A/N: Hello lovelies! I have returned with yet another installment to "Fever!"

Sorry for the delay. Things are crazy these days, as I'm sure you all can relate to.

Anyway, no more distractions or waiting. Without further ado, may I present Chapter Five!

Usual disclaimers apply.

Chapter 5

Pepper was almost immediately regretting her previously firm decision to have Happy drive rather than call an ambulance, as the ride took far longer than it should have. Traffic was bumper to bumper, and Pepper had her teeth gritted the entire time, clenching firmly at every start and stop and lurch of the car, letting out a low growl when a car would jump in front of theirs. She tried to mask her worry by tending to him, making sure she kept her movements fluid and gentle, caressing his face, but it was not helping very much. Finally, after what seemed like forever and a day, they made it to the hospital. As soon as they got close, Pepper began to work at rousing Tony, an exercise she was pretty sure was futile. Happy pulled up to the front of the emergency room entrance.

"Can you get him in, and I'll park the car?" He asked.

"That was the plan," she confirmed, already opening the car door before he ever finished speaking. He got out too upon hearing Pepper's door open and helped the woman sit Tony up. The movement caused a slight stir, and he groaned.

"Pep?" He murmured, his eyes unfocused as he stared at her, still half dreaming.

"Yes, Tony?" She asked. "I'm here."

"Where are we, Pepper?" He slurred, his speech taking a long time to catch up with his head. "This doesn't feel like home."

"It's not," she said, crouching in front of him and stroking his fringe. "Tony, honey, we're at the hospital. Your fever is very high. I'm getting you looked at. Whether you like it or not."

"Pepperrrrr," Tony whined, but was cut off by a coughing fit. Pepper stood and straightened up, adjusting herself as best she could while Tony hacked into his elbow.

"Exactly," she said smugly. "That's exactly why we're here." She helped Tony get up. As soon as he was standing, he wished he wasn't. His knees began to shake and his body swayed unsteadily. He felt weak and ready to crumble. Pepper held his body, burning like a furnace, close to hers and supported him.

"Come on, Tony, lean on me, okay?" She urged, beginning their long trek into the hospital. She wondered if an ambulance was really the better choice, with a stretcher and nearly immediate medical care and attention. This had not been one of her more stellar plans. She dwelled on that as they made it into the waiting room.

She led him over to one of the orange floral, plastic-padded chairs and eased him down. The light was so bright, bouncing off the yellowing, white-stucco walls. Pepper's nostrils filled with the scent of surgical cleanliness, like someone had put Ajax and Clorox into a power washer and just gone crazy. Pepper knew it was to make sure things were sterile and germ-free, but she couldn't help feeling like it was also to mask the scent of death.

She really wasn't a huge fan of hospitals.

She powered through for him, however, knowing this was what he needed more than anything. She walked up to the front desk to sign him in. The receptionist smiled at her as she did so. Pepper knew she was being recognized, but tried to convey with her eyes that she wanted as little fuss as was humanly possible.

"What seems to be the trouble Miss… Miss Potts?" The young girl asked.

"My boyfriend," Pepper explained, shooting the youth a look that dared her to say one word about who that might be, "is running a really high fever that won't seem to break with acetaminophen." The girl nodded.

"We'll get you right in, Miss Potts," she said, her tone slightly more hushed. Typically, Pepper was very much against special treatment because of her status, especially considering there were other patients in the waiting room looking just as ill and miserable as Tony did. But this time, however, she was appreciative of the receptionist's promise to get someone in to see Tony right away.

In the meantime, Tony was sitting on the chair, his back arched forward, shoulders sagging. He had his elbows on his thighs and his burning head resting on his crossed wrists. He was aching all over. He shivered in the cold air enveloping the room. The lights made his skin pale and chalky and gave him an almost ghostly glow. He coughed weakly, his body being thrown forward slightly. Pepper returned to him holding a clipboard full of paperwork and sighed, setting about filling it out for him as quickly as she possibly could. It was amazing – he wasn't on file anywhere. That was likely because he refused to go to the hospital, but it still served to annoy the hell out of the woman, who wanted to get him in and out with hopefully all his dignity in check and a prescription for some strong drugs. As she filled it out, perching it on her thighs, she idly rubbed his back with her other hand.

