I opened my eyes to a bright room, causing me to groan in pain and shake my head. I closed my eyes and brought my hands up to rub them. I groaned at the pain in my head and brought my hands up to hold it as I sat up in my bed. I rubbed my temples to try and take the pain away and opened my eyes to look around the room. When I did, I saw that I was in a hospital bed and looked around in confusion for a few moments. I looked to my right to see a button to call for a nurse, so I reached over and pressed it in hopes of someone coming in and answering it.
"Your awake," The nurse said in shock.
"Where am I," I questioned her.
"A hospital, in Malibu, California," She explained to me softly. I looked at her in confusion and looked around the room, causing her to continue explaining. "You and your father were attacked after your weapons demonstration in Afghanistan. You hit your head when another missile hit near your humvee. The soldiers were able to extract you safely and you were brought back here. You've been out for about a week."
It all started coming back to me after her explanation. Pepper! I was on the phone with her when it all happened. "Where is Pepper?"
"Miss Potts is currently at your company trying to smooth things over until your better," She explained.
"I need Pepper. Call her, now," I demanded.
"Miss Stark. Please, calm down," The nurse begged.
"No, I will not calm down. I want Pepper here and I want her here now," I yelled at her.
"Miss Stark-," She started but got cut off.
"Give the young woman what she wants, Valerie," The doctor said as he walked in. The nurse looked back at him and nodded at him with a sigh before walking out. I looked up at the nice doctor and gave him a thankful nod for his help. "Miss Stark, how are you feeling."
"Like I had my head smashed in by a bag full of bricks," I sighed out.
"That's understandable. You hit your head pretty hard," He nodded at me sympathetically. He then pulled a penlight out of his coat and held it up to my eyes. "Focus on my finger."
I did as told and followed his finger with my eyes. He continued to move it around for a few more seconds, looking at both my eyes before he turned his flashlight off and place it back in his pocket. "Well, as far as I can tell, you don't have any sort of concussion or anything like that. We'll run some tests anyway, though, just to confirm your okay. If everything looks alright, then you'll be free to go tomorrow."
"Thank you," I nodded at him.
"Your welcome, Miss Stark. You had a lot of people worried about you. Especially a young man who keeps coming in here to check on you every day. He even sits in the chairs outside and watches your door sometimes."
My thoughts immediately went to Alex, and a smile spread across my face at the thought of him doing that.
"Well, I'll let you get your rest. I'll tell the cafeteria to bring you some food up as well."
I nodded at him with a smile and looked down at my lap as he walked out of the room. I let out a sigh when I was alone again and looked over at my table to see a remote. I grabbed it to turn the TV on, hoping to find something to watch until Pepper gets here. However, that was useless because she came rushing in right as I turned the TV on. Damn, was that woman already on her way here? I looked to the door to see her stop in her tracks and I noticed tears were already starting to build up in her eyes at the sight of me.
"Ally," She whispered out. She dropped all of her things in the chair in the room before rushing over to me and pulling me into a hug. "I was so worried about you. I didn't know what was happening. I thought you died until Rhodey called me and told me they were flying you back."
"I'm so sorry," I cried into her shoulder.
"None of this is your fault," She cried as well.
I pulled away from her and looked at her worriedly. "Pepper, where is my dad?"
She gulped at my question and looked down before looking up at me with sorrow. "They don't know. He was taken by the people who attacked you. They don't know if he is still alive or not or if he managed to get away. They've been searching for him nonstop. Rhodey wanted to go help find him, but he refused to leave until you woke up and he knew you were okay."
"He's gone," I questioned her in shock.
"I'm so sorry, Ally," Pepper said as she pushed my hair behind my ear.
"Oh, my god. He's gone. I have no family left. Everybody's gone. I'm all alone," I said, starting to hyperventilate.
Pepper's tears started streaming down her face nonstop now and she pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head She sat there with me, holding me close as the two of us let our tears fall for my missing father.
******************************************************************************
"After an extensive amount of testing and some scans, we've determined that Miss Stark is suffering from traumatic brain injury," The doctor told Pepper and me.
"What? What do you mean she's suffering from a traumatic brain injury? How is this possible," She questioned him in shock.
