Vital Communication Chapter 17
DISCLAIMER: Still in effect. The trauma is beginning to lessen, but it is still present. I will do what I can to warn when I mention something horrible, but please, just take it as said, that you need to be careful until I say otherwise.
Tony convinced the medics that Bruce needed to be in a large, open area, instead of Medical, for the eventual appearance of the Hulk. The lead medic argued the irregularity until Tony pointed out the potential losses in necessary equipment. If it was just the one set of monitors, much easier to replace than a whole facility's, was Tony's point.
The lead medic, Ashwhite, called ahead to the Hudson base, and had a room prepared. Tony sent a quick email via the Starkphone in his pocket to Pepper, giving her the guardedly good news. He also mentioned that he'd be with SHIELD for the foreseeable future, at least until Bruce was ready to be released. Pepper's reply was just a request to keep her updated.
Once at SHIELD, several doctors and nurses converged on the pair to get Bruce settled more comfortably.
"Mr. Stark, can you tell me why he hasn't transformed?", one asked tetchily, as if he couldn't be bothered to do any work right then.
"Who're you?", Tony snapped, rounding on the man, immediately defensive.
"Dr. Ralph Throckmorton. I was told he has regenerative capabilities when he shifts into that..."
"Don't you DARE say it. GET OUT," Tony forcefully interrupted the ignorant man. They did not need this, not now. "Where the hell is Fury?", Tony snarled, hands balled up, advancing on the balding, overweight man in scrubs.
"The Director is NOT your errand boy, Mr. Stark," Throckmorton tried to diffuse.
"If he doesn't want to scrape you off,"
"Enough Stark. Throckmorton, out," Fury's deep voice rolled down the corridor ahead of the man himself. Throckmorton paled and fled, fearing for his life. He should have held higher regard for his career.
"I swear to God, Fury, ditch every single medical person in the entire organization who's ever thought of Bruce or Hulk as a monster," Tony wasn't sure what he had to threaten the man with, but he was going to find something.
"Cool your jets, Stark. There's no one else. Ashwhite's being turned around as we speak. Sitwell gave me a head's up, but Throckmorton's question is valid," Fury's words did little to calm Tony.
The engineer stood beside the bed they had ensconced Bruce into after getting off the chopper, hands gripping the safety rails tight enough that his knuckles were white. "His trust's destroyed, Fury. That I'm this close is a miracle. I don't claim to understand him, the Hulk or their relationships with either Ross, but for Betty to have done this?", one hand released from the rail to gesture helplessly at the still, unconscious form of the doctor. "I think she was his reason for being, through everything that happened in New Mexico, and at Culver, and even until now. You ever have that stripped away?", Tony sounded lost. This he had experience in, too much in fact. Fury wisely said nothing. They waited for Ashwhite to arrive.
The EMT appeared, clipboard of test results in hand, grim look on his face. "Well, the drug in his system is going to take another 8 to 12 hours to metabolize on its own. Our chemists are working to neutralize it now, based on the sample we gave them. The wounds will be treated, but otherwise I don't suggest trying to close them. If he could transform," and here the man trailed off.
"Is it the drug?", Tony asked.
"We don't think so, but this one is new. We'll keep him at least lightly sedated for the next 24 hours until the foreign drug's run its course. Shall I bring in a chair or something for you, Mr. Stark?" Ashwhite explained.
"Anything will work. Where's the rest of the team, Fury?", Tony's manner was borderline rude. Ashwhite ignored it, having dealt with tetchy agents who hated Medical, for many years.
"Wrapping up the warehouse, Stark. They'll be here. I'll return when they do," and the Director left them alone.
Ashwhite arranged for Stark's relative comfort, then saw to his patient. A Geiger counter appeared in the room, its crackling confirming the fact that Bruce's wounds were still open and bleeding. Portable oxygen sat behind the bed, helping Banner breathe via tubes hooked over his ears and the cannula in his nose. The heart monitor kept careful track of that organ. The steady beeps were even more reassuring than the Geiger.
Tony first noticed the others when the scent of fresh coffee invaded the room. He'd not heard any footsteps, so lost in his own head as he was.
"Here, Tony," Steve proffered a cup.
"Thanks, Cap," Tony took the styro cup of black liquid and practically inhaled it. It was strong, just the way Tony preferred it.
