Hollow Scars

Afghanistan was high on Tony’s top ten list of his least favorite places to visit on the planet. It wasn’t that he wasn’t fond of the Middle East or anything, that wasn’t the case at all. There were some fantastic and exotic places to party in the desert and Tony knew each and every one of them. Actually there were legends about the parties Tony had been to, but he wouldn’t be telling anyone about that.

But ever since he’d been taken hostage while giving a weapons demonstration years ago Tony had avoided the place like the plague unless he absolutely had to go there and that had rarely occurred. He’d returned several times as Iron Man to take care of personal business with and frequently when he’d first developed the suit but that was a long time ago, or at least it felt like a long time ago. Back then he’d been lost and angry without anyone to take his frustrations out on so he’d taken his vengeance out on the thugs and gangs that ran rampant in that part of the world.

Tony Stark had been without direction for the first time in his life.

Thankfully, with the help of his assistant Pepper and best friend Rhodey he’d been able to harness his post traumatic stress into something more constructive and eventually move on. At times he still struggled but so many positive things had grown from his terrible experience that he couldn’t hold the grudge forever.

He hoped Scarlett would know how hard it was for him to return to the scene of his life changing event in order to discover more about hers and would be easy on him when she discovered he betrayed her trust again. She hadn’t tried to call him after he’d left and he partially wondered if she was doing alright. After all, she’d been sick and riddled with nightmares when he’d left her alone. He hadn’t expected her to call, but kept checking his phone anyway. Tony had bigger fish to fry at the moment; he’d give her a call after he’d finished up his investigation.

People stopped to look at him curiously as he walked through the small town in his designer suit and expensive sunglasses but Tony ignored the stares. It wouldn’t have mattered who he was, the town was small enough that anyone unknown wouldn’t go unnoticed. Tony was used to being the center of attention so he barely noticed it.

Oddly enough, the buildings were in excellent condition which was definitely not what Tony had been expecting. Approaching the homes that should’ve been slums considering the way the surrounding locations had looked on the way over, Tony realized something was terribly amiss.

Not that he was under the impression that every place in the Middle East was the third world, he knew far better than that. But this particular place so far in the desert, so hidden from the rest of civilization and the cities that thrived with industry should’ve been filled with slums, half decaying buildings, and people who didn’t have clean water or roofs over their heads. The technology he saw was far more sophisticated than it ever should’ve been. What was going on in this place? It had proved to be exactly the opposite of what he’d envisioned. There were gardens on each porch, the streets were clean and people seemed friendly and welcoming.

Tony became suspicious that MedCo had something more to do with the town than he’d thought. But he had no proof of it. There was construction going on at the far end of the town square that was immaculate, inviting and festive. Maybe after he was done at the hospital he would investigate the construction area and search for evidence of MedCo’s involvement.

But if Scarlett had been here in the past wouldn’t she have noticed and remembered the name when they offered her a job? He became skeptical that MedCo was involved just by that thought. Even if it wasn’t related to MedCo Tony had a strong feeling about what he’d discover. This place was important to Scarlett in some way or another and while he wasn’t sure of the details he figured that she would’ve done her research before contributing in any way. Picking up his phone he sent her a text message just to settle his thoughts. And maybe he missed her, he wasn’t about to admit them though.

Along the side of the road Tony found a group of small children playing. He’d only spotted others who were in the midst of working and they would ask more questions than children would. It was less likely that they would recognize him. The group stopped to stare at him suspiciously, obviously not trusting him. He had to search his memory but it took Tony only a few seconds to recall the few words he knew in the language. While the town was relatively small, he still didn’t know where he was going. Tony knew more languages than most, but was less familiar with the ones in the Middle East.

