When You Saved Me

Chapter 23

Tony P.O.V

I stayed with Callie until I felt her breathing change to the slow, shallow pattern of someone deep in sleep, then I carefully slipped through the door and make my way to my room. Slipping my phone out of my tight back pocket the screen lights up to reveal a series of notifications; Pepper Potts being at the top of them.

I quickly rush to unlock the screen, "Call me." she says giving me a burst of hope. I press the phone icon hesitating slightly before confirming my action, and wait while my phone begins to dial and then ring. 

"Tony." She answers finally. Her voice is neither warm nor cold, she sounds almost indifferent. 

"Hey Pepps," I say, taking a tentative breathe before asking, "how are you?" 

"How do you think I am Tony?" She snaps. 

"Well, I don't know," I respond, successfully keeping my irritation out of my voice. 

"I miss you," she admits, taking me aback. "Which is the only reason I am even considering this ludicrous idea." she adds making my annoyance spike back up. 

"Okay, so what are you expecting in this phone call? Like what can I say to help you make a decision?" I'm desperately trying not to lose my patience, but the last few weeks of sleepless nights has left me slightly on edge. 

"I think I need a trial run, but..."I was about to agree until she added the 'but' and now I am holding a breathe as I wait for her to finish her thought. 

"But?" I push. 

"But," she repeats, "my one stipulation is that you need to hire a nanny." 

"What? Absolutely not, you can't force that on me." My anger finally flashes through, I hold back the urge to hang up, knowing that doing so would ruin any chances we had at agreeing.

"Calm down Tony," Pepper sighs and I can imagine her eye roll. "Just think about it for a second. If I come back home and you haven't got a nanny one of two things is going to happen. Either 1: You'll be so busy and stressed between parenting and work that we won't even be able to spend time together; or 2:" I can picture her lifting her second finger motioning the number two and thought makes me smile, "I'll end up having to take care of her, and I am NOT doing that Tony. I refuse to become the nanny." she says forcefully at the end. 

I chew on my bottom lip, thinking. I can see where she's coming from, if Callie was an ordinary child it'd make sense. But I'm also just worried that bringing an outsider into her, our, lives isn't a great idea. "I don't know..." I say at last. "I don't even know how to begin looking for a nanny." 

"I'd be happy to help you with that," I can hear the smile in her voice and I audibly scoff, rolling my eyes. "And besides, you can hire her on a trial basis. If it doesn't work out, fire her." Pepper says reasonably. 

"If we try this, I have the ultimate decision okay?" 

"Yes, absolutely."

"Okay," I agree, and instantly I feel a pit in my stomach, but I push the feeling aside. 

"I'll come to The Avengers Facility for a visit and we can look into hiring the nanny." Pepper says, already beginning to plan things out like she always does. "I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Okay, see you then." I confirm, and quickly hang up before I change my mind. 

Callie P.O.V

I wake up the next morning feeling a little bit groggy. I'd had a pretty restless sleep, haunted by dreams of the big purple man, but Daddy isn't in bed next to me so I must have made it through the night without screaming so that's an improvement. I open my door and creep down the hallway, on my feet this time. Despite the episode I had at dinner yesterday I actually feel much more at ease here than I do in the mansion. Perhaps it's because here we are surrounded by people, where as Daddy's house is big, and cold, and empty.