It was minutes later that the rest of the family got there. TJ and Lucy went to sit down with Clint. Clint didn't want to overwhelm his brother with people. He knew Tony and Kim would go searching him out first. Lucy was holding TJ's hands, trying to comfort him best she could. TJ was regularly wiping tears away. Lucy frowned. "I think she will be ok." "But what if she dosnt make it? I mean...her chest is caved in. She needs an arc reactor. They could lose her on that table right now and not get her back."He hadn't realized his voice was thick and tears kept falling. She held him close. "shh don't think like that." Clint turned to them. "Shes right TJ. You shouldn't think like that." TJ just looked over at him, eyes red and watery. Clint continued. "This family is damn hard to kill. She'l be ok. Shes too stubborn to be anything but ok." TJ smiled sadly. "Thats true."
Tony and Kim found Gage sitting on the floor in the hall closest to the OR. They rushed over. Gage swallowed the lump in his throat. He felt his eyes well up again but he refused to cry. He did enough of that already. He wiped his eyes but he could see the worry in Tony and Kim. Both for there daughter and him. "Hey.." He said. His voice low, raspy. Tony spoke. "What did the doctors say exactly that she needs an arc reactor?" Gage let out a sighed. "He said bone fragments got inbeded in her heart, causing more and more damage with every beat. I guess the arc reactor will keep them in place so it can beat normally. Well, normally as can be expected." Tony nodded, his eyes watering again. Kim's eyes were red and watery as she held her husbands hands. "Tony..." Tony shook his head. "No...I know. It's just.." He let out a shaky breath. "When I made the arc reactor, put it to public to help cases like this, I never thought it would have to be used on my own family." Gage nodded. He was starting to feel calmer with the family here. They could worry together but he was also feeling hopeful. "Wheres Clint?" Kim spoke. "With TJ and Lucy. There in the waiting room." Gage sighed. "I'm...wait...how long does this kind of procedure take Tony?" Tony let out a breath. "Well lets see..." He did some calculations in his head. "Probably an hour, without complications." Gage nodded. "I'm gonna get some coffee then. You guys want some?"
He came back up to the waiting room about a half hour later. (getting everyone something.) Clint saw him, standing up. Gage held him a coffee before he could hug him. He wasn't in a hugging mood. Unless it was Quinn. "Here. Cream and lots of sugar." Clint nodded, taken aback from the small rejection. "uh. Thanks." Gage nodded. He knew he was disconnecting with the situation, at least emotionally. He handed Tony and TJ coffees and Lucy and Kim tea while he got his own coffee. Lucy looked up. "Oh. Thank you. That was very kind given the situation you are going thru." Gage looked to her then nodded, sipping his own coffee. He was also working up the courage to actually talk to Tony about taking Quinns hand in marriage, get his blessing. He didn't want to risk another like this. He didn't want to wait until one day its too late. It's been over an hour and he could see Tony getting fidgety, pacing back and fourth. He thought this might be the best time. Maybe take his mind off this and focus on something else. He got up, leaving his half drunk coffee behind. "Tony, can I talk to you and Kim? In private?" Tony stopped, looking at him then signaling Kim to them. "Yeah. Sure."
They all sat down in a more private spot. Gage let out a breath, asking for there daughters hand. Tony let out a breath, an almost sad laugh leavening him. "You know, the day I hired you, I didn't think you would be more then a bodyguard. And now your asking for my daughters hand in marriage. Who thought I'd be hiring my future son-in-law?" Kim smiled sadly. "Our baby is growing up Tony." Tony nodded, looking to Gage who looked about to bolt out of his seat. Gage nearly smiled. "So we have your blessing?" Tony nodded. "Yeah. On one condition. You keep her happy and you keep her safe." Gage smiled, standing and hugging him. "You know thats the same thing you told me when you caught me and her dating." Tony sighed. "And it hasn't changed. Just know that if you hurt her, in any way, my repulsers will be the last thing you see." Gage nodded, he knew how menacing Tony could be but he was scared at all. He could never hurt her.
It was nearly three hours later (and lots of pacing because it shouldn't have taken this long) that a Doctor came out. "Smith?" Gage shot up along with the rest of the family. Tony and Kim right behind him. The doctor sighed. "I'd like to speak to you in private." The doctor was older an older lady but not much older then her 40's. She lead them to one of the discussion rooms. Sitting Tony, Kim and Gage down. The room was small so Lucy, Clint and TJ chose to wait. The doctor sighed. "Who are the parents?" Tony raised his hand. "Me and my wife." She nodded. "I'm Dr. Maria Angelo. I was one of her surgeons putting in and supervising the arc reactor. The surgery had complications due to her injures shes sustained. She needed a blood transfusion. All thou she hadn't lost enough blood to where it was dangerous we were doing major surgery. We couldn't risk her losing more blood. She came in with three broken fingers, broken wrist and lacerations everywhere on her body. Her chest was beaten in, caved in, several broken ribs and from the looks of it the ribs broke within the first hit, the other hits just dug the bone fragments deeper into her heart. We couldn't risk taking them out. They were too close, too much damage was a risk. Before we could open her up we had to stop her heart and keep her blood pumping artificially because...she was lucky she even made it into the OR with how her heart is."
