It Only Takes a Second

- V -

Suddenly, several alarms from the heart monitors began beeping rapidly, sending everyone into a frenzy.

"Oh my God!" Natasha cried, clamping her hand over her mouth as she watched as Harry began seizing.

Dr. Morris flew past Tony and began barking orders at Clint and Bruce. Tony's heart wrenched as he watched the boy he had only known for a short period of time, yet come to care for deeply, shook violently.

A hand grasped at his, and he looked over at a teary eyed Natasha. She gave him a reassuring nod, and gave his hand a tight squeeze. Tony choked back a sob.

"Come on kid. Stay with us."

*

Tony paced the tiled floor, the clack of his shoes echoing off of the walls.

Natasha sat in a chair, head buried in her hands. She wasn't normally the type of person to get emotional. Hell, she could count on one hand the number of times she had cried in front of the rest of the team.

But now, watching as Tony paced outside the medbay doors, anxiety rolling off of him in waves, and having not heard any updates from anyone in close to an hour, Natasha was worried. In there on the table, fighting for his life, was just a kid. 

"Tony!" A voice exclaimed, coming through the double doors on their right. Tony looked up to see Pepper barreling towards him, flinging her arms around his neck and letting a strangled sob out into his shoulder.

Tony clutched his fiancé close to his chest, keeping her in a tight embrace. He planted a kiss against her temple and swallowed the lump in his throat that threatened tears.

"Is he okay? What's going on?" Pepper asked finally, pulling away from Tony. Her normal professional façade was broken, and tears streaked her flushed face, still silently flowing from her red rimmed eyes and her voice was thick with emotion.

"They haven't updated us at all, but I'm taking that as a good sign," Tony responded finally, choosing his words carefully as not to alarm the already concerned red head. "If they haven't had time to update us, that must mean that they're working hard to make Harry better, and that nothing bad has happened."

At those last four words, Pepper let out another sob, clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Shh, shh," Tony hushed, pulling her in close to him again. "What about you, are you okay? What happened?"

It took Pepper a moment to recompose herself enough to respond, but when she did, she pulled away from Tony's embrace, a dark look crossing her face.

"That son of a bitch didn't go easily," she began, shaking her head at the thought.

Vernon had fought every hand that was placed on him throughout his arrest, demanding his right to an attorney, screaming about his rights the entire time.

"He kept blaming Harry. Said it was his own fault. Said he fell, that it was because of the head trauma from the car accident that killed his parents, said that he was anorexic, that's why he was so malnourished. Threatened to sue us for barging into his home and invading his privacy."

"Well let him sue," Tony said darkly. "We've got enough evidence against the bastard, just from the few hours we've known Harry."

Pepper was just opening her mouth to speak again when the set of medbay doors swung open to reveal an exhausted and disheveled Dr. Morris. Tony clutched Pepper's hands as he stepped towards the physician.

"Give it to me straight, doc, how is the little fighter?" Tony asked, attempting to keep his tone light.

Dr. Morris sighed, taking off his glasses to run a hand across his face.