Main | Fanfic | Whole New World Index | New Stories A Whole New WorldFEEDBACK - Oh Yes Please -You can email us docwho2000@hotmail.com authors: docwho2100 and ellie no name (docwho2000@hotmail.com) Authors' notes: Character thoughts appear between ~ ~ symbols Text quoted by Barbara from Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus Consensual relationship depicted between adult women in this
story. If you have a problem with that or are under 18 please do not read. Yes this is the end of the first series – wow what a ride – but of course the ride's not finished, just closing one door and opening another…. Chapter 44 - Tear Me Down I'm Very You, You're Very Me (When You Want to Fall in Love) – (From the musical Song and Dance) New Gotham University Hospital, Thursday early morning ---------- After washing up a bit and changing clothes Helena had received the call from Dana. From there she'd made a brief call to let Dinah know that everyone was okay, and that she was heading to the hospital. The blonde had voiced a desire to be there as well, but Helena assured her that it wasn't necessary. She had a break coming up in a few days and could visit then. Once the call was over, Helena had practically flown to the hospital. Thankfully Barbara was only really being held for observation. The doctors wanted to make sure that everything was out of her system. Reaching the room, Helena entered quietly, it looked like the redhead was asleep, and she didn't want to interrupt the rest. Taking a seat next to the bed she curled up enough to prop her head on her knees, just watching for now. Stirring restlessly, Barbara wanted to turn on her side and found she couldn't. She forced her eye opened and brought her hand up. As it neared her face she froze as she could make out in the dim light something attached to the back of her hand. Frowning she blinked slowly, again trying to clear her throbbing head as she looked at the back of her hand. Seeing the movement, Helena pushed to her feet, reaching for Barbara's other hand. "Hey," she said softly, giving the woman a moment to wake up. She started to turn her head some towards the voice and winced as she felt stiff neck and shoulder muscles protesting. The wince caused a flare of pain in her face and she winced again. Bringing her hand up to rub at her face, she stopped her movement. Forgetting someone had spoken to her, she was again distracted by the object stuck on her hand. Grimacing in sympathy, Helena gave the redhead's hand a squeeze. "I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner," she said softly, wanting to erase the marks on Barbara's face. The gentle pressure on her other hand drew her attention. Moving slowly she looked first at their joined hands, then she managed to let her gaze travel upwards finally settling on the young woman's face. Her mind still felt stuffy and thick as she took in the information her senses were feeding her. After a moment she managed to force out a word, her voice a raspy whisper from disuse. "Helena?" "Yeah. Do you want some water? The nurse left some for when you woke up..." Helena offered, glancing at the table next to the bed. "How do you feel?" Trying to swallow away the dry feeling, Barbara managed a nod followed by a horse, "Yes please." She leaned back heavily into the pillow her eyes staying locked on Helena. For some reason she had the intense feeling of not wanting to let the brunette out of her sight. "Feel..." the word kicked off another flash of a memory but she was unable to grab it. "Want me to make the bed sit you up?" Helena asked as she reluctantly let go of Barbara's hand just long enough to pour her some water. "You remember something? The doctor wasn't sure how much you'd remember, or if some of it might take time to come back to you..." she murmured. "Bed? Sit me up... doctor..." An ominous feeling began working its way into the pit of her stomach. Feeling slightly sick as the knot in her stomach grew, she risked a glance around the dim room before searching back out the other woman. The hand Helena had been holding had dropped to the bed when released by the brunette. She now began clenching and twisting the bed covers in her hand as her discomfort increased. Tilting the bed up Helena offered her the water, easily seeing that Barbara still wasn't completely herself. "It's okay. You're safe now, I swear," she said softly, brushing back some of Barbara's hair before taking her hand again. Barbara had reached up trying to take the cup from Helena. Disoriented by the change in position she found her hand again restricted and this time managed to identify the object as an IV drip. Her head turned quickly back to Helena as she tightened her grip on the woman's hand so tight it hurt her own hand. "Where..." she paused her throat totally dry as she struggled to not panic. Holding her