"Well, it's very common among people who have been in car accidents. It's possible that when the missile went off next to the truck that she was in, the blast caused her to hit her head harder than we originally expected," He explained to her.
We were all silent after his explanation, and I looked at Pepper to see she seemed like she was close to losing her mind. I reached over and placed my hand on top of hers and squeezed it. She looked up at me and gave me a small smile in thanks and gripped my hand back. I took a deep breath and looked at the doctor curiously.
"Are you sure that's what it is," I questioned him.
"All the tests that we gave you showed the symptoms for it. You showed difficulties of concentrating, while we were moving you from your bed to the wheelchair you were dizzy and almost fainted, and you had severe nausea after focusing on the tests we were giving you," He listed off of the chart he was holding.
"Okay, so I have a traumatic brain injury. That can't be a bad thing. So I go home... and rest... and lay in a dark until I'm better. That doesn't sound so bad," I shrugged.
"Actually, your brain scans prove otherwise," He told me, grabbing the folder that was sitting on the tray in the room.
"Of course they do," I said bitterly.
"Your scans show there is a severe amount of swelling in your brain," He explained as he placed the pictures on the machine to show us.
"Okay, so, what does that mean," I questioned.
"It means that if the swelling continues, then there will be complications. The swelling will cause improper blood flow to your brain. This will then prevent your brain from receiving the oxygen it needs, killing or damaging your brain cells," He explained to me.
I nodded and held back the tears that were building up. I looked over at Pepper and could see she already had tears prepared to run down her face. I looked away from her and down at my lap to avoid eye contact with her and the doctor. If I look at them and see their sympathetic and sad faces, then I'm going to lose it.
"So, what do you recommend," Pepper asked him softly.
"The best thing for Miss Stark is surgery. We'll call a neurologist, take her in, and remove part of her skull. That way her brain will be able to swell without being squeezed. After that, she will have to stay at the hospital for a week to 2 weeks at the most. Depending on how well her recovery goes."
"Ally," Pepper said, placing her hand on my shoulder.
I looked up at her and my tears started falling when I did. I started crying and pulled her into a hug. I pulled away and started wiping my tears away in frustration.
"I'm sorry. I don't understand why I'm crying. I just can't stop," I said as I continued crying.
"That's another symptom," The doctor said awkwardly.
"Oh, my god! Of course, it is," I said, throwing my hands out in frustration.
"How about I give you guys a minute to talk and make a decision. I'll come back later today," He told Pepper as I continued crying.
He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. PEpper pulled me into another hug and rocked me back and forth as she tried to calm me down. I can't stop crying. This sucks. I feel like a hormonal teenage girl on her period. Or a hormonal pregnant woman. Either way, I feel hormonal. Little things are setting me off right now.
"Ally, sweetie, I'm sorry you have to go through all of this right now. You don't deserve it. Especially after what you just went through," Pepper said comfortingly.
"It's okay. I'll get through it. I already know that I want to get the surgery. It's the only thing that could possibly help me right now. I don't have a choice," I told her as I sniffled.
"Okay, well, then I'll call the doctor and tell him you want to do it," Pepper nodded at me.
"Thank you," I nodded at her. She got up to go and find the doctor, but I stopped her before she could get far. "Hey, Pep. Could you call everybody and let them know I'm awake. I want to see all of them."
"Yeah, sure," She nodded at me before opening the door, but she stopped and looked back at me. "Hey, get some rest. You need it."
I nodded at her and leaned back in my bed to get some sleep before everybody started showing up.
******************************************************************************
I woke up to voices inside my room, causing me to groan in annoyance and shove my face into my pillow.
"Are you sure there's something wrong with her. She is acting perfectly normal to me," I heard Rhodey whisper.
"Just because I seem okay, doesn't mean I am," I groaned out to him, not lifting my head up from my pillow.
"That's what I heard," He sighed out.
I opened my eyes and looked over at him, seeing his sympathetic eyes with pain and sadness hidden behind them. He's keeping it together for me. They all are. I looked away from him to see Pepper standing by the door like she was waiting for someone then looked back at Rhodey.
"Anything," I questioned him.