Once he convinced them to trust him enough to answer his questions Tony received directions from the apprehensive children then made his way toward the hospital. It was an old building undergoing renovations on either side. Compared to the buildings surrounding it, it wasn’t nearly as advanced. He was surprised considering that was where he was sure the money from Scarlett’s account was going to. Tony pulled off his sunglasses, tucked them in his pocket and then slipped his hands into his pockets as he walked through the front doors. The interior was clean and pristine. It was like walking into a hospital in Malibu. Apparently appearances could be incredibly deceiving. Confidently Tony walked to the front desk and looked down at the receptionist, waiting to be acknowledged.

Seconds passed before the woman glanced up at Tony and was immediately flustered upon realizing who she was face to face with. Even though he was in one of the farthest reaches of the world his face was recognizable. Flashing the woman his most charming smile, Tony leaned his forearms against the tall receptionist desk and tapped his fingers against the surprisingly nice quality surface.

“You speak English, yes?” The woman spoke with a soft accent, but her English was near perfect which surprised Tony. He’d severely underestimated Afghanistan.

“Yes, along with five other languages but that’s not the point now is it?” The receptionist smiled and averted her eyes, playing right into the game of flirting that Tony had started up.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Stark?”

“Oh, you recognized me? I had no idea I was that well known out here.” Tony glanced around him like someone else might jump out at him and ask for an autograph at any second.

“You are a very prominent figure in the technology industry and I happen to be a big fan. I can’t speak for the rest of my colleagues…”

“I guess it has nothing to do with my dashing good looks then, hmm?” Clicking his tongue, Tony shook his head with disappointment and sighed dramatically. “You know there actually is something you can do for me.”

“Or to you, perhaps?” The receptionist batted her eyelashes playfully, giving her bottom lip a bite.

“Oh, getting right down to it, are we?” Tony rose his eyebrows curiously and then straightened out his jacket, the smirk still on his face. Would Scarlett be jealous? “But today I’m here strictly on business.”

“I would be happy to help you in any way I can, Mr. Stark.”

“Call me Tony, Mr. Stark was my father.” Tony straightened his tie. Being called Mr. Stark made him cringe now thanks to Scarlett’s insistence on calling him by his last name in an attempt to remain emotionally distant from him. She still did it when she was irritated with him and it had a confusing effect on him. When it wasn’t Scarlett it mostly made him uncomfortable.

“Of course, Tony.” The woman was more than flustered by the handsome billionaire. She was practically eating out of his palm. It’d been awhile since Tony had had a woman nipping at his heels and he remembered why it became so boring. Not that he didn’t like the attention; he loved it, but it was far less rewarding than it had once been. Being hit on my strange women in different places around the world no longer had the thrill it once had.

“I have a few questions about someone who was a patient here.”

“I’m afraid that most of our patient information is confidential but I’ll help you with what I can.” The woman smiled politely but seemed less playful now that Tony hadn’t shown any interest in what she had offered. Regardless Tony knew with some prying he could convince the receptionist to tell him whatever he wanted.

“Well, it’s actually a former patient that I’m curious about. I was hoping I could speak to someone who might have worked here… I guess about a year ago? Her case was peculiar and I’m sure she wouldn’t be forgotten but I don’t know too many of the details… If someone who remembered her could give me a few minutes of their time…” Tony theorized. If he could trust the dates in the bank account that he’d hacked his way into then Scarlett’s absence had taken place around that time. He could’ve been way off with his math, but as Tony so often argued, his math was very rarely wrong.

“Well what kind of information is it you require? I’ll see if I can look up the patient files and contact someone for you.”

“Thank you for your help. There was a woman here… someone very important to me.” Immediately the receptionist seemed disappointed but Tony continued anyway. He was sure many women would be disappointed when they realized he was actually unattainable and it wasn’t one of the many flings he’d had in the past. In a way, he’d always been unattainable. Women had just been naïve enough to think otherwise. “She’s not the kind of woman who is easy to forget. Beautiful, dangerous and… has blue eyes that are both judging you and staring into your soul. Pretty tall, curvy…” Tony moved his hands in an hour glass shape as if to prove that she was. “She was hurt pretty badly, though I don’t know the specifics.” The receptionist’s face drained of color and Tony knew he’d struck a nerve. Apparently Scarlett had made a very memorable impression.

