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Where's Daddy?
Telling Morgan was one of the hardest things Pepper had to do.
When she'd left the Lakehouse, with Morgan left under Happy's care, Pepper had had a feeling that she might be returning without her husband by her side. She had hoped she was wrong; that the dread feeling was nothing to be concerned about.
But the battle had been horrible. It had been full of violence and death.
Pepper hated violence. Yet she recognised when it was necessary.
Her husband wasn't just fighting for his life; he was fighting for theirs. She had seen him over the years since the snap feeling immense guilt over surviving and being able to move on and build his own family. When he had come to her and told her he had found a way to make Scott Lang's ridiculous time-travel idea work, she had known that she couldn't stop him.
Reluctantly, she had given him her blessing.
He would never have been able to rest if he hadn't tried.
Losing Peter had been traumatising for him. Morgan had filled the void that Peter had left, but she hadn't replaced him.
And now…
Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks.
Tony…
She hadn't wanted to leave his side.
But she had a daughter to look after.
Right now, in New York, Stephen Strange and an expert team of surgeons were working on saving Tony's life. He was badly burnt, and his life functions were at a critical stage. However, he was stabilised for now as they fought for a way to heal his body from the effects caused by using the Infinity Stones.
She wouldn't have left his side if she hadn't had some reassurance from the team working on Tony of his chances of survival.
She couldn't leave Morgan for much longer, not knowing what had happened to her parents. She had briefly texted Happy that Tony was seriously injured and to wait for her to arrive home and keep Morgan occupied.
Using the suit Tony had made Pepper for their anniversary to get home quickly, Pepper landed on the grass by the lake. It was battle-worn and needed repairs. Thankfully, Doctor Strange had said when Pepper wanted to return, to send him a message and he would open a portal for her. As he was busy assisting the medical team on trying to save Tony's life, she hadn't taken him up on his offer to escort her back home.
The suit retracted into the arc reactor, and she removed it from her body, walking briskly up the path to the cabin.
"Mommy!"
The door to the cabin opened, and a little girl rushed outside with her arms outstretched. She collided with Pepper's legs.
"Morgan!" Happy ran out after her. "Sorry, she saw you and just -"
"It's alright." Pepper extracted her daughter's arms from around her legs, and carefully knelt down so it was easier for her to talk to her daughter.
"Where's Daddy?" Morgan peered over her shoulder, hoping to see him coming towards her.
"He's…" She wanted to cry. She had to hold it together for her daughter. "Morgan, honey, listen to me carefully."
Morgan's lower lip trembled. "Is Daddy ok?"
"You know how I went to help Daddy fight the nasty man?"
Morgan nodded.
"Daddy won, but he got really hurt."
"Daddy has owies?" sniffed Morgan.
Pepper nodded. "A lot of owies."
"Can I make him better?" Morgan was still too young to realise that a simple hug wouldn't make things better.
Pepper shook her head. "He's in hospital. There are good and talented people helping him right now. But, he is very badly hurt, Morgan. Daddy might not be home for a long time." She didn't want to infer that he might not survive. Tony's life was still on the line, even if he was stabilised. He might not fully recover. If there were no hope, she would deal with it when the time came.
Confusion settled over the little girl's face. "Can I see him?"
"I'm afraid not, honey. You wouldn't like what you see," explained Pepper. The burns all over the right side of Tony's face would terrify Morgan. She couldn't let her see him like that. But how long could she keep Morgan from Tony?
"When can I see him?" she pouted.
She had the exact same look on her face that Tony used to give her when he didn't get his own way. She was certainly her father's daughter.
Pepper breathed out. "I don't know. It could be awhile before he is ready for visitors."
"Oh. Can I make him a card?" Morgan asked. She was so young, so innocent… She was too young to understand. Pepper didn't want to take her daughter's innocence from her. Tony's condition would be traumatic.
"He'd love a card." She tried to smile, to keep positive. It was hard.
"I'll start right now!" Morgan's excitement was overwhelming as her little girl ran back into the cabin to grab her art supplies.
"Pepper?" Happy moved forward, reaching out a hand to steady her. "You ok?"
Sobs wracked her body. "How can I be, Happy? I have to stay strong for Morgan… but Tony… He's…"
Happy understood what she wasn't saying. "Tony will pull through. He won't give up, Pepper. He wants to come home to you and Morgan."
Pepper swallowed, wiping away her tears. She had to stay strong.
Strong not just for Happy or Rhodey.
But for both Morgan and Tony too.
-End-