Well I felt like updating again….this is unlike me… but an idea sprung from my head! So I better write it before it goes away! Anyway for a short amount of time that was a lot of reviews so thank you so much, you wonderful people! Suggestions and ideas are always welcomed! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Wally's still dead so of course I don't own anything
Waiting
Something people with speed were never good at. Barry was sitting outside Wally's operating room in the cave with the rest of the Team. Even Robin refused to leave to wash off his face, which was still covered in his blood even though his nose stopped bleeding. Artemis was now awake, but she was still a bit dizzy. That shock wasn't exactly pleasant or small. It was big and painful and sometimes shocks went through her spine.
Even in this dire situation, Robin stared at Zatanna. He thought it was really brave of her to come out and help get Wally even though Roy shot her with an arrow. Wait, was she rubbing her shoulder? Is her shirt turning red? "Zatanna," he said out loud.
Everyone looked at him and then Robin continued, "Is your shoulder bleeding again?"
Now everyone was looking at her to see that her shirt was filling up with red. "Ugh…yeah I guess the strain on it made it bleed again. I'll be fi-"
"Let's go," Robin said as he stood up and offered his hand to her. "I'll get you patched up again since all the doctors are with Wally."
She didn't object and she took his hand. They walked down the hall to another medical room, still hand in hand, and walked in. Zatanna sat in a chair and took off her jacket. She lowered her shirt a bit so the wound was showing and Robin blushed a bit, and so did she. Robin grabbed a cloth and damped it so he could wipe away the blood. He put it to the shoulder that Roy shot, and sat down in another chair while holding it to her shoulder lightly. "Are you alright?" Zatanna asked
He was shocked by this question. "Um, yeah why wouldn't I be? I should be asking you that."
She glanced down at her shoulder and said, "Of course I'll be fine. But I'm talking about you and Wally. I know you guys are close and you care about him. I care about him too! It's just that you guys known each other for a while. It must be hard to see him almost die two ti-"
"Three times," he corrected immediately.
"W-What? Oh, okay, I guess so. This is a dangerous thing we do after all." She admitted
"Yeah…it is…" he said even though that wasn't the reason
Well," she started again, "he's going to be alright."
"I'm not so sure," Robin concluded.
"Don't think like that," She said. "Do you always think this way every time something bad happens?"
"I have to. I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing. I assume the worst so that if the worst does happen, I won't be as let down."
"Even if I assumed the worst, it would still be the same to me." Zatanna commented
"In situations like this, it is. But if he does make, then I'll be even happier than I would be if I was optimistic, knowing that he was going to make it. I'm not setting myself up for disappointment." Robin sighed
He took away the cloth and got another one while he went to get band aids and a wrap. He went to go clean it one more time before putting the band aid on, but she grabbed it from his hands and started wiping the blood off his face. She smiled and said, "That's better."
The Boy Wonder smiled and began patching her up again. She was better in no time and they were walking back down the hall to greet their friends once again. They only hoped that Wally would be able to do the same as well.
The head doctor came out of Wally's room to talk to Flash. "Well," he began, "it's not that good, just to warn you."
Barry began panicking inside. The doctor continued and said, "He has a concussion, bruising on the neck and lungs, his left arm is broken, three broken ribs, several others bruised, broken fingers, popped both of his shoulders out of their sockets, we are unsure about what is wrong with his right leg, and we're pumping nutrients into him. His body started to heal him, which is why the injuries could've been worse, and why he was out for most of the time. He's awake now, eating I gander."
"Okay, okay," Barry tried to convince himself. "It could be worse, right?"
"He could be dead," the doctor shrugged.
The Team and Barry gaped at him for saying that, and so casually too. "Wait, what did you mean when you said you were unsure of what is wrong with his leg?"
"Well, when he woke up, we asked him how he was feeling. The first thing he said was that he couldn't feel his leg. We looked at it, but there was nothing but bruising there."
Barry narrowed his eyes and said, "His entire leg?"
"Yes; he said it just started with his foot when he was still captive, and slowly grew up his leg over time. Now he can't feel his entire right leg."
Kauldar turned to Artemis and said, "You were partnered with him. Did you see anything suspicious going on before he was taken."
She closed her eyes and tried to remember. What was the last thing she saw? What did her father do to him? Come on….
Flashback
"You and your little Team is here to get information about the Shadows, but let me tell you boy, there is none."
