"We're losing him!" One of the doctors working on restarting Tony's heart yelled urgently through the muffled array of panicked sounds that surrounded the famous billionaire playboy turned superhero. His arc reactor had switched off meaning nothing was stopping the shrapnel from entering towards his heart. There was only a matter of time left to save Tony Stark, and the medic team were running out of options.
"Mulligan work on stopping the bleeding," the same doctor ordered, retrieving the defibrillator. nobody had any intention of giving up on this special patient.
All the while Pepper, after being treated for her minor injuries and cuts was left in incredible worry for Tony. Guilt ran through her that he sacrificed his life to protect her. There was no way he was as selfish as everyone made him out to be. Why else would he try to die in her place. "Tony you can pull through... I know you can.." The anxious assistant of the great Stark mind, muttered repeatedly. Hoping for a miracle. But the doctors had been trying to revive Tony for so long. Was there any chance for a miracle left?
Not from where she was standing.
Tony may have come back from the impossible before, when he escaped three months in captivity. But it was clear to anyone what was happening this time. Tony Stark was dying.
"Clear!" The doctor, ordered above the noise of the resuscitation room, pressing the defibrillator to the genius' chest.
Nothing happened. Tony had fallen into cardiac arrested.
Again and again the doctor tried sending shocks through Tony, attempting at restarting his heart. Never giving up. Hoping they'd save him in time before death caught up with him..
"Dr Lane we have to call it!" The nurse assisting with the emergency procedure spoke out in support of the other doctors' words of insistence. There was no way Tony could come back now. It was too late. "He has been in cardiac arrest for a period too long for a chance of resuscitation to be possible!"
But the first doctor still kept going. He could have been dismissed for his refusal to comply with the decision of the rest of his team. Dr Lane was not just about to let THE Tony Stark die with a simple car crash as the cause. "This man once saved my life! And I'm going to make damn well sure I repay the favour by doing the same for him!"
As the frantic efforts to continue to try and save the patient went on, Tony lay still on the clinical bed, the monitor giving out a constant high pitched sound as his heart failed to respond to any of the help offered to restart it. Not even a single breath of air was inhaled or exhaled from his lungs. And doubt grew whether he was going to survive this.
"Please Tony.." Pepper begged in a whisper, gripping onto the jacket Tony had worn that night. It had all been going to so well, even if he was drunk by the end of it. The jacket still smelt like him, with that rich cologne he always had on. Only when she slid her hand into the jacket pocket did Pepper hear the crinkling of paper inside. "What the..?" With curiosity in her eyes, Pepper took out the paper as she draped her boss' jacket over her arm.
She was unable to stop the tears from falling, or the laugh that sounded so natural, reading over the list on the slightly coffee stained note entitled, 'Things Pepper doesn't like me doing & anything I need to remember about her.'
A bulletpoint that Tony wrote which brightened Pepper's heart if only for a moment, was about two things that Pepper had reminded him about time and time again, 'Remember Pepper is ALLERGIC to STRAWBERRIES, and her birthday is the same day as last year.'
For some reason Pepper felt touched by what she was reading, maybe she just had to admit it. She was in love with Tony Stark, even without trying he had the ability to melt her heart. And it was painstakingly horrible in ways Pepper couldn't possible describe knowing Tony might not live through this for her to tell him how she felt. "Don't leave me like this Tony...you're all I have too you know..."
Suddenly Tony jolted back against his desk, his head spinning like mad and sweat developing across his forehead. "Oh man.. Those anxiety attacks are getting worse.." He panted breathlessly, trying to keep his footing as his clammy hands gripping the side of the worktop. He heard the all too familiar sound of a suit being put back into the storage containers with the others. What surprised Tony was that he couldn't recall exactly why he used it? What was the last mission?
Either I'm really out of my mind on a hangover,
Which is highly unlikely because I haven't even looked at a bottle let alone drank from one ever since Pepper moved in.
Or I'm actually finally losing it.
Which to be honest would not be the first time.
"Pep?" Tony muttered, managing to get up the stairs from his workshop to find his girlfriend in the living room. Standing up, with folded arms, glaring towards him.
Oh boy.
What am I supposed to have done now?
"Look whatever it is, in my defense Pep I don't remember, okay?" Tony raised his hands in surrender before placing a palm across his forehead. Why was it hurting so much? It's not as if he had any injuries to account for it.Then why did he feel so weak?