For a few fleeting moments he’d thought he had barked up the wrong tree by following Scarlett’s money trail. The town was far beyond its years in advancement and seemed incredibly, for lack of a better word, peaceful. What secrets were they hiding beneath the surface? Even with the money Scarlett was providing there was no way the whole town could’ve advanced that much.

“So you know her, huh? Not the reaction I’d give when thinking about her but…”

“I can’t help you. I’m sorry.” The receptionist turned away in her chair and began typing furiously on her keyboard and shuffling files away, her hands visibly shaking. Tony cocked an eyebrow curiously and straightened his jacket before glancing up and down the hallways.

“Can’t help me or won’t?”

“There was no woman here like you described. No white women have been here for a long time. No blue eyes, no terrible injuries. You are in the wrong place Mr. Stark.”

“I never said she was white.” Tony pointed an accusing finger and walked around the side of the receptionist desk, doing his best to remain non-threatening. His nerves were far more on edge than he had previously thought.

“I misspoke. English is not my first language.”

“That’s a lie too. You’re a terrible liar. You grew up India so English is your native language. You see, uh… you have a very specific accent. Since you seem to know so much about me, you know I’m not wrong.” Tony grabbed the back of the woman’s chair and spun her so she was forced to face him. Startled with a gasp, the woman leaned back into her chair, fear in her gaze. “I need to know what happened. I won’t leave until I get some answers.”

“I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

“You don’t understand how important this is.” Tony shook the chair and looked at the woman seriously. “Or how persistent I can be.”

“What’s going on in here?” An older man, worn but with kind eyes, hurried over upon seeing the predicament in his front office.

“I was just asking the lady some questions about a patient.” Tony didn’t take his hands away from the chair the woman sat in. While she was pale she didn’t look frightened, more worried than anything else. He was searching in her eyes for a truth he wouldn’t find. Tony never was very good at reading people. Body language was one thing but finding the truth was another.

“I insist you leave at once!” The doctor walked up to Tony hesitantly, setting down a clipboard on the desk in the process. “I will call security!”

“This is between me and the lady. Once I get what I came for I’ll be on my way but no sooner.” Tony once again didn’t turn his attention away from the frightened woman. “Look, I’m not going to hurt anybody or cause any trouble. I just need to know a few…”

“If you don’t leave…”

“You’ll what?” Tony stood up straight and turned toward the doctor. His frustration finally got the better of him. “Tell me, what is it you’ll do? The same thing you did to Scarlett?”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about but if you don’t leave then I’m going to have call security!” The doctor grabbed Tony’s shoulder to try and urge him away from the receptionist who was still staring in awe but was shrugged away.

“I’m not leaving without answers.” The commotion had attracted onlookers, but none of them made a move to interfere. They simply watched with curiosity.

The doctor grabbed Tony’s shoulder again more roughly causing Tony to act on his guard. Grabbing the doctor’s wrist, Tony twisted him around and then snatched him by the collar of his white coat before pushing him hard against the wall. Throwing his hands up on either side of him defensively, the doctor practically quaked in his boots, his glasses hanging awkwardly on his nose.

“There was a woman here sometime in the last year! Something horrible happened to her here and I need information and so help me god if you don’t help me I will…” Tony drifted off, unsure of what his threat actually would be. What would he do? Send their computer systems back in time twenty years? He couldn’t attack them just because they wouldn’t answer some questions. Just as the nurse had done, the doctor’s face blanched at the mention of a woman who had been there.

“I do not know what you’re talking about… There was no woman like that here!”

“You’re lying to me!”

“We can’t help you, sir… Please put me down!”

“You’re going to help me whether you like it or not.” Tony tightened his grip on the man’s collar, practically foaming at the mouth.

