Chapter 25

Rhodey and Pepper rushed into the bedroom to find Tony lying on the bed, his face flushed with fever. His body was drenched in sweat, the sheets clinging to his skin. His breath came in ragged gasps, and he seemed trapped in a world of his own, mumbling unintelligibly. Rhodey stepped to the bedside and observed the disturbing symptoms.

Tony's eyes were half closed, flickering with images only he could see. His body was restless, tossing and turning, unable to find comfort. Rhodey noticed Tony's hands gripping the sheets, knuckles white from the pressure, as if trying to hold on to reality.

"Pepper," Rhodey said quietly, not wanting to startle Tony. "What do you think?"

Pepper moved closer, her hand hovering over Tony's forehead, feeling the intense heat radiating from him. "He definitely has a high fever," she said, her voice tinged with concern. "Jarvis, any word on his temperature?"

"Mr. Stark's temperature is currently 104 degrees Fahrenheit and rising," Jarvis replied. "Fevers are rare in alcohol withdrawal. You should consider medical attention if it persists."

"Shit," Rhodey said. "That's not good."

"Tony?" Pepper asked carefully.

But Tony's eyes were unfocused, darting around the room as if looking for a way out. His breathing quickened, becoming sharp, panicked gasps.

"Hey, Tony? You still with us?" Rhodey tried.

Tony's mutterings grew more desperate, his body shaking despite the heat radiating from him. "No... not again... please, no..." he whispered, the words barely audible but filled with fear. Tony's hands, still gripping the sheets, began to shake violently. He twisted and turned, getting tangled in the blankets, which only seemed to add to his despair.

Rhodey's heart sank. He recognized the signs of a flashback. "He's reliving something," he said, looking at Pepper. "We need to get his fever down. "

"Should I get wet towels?" Pepper asked with little conviction.

The way Tony was struggling and resisting right now, that didn't seem to be an option.

"Let's put him in a cold bath for a minute. Can you run lukewarm water in the tub, Pepper?" Rhodey asked. "I'll try to get Tony out of bed in the meantime."

"Yes," Pepper replied and stormed off.

Rhodey pulled on Tony's blanket, trying to loosen it without touching him. After two minutes of wrestling with the blanket, he was finally able to free Tony from it. Meanwhile, Pepper returned to them.

"We're going to take you to the bathroom now, okay?" Rhodey called loudly, touching Tony very gently.

As he lifted him out of bed, Tony protested, but was too weak to really fight back. Better hurry before it gets worse. As they carefully supported Tony, his delirious state became more apparent. His movements were uncoordinated and he seemed unaware of their presence. Together they managed to carry him to the tub. Pepper started to nibble at Tony's shirt, but Rhodey held her back.

"It doesn't matter now. We'll just put him in like this."

Rhodey was scared. He didn't know if they were doing the right thing, and Tony's flashback worried him deeply. They needed to get his fever down fast.

Carefully, he held Tony's upper body while Pepper lifted his legs and slowly lowered them into the half-filled tub. Rhodey then did the same with Tony's upper body. Tony immediately quieted down, but Rhodey didn't breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed more like Tony was unaware of what was going on, but very aware that something had changed in his environment. Rhodey didn't know why, but it seemed like the calm before the storm.

"Tony?" he asked softly. "Can you hear me?"

Tony didn't answer. He sat in the tub with his mouth slightly open, staring ahead with his eyes wide open.

"Pepper, let's get some cold water in there now. We should hurry."

"Okay," Pepper replied, standing uncertainly next to the tub and letting the ice-cold water run in.

The two waited tensely as the water rose. Finally, Pepper turned off the faucet, stuck two fingers in, and then nodded.

Rhodey looked at Tony and could literally see his features change in slow motion.

Tony's eyes flickered with the realization of something terrible. Rhodey noticed the change immediately and moved closer, concern etched on his face.

"Tony? What's going on?" Rhodey asked, his voice calm but filled with concern.

Tony didn't respond. Instead, his eyes darted around the room, as if he were seeing something entirely different. Slowly, Tony opened his eyes as wide as they would go, and his mouth was open in a silent scream.

Something is wrong, Rhodey thought just before Tony actually started to scream.

"No! Not again! Please don't!"

Tony was lashing out, water sloshing over the edge of the tub. His hands were clutching at nothing, apparently in a desperate attempt to find his footing. In a panic, Rhodey reached out to grab him, but Tony swatted his hands away, and as a result, his head accidentally went under the water for a moment. When Tony surfaced, the last vestiges of sanity seemed to have left him.

