A/N: So glad to see that you guys are enjoying this story so much, thanks for all the support!

Waiting

"Can you please stop tapping your foot," Steve sighs with his eyes closed pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.

Tony shifts in his chair, glaring past Bruce who sits beside him doing a crossword puzzle, locking his gaze on Steve. "I'm sorry," Tony snaps, "didn't mean to disturb the little Ice Princess," he bates out, shoulders set and clearly itching for a fight.

"Don't engage," Clint drawls with his eyes closed, slouched low in his chair on the other side of Tony with his ankles crossed.

"Oh look who decided to wake up!" Tony turns around, directing his anger at Clint.

"I'm not fighting with you Tony," Clint sighs, shifting in the hard plastic seat, far from asleep.

"Have faith friend Stark, Lady Pepper will be well," Thor offers, clearly trying to comfort their frantic friend.

"Tony-" Natasha tries to pull his attention while Clint cringes and shakes his head.

Tony's chest heaves tightly as he swallows thickly, pushing up out of his chair with nothing more than a snarl, stalking towards the front desk.

"You couldn't just let him tap his foot, could you Cap?" Clint grumbles, sinking lower in his chair.

Steve groans and moves to stand, stopped when Bruce places a gentle hand on his shoulder, tossing his newspaper back on his chair. "He might actually hit you, Steve." he offers sympathetically walking off after Tony.

Tony," Bruce calls shaking his head as Tony turns his frantic energy onto the nurse at the desk.

"Mr. Stark," she sighs tiredly, "we'll let you know as soon as we know something,"

"Come on Tony," Bruce pleads, grabbing at his arm. "Let's go sit back down."

"I don't want to go sit back down!" Tony shouts, wrenching his arm from Bruce's grip. "HYDRA broke into my house and beat the hell out of Pepper over some data! Now she's lying on an operation table and theirs nothing I can do! So don't tell me to sit back down!"

"Mr. Stark!" Tony turns sharply as a new voice shouts through the waiting room, his eyes landing on a doctor he'd last seen with Pepper.

Tony stands frozen with fear, now that someone can actually provide him with answers, he's not so sure he wants to hear, finally stumbling forward when Bruce gives him a small push. The doctor walks fast leading him off into a private room and away from prying eyes. Sitting down in the plush chair in the Doctor's office, the man paints a picture in blood letting him know the different injuries they've found and all they've done to put her back together. He listens numbly to it all, with only one thought on his mind as the doctor finishes, "When can I see her?"

Standing in the doorway of the room that will be Pepper's home for a few weeks, he struggles not to collapse at all the tubes, wires and thick bandage surrounding her, leaving her almost unrecognizable.

Grabbing a chair from across the room he settles in beside her bed, as the others stop by one at a time- the doctor having informed them that only two may be in the room at a time. No one says much other than swearing that HYDRA will pay, jaws clenched and shoulder tense as the survey the damage for themselves. In the end Bruce is the last leave, asking only that he try and sleep as follows the rest of group out the front doors and through a sea of reporters. Exhaustion finally begins to set in once he's alone, the sound of the machines whirling around him as the heart monitor lulls him to sleep.

But not for long.

"Pepper," he calls tiredly, when he hears a strangled choke, and the heart monitor begins to beep wildly. Standing quickly he knocks his chair back in a wild panic, trying to calm her down. She chokes on the breathing tube pushing at his hands, frantically struggling to get away. "Pepper calm down," he pleads with her, heart breaking at her petrified look, no doubt believing she's still with her captor. "Damn it, Virginia," he curses, trying to stop her flailing arms. cringing when she cries out the second he places his hands on her. "Nur—" he starts to call for help, only to be cut off as a man in scrubs rushes past him into the room.

"Just push the call button next time Mr. Stark," he tells him, re-administering a set of drugs.

Tony can only stare shell shocked in response, before dropping heavily back into the chair. Next time, he thinks, body flooding with fear as he rubs at his face and lowers his head between his knees; chocking back a strangled sob as it all comes crashing down again.

A/N: Not sure how much more I have of this, maybe just a chapter on her recovery. If you guys have other ideas just let me know.