“Why should I help a man who is threatening me harm?” The doctor’s eyes dulled and Tony could tell that they’d seen this sort of rage before and likely from men much more threatening than he was.

“Because I love her and I need to know what happened so I can help her!” Tony loosened his grip on the man’s collar. Where had that rage come from? It wasn’t like Tony to snap off the handle like that. He was much more a lover than a fighter and generally solved all of his problems with sarcasm and humor. For some reason he had known that his clever quips wouldn’t fly in this place. Plus being so close to the scene of his captivity had put him on edge. So on edge that Tony had the bracelets for the Mark VII already on his wrists and ready to go if things even got a little out of hand.

Weighing his options, the doctor placed his hands at either side of him, looked to the receptionist who had picked up the phone to call security and nodded his head. She put down the phone and sighed with relief, though still glanced at Tony with a mixture of confusion and admiration.

“I will help you, but not here.” Lowering his voice, the doctor nodded to the side. Reluctantly Tony let go of him and took a step back before rubbing his hand against his scruff. Why had his words swayed the doctor? What had he said differently? None of this made sense. “Follow me.” Once sure that Tony wasn’t going to jump on him again the doctor led him down the long clean hallway and around a few corners. Tony realized as they walked further into the hospital just how advanced the technology really was there. There were hospitals in the United States that didn’t have the machinery made available to these people. Was it all thanks to the donations Scarlett was making each month from her bank account?

For some reason Tony had expected the money to be going toward some sort of blackmail by the time he’d gotten there. Donations didn’t make sense. Why would she donate to a place where she had suffered? She was having horrible nightmares, not pleasant recollections.

Once inside a small office in the central area of the hospital, Tony was offered a chair to sit in while the doctor busied himself around the room. Mumbling in his native language on the phone, Tony could guess by the words he pieced together that he was canceling an appointment so that he could devote his time to the explosive man who had entered his lobby asking questions.

“What can I do for you, sir?” The doctor turned in his chair and offered a waning smile.

“Tony... Stark.” He nodded his head and readjusted in his chair. It was weirdly uncomfortable and he couldn’t seem to sit still. “There was a woman here in the last year and I doubt anyone here has forgotten her considering how your receptionist practically turned into a ghost when I asked about her.”

“Tell me a bit more about this woman.” Cryptic was the only word Tony could think of to describe the doctor’s tone. Why was everyone so reluctant to talk about what happened in the last year?

“Jeez, doc, what is this, the secret service?” Tony lightened up a bit. Now that he didn’t have to fight his way for information, he could at last relax. But it wasn’t exactly that easy either. For all he knew, he’d walked into the bear’s den.

“I want to make sure you are not going to cause her further harm with information we provide you with.”

“She’s um… well, she’s tall, mid-thirties I think, not that you could tell by looking at her. Curly brown hair, blue eyes… and I’m sorry but every other description I have for her is incredibly sexual and increasingly vulgar. You’re lucky I was able to muster that much. But I can assure you that I don’t wish to cause her any harm. I mean a good spanking every so often, but that’s as far as I go most of the time…”

“I believe I know the woman that you’re talking about but I need to know why you want this information. There was only one woman like that here in the last year and you were right she was unforgettable but not for the reasons you are implying.” The doctor fixed his glasses as well as his collar.

“Well, that’s the thing. I need to know what those reasons were. I know she’s giving you money every month for something. At first I thought it was a pay off or something seedy but… she’s donating to the community isn’t she? Things here are far more advanced than they are in neighboring cities.”

“She is donating every month. I always suspected the money came from her but I never knew for sure and try as I might I found no trace of her. One day I found an envelope in my office with a letter and a sizable amount of money. It said nothing but thank you in my language. Ever since then we have received anonymous donations in the same amount every month from different accounts. When we tried to investigate so we could find out the identity of this generous benefactor we were met with dead ends. Eventually we just accepted she was a mystery and kept our gratitude within our hearts. The money we could not use here we gave to the community to make it safer and better for future generations.” Tony leaned back in his uncomfortable chair and reflected on what he’d learned.

