Through Her Eyes

Chapter 3

"What's wrong? What's...happened?" Mid-sentence, I realized what must have occurred. Dad.

"He's...he's been...captured." Pepper sniffled.

No.

No. No. No. No. No. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be.

"What..?" My voice sounded weak and strained as tears began to spill over onto my cheeks.

"Rhodey called me not long ago. He said...said that the military convoy was attacked. Tony's escorts were killed. He must have gotten out to...find Rhodey," She couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face. She was sniffling and wiping her nose on a tissue while trying to explain the events that had happened. "They believe...he was injured and then...then...they took him." She suddenly broke down and a wave of new tears began forming in her eyes.

It felt like my world was crashing down around me. Nothing made sense anymore. How could this happen? They had told me he would be greatly protected. And now look at what had happened.

Someone could have blown an air horn beside me and I wouldn't have noticed. I barley registered the words Pepper was speaking.

"They've already begun a search and rescue...but with the terrain there...they said it may take months."

I wasn't aware I had been crying until Pepper had gotten out a fresh tissue and wiped away a few tears from my face. Suddenly everything it hit me, like a brick wall. It hurt. My Dad had been captured, may never be coming back. My body began shaking and I could hear an awful tearing sound. Pepper's scared face came into view.

"Morgan, calm down." She placed her hands upon my shoulders and shook gently.

I realised that awful tearing sound was coming from my own chest. My cries and screams were mixing together, creating the sound. I tried to take in a few deep breaths and steady my shaking hands. I tried to stand and get out of my bed but I couldn't do much right now.

When Pepper saw what I was trying to do, she slipped her arm around my shoulders and helped me stand without falling. She led me out of my room, down the stairs where she placed me down gently on the lounge. I caught my reflection in a mirror across the room. I looked horrible. My hair was a mess from sleeping, my eyes were already red and I had a look of absolute terror on my face.

I knew I had to control myself. This wasn't the end of the world. They could still find him. Pepper re-entered the room with a hairbrush and box of tissues. God, that girl knew exactly what I needed, even when I was breaking down.

I thanked her quietly as she handed me the brush. After I had smoothed out my hair, I began mopping up the tears on my face. I tried to clear my head and think about everything that had suddenly happened.

"He's alive. I know it. And your Dad isn't going to give up without a fight. He's strong and I know he will do anything to get back to you."

Somehow what she said made sense. Somewhere and somehow I knew deep inside that he wasn't dead. Don't ask me how, I just knew. Suddenly a smile formed on my face.

"Knowing Dad, he'll already be planning some insane method to get away."

This made me feel better. Dad was one of the smartest people on Earth. If anyone was to escape terrorists in Afghanistan, it's him.

"Exactly," Pepper smiled and handed me another tissue. Knowing I wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon, she flipped on the TV, making sure not to put it on any news channels. So there I sat for 4 hours, my mind still going over the information. The more I thought about it, the more confident I became that he would make it out of there ok. Any day now we would be getting a call saying he had been fund alive, I just knew it.