REVAMPED!

[Some of you probably already know the answer to this, but I must write this chapter].

[Note - I know nothing about ultrasounds and appointments]. [2019: I still don't, but I have done more research for this].

Mark XVII: Appointments & Ultrasounds

Even with her busy schedule, Pepper Stark still has time for regular appointments. If she had an important meeting or phone call, it was moved. Nothing was more valuable than her baby, especially since its existence was made known after the first trimester which was rare for pregnancy.

But she started to notice some pregnancy symptoms. If she didn't find out about the baby at her wedding, she would've found out now. She didn't gain that much weight and she still wasn't showing as much as her other pregnant friends, but she went up a cup size. Her baby might be small but it was going to be hungry when it leaves the womb. But this new size is every flat-chested woman's dream (and her lover's as well).

"The good news is that your baby does not have nor will develop FAS," Dr. Walsh tells them, showing Tony and Pepper the results from their last test. "In fact, they're developing beautifully."

Fetal-Alcohol Syndrome was their top concern. Since they found out about the pregnancy after the first trimester, Tony and Pepper wondered if their ignorant drinks would have caused anything. But nothing happened and they couldn't be more relieved. It would kill them to know that something was wrong with their baby.

"Look at that, the baby's already got a high alcohol tolerance," Tony comments with a bright smile on his face.

Even Pepper can't help but smile at that.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Stark, you'll be able to have a glass of wine again," Dr. Walsh reassures. "Maybe once the kid starts having tantrums."

Tony rubs his wife's shoulders. "Or for every beer you can't drink, I'll drink five."

"Oh, god..." Pepper mutters.

-o-

"Say, Pepper," Tony says, looking at one of the ultrasound machines, "this looks easy to build. Maybe I could just make my own. Then, we wouldn't have to spend some time here."

"Tony, no," is her usual response.

"Pepper, yes," he gives her his usual reply to whenever she says that. "Come on, I've already planned it all out. I'll build it and Bruce can operate it and analyze the scans since he's a doctor."

"For possibly the billionth time, he's not that kind of doctor. He's not any type of doctor you've been claiming him as. And he has seven PhDs so you have more of a variety to guess from."

"Okay, what about Betty? Or Jane? Or Hank?"

"They're not those types of doctors either. They're not even remotely in the same field."

"But Betty is a microbiologist and fetuses are tiny organisms."

Pepper blinks, unable to wrap her head around his type of argument. It's not that she was going to give him this win, because she wasn't, she was more concerned about why he was so confident in his justification. In theory, Tony's right on the size of the baby, but he's wrong if he thinks Betty is going to use a homemade ultrasound machine on her.

Whatever. She was too tired for this.

But now, they feel more awake as the doctor moves the camera around Pepper's small baby bump. Both their eyes were on the monitor, trying to decipher the graphs.

There is a little spot of white in a sea of black. That is their baby. Even from the start, their child was standing out.

Tony was so amazed that he was silent. He never thought that he would've ever been a good father because of his upbringing, let alone a father in general. He never pictured that life for him because of the life he made for himself. That is until he met and fell in love with Pepper Potts. She is a woman who can power through and give her all in any task that you don't even have to ask her to do.

But that didn't mean Tony was going to slack off. Being a father was the most important role ever given to him and he was going to do his damn best.

"You're right..." Pepper mutters. She's hypnotized by the ultrasound footage beside her. "It's so tiny. Maybe Betty could've done a checkup."

Tony laughs, glancing at the doctor. "She's going to forget she said that when we leave so I'm going to take this day as a win."

Dr. Walsh smiles. "One of the few pregnancy wins for Dad."

Both Tony and Pepper's hearts stop as Dr. Walsh repositions the small transducer. They watch in absolute awe as the image moves along, seeing their baby from different angles. It starts out as black, then it becomes fuzzy. Then it's black with a light blue, electronic outline of a small figure inside. Tony and Pepper are almost brought to tears of joy. That's their baby in there. Up close. It doesn't look like a baby, but it's a baby.

"And, here is the heartbeat," Dr. Walsh says as a steady beat echoes in the room.

A soft thumping that brings the two of them to tears. Who would've thought that this would bring them to break down in the best way possible? This sound makes their baby more real than it already is.

"Tony..." Pepper mutters, reaching over to look for his hand since her eyes are fixated on the monitor. "That's, that's our baby in there. We made that."

"I know, Pep." He takes her hand and kisses it. "And for the first time, I'm going to somewhat quote my dad. He's our greatest invention."

Pepper looks at him. "She is."

"Well," Dr. Walsh says, "your baby's heartbeat is normal and it's developing naturally. Four limbs, ten fingers and toes, spinal cord, everything's perfect. Would you like to know the gender?"

"Yes," the couple replies in unison.

They tense up with excitement, holding their hands tightly as the doctor looks around for the results.

"Let's see here..." He scans further. "Your baby is...a beautiful baby girl."

Pepper squeals out of excitement. Tony doesn't care that he was wrong. He still has his moment of victory from earlier but, aside from that, he's going to have a little girl.

A little baby Stark.