His shirt was soaked through again. She tried to be disgusted but couldn't bring herself to be.

After at least three forms were filled out and returned to the receptionist, a nurse came out with a wheelchair and moved right to where the couple was seated. Pepper tapped Tony on the shoulder, urging him to remove his hands from his face. He did so slowly, and the result caused a pang in Pepper's heart. Tony looked absolutely wretched. His eyes gazed dully at the chair. Pepper gently coaxed him to stand, standing herself, and helped him transfer into the wheelchair. As soon as he was seated, the nurse whisked him away, instructing Pepper brusquely to wait where she was.

"It's really just the flu?" Pepper asked the doctor incredulously at least an hour later once a nurse finally came to retrieve her. This didn't seem like any flu she was familiar with. The doctor nodded, however, and Pepper made a mental note to apologize for not believing JARVIS earlier.

"That's all it is, just a real bad case," she assured her.

"So what do I need to do?" Pepper asked. "Aren't there medications for the flu now?"

"They're called antivirals, Miss Potts," the doctor corrected gently. "They gotta be taken quick, like as soon as symptoms are felt. I can write you a prescription if you want me to, but it doesn't sound like it's gonna do him much good at this point. If you want my professional opinion, I'd say just get some over-the-counter stuff, treat the symptoms, help him rest easier. Looks like this is gonna be a nasty one, and the best option for him now is to ride it out." Pepper nodded.

"So I should get him something like NyQuil?" She asked.

"NyQuil, Theraflu, yes, that kind of thing," Dr. Robinson said with a nod. "Give him Tylenol too, if he can stomach it, for the pain and that fever. Speaking of which," she grabbed a pad and started writing things down. "That fever is high and doesn't look like it's breaking anytime soon. We've got him on IV fluid right now to get some fluids into him, keep him hydrated, and try to bring it down, but if it doesn't work, we're going to have to try something else. I won't let him leave until it's at most 100 degrees, which is low-grade. And that might require an ice bath." Pepper nodded again to show she understood, and strained to see what Dr. Robinson was writing. "When you get him home, make sure he's in light clothes, I mean real light, much lighter than even now. Sweats are good but not when he's hotter than one hundred and three degrees." Pepper couldn't help but blush, feeling like she failed him.

"Light shirt and shorts preferably," Dr. Robinson continued before Pepper could speak. "And a blanket. A, as in, one. If he really starts to get the shivers, add more. One at a time though, not all at once or you'll just overheat him. You're gonna want to do a lukewarm washcloth on his forehead, chest, arms, and face – if the fever goes up, try ice packs on his calves, but that's in an extreme case, and by that point you're probably gonna wanna bring him up here. And I'm sure you know this, but don't leave them bare on his skin, wrap them in a few towels or rags. And then I'm talking serious bed rest and lots of fluids once his stomach can take it. Don't forget the BRAT diet, that's a good one to adhere to with how bad he is." She finished writing and ripped the piece off the pad, handing it to Pepper. "Come back here if things get serious; fever don't break, he gets dehydrated, he has trouble breathing, you notice a rash… that sort of thing." Pepper smiled and nodded.

"I think I can take it from here," she said.

"I know that's right," the doctor said with a small smile, offering her hand. Pepper shook it gratefully. "Anyone can do it, it's you, Miss Potts. Clearly. I'm just gonna check and see if he needs that ice bath or not. You go on in."

"Thank you, doctor," Pepper said, and took a deep breath and opened the door.

