Chemistry

Bruce - Breakdown

‘Tony...’ I stop he’s trying to speak, but he doesn’t seem to know how to say it. ‘Tony, whatever it is you need to say, you can tell me.’ I say trying to help him. He looks awful, I want to help so badly but I’m so helpless in this situation.

‘Bruce...’ Tony starts, ‘ I need you to move away from me.’ I feel hurt, but I am still worried so I move a few feet backwards.

‘Tony, you need help, now---‘

‘Get away!’ he cries, cutting me off. I’m in shock, he barely ever screams at me, or even raises his voice.

‘Tony, I-I don’t understand... Why?’ I’m really worried now, I knew he was troubled and that the Mandarin and the ‘incident’ had scarred him, but I had no idea it was this bad.

He started to cry. ‘Bruce! Just leave! Okay?!’ He yelled, in tears. Something was really wrong, I called Pepper. She came running in, but the moment she saw us, she broke down. She and Tony were now screaming and weeping. I couldn’t do it.

I called in Fury.

‘Fury, its Bruce. I need help, now!’ I sounded really worried; I was on the verge of breaking too.

‘Where are you, and what is happening?’ came Fury’s voice.

‘Stark Tower,’ I faltered as I heard Pepper scream something at Tony. Oh no. Then I watched her walk out, still in tears. ‘I’m at Stark Tower, Pepper has just walked out on Tony, and she’s in tears. Tony is throwing up, in tears and having a nervous breakdown in the bathroom. I need help, Tony,’ my voice broke, ‘Tony is going to pass out, he’s sick and-and Send an ambulance!’

‘We are on our way.’ Fury sounded calm.

I went back to Tony, he was pale and shaking, he’s cursing himself for hurting Pepper. He is still crying but he isn’t screaming anymore. I sit next to him and feel his forehead, it’s hot.  Feverishly so.  He’s about to pass out, I start whispering in his ear, ‘It’s going to be okay Tony, everything is going to be okay, I promise. It’s going to be okay.

Then Fury walks in, and a medic picks Tony up, he’s unconscious, looking too pale and shaking too much. I stay sitting, and Fury crouches in front of me.

‘Bruce? Tony is going to need you when he wakes up, so you need to be healthy and awake and not dead, okay?’

‘He told me to get out, to just leave him, and then Pepper walked out.’ I say feeling as though there is a stone in my throat.  I shut my eyes and bang my head backwards against the wall in anguish.

‘He was delirious, he needs you Bruce, if Pepper walked out, he is going to need you.’ Just then, the medic from earlier approached.

‘He is going to be okay, but we are pretty sure that it is the fault of over-exposure to the chemicals he was using earlier. And his nervous breakdown, well we don’t know about that. We think it was triggered by something he wanted to tell either you or Pepper, but we can’t be sure. His being sick from chemicals didn’t help it though.’ The medic says.

‘Thank you,’ replies Fury. With that, the medic turns to leave, but I grab his wrist.

‘Where are you going to take him?

‘To the closest hospital and we will keep him there until he calms down, and stops being quite so violently sick, then we will return him here, after we take a blood sample, so we can work out what it was that did it.’

‘Okay,’ I murmur not really to the medic.

He leaves. As soon as he is out the door, I turn to Fury.

‘Take me to the nearest hospital and find Pepper.’