Disclaimer: Your honor this case is about the negligence of the defendant whom the plaintiff finds liable…. Oops! Wrong story! Sorry, I don't own Young Justice… ; )
Chapter 4 Hurt
It was a trap; they should have realized that another 'simple' recon mission wouldn't turn out that way. The snow storm was terrible. Freezing sheets of treacherous snow fell in front of their faces. Artemis could barely see her bow in front of her face never mind being able to see where to shoot her arrows. Hand to hand combat looked like the only alternative. Almost immediately a henchman charged towards her trying to knock her over. Instantly she spun to the left, dodging him, and issuing a sharp kick to his thigh. He turned and soon they were locked in a fury of blocks and punches.
Suddenly, she heard a sickening thump. She looked around worriedly, the storm had just begun to let up and it was becoming easier to see. Over the henchman shoulder she could just make out another burly henchman furiously kicking at a yellow and red mass slumped on the ground.
'No' she thought. 'It couldn't be'
Deftly, she blocked a blow from her opponent to get a better look at the impossible scene over his shoulder.
'No, it's Wally. Why is he just lying there? Why isn't he running?" Every part of her screamed to go help him but she remain locked deep in combat with the henchman. She watched the brawny man over his shoulder sadistically kick the speedster's body again and again. It felt like the blows were aimed at her.
'Wally,' she wanted to call out, 'Something must be wrong. He wouldn't just lay there and give up; would he? No…'
Then, the henchman lifted his foot over Wally's head and Artemis broke. With a sudden newfound fury she pushed the henchman in front of her to the ground reversing their position and she aimed an arrow at the other henchman's head. It spun through the air but she couldn't' look to see it make contact. She gave her own attacker a kick to the head sufficiently knocking him out and she ran towards Wally with every ounce of speed she could muster. The henchman was lying on the ground disorientated as hell; Artemis gave him a kick to the head that knocked him unconscious before kneeling down next to Wally.
'Oh, Wally,' she thought, 'Damnit, I should have gotten here earlier'
"It's going to be okay…" she muttered not completely trusting her own words, but rather needing to believe them.
Wally's once yellow parka was soaked red with bold on one side. Forgetting the freezing temperature she ripped his jacket open to get a better look at his wound. Gasping at the sight; she quickly covered him back up, wishing she could forget what she had just seen.
In all her time running "errands" for her father or going on missions with Young Justice, she had never seen something like this. Wally looked like a war prisoner complete with blood and broken ribs. His once tight costume hung loose like a weak skin over his bones. It was sickening to think how he had gotten, so thin. She tried to think back to the last time she had seen him in his costume. That was just over a week ago, but how could this have happened in a week and why? Artemis's thoughts raced, as she looked at the bloodied speedster in shock.
"The case is secure…" said Kaldur's calm voice over telepathic link up. At the moment Artemis could care less
"Kaldur you have to get over here. It's Wally; he doesn't look good" even telepathically it was impossible not to hear her tone break over the words. Artemis felt nauseous. "How had this happened?" she sobbed aloud. As she tried to tend as best she could to the broken teen's unconscious body.
*Words can Hurt**Words can Hurt**Words can Hurt*
Miss Martian was there with the bio-ship in minutes. Conner and Robin helped to lift Wally onto the ship, but Wally was so thin Artemis was sure even Robin could have carried him by himself. Still Kaldur had insisted that they keep his body level so he wouldn't be further damaged.
Once Wally was safely in an emergency cot in the bio-ship, Robin immediately turned to Artemis for and explanation as to what had happen. She tried to control he voice as she explained what had happened on the mission, but Robin just kept shaking his head and asked again what happened? Artemis said, she didn't know.
Whatever was wrong with KF had obviously been more than just the fight today, and by the glares that Robin was giving Artemis he obviously had decided who was to blame already. Artemis just kept repeated that she didn't know. Her voice grew more distraught with every word, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't bring herself under control.
Megan offered to read Wally's mind and maybe figure it out. Kaldur, Robin, and Artemis nodded simultaneously giving their approval.
She could feel their anxious stares, so she asked for some quite to focus. Trustingly Kaldur left his teammate in Megan capable hand. He then asked Robin, Zantanna, Connor, and Artemis to help him with some matters regarding the mission.
Conner left giving Megan a quick but sweet kiss. Soon after, Zantanna pulled Robin out with her; assuring him that Wally would be okay. Artemis refused to leave. Kaldur was about to contest it but one look at Artemis and anyone could tell she wasn't going anywhere.
'Wally may not want my help, 'but I care about him too much not to give it.'
"Okay," said Megan to Artemis as Kaldur left "Just try not to talk, I really do have to focus"
Artemis nodded. Megan made the bio-ship form a sheet around them and made two chairs appear from what seemed to be nowhere. Artemis sat in one and pulled her leg to her chest tight and watched as Megan remained standing. Her eyes flashed white and she delved in to Wally's thoughts.