"NO!" he screamed in complete agony. "Please don't! I'll build it! I'll do it! But stop it! I can't take it anymore! Please!"

Tony screamed at the top of his lungs. He was screaming for Yinsen, begging them to let him go, desperately trying to pull himself out of the water. His eyes were fixed on several points around him, as if there were actually people standing there.

"Oh God!" Pepper gasped. "We've got to get him out of there! Now!"

Rhodey and Pepper reached for Tony at the same time, but he flailed wildly, still screaming and pleading.

"Shit!" Rhodey cursed, then got into the tub on one leg and leaned over to Tony. After a brief struggle, he finally managed to grab Tony under the armpits and pull him up. Quick thinking, Pepper grabbed Tony's legs at that moment and with a quick jerk they lifted Tony out of the tub and onto the floor, then let him go. He was still struggling against invisible forces - then he blacked out. Rhodey and Pepper looked down at him with frightened expressions. Pepper dropped to her knees beside Tony and cupped his face in her hands.

"Tony! Tony, wake up!" She spoke to him loudly several times.

Then Tony blinked a few times and his look wasn't as delusional as before.

"Pepper?" Tony finally asked, clearly confused. "But...?" He looked around, irritated and desperate. "What...?"

"Are you okay?"

"What... what happened?" Tony replied, touching his wet shirt.

"You had a flashback, Tony..." Pepper said worriedly. "Or maybe even a hallucination because your fever is so high. I don't know. I suppose you saw something from Afghanistan? What you told me?"

"I - yes. I guess," Tony said, still distraught.

"We carried you into the tub of cold water to bring the fever down," Rhodey explained.

"Oh," Tony said, looking caught off guard.

"I see," Pepper said weakly.

"I don't," Rhodey said slowly.

Pepper stood up, then looked sadly at Rhodey. "You know he was tortured there. Well... the torture consisted of pushing him under water over and over again until he thought he was going to drown..."

"Oh," Rhodey said now as well and looked down at Tony almost shocked.

He had never known what that had been. Hearing it now made it figuratively tangible. Now he understood why Tony had reacted like that when they had let him into the bathtub.

"Are you okay now?" Rhodey asked, trying to make his voice sound calm, which wasn't working very well.

"Honestly, no..." Tony mumbled, his voice shaking. "I never took a bath again after... you know. I'm sorry. I should have told you. Showering is okay because the water comes from above. But the tub reminds me of the water trough where they-"

"Don't worry about it..." Pepper said gently.

"No, I really should have told you," Tony insisted. "And it's also important to know that touching my shoulders in a firm way... well, that also triggers flashbacks. It reminds me of the tight grips when they pushed me underwater. So... try... not to do that... please?"

"God..." Rhodey mumbled. "I mean, of course. We'll be careful."

Pepper wrapped Tony in a big towel. Then Rhodey stood right behind him so that he could lean on his legs to stay upright. They weren't in this position for long, though.

"I'm going to be sick again," Tony said plaintively, holding his stomach.

Pepper left quickly and returned immediately with the bucket, which was faster than lifting Tony to the toilet. She placed the bucket in front of him just in time. When he was done, Tony sank backwards onto the tiles, seeming to have no strength left.

"Everything hurts," he said, croaking.

Rhodey and Pepper exchanged another worried look.

"This is not gonna work," Rhodey thought loudly. "Jarvis, isn't there... any medication?"

"There is, Colonel," Jarvis replied immediately. "First and foremost, benzodiazepines are the treatment of choice due to their sedative, muscle relaxant, and anti-seizure properties. They reduce withdrawal symptoms and potential complications. However, you can't get them without a prescription. Then there is the anticonvulsant carbamazepine, which prevents withdrawal seizures. It's sometimes given in combination with the antihyperkinetic tiapride, which counteracts vegetative withdrawal symptoms like tremors, sweating, and restlessness. Also: Metoclopramide, a medication for nausea and vomiting, it dampens the activity of the vomiting center in the brain, which in this case would not be so bad if my opinion counts for anything. But you need prescriptions.

"Then we have to get them," Rhodey said, getting a little angry. "You two should have thought of that before you started all this. Why didn't you prepare?"

Pepper looked at him, caught and guilty. Rhodey swallowed his anger quickly, because it wasn't helpful at all now.

"Tony, you can still go to rehab," he said then, realizing how tired and overwhelmed he was. "We can't do it like this."

"No," Tony said, touching his obviously aching forehead. "No... I feel better already. It's okay. It's getting better now."