need to know for a moment, she continued keeping the tight grip as she leaned forward taking a small sip. As she drew closer to the woman, her throat a little more pliable, "Where are we?" "New Gotham University Hospital. From what I put together, Jem grabbed you and drugged you, but she's in custody now. Dana and I followed your tracer and found you," Helena said, recognizing the panic in Barbara's eyes. "You really are safe now. I promise." Receiving too much information, her mind still lodged at the word hospital as her fears were confirmed, she relaxed her grip suddenly on Helena's hand. She worked to pull her hand away, trying to withdraw into herself. "How did I end up here? There was a gunshot. I..." she closed her eyes twisting her head some, frustrated nothing seemed to be logical or clear or coming to her as it usually did.. "Shh..." Helena said, setting the water aside while tightening her grip, not letting Barbara pull away as she slipped up to sit on the edge of the bed. "Can you just tell me how you feel?" The brunette asked, reaching up with her free hand to cup Barbara's face. "I can't feel." She mumbled at first fighting the woman's touch then finally letting her eyes be drawn to Helena, embarrassed as she knew she was losing grip on her control and that tears had started to form in her eyes. She worked to keep them from falling. "What happened?" she asked knowing Helena had already answered this but she needed something to focus on rather than losing control. Helena didn't want to tell her already, but it was obvious that Barbara needed something. "When Dana and I arrived they were holding you and another woman. We subdued the pair behind everything and then came here. Everyone's going to be alright. "You got some cuts on your legs, not to mention the bruises..." Helena said, tracing a mark on Barbara's jaw, "but nothing that won't heal up soon." Barbara had closed her eyes as Helena spoke so she could focus on keeping things locked down as well as trying to make sense of the errant way her mind and body felt. The light brush of the brunette's hand across her face caused her to reopen her eyes as she turned her head, looking up. "You subdued..." She paused licking her dry lips, "Are you alright?" "Yeah. Not even as many bruises as usual. Now you going to tell me how you feel?" Helena asked, trying to calm herself down as she bit her lower lip. "Physically you are alright, what about emo... are they still..." she hesitated. "Did you?" She reached up stretching the IV line not caring about the pull on her hand, instead intent on capturing Helena's hand. "Just subdued her. Maybe an extra kick or two, but that's all. Dana got the other one," Helena said, reaching to catch Barbara's hand before she pulled something out. "Promise." For the first time since waking up, the redhead relaxed some. She sighed loudly as she sank back against the bed again although she didn't release her hold on Helena. "I have a throbbing headache, I am stiff in more places than I care to count and I am having an extremely hard time reciting the entire works of Shakespeare." she said after a few moments. "Why again am I still in here?" "Doctor wants to keep you for observation. There wasn't anything they could do to reverse the drug, so they want you to stay overnight to make sure it works itself out the rest of the way," Helena explained slightly relieved at the remarks as they sounded a little more Barbara-like. "That sound alright?" "No." "You really think that you can argue with them right now?" Helena asked, soft but stern. "It's only one night, and while I usually have you to take care of me, I'm not the best nurse in the world." "If you brought me a laptop I could have my release papers in a few minutes and not need to argue with them." Barbara countered, "And you don't give yourself enough credit Helena. You do a very good job taking care of things. That houseplant I gave you lasted almost two weeks." "And I'd like you to last longer," Helena shot back. "Please? One night, as soon as it's morning I'll sneak you out if I have to." "I've stuck around you this long haven't I?" She meant to tease but her reply came out stronger than expected. Frowning some she idly rubbed her thumb along the ridge of Hel's hand trying to regain her still tilting emotions. "Besides, sneaking out is not exactly an easy thing for me these days. I can not exactly slink out windows or dance across rooftops." ~Not any more...