Pepper and Tony were in complete shock. They had heard and understood the doctor's news, but they simply couldn't believe it. Sure, it's what happens when you have sex, but they were careful. They could swear they were safe. God, it was a major déjà vu. Tony looked at his girlfriend, who was pale and wide-eyed. She was gripping the edge of the bed as if she needed an anchor to reality. He knew she was thinking about the last time they went through something similar.
"Wait, can you repeat that?" Pepper asked, sitting up straight.
"You're pregnant, Virginia," Dr. Campbell repeated calmly. By the couple's reaction, the doctor understood that neither of them knew about the pregnancy.
"That's impossible. I use birth control; I haven't missed a single day. My period is on time, it came yesterday."
"You know no method is 100% effective," the doctor said calmly. "As for your period, you might have confused it with light bleeding that occurs in early pregnancy." She paused before continuing. "I know this is a lot to take in, and I don't want to scare you, but bleeding during pregnancy should be monitored closely. And if you say it's been happening for more than 24 hours, we really need to do an exam to make sure everything is okay."
"But you said this kind of bleeding is normal, right?" Tony asked for the first time since the news that he would be a father again.
"Yes, but we don't know the cause. Many women experience light bleeding during the first trimester, which usually isn't a sign of a serious problem. However, we can't rule out the possibility that the bleeding is due to a more serious situation, like placental abruption or even a miscarriage."
Upon hearing the doctor's last word, the couple looked at each other. The fear and worry were evident in both their eyes. The possibility of losing the baby they had only learned about minutes before was too painful to bear.
"I'll have a nurse come to prepare you for the ultrasound," Dr. Campbell said with a slight smile before leaving the room.
For a few minutes, Tony and Pepper remained in complete silence. Neither of them knew what to say. They had never talked about having another child, and the silence was deafening.
"Are you okay?" Tony finally asked.
"I am. And you?"
"I am."
They were both lying, of course.
Pepper sighed. "Tony, what are we going to do? We've never talked about this, so I don't know what to think."
"You're not thinking about ending it, are you?" he asked, getting up and sitting next to her on the bed. "I know it's your body and your decision, but…"
"I won't do that," she interrupted him. "It's not an option for me."
"Good, because I really don't want it to be."
"You don't?"
"Honey, we're going to have a baby."
"We didn't plan this."
"Just like we didn't plan Erin and Iris, and look at us now. I can't imagine my life without them. I bet you can't either." And maybe it was the hormones, because Potts started crying. "Hey, Babe, what's wrong?" Tony asked as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.
"You were right, I should have come to the doctor earlier. I should have listened to you. You heard Dr. Campbell, we just found out about it, and we might have already lost it. I can't lose this baby, Tony."
"Pep, you heard what she said too, this bleeding might not mean anything," he said calmly, hugging her even tighter. He was scared too, he felt powerless too, but he just wanted to make her feel better. "Nothing bad is going to happen."
"It's all my fault."
"Honey, it isn't, and I don't want you to say that ever again, okay? You didn't do anything wrong, Pep. There was no way for you to know." He kissed the top of her head and continued to comfort her, feeling her start to calm down. "We're going to be okay," he promised.
A few more minutes passed, and then the nurse arrived to prepare Pepper for the exam. She changed clothes and was guided to the room where the ultrasound would be performed. Since they got there, the couple hadn't let go of each other's hands. After Pepper lay down on the bed, Dr. Campbell applied gel to her belly and began moving the ultrasound device over it. She looked at the monitor in front of her, fully concentrated, and that silence was starting to make Tony and Pepper think the worst. But then, they saw the doctor smile.
"Can you see this little dot?" she asked, pointing to the screen. "That's the embryo, and it's developing well. Based on its size, you are indeed six weeks pregnant."
Hearing that everything was okay, Pepper started crying again, this time with relief and joy.
"It's our baby," she said, smiling at her boyfriend.
"Yes, it's our baby," Tony replied, smiling too, squeezing her hand tightly, feeling a mix of relief and happiness. He then kissed her forehead and wiped the tears from her cheeks, his own eyes welling up.
The doctor moved the device a bit more and then pointed to another spot on the screen. "This here could have been the cause of your bleeding and why you mistook it for your period. It could indicate a slight placental abruption, but since everything seems fine, the bleeding appears to have been caused by the implantation of the embryo. These bleedings usually occur around the 4th or 5th week, but since you're still on birth control and went through a period of stress, this slight delay is normal."
"Then, we have nothing to worry about?" Tony asked.
"No," the doctor replied.
Dr. Campbell printed out an ultrasound picture and handed it to the expectant parents. She waited for Pepper to get dressed again and then guided them to her office.
"I'll ask you to come back next week just to make sure that the spot we saw today has completely disappeared. Until then, you should avoid lifting heavy objects, doing activities that strain your body, and avoiding stress. As I said before, this bleeding doesn't concern us, it's just a precaution."