Rhodey didn't have the heart to say it out loud, so he shook his head at me. I nodded at him and looked down at my lap before shoving my face into my pillow again. Don't cry. Don't cry. You've got this. You're okay. I took a deep breath before I pulled my face out of my pillow and looked back at him.
"What are you doing here, then? You should be back over there searching for my dad," I pointed out to him as I picked at my blanket.
"Because your father would be upset if I didn't fulfill my godfatherly duties and make sure my goddaughter is okay. He would want me to be here for you before I even thought about him. So, that's what I'm doing," He explained to me, taking a seat by my bed so he can talk with me face to face since I'm still laying down.
"Well, I don't care about your godfatherly duties, I care about finding my dad. He's still out there Rhodey. You need to find him," I said, starting to tear up.
"And I will after everything here gets sorted out. I promise you, Ally, I will do everything I can to bring your father back to you," He told me sternly. I looked up at him with uncertainty, but I still nodded at him. He sighed and pushed my hair away from my face before placing a kiss on my temple. "What do you remember?"
I looked away from him and back at my blanket so I could start picking at it again. "I remember talking to you, and then Pepper calling. I remember the explosion, you yelling at Barnes to stay with me. I remember Pepper still being on the phone and the second explosion. Everything after that is a blur."
"I'm so sorry, Ally," Rhodey apologized.
"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault. You didn't know that it was going to happen," I said quietly.
"I know, but I still feel like I somehow failed you and your father," He sighed out.
"Hey, you didn't. I'm still alive. You didn't fail either of us," I reassured him before pulling him into a hug. I pulled away from him and gave him a smile before looking over at Pepper. "Where's everybody else?"
Pepper came out of the trance she was in by the door and looked over at me with a small smile before answering. "Happy is on his way. He stopped to get Alex, who was taking the day off from visiting you to play baseball with his friends. Obadiah is hosting a press conference, right now, asking for complete privacy while we handle everything that is going on right now."
"It's bad, isn't it," I questioned her.
"Well, the paparazzi have been stationed outside the building because one of the nurses talked," Rhodey started.
"Are you freaking serious," I questioned in disbelief.
"Ally, don't worry about it. All you need to worry about right now is getting surgery and recovering. Obie and I will take care of everything else," Pepper reassured me.
"Including the nurse who talked," I questioned her in annoyance.
"Actually, the hospital is handling that," Rhodey said awkwardly.
"But everything else we are handling. Obie is sending over some security from Stark Industries to stand outside and make sure nobody with a camera gets in this building," Pepper continued.
"And what if someone who is hiding a camera gets in the building," I questioned her.
"Well, Obie is sending over enough men to handle that as well. They're going to stand outside your door and make sure no one disturbs you."
"Well, then you better tell them to stay downstairs and guard another entrance because I don't want them watching me," I said as I shook my head.
"Ally, you can't just go without security here," Rhodey scolded me.
I sat up in my bed and looked between the two of them. "I know, and I won't be without security. I want Happy and Alex here. With me in the hospital and... dad missing... they're both basically out of a job. I want them both here," I told the two of them with certainty.
Rhodey and Pepper looked at each other, and I could tell that the two of them were going to agree. They want to do whatever they can to keep me comfortable, so if that means agreeing to have Happy and Alex watch me, then so be it.
"Alright, fine. I'll talk to them while they're here," Pepper nodded at me.
"Thank you," I nodded back.
We were silent for a few seconds before Rhodey smiled at me. "Well, I guess I should give this to you now."
I looked at him in confusion before he pulled out a little teddy bear wearing a hospital gown holding a heart that says 'get well.' I looked at him blankly as I shook my head at him.
"Rhodey, seriously," I questioned him.
"Yes, seriously. My goddaughter is in the hospital and she has to get surgery," He defended himself, but I still continued to stare at him blankly and shake my head. "I think it's perfect. I mean, look at it. It has a little bandage on its forehead just like you do."
"Oh, because that makes it so much better," I snapped at him in annoyance before I took the bear from his hands and laid it on the bed in front of me.
Rhodey gave me an offended look and looked over at Pepper. She only shrugged at him and awkwardly began explaining to him. "The mood swings are a symptom of the trauma."
