The Invention Left By A Little Stark | Book 2

27) For Her

The medbay was quiet save for the soft hum of equipment and the occasional flick of Dr. Helen Cho's stylus against her tablet.

Hope was sitting on the edge of the examination table, her posture rigid and her arms crossed over her chest as Dr. Cho moved with practiced ease. Her touch was gentle but efficient as she examined Hope's wrists. The skin was raw in places, faint bruises blooming there.

"These are from restraints?" She asked.

Hope nodded.

"No nerve damage. Just bruising. You're lucky."

Hope let out a dry laugh. "Yeah. I feel super lucky."

Dr. Cho moved to the woman's shoulder where the fabric of her shirt was already pulled aside. A dark bruise marred the skin just below the collarbone.

She gently brushed her fingers over the lining. "This one?"

Hope winced at the contact. "That's the one. It's been aching since I woke up."

The doctor gently pressed on the bruise, watching Hope's face for any signs of deeper injury.

"No fracture." She deduced. "Just more tissue trauma. I'll give you something for the inflammation."

"Thanks."

Dr. Cho then stepped back, tapping notes into her tablet. "You are lucky this didn't end worse. From what I heard, that bot went against Cross like he was nothing."

Hope's eyes darkened. "He is nothing."

She looked up, surprised by the venom in Hope's voice. Before she could question it, the door slid open with a soft hiss.

Tony stepped in, freshly showered and dressed in a band t-shirt and a black blazer, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He looked sharper than he had in days, but his eyes were tired and distant. In his hands he carried a folded bundle of clean clothes.

"How is she, Doc?"

"Well, she's not hungry anymore thanks to your fast food run." Dr. Cho said, half to herself and half to the tablet in her hand. "Vitals are stable. Just bruising on the shoulder and wrists. Ice and topicals should do the trick."

Tony leaned against the wall, watching quietly. "We've got the creams, right?"

"Of course."

"Great." He turned to Hope next. "Since you're not dying, it's up to you if you want to go to the memorial tonight."

Hope opened her mouth, ready to say no, but quickly remembered that her father was there somewhere in the building. She didn't want to deal with that.

"I'll go." She decided.

Tony raised a brow, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. I want to be there."

Dr. Cho glanced up, sensing the shift in tone, but didn't comment.

Tony nodded. "Alright. I'll make sure there's space for you."

He quickly noticed the darkness in Hope's eyes as she gave her answer. He knew exactly why Hope wanted to attend the memorial.

With a sympathetic expression very rarely seen on his face, he offered her the change of clothes.

"They're Pepper's." He explained. "I told her you were here and kinda got kidnapped in a way. She started asking questions so I told her I'd explain when I got back."

Hope raised an eyebrow. "You told Pepper?"

Tony shrugged. "She's Pepper. She knows everything eventually."