His Armored Heart

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Tony woke up a few hours later due to the urge to use the bathroom. He wasn't sure what time it was, only that it was dark. He immediately noticed that Peter was no longer on his chest, then he looked over to see Bree had rolled in her sleep and was curled in a ball.

She curled tighter into herself, fighting a nightmare in her sleep. Her eyes were tightly shut, gripping the blankets in her hands, though she made no sound of distress.

Seeing her white knuckled grip on the blanket, Tony winced as he rolled over, but he ignored the soreness and gently kissed Bree to wake her. "Honey, I need you to come back to me."

Bree turned, a small whimper leaving her lips, shaking her head slightly in her sleep. 

"Come on honey." Tony pleaded, kissing her again, trying to gently wake her, feeling her respond to his kiss.

Her eyes fluttered open before meeting Tony's chocolate eyes. "Tony..."

"Hey. Whatever it is, it's just a dream." Tony promised, pulling Bree into his arms.

Bree let go of the blanket and wrapped her arms around Tony's neck. "It felt so real."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tony asked Bree, stroking her hair.

She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. "I can't... I can't."

"It's alright, you don't have to. Deep breaths darling. I'm right here." Tony said in a soothing tone, keeping her in his arms.

Bree tightened her grip on Tony, clutching at the back of his shirt as hard as she could. Tears streamed down her face as she cried silently, her shoulders shaking with the sobs. Feeling lost as to what to do, Tony just held Bree tight in his arms, letting her get it out. He rubbed her back softly. He slowly rubbed her back, shushing her gently. After some time, Bree calmed and fell back into a light sleep, her body relaxing against Tony's chest.

Tony carefully dried Bree's tears, then lightly rubbed her back while she slept. He turned his head, hearing the bedroom door open, to see May standing in the doorway.

"Is everything alright?" she asked softly. "Do you need anything?"

"She had a nightmare. I failed to help her this time." Tony said, feeling horrible about it.

"You didn't fail, Tony. She was pretty shaken up about yesterday. It's almost four in the morning."

"I want to help her. She doesn't need this level of stress." Tony said, not hiding his concern.

May nodded. "I know. But being here is helping. She might not even remember the nightmare when she wakes up. Hormones tend to start acting up early."

"I hope she doesn't remember it. She was so shaken and upset." Tony sighed.

"Time will tell. Things might be rough for a little while, but it'll get better," she assured.

"This is exactly why I tried to retire. I don't want to put her through this kind of stress." Tony muttered.

May walked further into the room and looked down at the pair. Bree had relaxed and was back in a deep sleep, one hand loosely holding Tony's shirt. "She knows how you feel, Tony. Don't let this bother you too much."

"How can this not bother me? What if this level of stress makes us lose the baby?" Tony asked, fighting back tears at the thought.

"Don't think of that," May said softly. "You'll dwell on it if you do." She patted him on the shoulder softly. "Do you want to get up for a bit? I can lay with her."

"No, I won't leave her side. She would do the same for me." Tony said truthfully.

May nodded. "If you have to use the bathroom or something, let me know. I don't mind lying with her while you do so."