Chapter 11
Bright light, loud crash and a pain unlike any other before darkness.
Then just more blinding pain, so much he couldn't think he could take anymore. And just when he thought he would die from it...comfort. Ease. It let him relax enough to feel sleepy.
And so he slept.
Until something pulled him out of his deep slumber, some kind of nagging sense of longing from the bond.
Steve.
Tony blinked back into consciousness, frowning when he saw he was alone. In a hospital bed.
The memory of the car crash slowly returning to his mind. And with it, the pain and fear and anguish he felt from it. As Tony looked around he noticed something that broke his heart.
His belly...it was gone. His hands grabbed onto his mostly flat stomach as the Omega burst into tears. He’d lost the baby.
Grief engulfed his very existence as he screamed his soul out. Nurses rushed in, no doubt from the noises from both Tony and the machines he was hooked up to. But they were pushed aside as he heard his mate join them.
“Tony?! Baby what’s wrong?” Steve asked, his frantic smell barely matching Tony’s.
“S-Steve, Steve the baby,” Tony wailed out, confused by the sudden happiness that was pushed through the bond.
“Tony, my love, the baby is okay. We have a son.” The Omega whipped his head up at that, looking into his mate’s eyes with disbelief. “Nurse!” Tony looked around to see that there was only one nurse remaining, who smiled with a nod before leaving them.
“Steve?” Tony said, unable to stop the tears pouring down his cheeks. Still disbelief in his heart even though he felt reassurance through the bond.
“The nurse is bringing him, Tony. Just hang on a second he isn’t far. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up my love. I was telling Peter how amazing you are.”
“Peter?” Tony asked with a small smile, body slowly relaxing as he felt the tears come down for a different reason.
“Yeah, Harley picked it out. After his favorite book, Peter Rabbit.” The name of his other son startled Tony as he looked to his mate.
“Harley? Where is he?”
“Relax sweetheart, he is with his grandparents. I’ll send them a text to bring him back.”
A moment later the door opened, the two turning to watch as the nurse wheeled in a glass box...with...with a sleeping pup inside.
Tears quickly blurred his vision, which had the brunette scrambling to wipe them.
“Tony, meet our son, Peter.”
“Peter,” Tony repeated, looking at the pup wrapped in a blue blanket. A little fluff of brown on top of his head. He was perfect.
“The doctor said you could hold him for a few minutes because of the importance of exchanging scents,” the nurse explained as he carefully took the pup out. “So I’ll come back in a few to take him back to observation. Congratulations,” she added with a smile as she carefully put the tiny pup in his arms.
Tony felt such a wave of love and relief that he froze when his son was in his arms.
The baby he thought he had lost, small and calm and alive .
He unfroze after a moment, instincts coming in as the Omega raised the pup to lay high up on his chest closer to his scent gland.
“I’m so proud of you, Tony. He’s perfect,” his Alpha said with a soft voice, gently wrapping his arms around the two and kissing the top of Tony’s head.
“Hi Peter,” Tony cooed, soaking in the warmth and gently kissing the pup’s head. “I’m your Daddy. And this handsome Alpha here is your Papa. We love you so much, peanut.”
Too soon the nurse returned, an apologetic smile on her face as she gently took Peter from them.
“Mr. Stark tell us when you need to scent again and I’ll bring him back,” she said with a reassuring smile. Tony smiled as he watched her go, feeling sad but content.
His mood picked up about a minute later when he heard the sounds of tiny feet stampeding towards him. The door burst open to reveal his first born, breathless and smiling at the pair. His parents trailed behind, clearly having struggled to keep up with the pup.
“Daddy!” Harley cried, fresh tears in his eyes as he ran to the brunette. “You’re awake!”
“I am bambino!” Tony said with equal excitement, stretching his arms out to hold his pup.
“Remember Harley you have to be gentle,” Steve reminded the boy as he helped the pup climb onto the bed. Not caring about the pain or the stitches, Tony hugged his son, comforting the boy that still had tears in his eyes.
“I’m okay Harley, we’re all going to be okay.”
“How are you feeling son?” Howard asked as he walked around to the other side of the bed.
“Have you got to meet Peter, bambino?” Maria also asked as she joined her Alpha next to Tony.
“I’m better knowing I have a Peter. And yes Mama, I just handed him back to the nurse after scenting him. He’s perfect. Just like his big brother,” Tony answered his parents while snuggling his pup that much closer to his body.
“He is perfect. They both are,” Maria said with a smile as she gently stroked Harley’s hair. “I had Jarvis contact both Virginia and James to tell them you’ve awoken. He also wanted me to tell you he’ll visit when you’ve made it home and bring a week’s worth of meals.”
“Thanks Mama,” Tony said with a chuckle, gently pushing his pup back as the pain started to take over the joy he felt. “Lay next to me, bambino. My chest was starting to hurt.”
“Harley, do you want to come sit on my lap? Maybe let your Daddy breathe for a bit?” Steve asked, surprising Tony as his Alpha sat on the chair behind him.
“Or you could come back with us? Sleep in an actual bed again tonight?” Howard teased the pup who only snuggled closer to Tony.
“I wanna be with Daddy,” the pup answered quietly.
“Fair enough. We’ll check on you guys in a few days. Come on Maria, let's check on Peter before we leave,” Howard said warmly, gently grabbing the older Omega’s arm and leading the two out of the room.
“So,” Tony began quietly, not wanting to wake the now sleeping puppy. “Since when would Harley want to sit on your lap, Alpha?” The question got an adorable blush from the blonde, who squirmed a little in his seat.
“Well...when I got here your parents and Harley were already here. And...when he saw me, the pup just ran into my arms,” the blonde said with a shrug, the blush still evident on his cheeks. “He blamed himself, but Howard and I quickly squashed that. Then, we met Peter and...we cuddled for a while after. He didn’t want to leave my arms and I was fine with just holding him close.”
“Wow,” Tony breathed out, warmth in his chest before he remembered something that made him feel cold. “Steve?”
“Yeah?”
“You...felt the crash didn’t you?” Tony asked, getting his answer when his mate looked away from him. “Oh Steve, I'm so sorry.”
“Don’t, Tony. Don’t go there,” Steve said as he sat forward and grabbed the Omega’s hand. “What’s done is done, my love. None of this is your fault. I’m just...I’m so happy my family is safe and okay. I’m nothing but thankful, Tony.” The blonde was so sincere and even added a push of love through the bond at the end.
The Omega squeezed his hand, returning the love through the bond and letting his own thankfulness wash over him.
His Alpha was right, they should focus on the here and now. And the fact that they now had two pups. Two healthy, strong, loving and beautiful baby boys.
“I love you, Steve.”
“I love you too, Tony. So much,” his Alpha purred, kissing his hand before standing up to kiss the Omega on his lips. “Go to sleep, Omega. I’m going to go check on Peter and we’ll all be back home in a few days, okay?”
“Okay,” Tony said as he felt sleepiness seep into him. Snuggling a little closer to his pup, arms wrapped tight around his first born, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.