Tony nodded then looked over, seeing how tense Gage was, listening to everything that happened to her. He put a hand on his shoulder before speaking. "But shes ok now?" The doctor nodded. "Yes. Shes stable but her heart can't beat on it's own anymore. She'l need this reactor for the rest of her life." Tony nodded. "Thank you doctor for saving our daughter. May we see her?" The doctor let out a breath. "Soon, you can. She still in post op, getting cleaned up and whatnot, were letting the sedative leave her system naturally, we don't want to put any kind of unnecessary stress on her heart. But as soon as shes in a room we'l let you know." Then the doctor left, going back to the operating room. Gage ran his hands thru his hair. Kim saw how tense he was. "Gage?" He shook his head. "Just...I wish we could kill that guy again." Tony nodded, standing placing his hand on his shoulder again. "He's never hurting her ever again and shes alive. Lets focus on those points and...get something to eat. It's past dinner."
TJ was so relived hearing his sister was going to be ok. His eyes watered, hugging Lucy. Lucy smiled, hugging him. "See? I told you. Now lets get some dinner with the rest of the family. I know your starved." It was a half hour later that Quinn was in her own room in the ICU unit. Tony,Kim and Gage went in first. Clint was keeping watch out in the hall and TJ and Lucy went for a small walk around the city. All the sitting was getting to them. Tony would text them when Quinn woke. Tony walked in, first thing he saw he hated. He saw her arc reactor, wires were connected to it which went to a large battery. New arc reactors for medical use needed a charge but that charge lasted about 10 years and gave a warning about a month before things got dangerous. But it reminded him so much of the cave he barely realized when his breathing got heavier and faster until Kim was in front of him, holding his face gently. 'Hey, it's ok. Just breath sweetie...Your not in the cave anymore." Tony let out a breath, leaning his forehead on kims.
"Sorry...took me off guard." Gage was barely watching what was happening to Tony, already at Quinns bedside, holding her hand and petting her hair back. He saw the arc reactor, shining in her chest thru the blankets and hospital gown. He worried about it. What if for some reason it failed? What if she pushes herself too hard? Tony walked over next to him, making him jump out of his thoughts. Tony smiled sadly. "Stop it. I can hear you thinking. Shes gonna be fine. Shaken up cause she has a nightlight in her chest...but fine." Gage nodded. "How easily did you adapt to yours?" Tony sighed. "Not easily. For a long time I thought it was awful, some ugly thing that made me a freak. But then I met Kim and...I don't see that way anymore. It keeps me alive and I have alot to live for."
It was nearly two hours later that Quinn started to wake up. Kim was asleep on the couch, Tony sitting with her. Gage was sitting by Quinn, holding her good hand, the other was in a cast. She groaned. "mmmm..." Gage nearly jumped out of his chair. "shh take it easy." She coughed a little, wincing. "Gage?" He smiled sadly. "Yeah princess. It's me. Your parents are here to." As she became more wakeful she tried to sit up but winced. "God, my chest feels like a truck hit me. More like ten trucks hit me." Tony saw this as his cue to break the news to her but he was too late as her hand went to her chest, feeling it but instead of skin, she felt the glass of the rector and metal casing. She tensed, looking around. "Whats in my chest? What did they do to me?" Her eyes watered. Tony moved to her, taking her hands. "Hey, calm down. Your ok." Her eyes watered over and tony saw that little shy and terrified five year old she used to be.
"Dad..." He sighed, Gage was still by her side as he continued. "You have an arc reactor. The bone fragments from your broken ribs inbeded into your heart and they couldn't take them out." She saw the wire leading to the battery. "Whats that? Is it...am I charging?" Tony chuckled sadly. "In a way yeah. All medical arc reactors need a charge and that charge last ten years and it'l warn you before it gets dangerous." She nodded, taking in a breath. "So...what now?"
Tony shrugged. "You just have to live with it which, hey that isn't so bad. You'll always have a nightlight and I can upgrade it for you." She chuckled sadly, sniffling. "I guess thats not so bad." "Quinn?" Her mom said, standing now. Quinn saw her mom, a few tears falling. "Mom?" Kim walked over, hugging Quinn. "Oh God...we were so worried."
Quinn hugged her mom, a few tears falling. She pulled away enough to speak. "May I have some privacy with Gage, for just a moment?" Tony smiled. "Of corse." He gently ushered his wife away and both walked out the door. Gage then hugged her close, kissing her head, a few tears of his own falling. "You scared me to death today." She started sobbing into his shirt but every ever sob was a wince until she groaned. "God I can't even cry properly with this thing. It hurts to breath, to talk." Gage held her face gently. "You just came out of a major surgery, it's gonna hurt." "I don't want to hurt."Her lip trembled, looking in his eyes. "I've been hurting and in pain the whole day. I...I just want the pain to go away." He kissed her head. "I'm sorry princess." She moved the hospital material out of the way, feeling the reactor. Gage could see the angry, red and puffy skin around the edge, no doubt from the surgery.
She looked down at it, seeing the blueish/white light reflect on her hand. He reached out, holding that hand. "Hey, tell me what your thinking." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm a freak. I can't go to school like this. What if someone bullies me and tries to take it out? What if it falls out? Can it fall out? What if I'm pushed into a pool?" He saw her anxiety reaching it's limit so he took her face in his hands. "Hey, no one is going to try to take it out and it certainly isn't going to fall out or your dad would be long dead by now. And yes it's waterproof." She let out a breath, feeling a little better. Gage smiled sadly. "It's a big adjustment, I know but I promise, I'l keep it safe." He gently felt the reactor, seeing the light reflect on his hand. She sniffled, leaning into was all too much for one day.
AN: reviews? Comments? And thank you for all the wonderful reviews! The make my day :)