"And can I continue working normally?" the redhead wanted to know.
"You can maintain your routine as long as it's not harmful to you, but I recommend that you take at least this week to rest. If you think it won't be a problem to go to work, then you can continue." Pepper nodded. "And what about the nausea? Have you been feeling very nauseous?"
"Yes. More than when I was pregnant with the twins. I thought it was related to food poisoning, so I wasn't able to eat properly."
"This excessive nausea and vomiting in your chart is what we call hyperemesis gravidarum, which is why you arrived here with dehydration. Unfortunately, there is no cure for it, so what we can do is control it so that it doesn't reach a point where IV nutrition is necessary," the doctor said, handing a prescription to Pepper. "The guidelines are basically the same as your first pregnancy. Stop taking your birth control and alcohol immediately. Here are some vitamins I need you to start taking and a diet that will help you manage the nausea. The key is to avoid long periods without eating, avoid very fatty and spicy foods. It's also important to increase your water intake, but always avoid drinking any liquid during meals. Do you have any other questions?"
"No," Pepper replied.
"Each pregnancy is unique. It varies from woman to woman, and you'll find that this second one won't be the same as the first, so you'll have to find its rhythm, discover what makes you feel good. But remember, you're pregnant, not sick."
"Why did you look at me?" Tony asked, feeling somewhat irritated by Dr. Campbell's glance.
"Because it's common for women to complain about how their husbands treat them during pregnancy. As if they might break, as if they were helpless. You can continue with your normal couple's routine," the doctor explained.
He nodded, but Pepper knew it would be difficult for her boyfriend to control his protective side.
"For now, that's it. You'll come back next week and then not again for three weeks. By then, you'll be ten weeks along, and we should be able to hear the baby's heartbeat. If you're interested, we can also collect samples for a fetal sex test," Dr. Campbell said, giving some additional recommendations before they said their goodbyes.
The drive home was quiet, but it was a comforting silence. Both were lost in their own thoughts and expectations. When they arrived and entered the living room, they were greeted by a comical scene. Erin and Iris were dressed as princesses and playing tea party. But they had gone a step further, getting not only Happy to join in but also to dress up.
"It looks like we have a new princess in the house," Stark teased as he approached his friend, who was wearing a glittery pink crown and butterfly wings.
"Actually, I'm a fairy," Happy corrected, taking one of the toy cups that his goddaughter, Erin, had just handed him.
Shortly after introducing their daughters to their friends, Tony and Pepper had discussed who they would choose to be the girls' godparents. Although the couple didn't care much about it, Happy and Rhodey kept asking, so they decided that Happy would be Erin's godfather and Rhodey would be Iris's godfather. The godmothers were Kate and Emma, respectively, two of Pepper's close friends.
"Mommy, where were you?" Erin asked, kneeling on the sofa and resting her arms on the back of it.
"Were you really at the hospital, like Uncle Happy said?" Iris asked.
Hearing Iris's question, Tony felt a shiver run down his spine. He was afraid the twins might have witnessed the chaos and panic. Happy seemed to sense his friend's concern and signaled for him to stay calm. The children didn't know what had happened, only that their parents had had to leave in an emergency.
"Yes, I was," Pepper said calmly as she walked around the sofa and sat down next to her daughters. "But Mommy isn't sick, so you don't need to worry, okay?"
"But we only go to the hospital when we're sick," Erin argued.
"Not this time. I'm here now, aren't I?" The twins nodded, and knowing they would have many more questions, Pepper quickly changed the subject. "So, what are you playing? Is there room for me and Daddy?"
"YES!" The little ones shouted excitedly and quickly moved their stuffed animals, which were settled on the cushions around the coffee table, so their parents could sit.
They spent hours playing until the twins fell asleep, and Tony and Pepper thanked Happy for his help that night. The following week, Pepper returned to the doctor's office as scheduled, and as Dr. Campbell had said, the small spot they had seen on the last ultrasound had completely disappeared, which made the couple much more relaxed as they started to enjoy the pregnancy. In reality, enjoying it was becoming a bit difficult, as Pepper's nausea was becoming so intense it was starting to interfere with her daily routine. However, all the discomfort was forgotten when they first heard the baby's heartbeat.
Initially, they had decided to keep the pregnancy a secret until Pepper had passed the first trimester, the dreaded 12 weeks mark. However, the twins were perceptive and had already noticed that something was happening with their mother. As it became increasingly difficult to hide the nausea, fatigue, and the signs of pregnancy, they decided to reveal the news earlier than planned. The girls listened attentively in silence. They would be big sisters. Their mom was pregnant, which meant the baby was in her belly. The baby would need to stay there for a few months until it was ready to meet everyone, as it was still very small. The little ones were a bit confused at first, since they had each other and didn't see why they needed another sibling, but they were also excited to know that soon they would have another baby to play with.
Tony and Pepper knew that Erin and Iris would be great big sisters and couldn't wait to see all three of their kids together.