Dick stared wide eyed at the computer screen. He felt tears start to prickle at the back of his eyes as flashbacks came shooting back to the front of his mind. He quickly turned off the screen and put a hand against his mouth to keep in his sudden need to cry.
He was in his own room at the mountain, reading news out of boredom when the story showed up. A circus artist had died in a performance.
Her wire had snapped and she fell to her death.
Reportedly she was still alive for a while after her harsh landing.
He quickly got on his uniform and raced out of his room to find his R-cycle. He needed to drive and get his mind off of everything. It had too many similarities and he started to hear the screams of his family as they fell to their deaths.
Dick revved the engine before placing his helmet on and went off. He didn't know quite where he was going but when his tears were starting to blur and endanger his vision he pulled over. Sure he was upset but that didn't mean he was going to risk anything.
He lifted the visor and looked at where he was. A pretty nice and untouched part of the forest looked back at him. Dick finally got off the bike to actually let it out.
All of the pain that he felt for his parents again, all of the sadness that he felt for the family of the performer, all of the pity that he felt for the rest of that circus troupe.
He felt a small breeze pass by him and cleared his throat quickly before hastily wiping his eyes but it was no use. He knew that his best friend could see right through him.
Wally didn't say anything, he just simply placed a hand on his shoulder and sat next to him, comforting him.
Dick chanced a glance at the red head before deciding to cry again. He felt strong arms pull him against a solid chest and one of the hands running up and down is back in a smooth motion.
"It's alright, I'm here."
Wally had seen the report online while he was internet surfing and when he heard the acrobat leave, since their rooms were next to each other, he figured Dick had just seen it as well. He glanced down at the boy and squeezed him tighter, "…How about tomorrow we call her family?" He offered quietly.
Dick just nodded and let himself be held. He was positive Bruce would eventually see the article and call him to make sure that he was alright, along with offering some services for the family.
And Dick would be alright with that. He above everyone else knew exactly what they were going through at the moment and anyone willing to listen wouldn't really ease the pain, but it would give them some, if not the tiniest bit of relief.
My heart goes out to the family of the circus performer that has actually died in this accident. As a member of the circus community I wanted to convey that it is a very jarring thing to happen so suddenly. As well as bringing some reminders about the facts of circus performing.
Unfortunately no matter how good you are at anything, there can still be an accident or slip up.
You can find the article on yahoo news with the title: "Cirque du Soleil Performer Killed in Fall"