He’d suspected something was up in the town from the moment he’d arrived but he hadn’t expected it to be all caused by Scarlett. While he’d seen the money from her account he’d suspected it was lining someone’s pocket, not rebuilding a fallen community. Did Scarlett have any idea how much her donations had impacted them? It was possible she’d changed all their lives in some way without even knowing it.

“But before I tell you more or answer your questions, Mr. Stark, I need to know why you’re asking about this woman. There have been others asking about her but we have not given any information about her. We have played dumb with every other inquisitor until you showed up.”

“If your receptionist hadn’t been flirting with me then you probably could’ve fooled me too but I took her off guard.” Tony leaned forward in his chair, elbows against his knees. “Look, she’s having nightmares.” Closing his eyes, Tony recalled the agony she’d been in and how many times she’d woken up barely remembering where she was. Scarlett was suffering and wouldn’t even admit that was the case. Naturally he’d fall for someone as stubborn as an ox. “She won’t tell me what happened and our relationship as it is… well, it’s fragile.”

“Nightmares?” The doctor frowned, but didn’t seem surprised.

“Yeah, bad ones too. The waking up screaming, sweating and vomiting kind of nightmares. She says it’s nothing but I feel like there’s something more than she’s willing to share. Look, I need to know what happened. Something bad is happening and amidst it all she’s remembering what happened here. I get the feeling that it’s relevant to what’s happening now. But she won’t tell me so I’m taking matters into my own hands to get to the bottom of it. It’s sleazy but she knew I was sleazy before she slept with me so… I think it works out.” Tony rationalized, the thought bringing a smile to his face. This was pretty expected behavior from him.

“You said you loved her when you were yelling at me earlier, is that true? You want to help her?”

“That’s all I want. Trust me doc, I’ve been through some nasty stuff in this country.” Tony knocked his index finger against the metal of the reactor in his chest. “I wouldn’t come back if it wasn’t important to me.”

“I’m afraid I have limited information to offer you. I can only tell you what I experienced with her. I was her doctor then, you see.”

“You were?” Tony had the distinct feeling that he had been before he’d mentioned it, considering how protective he’d been acting.

“I thought she was going to die that first night.”

“What happened to her?” Tony averted his eyes. He didn’t particularly want to hear this story but he knew he had to. What was this morbid curiosity he had when it came to Scarlett’s past? Most of it seemed unreal to him, considering how she’d lived her life much like an actual spy. Tony had been fascinated by the excitement of it at first but now it was all becoming terribly real and he wasn’t a fan. Was Scarlett as frustrated by his history as he was by hers? Undoubtedly considering how vocal she’d been about what a selfish chauvinist pig he was when they first met.

“I don’t know. I can only guess.” Tony grunted in frustration and leaned back against the chair before recalling how incredibly uncomfortable it was and sitting up straight once more. Why did she have to have so many secrets? Couldn’t she be an open book like he was? Did it really bother him that she had secrets or did it bother him that he couldn’t figure them out as easily as he had hoped to?

“Tell me what you know and… I’ll figure it out from there.”

“A friend’s son found her in the middle of the street face down in the dirt, sweaty and sick. She was bleeding heavily and had a dangerously high fever.” Closing his eyes, the doctor seemed to be drawing the memory from the reaches of his mind. His hands were visibly shaking. Whatever happened had clearly had a very vivid and profound effect on him.

“In the middle of the street?”

“She had been running from something from what I gathered.” Opening his eyes, Tony noted that the doctor looked distant. “The boy ran inside and got his grandfather since his father, my friend, worked late to support his family. He lifted her up and carried her, running to the hospital which is here. She was delirious and saying things that didn’t make sense to me or anyone. My friend’s father does not speak English so I cannot say if she said anything important then. But by the time she got to me, she was saying things that never made sense and never will. I can give you a transcript that I had the nurse make up for me but… I don’t think you will find much. It was mostly about pain and death. I was convinced she would die before the morning and she seemed to think the same.”