Kid Flash's eyes widened and said, "It was a false trail; you-"
"Doesn't matter what I did kid. We needed someone who knows where the location of League headquarters is."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but the League isn't here to tell you that information." Kid Flash smiled
"Oh, I know that. Odds are, you and your Team would know that."
"We don't," Wally growled.
"We'll see," Sportsmaster said before he jabbed something into his leg.
Kid Flash screamed in pain before blacking out from the injection. Sportsmaster smiled underneath his mask and picked Kid Flash up bridal style. He ran back up the ditch, where his two daughters were fighting, and stopped. "Time to go little girl," he told Cheshire.
"Let him go!" Artemis yelled
"Sorry sis, orders are orders," Cheshire purred.
End of Flashback
"Wait!" she exclaimed. "Yes, there was something. I remember hearing Sportsmaster and Wally arguing…Um that mission, it was a ploy! There was no mission, they just wanted someone to tell them information. He was planning on taking Kid Flash. They came here for him."
"They specifically went after him? Are you sure?" Robin asked
"They didn't say it directly, but think about it. They could've gone for anyone of us and he decided to go after Wally. We were all out in the open and they chose him."
Batman narrowed his eyes and said, "Anything else?"
"Yes," she continued. "Sportsmaster injected something into his leg. Wally passed out, but now I think it did more than knock him out."
"We'll look him over," the doctor said as he began to walk back into the room.
"Can I talk to him while you do the tests?" Barry asked
The doctor smiled and said, "Of course."
Barry walked in to see that Wally was sipping water with the help of some other doctor. Barry strolled over and sat down next to Wally. Wally craned his neck towards his uncle and groaned in the process. "Don't strain yourself kid," Barry warned.
"It's alright," he said, his voice stronger than before, but still quiet. "Nothing I can handle."
"Nothing you shouldn't have to handle."
"Let's not start with this," Wally said.
Barry nodded and bit his lip. He and Wally tend to bite their lips whenever they were nervous about something. It was a speedster habit. He was thinking about the conversation he had with Batman, no Bruce Wayne, right as they got back and Wally went into operation.
"Stop worrying," Bruce said.
"How can I not?" he asked. "You said it yourself, his chances aren't good."
"I was only saying that so you don't set yourself up for disappointment."
"That was cruel," he sneered.
Barry sighed and said, "What am I going to do? How am I going to explain this to Iris and the judges?"
"For all they know, Wally could've had these injuries from his father. It was bad enough when you got him and if he wasn't a speedster he should either be dead or in the hospital for another month." Batman said
Mr. Allen shook his head and said, "You're not the best at pep talks."
Batman ignored him and said, "Iris told me you guys were planning to adopt him if you won the trial."
"When do you talk to my wife?" Barry asked suspiciously to the billionaire playboy
Again, Bruce ignored him and said, "When are you going to tell him?"
"That's the thing," Barry detailed. "I'm not sure if I should anymore."
"Why the hell not? He needs you Allen. He needs a father figure that is worth looking up to," he deplaned.
"But Dinah told me about the conversation she had with Wally."
"And?" He implied
"He told her that he was afraid that Iris and I would get sick of him. He was scared that I would hate him because he thought he was annoying and I would become just like his father."
"You're not Rudolph West. You never will be. Wally is just scared because that's all he's lived with. Once you show him that there is nothing to be afraid of."
"But he's still afraid and I don't want to scare him even more."
"Just do it Allen. If you don't now, they you may never do it. Do it now, to show that you care about him so much about him that you won't wait to make him your son," Bruce said as he grabbed Barry's shoulders.
"What about you? When will you finally adopt Dick?" he countered
"That's personal information."
"Fine," Barry said. "But you should do it too. The kid deserves a family after all. He's waited too long for one."
Bruce turned to walk away after saying, "They both have."
"Wally I have something to tell…well more like ask you." Barry started
"Anything."
"Okay… well you know that your aunt and I love you very much."
Wally smiled and said, "Yeah, I do."
"No," he said while looking his nephew in the eyes. "I really mean it. You mean so much for us. You're everything that Iris and I always wanted in a kid."
Wally frowned at the seriousness and grew curious. What was he talking about? "You know that we would never do what your father did."
Wally didn't answer this. Instead he turned his head so he was looking forward again. "Wally? You don't think we would ever do that, do you?"
He sighed and said, "He said he would never do it either."
Barry scooted closer and whispered, "Wally we love you too much and we would never do that. What could ever make you think that we would ever do something like that?"
