Pepper rocked back and forth in a chair in the infirmary waiting room, nervously waiting for the doctors to come talk to her. She said a private thanks for the fact that home was only 6 floors up, and Tony had had the foresight enough to equip the tower with what amounted to their own private hospital, for their and the other Avenger's use, with specialists and surgeons on call 24/7.

The EMT's were able to revive Tony on the way, luckily, but his heart rate was still erratic and he still complained of chest pains. So, currently, he was in x-ray with a cardiologist, and she had been assured by a nurse that as soon as they knew whether or not he'd have to have emergency heart surgery, she'd be informed.

Pepper had called Rhodey to let him know of what had happened, but unfortunately he was tied up on base in California for the next few days. He'd promised to come see his best friend the minute he could break away if he did, in fact, end up needing surgery. In the past, whenever something catastrophic had happened with either one of them, Rhodey was the first to know and the first one there to offer support. So Pepper felt lonely, now, with no one's shoulder to cry on.

She chewed her lip anxiously, feeling like she was stuck in a nightmare from which she couldn't awaken. She watched the clear glass doors marked Emergency Staff Only, secretly willing the doctor to come through them. But, frustratingly, willing them didn't work, and she was forced to wait, her body over-flowing with nervous tension.

She decided to stand up. It had been hours since she'd stood, and her back and legs ached. She turned her back from those accursed doors and began to pace, wringing her hands impatiently as she walked back and forth across the floor. She brushed her hair behind her ears with shaky hands.

"Please," she whispered silently. "Please please don't take him from me," she pleaded to the heavens. "I can't lose him."

Just then, the cardiologist on call walked through the door, and Pepper rushed to meet him. He was somewhere in his late fifties to early sixties, tall and portly in stature, with a mop of curly salt-and pepper hair, large round eyes, and thick round glasses. He smiled warmly when he saw her.

"What's going on?! Is he okay?!" she demanded.

The doctor patted her shoulder. "He's fine," he said, smiling warmly. "No need for surgery. He didn't have a heart attack," he assured in a thick New York accent.

"He didn't?" Pepper repeated, looking at him confused. "But the chest pains, and the gasping for air! He even lost consciousness!" she reasoned.
"He had a severe anxiety attack. Mr. Stark let me know that he's been prone to them in the past, correct?", the doctor said, smiling warmly.

Pepper nodded numbly.

"And we took x-rays, monitored his EKG, we did blood work, the whole she-bang. And everything is normal," he reassured. "He's as fit as a fiddle, as they say."

"The whole she-bang?" Pepper mumbled. "Normal?"

The doctor smiled and nodded. "Yes! He's going to be just fine. Just make sure he finds a hobby to direct all of that nervous energy into, huh? It sounds like he's been feeling a bit...eh, shall we say, disengaged lately?"

Pepper looked at the doctor sidelong, as he guided her through the doors and down the corridor from which he came, guessing that Tony had probably filled his ear with complaints about their compromise. "Doctor, he's the one who's decided to stop working," she said defensively. "I only told him he needed to slow down. If you would've seen the way he was going before, you would have recommended a very long vacation, trust me," she said.

The doctor stopped at a recovery room door. A plastic hanging file holder hung on the door,with a single manila file sticking out of it. Pepper noticed the tab on the file read Anthony Stark. Her heart fluttered with the idea that her love was behind that door, alive and well.

He chuckled. "Funny, you and he share the same outlook on that," he said. "But I think the final consensus should be, that whatever Tony decides to do going forward, that it's done with balance, support, and, above all moderation. Wouldn't you agree?"
Pepper looked at the doctor and nodded silently. "Absolutely," she murmured.

"He's a tinkerer, right? So let him tinker," the doctor advised. "Just not constantly. And not never. Get it?" the doctor said jovially.
"Got it," Pepper said, smiling.

"Ah, that's a kid. You can go on in and see him. He's dying to see you, too. Well, not literally, anyway. Not today," the doctor joked. "Sorry, a little doctor humor."

Pepper chuckled bashfully, appreciating the doctor's efforts to lift her spirits.

"And whenever he's ready, go home. He's got no need to stay here. If any problems arise, you know where to find me."

Pepper smiled widely and nodded. "Yes, and thank you, Doctor," she said. "For everything."

The Doctor turned to go, "My pleasure, dear. Just take good care of him for me, huh?"

"I will," Pepper promised. She watched him as he waved and walked away happily. Pepper sighed a giant sigh of relief as she turned to open the door.