Several hours passed before Batman awoke, in the wee hours of the morning.
"'morning kitten," purred a familiar voice.
"Ughhh… Catwoman?" Bruce groaned.
"Please, call me Selina. It's just the two of us… Bruce," Selina pet his head, sitting in a chair beside the bed.
"H-how long have I been out?" his voice was noticeably weaker than normal.
"Only a couple hours, go back to sleep."
"G-Gotham..."
"Is fine. Robin, Batgirl, and even Nightwing are patrolling the city as we speak. You don't have to worry. Now sleep."
Bruce muttered something obstinate under his breath.
"What was that? Don't make me short-sheet you so you can't get up," she giggled playfully. Then she ran her hand down his face seductively.
"Selina… I'm not in the mood…"
She frowned, "Sorry… I know, you're sick."
Bruce laid there silently for a few minutes.
Selina finally spoke up, "I'm sorry, I can't leave you alone. I'm under specific orders to watch you and make sure you don't get up."
"It doesn't matter now anyway… my dignity's already been tarnished."
"See, it's talk like that that doesn't help. Why are you so stubborn about accepting help anyway? Is it really so bad to be taken care of by others?"
"It is."
"Why?"
Bruce grumbled, "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
"If your enemies see you weak, they won't take you as seriously, and then they'll think they can walk all over you."
"But, we're not your enemies."
He was stumped by this remark.
Selina continued, "I think you're just not used to others taking care of you, and that's why you hate it. But you need to relax! All this scowling and always being tense isn't good for you!"
"I'll relax when I'm dead," Bruce turned away from her.
"Keep talking like that, and you will be," Selina put her hand gently on his shoulder, "Please, Bruce… for me? For Alfred, Superman, Wonder Woman… please… just relax."
Bruce grumbled.
"Bruce… please, don't push the people who care about you away… or you'll wind up alone. Now, get some rest."
Bruce sighed, resigning, "Fine… but only because Robin and the others are taking care of Gotham for me," he closed his eyes, falling back asleep.
Selina smiled, then let out a sigh of relief and relaxed herself. Bruce could be so tiring sometimes!
A few hours later still, when the sun was beginning to rise, Bruce awoke again. This time with Wonder Woman occupying the chair next to his bed.
"Where's Se- Catwoman?" he asked.
"She's taking a nap. Seems watching you wore her out," Diana smirked.
"She's only human," he muttered.
"And so are you," Diana stared at him sternly, obviously still angry about last night.
Bruce grumbled, "Gotham needs Batman."
"Gotham needs a healthy Batman, not a sick one. Speaking of Gotham's protectors, do you feel well enough for visitors?"
"Visitors?"
At that moment the door to Bruce's bedroom swung open, and in walked Dick, Tim, and Barbara with worried expressions on their faces.
"Hey, Bruce, you okay?" Tim quietly asked, not wanting to shout and trigger another headache.
Embarrassed, Bruce looked away, "I'm fine, really. Just a little cold."
"Just a little cold?!" Dick shouted.
Bruce winced, gripping his head. The headache still hadn't completely gone away.
"Oops… sorry... but that is not just a little cold!" Dick whispered.
Barbara was carrying a tray, "Alfred asked me to bring you some breakfast… are you feeling up to it?"
Bruce nodded and waved her over. She set the tray down on his bedside table. Oatmeal and a glass of orange juice on a silver platter.
Bruce sat up, wincing as he did. He nearly forgot the brutal kicking he got last night.
Diana rushed over, "Maybe we should-"
"I can feed myself!" Bruce did his best to look composed but it was obvious he was in a lot of pain.
The three Bat kids stood there uncomfortably.
Finally Dick spoke up, "So, uh, I guess no 'thank you for taking care of Gotham last night while I was bedridden, guys'?"
Tim elbowed him, "Not while he's sick, Dick!"
Bruce had finally managed to get into a semi-comfortable position in his bed.
He hated saying thank you, so instead he simply said, "It is part of your duty to Gotham-"
"Aw, come on! A simple 'thanks'! Is that too much to ask?" Dick protested.
"Let me finish- but… you did do a good job while I was… out of commission."
Dick, Tim, and Barbara smiled.
"Alright, thank you guys. Let's give Bruce some space, though," Diana herded them out of the room.
Once again it was just her and Bruce. He vainly attempted to eat a spoonful of oatmeal, but dropped the spoon as he was lifting it to his mouth. He winced at the steaming hot food hitting his chest.