"How is he?", Nat whispered, as if speaking louder might disturb the fragile peace of the room. Or call upon the Hulk.
"Bad. We need the Hulk, but there's a drug that's probably interfering," Tony slumped in the chair, scrubbing hands through his dark hair.
"He'll pull through Tony. How are you doing, do you need anything?", Steve said, acting the concerned leader, and friend.
Tony sighed, "I'm staying here until he's ready to come home. If the Tower was set up for this," he waved a hand to indicate the medical paraphernalia. Clint and Nat shared a look.
"That can be changed," she said, not really offering any promises. It was Stark's property, after all, they could only make suggestions.
"It's on my list of things to change, Natasha. For the Tower, and the mansion. We can't keep running to SHIELD forever," Tony admitted. It was something of a plan in his head. Quarters for all of them, specialized training gyms, all of it. Just, right now, Bruce had all of his focus.
"All right. We'll stay here at the Hudson facility until we can take Bruce back home. And we'll take turns with him so he's never alone, and no one's overburdened. No sense running any one of us ragged," Steve neatly overrode Tony's half formed protests. Tony glared at Rogers, wishing for some way to kick them all out so he could take care of Bruce on his own.
"We're a team, Stark," Clint grunted from his spot against the wall. They were all tired, and arguing would solve nothing. They needed downtime, soon.
"Fine, do what you want," Tony folded. Clint grinned. They left him to the first shift of the "Bruce watch", letting Tony stew over his completely mixed up emotions and screwed up thoughts.
Eventually, Tony pulled out his phone to talk with JARVIS via text. He didn't think SHIELD would appreciate the AI's presence right then, not after the last hacking incident.
J-man, what in hell am I doing? - Tony
Rhetorically, sir? - JARVIS
Funny man. Seriously, Pepper? - Tony
Is a most understanding woman, sir. Will it break her heart, a certainty. But, she'd accept it was the right thing. - JARVIS
Can I do that to him? And the AI hesitates with his answer. Then queued up a bit of security video he'd recorded just the previous day.
Sir, watch this. And the video played of Tony's nightmare while sleeping in Bruce's guest room. The care that Bruce took with Tony, including keeping him safely held after the fact, surprised the engineer.
Why? - Tony
Didn't he say anything? Perhaps you would make light of it? Or maybe that he believes he doesn't deserve anything in return? - JARVIS
Tony put the phone down to think. He cared for Pepper, she brought order to his chaos in a way no one ever had before. But was that truly something to build a life long relationship on? Was it fair to her that he chain her to him, well, chain anyone really, who didn't know, or couldn't deal with everything that made up Anthony Edward Stark? Sure they had great sex together, but he knew from the failure of his parents' relationship that it took more than that old sack race to keep the spark alive long term. He knew that arguing over the super hero thing, or the company, was also no way to live life.
But. Could he convince Bruce that he deserved a chance? At of all things, Tony knew he was interested in more than just pleasures of the flesh anymore. His conversations with Banner alone gave him plenty of fantasies. And to work with the man? Made him hot and bothered for hours. Well, it was a new project, he supposed. After he talked with Pepper.
He sat, staring at Bruce, for several hours until one of the other Avengers came to try and relieve him.
"Tony? Why don't you go get some rest? I'll stay with him," Natasha had come. She stood in the doorway of the storage-cum-medical room, wearing a pair of too big, faded sweats and soft looking cashmere sweater in gray. He turned his head to look at her, rather than just watch her from the corner of his eye.
"I'm fine," he tried to insist. She huffed, not believing him.
"At least go for a shower and some food?", Nat persisted, "He won't wake while you're gone."
"You know that for a certainty?" Tony was carefully suspicious.
"I looked at his record. The sedative they have him on will keep him out for another 4 hours, minimum. It was so the other drug and his injuries didn't cause him any more pain," she told Stark the truth. The last thing they needed was him running off with Bruce because someone decided a lie was better to tell him.
Tony caught her gaze, and looked hard, evaluating. She left her expression open and neutral, a rarity, but necessary. Whatever he found, it satisfied him because he nodded and stood up.
"You could talk to him. Let him know he's safe," he whispered as his passed. She only nodded in reply.
AN - I've noticed that I may perhaps have been using "it's/its" wrong up til now. It's a damn difficult possession to remember, and well, at this point, I'm not going to go back and fix it. If I corral the whole fic into a single piece, I might. But, I doubt it.