A/N: Thanks for reviewing amacma. Admittedly, this is more of a Tony x Michelle story, but yes, we definitely see some healing happen.

Tony could count on one hand the number of times he left Michelle's side those following weeks. It was usually only for a bathroom or shower break. It had been so hard to even manage that when Michelle would desperately pull at his shirt and whimper when she felt the break of contact. He would have to tell her several times that he would be right back and that she wasn't alone. But when he was there, she was fine. She was relieved to hear familiar voices, to be fed, clothed and able to sleep somewhere that wasn't a cold, hard floor. Gradually, she spoke in longer sentences, feeling comforted, realising that this was real, that she wasn't with them again, and that she never would be.

But deep down, her subconscious still haunted her, only revealing itself to Tony when the sun set. Michelle always fell asleep with her body resting against his. He would watch her until she fell asleep and then for a little while after. Just to remind himself that she was really with him. At some point, she'd start to shake and whimper. Sometimes, it would stop with a simple hush and caress of his hand against her cheek. Other times, it would escalate. She would start to kick and scream, and he would have to force her awake to snap her back to reality. Then, he'd hold her as she sobbed in his arms, begging him not to leave, not to disappear. And through his own tears, he would promise her he wouldn't until the flutter of her heart slowed down and exhaustion overcame her. The things she said would replay in his mind. They were typically along the lines of 'no' or 'I don't know anything'. He expected as much. They were the things he'd screamed day in and day out while they'd tortured him too before his escape. But occasionally she'd scream 'don't take him'. And that, Tony, couldn't figure out. He wanted to ask her, but any time anybody asked her about her experience, she would start to tremble, mutter things that didn't make sense and slowly slip into the state she'd been in when Jack found her.

When they finally got the relieving news that they could attempt the surgery to repair the broken iris and examine her eyes, Tony felt anxious, starting to wonder whether the return of her sight wouldn't be enough to return her clarity. He'd only experienced a couple of months of torture by their hand. More than that, he'd been less injured from the bomb to start with. In Michelle's case, she'd already been so weak from her comatose state that she wouldn't have had the energy to move, let alone run. And the more they'd hurt her, the slimmer her chances of escape had grown, finally becoming futile when they'd blinded her.

The night before her scheduled surgery, Tony found himself unable to sleep, looking through the information the doctor had given him. There was no guarantee the surgery would be successful. He knew that, and Michelle knew that. They weren't going to be hopeful. However, even if what they found could be reversed, there was no guarantee she'd have perfect vision, either. She still may be considered legally blind. In some cases, they could prescribe corrective lenses, but in others, she would need more support. He wasn't hung up on that. She was alive, and she was with him. It didn't matter if that meant things had to change. But he just didn't want to let her down like he had the first time.

"Tony?" Michelle asked, half-asleep from beside him. "What are you doing up?"

He was sitting in bed with his laptop. Her hand came to his forearm.

"Nothing, I'm just-"

"I can see you've got a laptop open. Or at least… a screen."

Tony sighed, staring at the half a dozen tabs of blog posts and forums regarding how one made their home accessible for someone vision impaired. There was also a tab about guide dogs.

"I'm just thinking about tomorrow."

She bit her lip, snuggling closer to him. "I know. Me too."

"I want you to know that…" He turned to look down at her, still slightly jarred by the fact that she couldn't meet his eye. "No matter what happens, whether they can or can't do anything for your eyes… it doesn't change anything. I love you so much, and we'll do whatever we need to accommodate and find a way to give you your independence and your life."

She seemed very affected by this, her eyes welling with tears. Michelle then slowly sat up on one elbow before running her hand up his bicep, neck, and onto his face so she could kiss his cheek. "I love you, too. I… I'm scared, but I know you're going to be there for me, and that's all that matters. We're both here."

"Yeah. We are." He agreed, letting her mutual reassurance be the thing to make him shut the laptop and settle in next to her.

Thankfully, the procedure went well. To Tony's hope, the surgeon stated she believed that what they did should have had some effect on her vision. She had to wear bandages on both eyelids for another few weeks, though, so they wouldn't know until then. Those weeks were, in some ways, harder than the first few after her rescue because the bandages blocked out light completely, so whatever small semblance of orientation Michelle had had was gone. They counted down the days anxiously until they could have the follow-up appointment at the clinic. But again, all Tony did was remind her that no matter what happened, they were going to be okay. They were going to figure this out.

When the time finally came, Michelle held his hand from the start of the car ride all the way into the clinic. They took an accessible entrance out the back since the front staircase was too crowded, which also helped to calm them both since they were still on edge about being tracked by Logan's people. Jack and Bill had a few leads, but they weren't at the point of feeling safe yet. Still, Tony had faith that that would sort itself out as well, and they could have the peace they deserved.

The doctor unwrapped the bandages slowly, and Tony could only examine Michelle's reaction with intense anticipation. She blinked a few times before squeezing her eyes shut tightly, and the surgeon quickly got up and dimmed the lights slightly.

"Sorry, that should be a little more comfortable for you now."

Tony watched Michelle open her eyes properly. He squeezed her hand, making her turn. The iris had been repaired, and her pupils dilated and contracted in alternation for a moment before settling. But before she could speak, Tony felt relief flood his body as he realised she could see him. Her face gave it away, but when she threw her arms around him, not in the way of fear like she had ever since her reunion, but happiness, that was when the tears started coming.

"You're really here." She murmured.

He sniffled, holding her tighter, before the doctor spoke after a beat, reminding them both she was there.

"I, uh, hate to interrupt, but Michelle, we can do a full eye examination now so we can send you home with a prescription." The doctor offered with a sheepish smile.

She did know what they'd been through, but they would have plenty of time to do this later. Michelle nodded, pulling away and noticing her very clinical surroundings. They, unfortunately, reminded her of the abandoned hospital she'd been held in, together with Tony, before they'd been separated. Not that she remembered all that much of it. Just enough for this to trigger her. In a way, she was somewhat grateful she hadn't been able to see in the lead-up to the surgery because the visuals of a hospital would have done nothing for her anxiety. What was also unnerving was the noise since, according to Tony, the practice was shared by multiple specialists.

But what made her freeze and start to hyperventilate was the sound of a crying baby from another room. Her eyes widened, and everything came back to her at once like a punch to the gut. She looked at Tony, who reacted to her concern.

"T-They took the baby…" She said, voice heavy with realisation.

"What?"

"They took our son away from me…"