"I'm annoying aren't I?" he asked although he could answer his own question. "I'm fine in small doses, but you'll get sick of me after a while. You'll want nothing to do with me."
"Kid, you practically lived at my house!" Barry exclaimed. "I never knew why you did spend so much time with me, though I know now, but I never complained. Even before you were Kid Flash, I loved having you over. Iris and I would smile with each other and be happy, but once you came, I didn't think we could get any happier."
Barry watched as Wally's lip trembled and he tried to wipe his eyes, but it hurt too much to more his arms. "Wally, you are like a son to me and Iris. Not were, because you still are, and forever will be. We can even make it official, if you want."
Wally took a gasp of breath and turned his neck towards him. "You really would want me as your son?" he asked hoarsely
"I wanted you as a son since the first time we met, and you didn't even speak a word then."
Wally let some tears go down his cheeks and travel to his purple chin and said, "It would be the best thing that ever happened to me, if I became your son, and you became my dad."
"Then let me give you a hug son, to celebrate." Barry said as he hugged him
Even if they didn't get it finalized by the court, they would no longer be uncle and nephew to each other. From then on, they were father and son. The ones that they deserved.
"Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?" the judge asked
"I do," Iris West-Allen said.
The judge nodded and she sat down again. "Rudolph West; you have been accused of child abuse and attempt murder on your son, Wallace West. Is that correct?"
"Yes, it is sir."
"Do you deny these accusations?"
"I do, sir," he responded once again.
"Mr. West, it was confirmed that your son came to Bartholomew Allen's house, beaten and with the idea that you did that to him. He has said that it has been going on for years. Tell me, how are you going to defend yourself from that confession?" the judge asked as he leaned forward in his chair
Rudolph's lawyer stood up and said, "We were going to call up the witness, Wallace West. But seeing as he is not here, we cannot do that, therefore his confession cannot be proved that he actually said so. The only people that know of this 'confession', is Wallace himself, Bartholomew Allen and Iris West-Allen. Seeing as two of the three are not here, that confession has been proved unvalued of any use."
"Objection, your honor," Iris said fiercely as she stood up.
He nodded in her direction to continue. "Wally is unable to attend because of the injuries Rudolph West put on him, and Barry is there with him because he is actually acting like a father to him and is not leaving his side until he knows that he is better."
"Your honor," Rudolph's lawyer interjected. "This is still irrelevant since Wallace is unable to attend to prove his case."
This time Wally's lawyer, who was with Iris, said, "Your honor we would like to ask Rudolph West to come to the stands."
"Approved," he waved at Rudy. "If you will, Mr. West."
Rudy was now in the seat next to the judge, about to get interrogated by his son's lawyer. "Where were you the night Wallace came to Barry and Iris Allen's house?"
"Well I am not sure on the times, but probably at work. After work though, I did go home."
"When you got home, was your wife, Mary West, there?"
"No, she told me that morning that she was going to the movies with some friends. I assumed she was there."
"Did you see Wallace when you got home?"
"I didn't. At first I thought he was in his room doing his homework, but when I checked on him he wasn't there."
"And you didn't feel concerned that he wasn't home?"
"Wally is a smart young man. He can take care of himself. I knew he was somewhere safe. It was more of a parent feeling that you get in your stomach. He usually hangs out with friends, or visits Allen's house. They are both very interested into chemistry and do experiments together a lot. That's why my Wally is a certified genius in Science."
"Did you bother to call Wallace on his cell phone?" he asked
"I didn't think it was necessary. He knows the rules that if something is not right, that he immediately calls me, my wife, my sister or Allen."
"I see you refer to Bartholomew Allen as 'Allen'. I take it you two don't get along well?"
"Well we both have different perspectives on subjects and don't really see eye to eye that often."
"Do you ever get angry with Bartholomew Allen?"
"We have our arguments," he stated.
"You said that Wallace and Barry spent some time together and they did experiments. Did you ever hit your son because he was like Barry?"
Iris didn't bother to hear the answer. All she could think was that thank god Barry wasn't here to hear that. That would've broken him. Even though that isn't the reason, he'll start to get ideas that it was his fault. She came back to reality when the judge banged his mallet. "Enough; Mr. West, please go back to your seat."
He did and after a few more arguments, the judge made his decision. "As the witness is not her to follow up on his story and there is no actual proof of the event of child abuse was taken place, I hereby judge that Rudolph West is free of charges and remains to have custody of Wallace West with random check-ups to seek that he is a fit parent." He slammed his mallet to make it official
Iris stared mouth opened. No way….no way could this have happened? She immediately got up from her chair and quickly left the court. She needed to tell Barry and Wally.
