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From the novelization.
“How's he doing?” said Rhodey.
“Not so good.”
“I want to see him.”
“You can't see him right now.”
He stepped close toward her. His eyes were dark and foreboding. “I was watching from Edwards, Pepper. On the screen. I was watching him with the airplanes. I know what he was up to.”
Pepper gave no indication that she knew what he was talking about. Rhodey, apparently expecting her to stonewall him, looked up at the hole in the ceiling. He shook his head in disbelief. “What the hell is going on here? Let me in there, Pepper,” he said, indicating the stairway up to Tony's bedroom.
She considered ordering Jarvis to put the house into lockdown. He could do that; he had the capability. Every wing, every room could be sectioned off and made impervious to intruders. One word from her and Jarvis would see to it that a phalanx of Sherman tanks wouldn't get anywhere near Tony Stark.
But she had so much anger in her, and so much fear for the future, that she wanted to share some of it with Rhodey. No, not share: inflict it upon him. “You want to see him?” she said coldly. “Fine. See what you've done to him.”
Rhodey went up the stairs two at a time, with Pepper following. When Rhodey got to Tony's bedroom, he stopped in the doorway. Pepper hung back, gladly. It agonized her even to look in on Tony.
He lay in bed, tethered to assorted medical scanners. An IV drip was attached to his arm. He was doped up on painkillers. Pepper had desperately wanted to call a doctor, but Tony wouldn't hear of it, countermanding both her and the paramedics. He had insisted to her that he was capable of treating himself. As far as Pepper was concerned, she was riding a roller coaster that was descending at full speed into hell. She firmly believed that if she had any brains at all, she would have jumped off long ago. But she hadn't, and she supposed that meant that she had no one to blame but herself for the agony she was feeling on Tony's behalf.
Rhodey had walked to Tony's bedside and adjusted a tube away from his face. “You look like crap.”
Tony managed a pained smile. “Thanks. Party in Dubai got a little out of control. Totally worth it, though. You should've been there. Great canapés.”
“I know what you were up to, Tony.”
“Yeah? What was I up to?”
“About mach one point seven. It was you in the armor, Tony. I saw the whole thing from Edwards.”
Tony's voice was little more than a whispered croaking. “I did pretty good, didn't I.”
“You got blown out of the sky. You call that 'pretty good'?”
“Next time I won't play so nice with your planes.”
He made it sound like a friendly jest, but Pepper had the awful feeling that he was at least somewhat serious. Plus there were those two words that absolutely chilled her: next time. My God, was he seriously considering another outing of this nature? She wasn't even sure she would survive it, much less her boss.
Rhodey had pulled over a chair and was seated at Tony's bedside. His face deadly serious, he said, “I respect what you did, Tony. You ended a nightmare over there. Showed a real warrior's heart. But the way you did it-- you can't go it alone like that. You've got to let someone have your back.”
Tony tried to reply but couldn't. There was a pitcher of water and a glass on the table next to him. Tony tried to reach for it, but his hand was still shaking. Pepper took a few steps toward him, but Rhodey had already lifted the pitcher and was pouring some water into the glass. He placed the glass into Tony's hand and wrapped Tony's fingers around it to make certain that he had a secure grip on it. Then he guided it to Tony's mouth. Tony sipped deeply from it, then lowered it.
“You got my back, right?” said Tony.
“Yeah. We ride together, pal. Even if it's straight to the brig.”
Tony nodded, apparently satisfied with that. He closed his eyes and started to drift. Rhodey took the glass of water from him and placed it back on the table. Then he got up from the chair and headed toward Pepper.
Before he got to her, however, Tony's voice said weakly, “I never said thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saving my life.”
Rhodey held up two fingers. “It was twice, actually.”
Tony smiled. Then his head slumped back and he fell asleep.
Rhodey turned to face Pepper. “Are we okay? You and I, I mean.”
She stood there for a long moment, arms folded, and then nodded toward Tony. “When he's okay, you and I are okay. Until then...” She shrugged, turned and walked away.