Pepper saw Rhodey sigh in frustration. And he was right, this could not go on. The withdrawal was too strong, the symptoms too severe. They were still at the beginning of the process and it could get worse. Pepper was about to call it off and take Tony to the hospital - whether he wanted to go or not. She didn't see how they could do that without medication and psychological support. On the other hand, she felt she would lose Tony's trust if she did that now. He would not forgive her. Maybe he would throw everything overboard and start drinking again. She certainly didn't want that to happen.

"Jarvis? How is Tony's body temperature?" she asked.

"Still too high, Miss Potts. I'm also noticing dehydration. His vital signs are far from optimal."

"That's not going to work..." Pepper said firmly. "I'll contact Coulson."

"Coulson?" Rhodey asked confused.

"That's what we agreed," Pepper explained curtly.

She wasn't sure if Tony had heard her, but she didn't care anymore. If not a hospital, at least S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Fine..." Rhodey agreed, just a little less confused. "And I'll get something to cool down."

"Good idea."

Pepper left the bathroom as Rhodey walked past her and headed downstairs.

"Jarvis, call Phil Coulson," she said, and Jarvis carried out the order without comment.

There was no answer, however. This can't be true, Pepper thought desperately. Why couldn't this go any smoother? Then another thought came to her. Quickly, she walked outside to the gates of the estate. There they were. Shaw and Bennett. S.H.I.E.L.D. just had to help her now.

"We need your help!" Pepper said a little out of breath.

Shaw and Bennett instantly drew their weapons, causing Pepper to jump involuntarily.

"No. Not that kind of help," she said quickly. "Tony, he's not doing well with the withdrawal. He needs medication and I can't reach Coulson. Can you get us some?"

The agents looked at each other, then shook their heads.

"Sorry, ma'am," Shaw said. "We're not authorized to do that. We could take him to a hospital, but we can't call in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s medical services without permission from our supervisor."

Before Pepper could get angry, he quickly added, "But I can try to reach Agent Coulson, okay? Just give me a few minutes. I will get back to you."

Pepper watched anxiously as Shaw stepped aside to make the call. She turned back to the house, her mind racing. Seeing Tony in such distress had upset her more than she cared to admit.

Inside, Rhodey had changed Tony's clothes and tucked him back into bed. He was in the process of wrapping wet towels around his legs.

"Shaw's trying to reach Coulson," Pepper explained. "I hope he gets him on the phone soon."

She grabbed a towel herself and placed it on Tony's forehead. At least he seemed more lucid and awake now.

Just ten minutes later, Shaw appeared in the doorway. "Agent Coulson is on the line."

"Pepper, I heard Stark's detoxing?" Phil's voice, calm and friendly as always, immediately comforted her.

"Phil!" Pepper exclaimed almost a little too loudly. "He is indeed. It's been two days. We're here at his house and he's going through one hell of a withdrawal. He's been throwing up for hours, Jarvis is worried about dehydration, he's got a fever and panic attacks... and earlier he had a flashback. We need your help, we're really running on fumes here... He's very bad, we need medication, actually a doctor, I'm seriously considering just calling 911..."

"No, don't do that."

"What?"

"Don't call 911. You can't. You can't let this go public."

"Now you're coming up with this as well! Does anyone ever worry about his health?"

"Pepper, listen. Tony Stark and rehab - no problem; another celebrity lost in the depths of drugs, nothing spectacular. Iron Man and rehab - no way. That would be an invitation to all the enemies."

"Enemies? You mean the Ten Rings?"

"Yes. But not just them. Tony makes himself vulnerable and attackable if this becomes known. And there are people who could take advantage of that. Right now it's just rumors about an addiction. However, if it becomes known that he is in withdrawal, it will also become known that he will be incapacitated for several days. That might encourage some people - whoever they are - to attack him. It has happened before. We should keep a low profile.

"Do you know something and don't say? Is there a concrete danger?"

"No. It's unusual activity. Nothing concrete. Nothing to worry about now."

"Then we should concentrate on his health for now! He is really sick!"

"I understand that you're upset, Pepper. But I didn't say I wouldn't help you. Can you hang on for a few more hours?"

"I think so."

"Good. Don't leave the property, don't call a doctor unless it's really a matter of life and death. I'll try to get there as soon as I can."

"You? Yourself?"

"Yes. I want this to be off the record. I'll go to Medical Services and get some meds, but it'll take me three to four hours."

"Okay... Thank you, but please hurry."

"I will. If he gets worse, let Shaw or Bennet know."