Chapter 3
They’d discussed therapy with Penny. She’d been resistant at first. She’d fought them on it. But, in the end, she’d nodded her agreement to at least one session. If she hated it, they wouldn’t make her go back.
They’d both taken her. The therapist came highly recommended and had been asked to sign multiple NDA’s in regard to Penny, her relationship to them, and anything that she said. They knew, of course, that doctor/patient confidentiality was in place, but they wanted to cover all of their tracks.
It had taken nearly fifteen minutes to get Penny into the room with the woman. She hadn’t wanted to leave Pepper’s side where she had tucked herself, but it was imperative that her sessions be driven by Penny and Penny alone. She’d been assured that they’d both be waiting for her when she was finished and that at any point, she could return to them if she needed to.
Nearly forty-five minutes later, Dr. Kate (she insisted on her first name being that she worked primarily with children) stepped back out of the office and gestured for the two of them to follow her into the room right next door. Pepper glanced nervously at the door the woman had just come out of and earned a knowing look from the doctor. “Penny has given her permission for me to speak to the both of you for a few minutes. She understands where you will be and where to find you if needed.”
They followed her into what seemed to be her primary office and took a seat across from her when she sat behind her desk, “Firstly, you can breathe. She’s going to get through this,” She told them and Pepper felt her shoulder’s relax for the first time in over a week and Tony felt his jaw unclench slightly, “Right now she is exhibiting some pretty severe separation anxiety. Normally, I would say it was more of an issue but considering all that she’s been through with her parents, uncle, aunt, and recent kidnapping, I’d say that she’s handling everything like a champ.”
“So the panic when one of us aren’t near her is okay?” Pepper asked quietly and got a warm smile.
“It will start to subside as time goes on and Penny realizes that she is safe. We normally recommend either talk therapy, medication, or both as treatment. However, I don’t think that medication is necessary. Talk therapy would be great for her at least for a while considering her circumstances, but she seems pretty resilient,” She told them. Tony smirked to himself. That was his kid. She could handle anything. “We also normally encourage you to try to wean her off of so much physical contact and try to get her to spend time as she normally would to expedite the process.”
“But-” Pepper started and stopped when the therapist nodded and gave her a knowing look.
“I know,” She said simply, “I don’t recommend that for her at all. She’s been through some major trauma, both recently and not so recently. I see no problem with how she is coping. It is very traumatizing to be convinced that you aren’t loved and that your entire world has been ripped away from you. Give her all of the comfort she needs for right now. Hold your baby. She’s going to be fine.”
0~0~0
“Hey, Pepper?” Penny asked softly from her place in the doorway of Pepper’s office. Pepper watched the girl scuff one foot against the other nervously and didn’t look up at the woman.
“Yes, baby girl?” Pepper answered her, setting her work aside to give Penny her attention. It had been several weeks now. Penny was adjusting as well as could be expected. She still had nightmares often and she still had qualms about either of them leaving for an extended period of time. But they were working on it.
“Would it be okay if MJ and Ned came over after school?” Penny asked her. She hadn’t returned to school yet and Pepper knew that she missed the other two sides of her trio.
“I think that’s a great idea, darling,” Pepper told her with a smile and Penny finally dragged her eyes from the floor to Pepper’s face, “Do you need me to do anything? Other than authorize their clearance to the floor of course?”
“No, I just wanted to make sure it was okay,” Penny told her with a shrug.
“Of course it is, bug. It’s your home, Penny,” Pepper reminded her, “Now, is there any chance I could get some spider-snuggles in before I have my next meeting?” She asked and Penny couldn’t help but smile as Pepper stood and walked towards her. She met her halfway and sighed against her chest. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you too.”
0~0~0
“Woah, dude, that sounds awful,” Ned finally broke the silence. The three of them were sat in the main room, movie on but long forgotten. They’d finally asked why she missed so much school. She’d contemplated what to tell them before just settling on the truth. She’d told them about the kidnapping and following issues she’d experienced from it.
“Yeah,” She mumbled as she fidgeted with her hands in her lap, “It was,” She said with a small nod.
“This might sound cliché and risk my like total bad ass reputation,” MJ started and got two eye-rolls, “But you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, Pen. And not just the spider-strength stuff. All of it.”
Penny bit her lip and blinked her tears away, “Thanks,” She smiled at her friends, “I missed you guys.”
“Shit, girl,” Ned laughed, “We missed you too. No one has outscored Flash since you left. His ego barely fits in the school building anymore.”
“Oh hell,” Penny replied with a laugh, “You two have got to do better. We can’t have him thinking he’s Thor’s gift to Midtown,” She giggled out.
“Please,” MJ rolled her eyes, “He definitely already thinks that anyway.”
0~0~0
“Hey, Penny?” Tony called after he and Pepper finished talking in the kitchen.
“Yeah?” She answered from down the hall. Tony rolled his eyes as Pepper giggled.
“That’s all you,” She told him as she pecked his lips.
“Come here, kid,” He requested and they quickly heard the sounds of little feet coming their way.
“What’s up?” She asked as she walked into the room and glanced from one to the other.
“That came for you,” Pepper said as she pointed to the envelope on the counter. Penny scrunched her face up but walked over and picked up the envelope anyway. She opened it and pulled the papers out before she dropped them altogether and ran around the counter. She was being held tightly between them within moments as she sobbed happy tears. “My thoughts exactly, baby bug,” Pepper told her as she trailed her fingers through Penny’s hair and kissed her forehead.
“She’s not lying. She had to go redo her makeup,” Tony informed the girl and earned a swift smack to his upper arm, “Well!” He said in a poor defense of himself. “It’s official, kid,” He murmured as he dropped a kiss to her hair now, “You’re a Stark,” He told her.
She pulled back a few moments later, smile permanently in place, and wiping at her face, “I love you guys,” She whispered through her tears and was quickly brought right back into their arms.
“Oh, we love you so much, Penny,” Pepper told her as she kissed the side of her head. She felt Tony nod his agreement, “So much, baby girl.”