Tony was lying in a hospital bed, looking more dead than alive. His eyes were closed and there was a large needle in his arm, attached to a bag of fluid hanging up one a rack. The heart monitor was steady, but slightly faster than a normal heartbeat. Pepper had seen him in this position plenty of times before, and each time, she always looked at those two things first: the IV and the heart monitor. Those were her best indicators as to what was happening. Dr. Robinson walked in behind her and found a temporal thermometer. She quickly came around and swiped it over Tony's clammy forehead. Tony's eyes opened and he looked up at the two women tiredly from beneath his lashes.

"Have I died and gone to heaven?" He quipped weakly. Pepper rolled her eyes, but the doctor didn't even look fazed.

"One hundred point two," she announced with a smile. "Good news is, no bath required, he's responding to treatment, and you both can get out of here." She smiled at Pepper.

"Hey look at that," Tony chimed in. "They cured me." Dr. Robinson took a beat in confusion.

"Is he on drugs?" The doctor asked nervously, gazing down at his chart.

"Probably not, Pepper said, shaking her head. "Nothing self-administered anyway. This is just… how he is."

"I see," said the doctor. She didn't look nearly as amused as most others who encountered Tony's endless well of sarcasm.

"Thank you," Pepper said appreciatively, to change the subject. Dr. Robinson nodded.

"Uh-huh. A nurse will be by to release you both as soon as one's available. Have a good night, Miss Potts. Mr. Stark, take care of yourself."

"You too," Pepper and Tony said at the same time, only Tony added a "sweetie" at the end that earned him a Look. Pepper sat down tiredly in the chair by Tony's bed as the doctor disappeared through the door. She rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"I guess someone's feeling better," she said, looking him up and down. He grinned.

"Not better exactly," he amended. "Just… less feverish and… less ready to puke."

"Thank God for small favors then," Pepper retorted.

"If by God, you mean this giant-ass needle in my arm," he shot back. Pepper couldn't help but smile.

"Yes," she teased. "That is exactly what I meant." She stood and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You're speaking coherently and your face doesn't feel like it's going to burn my lips. I'd say that's a win."

"Still doesn't change the fact that you brought me to a hospital," he murmured, leaning into her kiss. It felt wonderful. Tony had always been one for forehead kissing. Actually, honestly, he was one for touching and contact of any kind, so long as the person touching or contacting him was showing him love, affection, and attention.

"Shush," she said gently. "It was for your own good, Tony. Trust me."

"Mmm," Tony said. "Doesn't matter."

"Yes it does," Pepper said, rubbing her temples. "Please don't argue with me. Let's just get you home. You can sleep, and if you feel well enough to keep fighting, then we know you'll be okay." Not one to be outdone by the quips of his girlfriend, Tony continued to press, ignoring the nurse who entered the room to discharge him.

"You know me too well, Pep," he said with a charming grin. "I'd fight you if I were on my deathbed. I spy holes in your plan." Pepper shook her head in exasperation. As bad as it was, at least sick Tony was a quiet Tony. As soon as he started feeling just slightly better, it seemed, he became his usual incorrigible self. Not interested in arguing with him further, Pepper stopped speaking and let the nurse do her work, and thanked her profusely when she finished.

About ten minutes later, Tony was lying across the back seat of the car once again with his head in Pepper's lap, with Happy up front and driving. Pepper's lithe fingers raked through Tony's hair methodically, eliciting soft whimpers and moans from the ill billionaire, who once off the drugs and fluids, was finding himself more sluggish and exhausted than he thought he would be. He also was starting to feel overheated again, though he tried to convince himself it was just because Happy had the heat on, low as it was.

He continuously drifted in and out of consciousness, picking up soft strains of Bruce Springsteen on the radio or Pepper's voice, discussing what they would tell the press had they picked up on Tony's whereabouts in the last couple of hours. Mostly, however, he let the gentle motion of the car and Pepper's fingers in his hair send him into a deep, restful sleep.

A/N: That's all for now! Dr. Robinson's character is dedicated to a dear friend of mine. Thanks for always reminding me that "This too shall pass."

See you all real soon with the next part. Perhaps Tony will begin to heal, or perhaps this virus has another trick up its sleeves!

~PG22