Saving Grace

Twenty Nine

Trigger Warning: Tony has a panic attack in this chapter.
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Still on the road, heading back in the other direction, Tony calls Harley, who picks up pretty quickly. "Hey, Harley, tell me what's happening. Give me a full report."

"Yeah, I'm still eating that candy," Harley replies. Tony had told him to eat it earlier so he would stay awake. "Do you want me to keep eating it?"

"How much have you had?"

"Two or three bowls."

"Can you still see straight?"

"Sort of."

"That means you're fine. Give me Jarvis." After a pause, he asks, "Jarvis, how are we?"

"It's totally fine, sir," Jarvis replies. "I seem to do quite well for a stretch, and then at the end of the sentence I say the wrong cranberry. And, sir, you were right. Once I factored in available AIM downlink facilities, I was able to pinpoint the Mandarin's broadcast signal."

"What are we talking? Far East, Europe, North Africa, Iran, Pakistan, Syria?" Tony asks.

"Actually, sir, it's in Miami," Jarvis replies.

Tony begins talking to Harley. "Okay, kid, I'm gonna have to walk you through rebooting Jarvis's speech drive, but not right now. Harley, where is he really? Just look on the screen, and tell me where it is."

There's a pause, then, "Um, it does say Miami, Florida."

Tony sighs. "Okay, first things first, I need the armor. Where are we at with it?"

"Uh, it's not charging," Harley says.

Tony breaks quickly, pulling over to the side of the road and parking. This one came more suddenly than the others. But, sure enough, his chest is tight, and it's getting harder to breathe. He's about to start shaking.

Jarvis says, "Actually, sir, it is charging, but the power source is questionable. It may not succeed in revitalising the Mark 42."

"What's questionable about electricity?" Tony asks quickly. "Alright, it's my suit, and I can't- I'm not gonna- I don't wanna-" He puts his head in his hands, rubbing his face. He can hardly breathe. "Not again, not again." He opens the car door and gets out, an overwhelming sense of I need to get out of here taking over him.

"Tony?" Harley asks, his voice full of concern. "Are you having another attack? I didn't even mention New York."

"Right, and then you just said it by name while denying having said it."

"Okay, um, uh..."

Tears are slipping out of Tony's eyes now as he sits down, leaning back against the car. "Wh-What am I gonna do?"

"Just breathe," Harley says. "Really, just breathe. You're a mechanic, right?"

"Right," Tony replies through deep breaths.

"You said so."

"Yes, I did."

"Why don't you just build something?"

Tony stops. His heart, while it's still beating a mile a minute, gradually starts to slow down. The pressure in his chest lessens. Breathing starts becoming easier as the notion slips into his head and makes itself comfortable there before slowly developing.

He can do this. He's Tony Stark. He can do this. He stands, using the car door as support.

"Okay," he says, getting back in the car. "Thanks, kid."