The Team was all in Wally's room. The doctor hadn't been happy about it, but Barry insisted. Barry was still with Wally, watching as the Team talked with Wally. Robin and Artemis sat on both sides of him, which Flash found sweet on Artemis's part considering she bolted to that seat, M'gann was at the end of the bed with Conner, Kauldar was next to Artemis with Zatanna next to Robin.
His phone went off and he saw it was from Iris. "Hey guys," he announced. "It's my wife calling to tell me about the court. Let's see if what happened. I'm pretty sure we won Wally."
Barry and Wally were grinning while the Team looked confused. Barry sighed and mumbled, "Remember the video."
Nobody said anything else because they pretty much guessed it. Barry was so confident that they would win the court, that he made the mistake of letting his phone go on speaker so everyone could hear the good news. Wally approved of course. "Hey Iris, how did the court meeting go?" he asked
"It went… not as we planned it would go."
Barry was still in high spirits and probed, "Even if it didn't, that doesn't matter because it still went well, right?"
"Barry… we didn't win."
Silence casted over the room and all the smiles quickly faded. Wally looked disturbed at the news. "What? How?" Barry questioned louder
"Wally wasn't there. Because we never had pictures or anything and Wally heals so quickly there was no proof. Wally wasn't there to prove his story. There was no evidence, therefore no case." She sighed
Barry cleared the lump that was in his throat and asked, "What's going to happen to Wally?"
"Honey, he's going to have to go back to Rudolph. They're going to have random checkups, but he's a smart man Barry."
"He doesn't have to go now does he?" Barry asked quickly
"No, they're giving him a week with us. To pack things up and say good-bye."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Barry asked
"Well, they never said that we couldn't be good relatives and visit our nephew constantly. After all the court knows that you and Wally are close." Iris said with a hinting tone in her voice
"That makes it a little better, but not by much," Barry admitted.
"It'll have to do until we can get this matter sorted out for good."
"Okay. I'll see you at home babe. I love you," he replied.
"I love you too. Tell Wally I said that I love him and I can't wait to see my boy." She said
They hung up and Wally gave a little smile at his aunt's comment. It quickly faded away with the thought that he had to go back to live with his dad. "Can you guys leave? I want to talk to Wally." Barry told the Team
Yes he told the Team. He wasn't asking, more like implying for them to leave. The Team quickly left, probably to discuss the matter themselves. Artemis squeezed Wally's hand before racing out the door.
A moment of deadly silence passed before Barry expressed softly, "I am so sorry kid."
"It's not your fault," Wally stifled. "I know you'll try your hardest. But don't strain yourself over the matter. It's not a big deal."
Barry said forcefully, "It is a very big deal. I will make this right Wally, I promise. They can't take you away from me. You belong safe and sound with Iris and me. There's no way I'm letting you get put back in danger."
The doctor walked in with Batman and said, "We found out the substance that was injected into Wally's leg and why he can't feel it."
"Well?" Wally urged
"It was a poison. It was mean to paralyze you by now. But because of your metabolism, it broke the poison down. The poison won't go beyond your right leg." Batman continued
"But what about his right leg?" Barry emphasized. "Is it paralyzed?"
"It's not paralyzed. We are not sure what's causing it, but let's just say it's in a state of 'shock'. We have no true definition of it. It has stopped working, but you should regain control over it over time." The doctor tried to explain
"How long?" Barry asked
"Give or take two weeks for him to completely use his leg again. I would give it three weeks before he can run as Kid Flash again, just as a precaution."
"How will he get around? He has to go back to his father's in a week!" Barry exclaimed in panic mode
"He'll just use a crutch." The doctor said
Batman didn't say anything. He knew what this mean to Barry the minute those words left his mouth. Bruce Wayne and Batman were going to have to do some work to make sure actual justice will be brought. The doctor and Batman left, leaving Barry and Wally alone again. "So," Wally started. "The Shadows want me dead, I have to live with my dad again, and I can't run for three weeks. Well that's enough for today; any other negative things that you want to add onto my life you can just hold off onto tomorrow."
Barry gave a small laugh at this and patted his son's knee lightly. "Things will work out alright, I promise. You're going to be okay." He spoke to him
Wally sighed and said, "Dad used to say that too. Don't make me promises you can't keep. Please…. just, don't set me up for disappointment."
How was that? Tell me what you think! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
