Tony jerked slightly and cried out but she held him firm and kept talking to him.

"It is alright, Tony, shush, don't worry, just a little bit more... just a little more, it will end soon, I promise you."

He tossed his head wildly and raised his hand. She had no choice but to yell "Happy! I need your help!"

Happy promptly entered and Pepper made him catch Tony's shoulders, while she stroked him, trying to calm him down. He was starting to sweat and Pepper, feeling anxious herself, glanced back at Handor. "Doctor, I am not trying to tell you what to do but! How much more?"

The Doctor's brow was furrowed with concentration as he was now using a small knife to cut away the pus from the flesh. Magdalene was effectively collecting the pus, with the small towels and throwing them away.

"Just a little more, my lady!"

Pepper heard a gagging noise and looked straight at Happy, who was looking at what the Doctor was doing. He had gone pale and she caught Happy's chin in her hand, staring murderously at him.

"Hereald Hogan! Look at me!"

He looked at Pepper then, eyes wide and fearful.

"You better not be feeling sick! Happy, I need you to be strong here!"

He nodded silently and she added, "Do not look at the Doctor! Look at Tony!"

He obeyed her as Tony began to move more feverishly now. Pepper glanced back at the Doctor and was relieved to see red blood finally seep from the wound.

Magdalene was holding a towel to the area, soaking up the blood and Pepper felt her heart constrict at seeing the way Tony was bleeding. She looked back at his face. He was sweating lightly and his lips were moving. He had also gone very pale.

"My lady, come here for a minute please." said Doctor Handor.

Pepper gently left the bed and came to the Doctor's side. He had cleaned the wound with water and she swallowed hard as the tear in Tony's flesh was clearly visible now, with its ugly jagged edges and puckered flesh. The center of the gash was a deep crimson red. The area around the gash was white, like a lone island, amongst the sea of purplish black flesh, that was his bruised side.

The Doctor said, "It is time for the cauterizing now. The wound is finally clean. We must seal it."

She nodded silently and he said gently, "This will hurt Lord Stark. I need you to keep him as still as possible."

Pepper went back to Tony's head. A voice in her heart told her what to do. She excused Happy from the room because she knew she could do this on her own.

Pepper lay down next to Tony and kept her head close to his. She kissed his ear and placed her hand firmly on his Arc. She could feel the raw power of the Flame, calling out to her, it was agitated and was rising up to her fingers. She nuzzled his head and nodded to the Doctor.

Magdalene was behind the Doctor, lighting a large candle. The candle's fire burned brightly as the Doctor held a small, flat blade to it briefly. He heated it for just two or three seconds, ensuring the metal of the blade did not turn white. Then he lifted the blade from the flame and brought it to the gash on Tony's side.

Pepper stroked the Arc under her fingers and began to sing in a faint whisper in Tony's ear. She sang an old song to him, one she had heard as a child, a long time ago, the words coming to her perfectly. She felt him stir slightly and she felt his Flame react to her touch, rising to meet her fingers.

Then the Doctor laid the blade flat against Tony's flesh and he cried out in pain and began to jerk. She held him down firmly, singing her song slightly louder, calming down his Flame with her power.

The smell of burning flesh faintly came to her but Pepper kept singing softly in Tony's ear, feeling him grow warm with the pain. He was moaning now as the Doctor touched the blade to his flesh in short one-second bursts, trying to seal the wound without killing the flesh underneath it.

She could feel every movement of his Flame, which was behaving like a galloping horse, fast and powerful and furiously angry. But it was reacting to her voice and her words, trying to calm itself down.

Pepper rubbed her face along Tony's warm one, praying that the Doctor would be done soon. Tony was talking nonsense to himself and she kissed him softly, trying to still his lips. For a second, he reacted to her lips, whispering her name.

Then the cauterizing was over and he went still. Alarmed, Pepper placed her hand on his heart, instantly relieved to find it beating quickly. The Flame was also blue and sort of calm. She raised herself from Tony and wiped her brow with her sleeve, because she too, was sweating.

Magdalene was cleaning away the towels and the blade and the Doctor gestured at Pepper to follow him outside.

She did so but did not move away from the door to Tony's room. He stood there and gave her a thoughtful look.

"The wound has been sealed, my lady but now you need to be careful. Lord Stark is going to catch a fever and you need to bring his temperature down. Cold water presses, soup, poultices etc. I will give you some syrup as well. Check the wound and see if pus comes from it or if it turns yellow."