Tony felt a lump in his throat and gritted his teeth behind his stony expression. The urge to stop the story and walk out was stronger than he had expected it to be. Tony wanted to know the truth, right? So why couldn’t he listen to it now that he was hearing it?

“But obviously she didn’t.”

“Your friend is very strong. Various infections caused by malnutrition and filthy conditions that I am guessing she was kept in were ravaging her. I gave her as many antibiotics as I had but we are a very small hospital and at the time we had nothing but the bare bones. Our facility was not clean, was outdated and we had very limited medication. My partner at the time, who helped me open this place told me I should let her die. She was not from our town and whatever trouble she had gotten into she had likely brought upon herself. He thought she was a waste of medication.”

“No one would’ve blamed you if you had let her die.” Tony hated to say it, but he understood why the people of the poor town wouldn’t want to waste their limited medical supplies on a stranger. Scarlett had gotten lucky that she had wound up in the care of a doctor who took his job seriously.

“I do not let people die, Tony. It is not in my nature. I love people. I took this job to save them not to watch them suffer. My partner no longer works here. I saw his true colors that night and knew he would cause only harm in the long run.” The doctor swallowed hard, removed his glasses and then pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger in thought. This was obviously a difficult memory for him to recall.

“You’re a better man than most.” Tony recalled the man who had saved his life and also damned him to living with a battery in his chest for the rest of his days. He had never been so grateful and was sure he never would be again.

“Thank you.” He smiled warily. “I was able to get her fever down and the nurses helped me clean her up. There were broken bones and wounds that had been opened on multiple occasions. It was clear the woman had been tortured and I honestly reconsidered my decision to keep her around. She had escaped her torture, there was no doubt. It was the only thing I could make out from her words that made any sense. Whoever did that to her had not let her go and instead had lost her. They would be looking for her, I was sure. But I could see kindness in her eyes behind the delirium. She did not deserve to die, not like that.” Tears welled up in the eyes of the man. What he had seen had filled him with sorrow and Tony knew at once that the doctor was a genuinely good man.

Maybe he’d add onto the contribution that Scarlett was making. It was rare to find good doctors and even rarer in such far corners of the world. He’d have to talk to Scarlett about it first. As much as she didn’t want to dig into the old wound, Tony knew better than anyone that she would have to face what happened before she could begin to really heal.

“We hid her. I had a feeling that she would be missed so we kept her in an old part of the hospital that was falling apart. I would’ve had nightmares about it too if I had been kept there but… I was right to do so. Men came looking for her the next morning. They were not good men.”

“Who were they? Do you know?”

“I have seen American movies Tony and I believe you would call them gangsters though they would not call themselves that. They claim to do good for the community and they have done some decent things and made contributions but they are glorified thugs. They get money by threatening and causing harm. Someone must have paid them a large sum of money to have taken her and to have harmed her as severely as they had. If it had been on their own accord they would’ve killed her.”

“These gangsters… Did they say why they needed her?” Tony was guessing the answer but if he didn’t ask and the answer was right in front of him then he knew he would regret it. Was someone really hired to torture Scarlett? And if so, then who? Why would anyone want to torture her? Then again, Tony only knew fragments of her past and there were many vile people in the world who wished only to do vile things to others. How many of them would love to see Scarlett shackled and in pain? Tony couldn’t even fathom it. In fact, he was so far in denial about the things that had been done to her that his mind had gone blank. That was quite the feat for Tony Stark considering his mind always moved a mile a minute.