~ A pained look crossed her face as words and ideas she thought she had dealt with so many years ago seemed to be coming back wreaking havoc with her normal reserve. "So now you think I can't come up with a good old fashioned escape plan?" Helena asked, trying to tease. "Although I'm taking that to mean we're staying? Right?" The light tone and small smile gracing the young woman's face brought Barbara back once again from the emotional cliff she kept stumbling towards. "Your idea of escape usually involves looking good and barreling through. You really think you are capable of something that might require a little planning past where Dinah and Alfred have hidden the pop tarts this time?" She paused then having caught the pronoun, "We?" "You don't think I'm letting you out of my sight any time soon, do you?" Helena asked. "Although I think I could handle the laundry routine at least. Thank you very much." "Laundry routine?" She laughed lightly squeezing the meta's hands. "Thank you. And I would..." She took in a deep breath about to admit something she rarely admitted even to herself, "You asked how I was feeling. Well, I am not feeling very together right now. I would... company would be very helpful right now." "Good. Then in the morning you can explain to Dinah that you're really okay," Helena said, knowing that the blonde would worry until she spoke to Barbara herself. Barbara groaned some then. "That is not going to be fun, is it? But I'll take care of it first thing. Just as soon as I am out of here. Can we leave during the early morning?" "I'm thinking that once the sun's really up we can call it morning," Helena said, giving Barbara's hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm not normally a morning person, but I could make an exception this one time." "I guess trying to pull in literary illusion about the sun already shining in this room or other poetic phrases would not make you budge?" She asked letting a hopeful look cross her face. "You could try, but no, not gonna get you out of here any earlier," Helena smiled for a moment. "You're going to be yourself soon, I promise," she added, leaning over to kiss the redhead's forehead, making sure it was a spot free of bruises. Reaching up, Barbara laid her palm against Helena's cheek as she pulled back. "Promise is a strong word, implies commitment. I thought Helena Kyle tried not to commit. That free spirit thing you like to talk about." Barbara kept her tone light although she felt her heart thudding as she used the word commit. "You think I'm not committed to you?" Helena asked, a slight frown appearing as her eye brows scrunched together. "Committed to me?" Barbara worked to focus on the young woman. "I... I was talking about promise as a concept. I..." She breathed in finding it hard to locate the right words. "I don't know if you..., I didn't mean to offend you." "It's okay, but I promised to keep you safe, and I'm going to, okay?" Helena asked, still leaning forward some. "I'm committed to you Barbara." Barbara's eyes darted over the face hovering near hers. She had cued in to the deep sincerity in Hel's voice and found as she searched, the woman's face held nothing but caring and honesty. Trying to let go of the hesitation and tight control that had built her emotional walls for so long, she nodded, painfully but firmly. "I don't want you to promise something you can't..." she readjusted what she was trying to say. "I don't want you to be hurt." "We both know that you would never hurt me. That's enough for me," Helena said, her fingers tracing Barbara's features again. ~Wouldn't I?~ She managed to this time keep her thoughts to herself as she felt the gentle fingers moving over her skin. Fingers that she had seen display such strength and punishment, yet they were also a conduit for the tenderness Helena possessed. A tenderness the meta kept locked deep most of the time. "You're easy." Barbara said lightly closing her eyes as she felt a wave of weariness seize her body. "Only for you, because you're worth it," Helena said, recognizing Barbara's fatigue. "You should lay back down," the brunette said, reaching for the bed controls as she gently slid off the mattress. Waiting until Helena had reclined the bed, Barbara opened her eyes slowly to look at the woman. So many thoughts were racing through her mind as she tried to focus and organize them. "I do not want to.... I do not want to see you chained... I mean changed." "You won't see either of those. Just more me," Helena said, pulling her chair closer before leaning her head against the bed and taking Barbara's hand. "We can argue about it tomorrow. Okay?" "Argue? No. Debate, yes. Although seeing more of you is something I would never mind." She smiled then again at the brunette. Twisting her body slightly, she ran her hand slowly across the woman's forehead brushing the locks of hair some as she did. "I always like doing that. It makes me feel better." As she spoke she closed her eyes again. "I missed it too," Helena said softly, watching Barbara fade into sleep. "Thank you Barbara. Thank you for daring to fly with me. To take a step into that big unknown." ------- contact: docwho2000@hotmail.com page last modified - January 2, 2007 graphics from www.eosdev.com |