Of course Pepper didn't buy that as a geniune response and walked over to him, "You don't remember? I told you not to go in the first place!" The last thing Pepper needed was for her boyfriend to start acting weird like this. It wasn't funny at all and her expression expressed her lack of amusement.
"If this is how the rest of the afternoon is going to go like then I'll just be downstairs in the workshop," the somewhat ailing engineer muttered groggily, his head spun round violently causing him to limp when he walked back towards the stairs. He couldn't understand the meaning behind these strange symptoms, he was just fine in the morning!
I feel like I've been caught up head on in a car crash
Even his heart was doing palpatations.
But he had to admit it felt soothing having Pepper rub his back comfortingly as she hugged him and made him face her, something wasn't right with him and Pepper could tell straight away. "Tony..honey what are you not telling me?" the woman pleaded following him down the stairs, and noted the dark circles that were painted round his adorable brown puppy eyes. "What's wrong..?"
A sigh left Tony, he leant into Pepper's touch while she stroked his cheek lovingly. She always did know how to calm him down and get to him. The only one who ever saw how truly vulnerable he actually was behind the confidence he showed to the rest of the world. "How can you tell that there's something wrong?"
Okay that is a stupid question on my part.
"I thought you figured it out by now," Pepper smiled softly, pecking Tony's lips, "I know everything about you."
Instead of a worded reply, Tony issued a strained look complete with a forced smile. The kind only Pepper could pick up on. "I heard you last night. You cried out in your sleep, another bad dream?"
"Yeah, but the details are a bit vague," Tony shrugged, he was never one to talk about his feelings or his nightmares. That wasn't the kind of man Tony Stark was. But he was being bothered by so much recently.
"Talk to me baby.." Pepper whispered in his ear, shifting to hug her genius boyfriend from behind. Feeling him hold onto her arms securely, not wanting to let go at all.
"I'm supposed to be Iron Man, the worlds most famous superhero, unafraid of anything and ready to save the world at any time and at any cost," of course his textbook narcissism had to show to show at least once in the conversation. Something Pepper had not only expected but also had a knack at finding what Tony was trying to hide behind his egotistical mannerisms. "They always expect me to come and save the day but it all gets too much for me sometimes. What does that make me?"
"Normal," Pepper uttered softy with a small shrug, "..and human.."
"You're right, I'm no less mortal than anyone else. I'm even more so, I risk my life with every mission.." Tony knew how much Pepper worried about him whenever he took off in the suit. Normally he would be fine when he came back but recently however it was having a terrible mental strain on him. But he wouldn't quit, giving up being Iron Man was out of the question. "Honestly? There are about a hundred people who want to kill me.. Threat is imminent and I have to protect you.. The one thing I can't live without."
Pepper frowned slightly before turning Tony's chin so he was looking straight at her. Sympathy lit up her gaze as she wiped the tears that were threatening to fall further from his eyes. He was so much more than Iron Man to her. "Now I don't care about Iron Man because he can take care of himself, so he's not really my priority. He saves the world by working alone and he doesn't need anyone else.." Pepper mumbled against Tony's lips before kissing his forehead, stroking through Tony's hair the way he liked it. Tony held her close to him with his arms around her waist, pulling her with him he sat on the edge of one of his desks. Burying his face against Pepper's neck.
"Wait Pep.. but I am Iron Man.." Tony uttered, his voice muffled as he then slowly lifted his gaze to meet the blue eyes of the woman he loved. His own brown eyes were tired and held a sense of sadness in their beauty.
"But my TeddyBear on the other hand," Pepper continued, her arms embracing the man with the heart filled with anxiety and stroked the back of his head soothingly. "He's delicate and needs the tending loving care from someone he can trust completely. And I want him to know that I am not going anywhere but staying by his side through it all."
Tony didn't know what he did to deserve someone as good as Pepper. She was so incredibly perfect in his eyes and he was lucky to have ever met her. "I love you HoneyPott," he uttered with sincerity, hugging her tightly, kissing into her hair. Neither one wanting to break the hug.
"I love you too TeddyBear." Pepper whispered back as Tony felt the odd sensation of someone squeezing his hand.
((Author's note: Hey everyone. I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter.
I know it may seem a little confusing so far but what do you think is going on with Tony?
I'd love to know your thoughts
Let me know in the comments
thank you :) ))