Tony nodded mutely and walked into the room. A nurse was fussing over Pepper's bed as machines clicked and whirred quietly in the background. Usually Tony found the sound of machinery going about its business to be soothing. Today though, it only served to remind him how close he'd come to losing everything and that such a thing could still happen. The pretty brown haired nurse smiled at him but Tony barely registered her presence. She faded away as he came to sit by Pepper's bedside. An ugly bruise ran along one side of her neck, where the tranquiliser dart had embedded itself. Wires were attached to Pepper's chest and hooked up to a monitor which kept an eye on her heart. Tony reached out and took her hand, not liking how cold it felt.
Pepper's eyes fluttered opened. She looked up at him with those liquid blue eyes of hers. "Tony," she rasped, her voice roughened from disuse.
Tony felt his eyes sting with unexpected tears at hearing his name on Pepper's lips again. For a few agonising minutes he didn't know if he'd ever hear that sweet sound again. His hand tightened on hers as he smiled down at her. "I'm here, Pepper, I'm here."
She blinked and looked disorientated, looking past him, over his shoulder. "I forgot my umbrella, did you bring my umbrella?"
Tony hesitated. "Sure, I've got your umbrella, it's okay."
"I thought the penguins took it," she mumbled tiredly.
Tony grimaced, glad the doctor had given him the heads up about her confusion before coming in. "Probably, they're shifty like that," he humoured her. "Never trust anyone who doesn't allow a bit of colour into their wardrobe."
"Do you think they're watching us?" she asked in distress, her hand squeezing his tightly.
"No," said Tony with great certainty, putting his other hand over their joined ones and rubbing hers reassuringly. "I installed anti-penguin security just yesterday. No one with a waddle can get within a hundred feet of the building, I promise, Pepper. You're safe."
"Good," she said tiredly, eyes beginning to droop and words slurring. "That makes-makes me so marmalade."
Tony was forced to swallow hard to dislodge the lump in his throat. "That makes me marmalade too, Pepper." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the soft skin of the back of her hand.
Her eyes were closed now, and the slow rise and fall of her chest told Tony Pepper had fallen back asleep. It was a beautiful sight.
Tony heard the doctor clear his throat behind him. "It's time to go, Mr. Stark."
Tony didn't take his eyes off Pepper. "No."
"Mr. Stark-"
"I said no." Tony stroked the Pepper's hands, finding it impossible to take his eyes off her. "I'm staying."
The doctor walked around to the other side of the bed and looked down at him. "We have people who will watch Miss Potts overnight. You don't need to worry, Mr. Stark."
Tony bit back a retort at that comment. "I'm not leaving." He finally managed to drag his eyes from Pepper to stare back at the concerned doctor. "I won't get in the way, but I need to be here."
The doctor must have seen the quiet determination in his eyes because he relented, inclining his head. "Very well, but that chair isn't very comfortable, just to warn you."
"I don't care," said Tony simply. "All that matters is Pepper."
oooOOOOooo
Bruce, Thor and Steve stood outside the medical room, discussing what they should do with the three men they captured.
Steve shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I think we should hand them into the police."
Bruce shook his head. "I don't think Tony would be too pleased about that."
"Last time I checked, Tony Stark didn't trump the American constitution," Steve argued. "These guys have rights. We might not like it, but that's how it is."
"In my world, we take care of our own," said Thor firmly. "We should let Tony Stark take care of these miscreants as he sees fit."
Steve grimaced. "I don't think he's in a good frame of mind to be making decisions right now."
"They were going to kill his woman," said Thor stubbornly. "This cannot go unpunished."
"We don't know what they were going to do with Pepper," Bruce reasoned. "I think we need to have a little more information before we make any decisions. This may be a long way from over."
Steve looked over at the closed doors to the medical room. "I don't think Tony is coming out of there tonight." His jaw hardened. "I know I wouldn't."
"Then we deal with this tomorrow," said Bruce. "Those three aren't going anywhere."
The three men nodded in agreement, letting Tony and Pepper be for the night...
Steve and Bruce looked down at Tony as he lay stretched out on a chair beside Pepper's bed. He didn't look to be in a very comfortable position.
"Should we wake him?" asked Bruce.
"I don't know," said Steve. "I've never seen him so quiet for this long. I could get used to this."
"He is sleeping."
Steve shrugged. "I kinda figured the guy always shot his mouth off, even when he was asleep."
"If anyone could, it'd be Tony," Bruce agreed.
Steve's eyes drifted over to the also sleeping Pepper. "Pepper looks better. More colour in her cheeks then when I last saw her. I'm glad." His face darkened. "She asked me to go with her," he confessed. Steve looked at Bruce. "Yesterday, before she went for her run Pepper asked me to come along but I said no." Regret clawed at his insides. "If I'd said yes, none of this would have happened. This is all my fault."
"It's not your fault," said Bruce firmly. "None of us could have known what was going to happen. I think we should all just be grateful that Pepper is going to be alright and leave the self-flagellation for another day."
.
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‼️🎈hello everyone thank you so much for reading this chapter! 🙏 If you'd like to read the full novel "The Price of Legacy", you can find it on my Ko-fi page: ko-fi.com in the store section. This fanfic will consist of 30 chapters and will also have a sequel that I'll be publishing later on. 🎈‼️
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