I glared between the two of them for a few minutes, and they were both avoiding my stare. I rolled my eyes at the two of them and reached over for the remote on the table, but Rhodey grabbed it before I could and held it away from me.
"Um, what the hell," I snapped at him with narrowed eyes.
"I just don't think you should be watching TV when we are having a conversation," He shrugged at me.
I rolled my tongue over my teeth in annoyance and sighed as I looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Something's up, and you two aren't telling me." Rhodey and Pepper looked at each other again, causing me to become even more annoyed than I was. "Seriously, you two. Just tell me what the hell is going on. I'm starting to get pissed."
Pepper sighed before speaking up. "I was going to wait until Obie got here to fully explain it to you, but..."
"What," I questioned her softly.
"I know the nurse told you I've been at Stark Industries trying to help in smoothing things over since you've been in the hospital. That's because absolute chaos has erupted. Your father's missing, so the board is questioning who is going to run Stark Industries while he's gone...," Pepper explained to me.
"More specifically, the board is questioning whether or not I'm going to be running the company now," I summed up. Pepper only nodded at me. "Great. So, I'm not even out of the hospital yet, and technically not even close to being out, and I'm already expected to run the company."
"You don't know that for sure, yet. Obadiah is taking care of it and will be here soon to let us know for sure," Rhodey reassured me.
"Yeah, okay, whatever," I huffed out, laying back down in my bed.
Right then my door opened and I looked up to see Obadiah poke his head through, causing me to grin and sit up in my bed again.
"Hey, I heard my favorite Stark finally woke up," He said walking further into the room, revealing a giant teddy bear in his arms.
"Is that for me," I questioned.
"Well, of course," He said with a smile, setting it in the empty corner on the other side of my room.
"Aw, thanks, Obie. See, Rhodey, that's a get well gift. There's nothing that says 'get well soon' on it and it's not wearing a hospital gown," I pointed out to him.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," He sighed out to me.
I giggled at him in amusement and pulled him into another hug. "Rhodey, you know I'm just joking." I pulled out of the hug and looked up at Obie. "Pepper already told me what's going on with the company."
"Well, then, there's no reason to discuss it," Obie shrugged at me.
"Can you at least give me the short story," I asked him.
"Okay, well, the board called an emergency meeting and Pepper and I explained to them that you aren't able to take over for the company until your out of the hospital. After that, we held a press conference, and I told them that we would like privacy for right now and that everything with Stark Industries will be handled once you have recovered and are out of the hospital," He explained to me.
"Thank you."
"Your welcome. Your basically a granddaughter to me, so that means that I have to do what I can to keep the press away from you until your feeling better. It's what Howard and Tony would have wanted," He told me.
"See, there that goes again. It's all about what my father or grandfather would have wanted. What about what I want," I questioned the three of them.
"Hey, your already getting something that you want. When they get here, Pepper is going to talk to Happy and Alex, and-," Rhodey was cut off by my room door opening again.
"What about me and Alex," Happy asked as he came walking in with a bouquet of Reese's.
"You didn't," I laughed as he handed it to me.
"Oh, but I did," He smiled as he placed the bouquet on my table next to my bed.
"I can't believe you remembered," I laughed out.
"Oh, come on, how could I not? The best thing in the world was seeing your smile when I gave you a Reese cup after a bad day at school. It's one of the things I miss the most about driving you around as a kid," He told me with a smile.
"Oh, so you don't miss all the ladies who would hit on you while driving me around," I questioned him with a knowing look.
"Hey, I said it was one of the things I miss most, I didn't say it was the only thing," He said in a scolding manner as he pointed his finger at me, causing everybody in the room to start laughing.
"Well, thank you, Happy. I love it. By the time I get out of the hospital, I will be fat," I told him with a smile.
"That's the plan. We don't need any guys hitting on you when you get out of here," Happy said seriously.
I looked down at my lap and tried to prevent myself from laughing at him. Laughing at him only fuels his fire and makes him angry. I took a deep breath to try and contain my laughter and bit down on my lips to hide my smile. I looked back up at him and nodded with him in agreement, but I started blushing after Alex's next comment.
"I don't think even that will keep them away from her, Happy," He smiled at him before looking over at me.
"Hey," I whispered to him.