“I did not ask. If I had asked they would’ve known we had her and would’ve killed us to get to her. We kept her hidden and we kept her safe. She got better over time but was barely conscious. There was an occasion on two where she tried to get free but her wounds were so bad I couldn’t let her go. We had to restrain her and help her sleep, for her own good. I will never forget how hard she fought but she was weak and easy to subdue. It was heart breaking.”

“I can’t imagine her weak. Even sick she fights like a bull.” Tony frowned and shook the thought immediately out of his head. Everyone had secrets, everyone had weaknesses but he didn’t like thinking about either of them when it came to Scarlett. Was this becoming a complex already? She wouldn’t like it very much. Something told Tony she would not be okay with being treated like a damsel in distress. But could he really keep back that urge to protect the one thing that was that important to him?

“The strongest man would’ve died from what had been done to her. Her feet were mangled. She had infections in her heart and lacerations on her back. Someone wanted her to hurt but wanted her to live. It was inhumane what was done… she-”

“Stop.” Holding up his hand Tony felt clammy and cold while he considered the things that had been done to his girlfriend, if that was even the term they were using for what they shared. “I can’t hear anymore. I have a very vivid imagination and apparently a much higher gag reflex than I thought.” The curl in Tony’s lip and blanch of his skin made the doctor smile, but not because he wanted to see Tony suffer.

“You care about her very much, I see. She deserves a better life and I hope that is what she has gotten.”

“I’m doing my best.” Tony cleared his throat and looked away. “So doc, you don’t know much about her at all, huh?”

“No, she never gave us a name and one morning I came to change her dressings and she was gone. She had snuck out during the night, ripped her IV right out of her arm, stole some clothes and made a clean break. She must have thought she was still a prisoner and that is what I regret. We could not make her feel any more at home because we never got the chance. That’s why the nurse lost color, you see. That woman made a terrible but wonderful impact on us here. We have fought to better things since she left and we have driven those men back to their warehouses and caves. We do not let them own our community any longer. Thanks to her we have managed to thrive.”

“She would say you did it yourself. Not because of having met her.” Tony nodded, his stomach still gurgling in protest to the idea of torture and Scarlett walking on maimed feet. How the hell did she managed to stay upright in heels after that?

“We were inspired by her. They say events change your life and you can never turn back once they happen. She was that event for me, for this hospital. Our epiphany is the word, I think.”

“Well, I’ll pass on the message.” Before Tony could ask another question the doctor continued. Clearly it felt nice for him to finally tell this story to someone. He’d been holding it in for a long time, Tony could tell by the relief and emotion in his eyes. If it was a story he often shared, he doubted that there would be much emotion left behind it. Eventually stories became nothing more than words the more they were told. Somehow they lost meaning when you heard them for the hundredth time, or at least that was how Tony had always felt. This was a story he hoped to never hear that many times. Scarlett could tell him any other story a thousand times and he would be happy to hear it, as long as it didn’t involve torture and misery.

He hoped this was the only torture story from her past.

“We mourned her. I was sure she was dead. No one could survive the wounds and sickness she had suffered without the proper care. It would have taken months for her to heal and the rehabilitation would’ve been horribly painful. Struggle is an understatement for what she would’ve gone through. We had a private memorial for her once we hadn’t heard anything of her in weeks. I always hoped that she had made it but being a doctor I had to be realistic. That was until the morning I found the envelope on my desk and the thank you. It wasn’t signed and there was no proof the money had come from her but I knew. I just knew. That woman had made it, recovered and was now donating more money than we had ever seen. And when the money came again the next month I cried. I had no idea she would do that for us.”

“I’m sure she didn’t expect you to save her life either.” Tony averted his eyes. He didn’t like the heat forming behind his vision. His heart was beating faster than it should’ve been and while his logical mind was telling him this had all happened long ago, he couldn’t help but be moved by the story. Scarlett had been struggling with her conscience from the moment that they had met but little did she know she already had a pretty intensely strong moral compass. Why did she think she wasn’t making a difference? How could she not see that what she did in this town was some form of redemption for any of the darker things she’d done over the years? She had changed the lives of the employees of that hospital for years.