*Words can Hurt**Words can Hurt**Words can Hurt*
Fifteen minutes later Megan gasped abruptly. Artemis's head jolted up immediately.
"What?" she asked, forgetting about being quiet.
"Megan what is it?" Megan snapped out of Wally thoughts suddenly, when she felt Artemis's hands grasp her shoulder fiercely, shaking her ever so slightly. Megan's gaze returned to normal and her amber eyes peered into Artemis's sadly.
"Artemis…" was the only word she could think to utter.
The conversation that followed was a long explanation punctuated by unbelieving interjections on Artemis part, but with each word Artemis felt herself grow more and more confused and shocked.
"But I said that, days ago…. How could he think?… Why would he care?… He couldn't have possibly done that, thought that, No… No,… No!" Artemis was hysterical now.
"Artemis…" Megan tried to say in the calmest voice possible "Wally was starving himself because he thought you…."
"He thought I thought he was a pig, but why would he do that and how long?"
"Since you called him that I guess…. It really hurt him apparently he was teased for eating too much when he was younger and first received his superspeed and I guess when you said it kind of triggered…"
"No, how long exactly was he starving himself? He couldn't have possibly been starving himself for a week; anorexia..." Artemis stopped at the word. 'Wally had been practically anorexic, for a week. How did this happen?' She asked her self still not yet processing the harsh reality. She didn't want to…
"Wally, has higher metabolism he needs several time the calories of a normal human every day, and…" Megan began to explain
"And he has been eating less a day than an average anorexic human…" Artemis finished the thought dissonantly.
"Yes," Megan replied trying to calm down her friend. She continued "Artemis, it's only been a week he should be fine. This will be fine." Megan assured her.
"No, Megan, this isn't going to be 'fine' this is all, my fault…"Artemis paused "It is all, my fault. I caused this… how did I not notice this sooner…? Am I really that stupid, that I couldn't even figure out, that I had been hurting him this much? Had I really been so stupid, as to not see how much he had been hurting himself?" Artemis felt arms wrap around her in a hug but they weren't the ones she wanted. The arms she wanted wrapped around her were lying still on the cot next to her thin as bone and limp and it was all her fault.
*Words can Hurt**Words can Hurt**Words can Hurt*
Megan left a bit after, telling Artemis that she had to start steering the bio-hip or they wouldn't make it home by night fall. It was true but Artemis couldn't help but feel alone even next to Wally's body. She promised herself she would be their when he woke up.
She sat back down, and puled one leg to her chest as tightly as she could trying to hold to her consciousness but soon she slipped into a restless sleep. Closing her eyes to one nightmare and waking up to another.
She was back in the battle, fighting with the same henchman. Every blow hit her, she was defenseless. Still somehow she broke away like she had before and aimed her arrow. But this time, when she turned to look the arrow wasn't in the shoulder of the henchman it was in Wally's skull.
"No" she muttered in her sleep "This is all, my fault…"
Artemis's eyes open suddenly in the panic of her dream. She glanced over the cot next to her Wally looked like he was still out pretty cold. Her gazed lingered over his bloodied body covered in bandages a worn thin to the bone.
She felt so sick. It was just a few words here and there, playful jabs she hadn't even meant. How had they caused this? She wished she could take them back but she couldn't.
The words would stay like the scars on their skin: ever fading but never disappearing completely and now before either of them had even begun to heal, they both sat there: hurt.
The words did hurt.
*Words can Hurt**Words can Hurt**Words can Hurt*
Wally waited another minute before opening his eyes as he felt another set of eyes glance over him. Was it with disgust? Hate? Fear? He tried to listen to Artemis's voice. She was repeating something slowly, over and over again, like she was in a trance. They were harsh and full of malice but none of it was directed at him. The words had turned on her now.
"This is all, my fault I am so stupid." She said.
Immediately Wally's eyes flashed open.
"No you're not, Artemis…" He said. His voice was weak but his words were firm and they couldn't have been sweeter to her.
Artemis eyes went wide with the fury of emotions she felt, fear, guilt, shock, but mostly happiness. He was awake now, he was alive, he was conscious. That all that mattered right now, to her; the rest could be dealt with later. Without thinking she pulled him into a hug forgetting his broken ribs. She said the words she had been meaning to say all along.
"And you're not a pig Wally I'm sorry…. I…I didn't know… I never meant to hurt you, ever…" Wally wanted to tell her to be quiet; he wanted her to say it again. He wanted to hold her tight and wrap his arms strong around her, but he was still so weak from the wounds.
All he could do was gasp in pain. Artemis immediately pulled back, unwillingly.
"Sorry" she said again. Never before had she meant a single word so much.
Receiving wounds always hurt, but sometimes, cleaning them hurt more….
A/N: Wow so that had to be my longer chapter yet. I still have at least one more to go. This fict isn't over yet so please Read and Review ; ) – Song
P.S. My Mock Trial is tomorrow so depending on the outcome I'll update either that day or the next.
Next chapter: Healing