“Fair enough,” said Rhodey.
“Not so good.”
“I want to see him.”
“You can't see him right now.”
He stepped close toward her. His eyes were dark and foreboding. “I was watching from Edwards, Pepper. On the screen. I was watching him with the airplanes. I know what he was up to.”
Pepper gave no indication that she knew what he was talking about. Rhodey, apparently expecting her to stonewall him, looked up at the hole in the ceiling. He shook his head in disbelief. “What the hell is going on here? Let me in there, Pepper,” he said, indicating the stairway up to Tony's bedroom.
She considered ordering Jarvis to put the house into lockdown. He could do that; he had the capability. Every wing, every room could be sectioned off and made impervious to intruders. One word from her and Jarvis would see to it that a phalanx of Sherman tanks wouldn't get anywhere near Tony Stark.
But she had so much anger in her, and so much fear for the future, that she wanted to share some of it with Rhodey. No, not share: inflict it upon him. “You want to see him?” she said coldly. “Fine. See what you've done to him.”
Rhodey went up the stairs two at a time, with Pepper following. When Rhodey got to Tony's bedroom, he stopped in the doorway. Pepper hung back, gladly. It agonized her even to look in on Tony.
He lay in bed, tethered to assorted medical scanners. An IV drip was attached to his arm. He was doped up on painkillers. Pepper had desperately wanted to call a doctor, but Tony wouldn't hear of it, countermanding both her and the paramedics. He had insisted to her that he was capable of treating himself. As far as Pepper was concerned, she was riding a roller coaster that was descending at full speed into hell. She firmly believed that if she had any brains at all, she would have jumped off long ago. But she hadn't, and she supposed that meant that she had no one to blame but herself for the agony she was feeling on Tony's behalf.
Rhodey had walked to Tony's bedside and adjusted a tube away from his face. “You look like crap.”
Tony managed a pained smile. “Thanks. Party in Dubai got a little out of control. Totally worth it, though. You should've been there. Great canapés.”
“I know what you were up to, Tony.”
“Yeah? What was I up to?”
“About mach one point seven. It was you in the armor, Tony. I saw the whole thing from Edwards.”
Tony's voice was little more than a whispered croaking. “I did pretty good, didn't I.”
“You got blown out of the sky. You call that 'pretty good'?”
“Next time I won't play so nice with your planes.”
He made it sound like a friendly jest, but Pepper had the awful feeling that he was at least somewhat serious. Plus there were those two words that absolutely chilled her: next time. My God, was he seriously considering another outing of this nature? She wasn't even sure she would survive it, much less her boss.
Rhodey had pulled over a chair and was seated at Tony's bedside. His face deadly serious, he said, “I respect what you did, Tony. You ended a nightmare over there. Showed a real warrior's heart. But the way you did it-- you can't go it alone like that. You've got to let someone have your back.”
Tony tried to reply but couldn't. There was a pitcher of water and a glass on the table next to him. Tony tried to reach for it, but his hand was still shaking. Pepper took a few steps toward him, but Rhodey had already lifted the pitcher and was pouring some water into the glass. He placed the glass into Tony's hand and wrapped Tony's fingers around it to make certain that he had a secure grip on it. Then he guided it to Tony's mouth. Tony sipped deeply from it, then lowered it.
“You got my back, right?” said Tony.
“Yeah. We ride together, pal. Even if it's straight to the brig.”
Tony nodded, apparently satisfied with that. He closed his eyes and started to drift. Rhodey took the glass of water from him and placed it back on the table. Then he got up from the chair and headed toward Pepper.
Before he got to her, however, Tony's voice said weakly, “I never said thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saving my life.”
Rhodey held up two fingers. “It was twice, actually.”
Tony smiled. Then his head slumped back and he fell asleep.
Rhodey turned to face Pepper. “Are we okay? You and I, I mean.”
She stood there for a long moment, arms folded, and then nodded toward Tony. “When he's okay, you and I are okay. Until then...” She shrugged, turned and walked away.
“Fair enough,” said Rhodey.