She had changed the course of the future for every person in that town who was now able to thrive when they would’ve never gotten the chance to in the past.

Tony bet that Scarlett had donated the money and never looked back. It had to be painful for her to remember that time which was likely why she pretended it was no big deal when he tried to ask about it. But her nightmares were telling them both something completely different and while Scarlett seemed perfectly content to ignore the truth staring her in the face, Tony needed to know the reality. His imagination was far too vivid to leave any stone unturned. Most times he was grateful for the vivid imagery his mind came up with in regards to Scarlett but when it came to violence, Tony didn’t want to envision anything.

Tony needed the truth to clean the slate.

“Thanks for that, doc.” Tony’s voice cracked as he spoke and he cleared his throat awkwardly. So much for being the definition of poise and composure in difficult situations. This was why Tony had avoided emotional situations for so long. To say he was emotionally stunted for half his life was an understatement. Now that he was finally allowing himself to feel, and really feel, he felt things so intensely it was hard to handle. He had a lot of learning to do and he hoped that Scarlett would bear with him through the process.

Where was a good bottle of scotch when he needed one?

“Happy to help. Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Stark?”

“Yeah, tell me about the men who came for her. Did you ever figure out anything else about them?”

“We were always afraid to ask, even when I saw them around town before I got her donation on my desk. As I said they are thugs and gangsters, hiding under masks of generosity. They claim to want to help their community but then bully the people living here at the same time. We drove them out shortly after things began to thrive at the hospital. One of them came looking for the money we had received since they noticed us getting shipments of medication and supplies that we had otherwise been unable to afford.” The doctor was obviously proud to have driven them out but also had a bite to his voice. Animosity was too nice a way of putting it.

“Where are they now? I have a few questions for them.”

“I wouldn’t walk in there the way you walked in here. They will kill you without a second thought.” The doctor warned. Tony wanted to immediately object and tell him just what he planned to do with his suit of armor but kept his mouth shut. “I can show you on a map where to find them but that is all. I will not put this place in jeopardy. We have worked hard to come this far.”

“I would never ask you to risk anyone’s life, doc. Trust me, I can handle thugs just fine on my own. In fact, I used to be one.” Tony smirked, though anger was bubbling inside of him. There was a thirst for vengeance unlike anything he had ever felt boiling beneath his skin. Sure, when he’d gotten revenge on the men who had held him captive and changed his life, it had boiled over but never quite like this. Tony wanted blood.

There was a good chance he would have to find a way to calm down before he went after them. He needed those thugs alive so he could find out who hired them to hurt Scarlett. Unless she had been hired to work against them he couldn’t see what their motives would be. It was more likely that she had been double crossed by someone who had targeted her to be harmed. For some reason, Tony felt like once he figured out who was behind the double cross everything would make sense.

“I do have one request of you.” The doctor pulled out a pad and paper and drew up a rudimentary map for Tony of where he could find the thugs that had been driven out of town long ago.

“Anything.” Tony nodded his head, stood up from his chair and stretched out the kink in his back.

“Take care of her. She needs someone. Even the blindest of men could see that.” The doctor stood up and handed Tony the piece of paper. He took it and stuffed it into his jacket pocket.

“I will… but to be honest she’s much better at taking care of me so far. I’m still learning.” Tony stared down at the chair he’d been seated in with a glare. “Do me a favor too, will you?”

“What’s that, Tony?”

“Burn that chair. And anything like it in this place. Buy new ones please. Something with you know, lumbar support. It’s practically a torture device. Send me the bill, it’s on me.” Tony waved his hand at it. The doctor laughed and nodded his head.

“This I will do.” With that, Tony shook the doctor’s hand and they parted ways. Putting his phone to his ear, he knew what he had to do.

“Jarvis, get the suit ready. We have some work to do.”

“Yes, sir.”