"Here, let me help," Diana grabbed one of the cloth napkins and wiped the oatmeal off his bare skin.
Bruce blushed furiously, "Am I really reduced to no better than a toddler who can't even feed themselves?"
"Come now, you can't help it. Looks like those thugs hurt you pretty badly last night," Diana scooped another spoonful of oatmeal and blew on it.
Bruce just grumbled as Diana then brought the spoonful to his mouth, allowing him to eat it. The next few minutes were filled with an awkward silence as Diana continued feeding him, occasionally stopping to give him some orange juice.
"Come on, it's not that bad. It can't be any different than what you any… Catwoman do." Diana grimaced at this last part.
Bruce blushed, "Is that really what you think we do when we're alone? Feed each other?"
"Well, I don't know what you do with her! You two seem to be in a relationship, so, I just figured…"
"We're not in a relationship."
"You're not?" Diana couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She still had a chance!
"No, though I know she likes to think we are."
"So… how do you feel about her, then? She seems to… like you," Diana had to try hard not to bend the utensil as she brought another spoonful of oatmeal to his lips.
"She's... well… a criminal. My interest is in only reforming her."
Diana narrowed her eyes at him; he wasn't very good at lying about his true feelings for Catwoman, "So you only want to reform her?"
"Of course!" he began to get a bit defensive, sensing Diana's doubt, "I don't have time for romance! I'm married to my job, defending Gotham. I especially don't have time for romance with criminals!"
"Uh huh," Diana was beginning to lose her patience, "So you don't like her?"
"I think she has a lot of… potential… potential to be a force for good, rather than evil. With a few years of rehabilitation, I'm sure she could abandon her thieving ways, and become perhaps even a hero for Gotham."
"A hero?!" Diana dropped the spoon in the empty bowl and stood up, "You think she could become a hero?!"
Bruce jumped, genuinely surprised by Diana's vehemence at the notion of Catwoman changing sides.
Diana noticed this and took a deep breath, doing her best to calm down. She sat back down, gently taking the cup of orange juice and bringing it to Bruce's lips.
"I just… she's a criminal, Bruce. Even if she manages to stop stealing and renounce her ways, I doubt she could become an actual hero, like you or I."
Bruce finished off the juice, "You never know."
At this point, Diana had to step outside, because if she didn't, she knew she'd explode with jealous rage. It was obvious he liked Catwoman as more than a friend.
Superman came in a few minutes later.
"Is Diana okay?" Bruce asked.
"She's fine, just tired, I think. You know she stayed up since three watching you."
"I guess even Amazons need sleep," Batman muttered.
"Well, that's fine. It's about time for my shift, anyway," Clark smiled, taking a seat by Bruce's bed.
"Shift?"
"Well we all agreed to watch over you in shifts, this way none of us would get too tired and fall asleep, and there'd always be someone watching over you."
"Great," Bruce grumbled, obviously embarrassed, "What are you and Diana still doing here, anyway? Don't you have to be at the Watchtower or something?"
"Well, truth be told, there's not much going on today. I've got Martian Manhunter manning the Watchtower and he's supposed to alert us if anything comes up, but so far nothing has."
"Lucky me," Bruce said sarcastically.
"That reminds me," Clark looked at him seriously, "We tried to contact you last night. We finally got some leads to the location of that millionaire loan shark who skipped yesterday's party."
"Oh, right. I think I vaguely recall something like that. You tried to contact me and Catwoman used the intercom to call you guys."
Clark smirked, "Lucky we decided to contact you then, huh? She said she was going to take you to the hospital if Diana and I hadn't shown up to fly you home."
"Are you looking for a thank you as well?" Bruce glowered.
Clark laughed, "No, no. But it sounds like you're starting to feel better; you're starting to act like your old self again."
"I hadn't noticed any changes in my behavior."
"Last night, when we flew you home, you didn't say anything at all. You had us really worried. You mostly stayed quiet, aside from the occasional groan."
"Is that so?" Batman turned his head away, embarrassed.
"…Anyhow, glad you're starting to feel better. Oh, and don't worry about the Batmobile. Nightwing brought it back, after we brought you home. You're lucky, you know? Having a family that cares so much about you, willing to do anything for you… I hope you appreciate that… well, I'll let you rest for now. I trust you to stay in bed, but if you need anything I'll be right around the corner. And I've got x-ray vision and super hearing, so don't even think about trying to escape!" Superman flew out of the room.
Bruce smirked, "I know, I'm lucky… I've got a great family."