"Hi," He said quietly back to me before handing me a ginormous bag.
"Uh, what is this," I questioned him curiously.
"Your get well present. I thought you could use something to cheer you up," He shrugged at me.
I squinted my eyes at him and hesitantly pulled the bag closer to me. I think this bag is bigger than me. I started pulling all of the tissue paper out and looked down at the bag with wide eyes before looking back up at him. He started laughing at me when he saw my face and I reached down into the bag and pulled the giant stuffed panda out and set it on my lap.
"Alex, I love it," I gasped out, pulling it close to me. "It's so soft," I whined out.
"Well, Alex won in the gift department," Rhodey sighed out.
"There should never have been a competition in the first place," I scolded him.
"Whatever. I at least didn't lose. Pepper didn't get anything," He pointed out, causing Pepper to gasp and hit his arm.
"That's because Pepper being here is a gift in itself," I told him with a smirk before turning back to Alex. "Thank you."
"It's no problem," He told me with a smile, causing me to blush again.
"You know you didn't have to do this."
"I know, but I wanted to," He said with certainty.
I smiled up at him and put the stuffed animal to the side so I could pull him into a hug. After a few seconds, I pulled away and pulled my stuffed animal closer to me with a smile. "This is definitely going on my bed at home."
After this, my door opened again, and I looked towards it wide-eyed. The doctor walked in looking down at his clipboard and looked up to see everybody in my room. His eyes widened when he saw everybody standing around my room and all of my gifts.
"Well, it looks like you have quite the family," He chuckled out.
"Yeah, they're the best," I drawled out.
"That's good. Having family around during a stressful time like this helps," He nodded at me.
I nodded back at him before looking between everybody. "Oh, uh, Dr. Grayson, this is Obadiah, Rhodey, Happy, and Alex," I told him, pointing to everybody as I said their names.
"Nice to meet all of you," He nodded at all of them and shaking their hands. He then looked at Alex curiously while shaking his hands. "I'm guessing your Miss Starks boyfriend, seeing how you have been camped out outside her room every day."
I widened my eyes and blushed as Alex began chuckling at his question. I began stuttering over my words, trying to find a way to word my response. However, Alex seemed to have me covered.
"Uh, no, actually. I'm just Miss Starks personal driver and security guard," He explained to him with a smile.
"Ah, well, my apologies," He nodded at Alex before looking over towards Pepper. "Miss Potts, if your available, I'd like to speak with you about the surgery out in the hallway."
"Oh, Dr. Grayson, that won't be necessary. Whatever you need to discuss we can do here. Obadiah and Rhodey deserve to know as much as I do," She reassured him.
"Right, well, obviously this surgery is going to be pretty minor. We're just removing a portion of Miss Starks skull so that her brain has the ability to swell without being constricted. Like I told her and Miss Potts earlier, she could be here for a week to 2 weeks, depending on how her recovery goes. We've called the hospital neurosurgeon to inform her of the situation, and she's ready to do the procedure tomorrow," He explained to all of them.
"Great, thank you," Pepper nodded at him.
"Actually, with all due respect, Dr. Grayson, I only want the best neurosurgeon for Ally. Not just some everyday person," Obie interrupted.
"Well, I can assure you that Dr. Jones is the best this hospital has to offer," Dr. Grayson reassured him.
"Yes, well, I didn't just mean the best this hospital has to offer. I meant the best this world has to offer," He clarified.
"Well, who did you have in mind, Mr. Stane," The doctor questioned.
"Have you ever heard of Dr. Stephen Strange," Obie questioned him curiously.
Dr. Grayson chuckled and looked down before looking up at Obie. "Well, with all due respect to you, Mr. Stane, Dr. Strange is all the way in New York. It's kind of hard to get him here to California in less than 24 hours."
"Not if I fly out to New York and get him," Obie argued.
"Well, by all means, if you're able to get in touch with him and discuss the matter at hand, feel free to bring him here. Otherwise, Dr. Jones is more than ready to perform this procedure," Dr. Grayson shrugged at him.
"Pepper, call Stark Industries, tell them to prepare the plane for me. I have a phone call to make," Obie said as he walked out of the room.
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, Dr. Grayson," Pepper apologized.