Pepper nodded and then asked, "What about his bruises?"

The Doctor dismissively shook his head. "There's nothing to be concerned about there. They need time to fade, that's it."

"Now," he took her hand in his. "I must leave. The hour grows late. Keep me informed by messenger. Good luck, Lady Virginia."

Pepper watched him descend the stairs and then went back to Tony's bedside. She made sure Tony was alright and comfortable. Then she pulled up a chair to his bed side and sat in it. Magdalene finished tidying up and quietly left the room.

Happy came bounding in and gave her a pitying look. "Pep, I assume you are going to spend the night here, like this..."

She simply said, "Yes".

Tigliath came bounding in and sat gently on the edge of the bed, curling himself up by Tony's feet.

Happy looked at Pepper quietly and she said, "What is it, Happy?"

"Pepper, you need to rest too, you know that right?"

"I will sleep, Happy, it is just, I need to be close to Tony, that's all. I will sleep, I promise." She was lying through her teeth but she just wanted to be left alone with Tony.

He nodded and handed her a cushion. "Here, use this for your back, so it won't pain in the morning. Good night, Pepper..."

She smiled at him as he left and then Tigliath softly chuffed at her, from his position on the bed.

"I know Tigliath, I know... he should wake up soon..." she patted Tony's head gently. "Did you hear that, my lord, you need to wake up soon, so that we can go riding and we can train some more..."

She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "Please wake up, so that I can tell you that I love you... please Tony...". She placed the pillow in her lap and lowered her head onto it, feeling the tears spill from her eyes and wet the pillow.


Pepper watched the gentle rise and fall of Tony's chest. It was midnight, exactly one day after his wound was cauterized. As Doctor Handor had accurately predicted, Tony had developed a fever. So now her focus was on getting him through the fever, one day at a time. She hadn't slept in four days, ever since they had returned from the Tournament.

During the day, he had been slightly warm but by afternoon, his temperature had risen. So she and Magdalene had started a cycle of cold compresses and poultices to bring his temperature down.

Now as she felt his brow, Pepper grew tense. "Tony, why the hell are you so cold?"

She looked at the window, which was closed. He was sweating but his flesh felt cold to her touch and it frightened her.

Pepper moved to the other side of the bed and lifted up the sheet that covered him. "Your wound looks fine, the scar from the burn is healing properly. Why has your temperature dropped?"

She stared at Tony's slumbering form, eyes closed, hair falling over his face, pale skin moist with sweat. And then she looked at the unlit fireplace in dismay. "Is the room too cold because I didn't start a fire? Dear lord, please don't let it be so... oh my!"

Pepper quickly moved to the fireplace and began to start a fire. When she was finally done, the room began to grow warm. She walked back to Tony's side and bit her lip at his still cold flesh.

"I've got to warm you up but how..." then she remembered another time when Tony had returned from the cold, freezing internally. "I used my body heat to raise his temperature! That's it."

She looked down at him sleeping and began to take off her clothes. Once she was done, Pepper slid into the bed, laying down towards his non-injured side. Suddenly she felt shy, lying so close to him, completely naked. Then Tony shivered in his sleep and she forgot her shyness.

Pepper moved towards him, pressing herself to his side. He was lying on his back and she pushed herself under his arm. She gently placed her arm on his opposite shoulder, lightly holding him to her. His flesh was cold, so she shivered herself.

"My lord," she chuckled through the cold, "You are so cold to my touch but don't worry I am going to make you warm, the same way, you make me warm when you kiss me, when you hold me..."

She pressed one of her legs between his hairy firm ones and gasped at the feel of his rough hair on her sensitive skin.

She felt him stir and Pepper raised herself gently, to kiss his prickly soft jaw. She whispered to him softly, "It is okay, Tony, I am here for you."

She felt her heart beat fast for a moment as Tony turned his head towards her and nuzzled her forehead. She held herself still, willing him to open his eyes. But he didn't and she smiled sadly and lowered herself back to the bed.

The night was still and quiet, except for the crackle of the fire. Pepper absently moved her hand over Tony's chest, feeling his flesh and hummed softly. She tapped her fingers against his Arc, as she had seen him do from time and time. Then she smiled as she felt his Flame answer her tap with bursts of fire.

She yawned and then comforted by the firm, male body pressed to hers, she didn't realize when she fell asleep.