"It's no problem, Miss Potts, really. I would do the same in this situation," He reassured her before looking towards me. "Well, I will see you tomorrow, Miss Stark. Get some rest. Before long you'll be healthy and asleep in your own bed again."
"Thank you, Dr. Grayson," I nodded at him.
He nodded back at me before walking out of the room. We were all silent for a few minutes before Pepper finally spoke up.
"Well, I have a phone call to make too. Um, Happy, can you come with me. Rhodey and I have something to discuss with you really quick," Pepper questioned him.
"Yeah, sure," Happy nodded at her, placing a kiss on my head and smiling at me before following her out of the room.
Rhodey followed right after them quietly and looked between Alex and me from the door. "No funny business." I glared at him and threw my pillow at him as he laughed and shut the door to the room.
"I hate him," I sighed out as Alex laughed at me and went to retrieve my pillow from the floor.
"No, you don't. You could never hate him," He said with a smirk.
I looked over at him blankly and rolled my eyes. "Shut up," I said, taking my pillow back from him.
"Look, I'm really happy that you're okay. When Pepper called me telling me what happened, I was so worried about you. I was scared that I wasn't going to get to see you again," Alex told me as he placed his hand on top of mine.
"Why? Worried you would have to start job hunting," I questioned him with a smirk.
"No," He denied. "I was worried I would have to attend a funeral."
"You can't get rid of me that easily," I reassured him.
"I know, you're a fighter. That's one of the things I love about you the most," He told me with a smile.
I blushed and looked down before looking back up at him with a smile. "And what are the other things?"
"Well, I think the easiest thing to do would be to tell you what I don't like about you," He shrugged at me.
"Alright, what do you not like about me," I questioned him.
He looked over at me with a smile and cupped my cheek with his hand, looking deep into my eyes. "Absolutely nothing. Your perfect."
"I am in no way perfect," I shook my head at him.
"I know, everybody has flaws. But in my eyes, your flaws are what make you perfect," He shrugged at me.
I looked up at him in awe at his comment. How can someone so sweet and amazing, like someone like me. I'm spoiled. I'm broken. I'm the biggest virgin, and I don't just mean in the sex department. I've never been on a single date with a guy. I've had guys hit on me, but it's never gone past that.
"Thank you," I whispered to him.
"There's no need to thank me. I'm just telling the truth," He shrugged at me.
I smiled up at him and grabbed his hand that was on my cheek. I took it in my own and held it in my lap. I began playing with his fingers before looking up at him with a smile.
"I gotta say, I'm liking this whole baseball getup you've got going on," I smiled at him as I gestured up and down his body. Admiring his baseball pants, jersey, and hat.
"Oh, really," He questioned with raised eyebrows.
"Mhm, definitely. I think I might have to make this your new uniform. You look like a true MLB player," I laughed at him.
"You think so," He questioned me, standing up from my bedside to pretend like he was holding a bat in preparation to swing.
I laughed at him and used my pillow to smack him before placing it back behind me. I leaned back against it and pulled my panda bear to my chest. After this, Rhodey and Happy came back in. I smiled at the two of them as Rhodey sat in his chair again. Happy came up beside my bed and looked like he wanted to cry. I smiled up at him in confusion, causing him to pull me into a hug. He sniffled a bit and squeezed me tighter, causing me to groan.
"Happy, I can't breath," I rasped out.
He sniffled again and pulled away from, wiping under his eyes. "I'm sorry, Al. I'm just so happy that you would much rather have me standing outside your room than some random Stark Industries security guard."
"Um, Happy, your not exactly the only person who is going to be doing so. Alex is supposed to, as well. That is if he wants to. Pepper is supposed to talk to you about doing it as well," I started off saying to Happy before turning to Alex.
"I would love to," He smiled down at me.
I smiled back at him before looking at the three men in my room. "Well, if you three don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep. From what I understand, I'm going to have a long day tomorrow."
"Go ahead. We'll be here if you need anything," Alex reassured me.
I nodded at him and laid down completely in my bed. I pulled my stuffed animal to my chest and cuddled into my pillow. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I felt Alex sit down on my bed next to me and start running his hands through my hair, causing me to calm down even more and quickly drift off into a deep sleep.