Helena stepped inside the room, feeling her heart thumping hard. Barbara was lying on the mattress with just a thin blanket covering her from the waist down. An IV was still connected to her arm. She had her eyes closed, her skin was pale, she looked as fragile as glass.

The "beep" of the monitor signaled the rhythm of her heart. Beating, strong.

She walked slowly toward her. She didn't want to bother her rest. Helena stopped close to the bed. She stayed there looking at the redhead in silence.

Barbara seemed to sense her because she opened her eyes slowly and offered a weak smile. Helena was silent as a cat, as always.

"Hey," Helena whispered. It was a miracle, she was awake again, and smiling. "How do you feel?

"Sore… How are you?" Barbara looked for her hand.

Helena moved her hand to her and laced their fingers. The teen shook her head, she hurt so much that even if she wanted to talk about it, she couldn't find words. The important thing was that Barbara was back.

"I'm sorr,y Helena, I was trying to locate you when…"

"Don't talk…" the young girl whispered, squeezing her hand gently. "I'm so glad you are awake, you scared me so much."

"I'm sorry, your mom was a good friend. She loved you so much. I wanted to be there with you." Barbara's felt her vision blurred with tears.

The young girl bit her lips and felt tears coming to her own eyes. "It hurts so much…" she mumbled, "hurts…"

"We will face this together, okay?" the redhead said.

Helena nodded, tears pouring silently down her face.

"Helena…" the redhead felt the girls fingers pressing hers harder, indicating the desperation inside her. A knot former in her throat at the anguish Helena's face.

"Come here." Barbara extended her free hand to her.

The girl leaned over, kneeling on the floor and resting her head on the redhead's arm, crying. She could cry with her, Barbara understood, she knew her. Barbara brushed dark hair with her free arm.

"I'm sorry, Hel." she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

It was difficult to try to explain things she didn't understand. Helena had lost the person she most loved in the world and her only family and home.

"It hurts so much…." Helena hiccupped.

Barbara caressed her hair , trying to comfort her. She knew it was difficult, but it was the only thing she could do as Helena cried long and hard, holding her arm tight.

The redhead noticed Leslie opening the door.

The old woman saw the crying child, Leslie watched her with sadness for a moment. The poor girl was living the worst days of her life. She needed to release the intense pain inside her soul. As she stepped back to close the door, Leslie wiped at her own eyes. Selina had been her friend too.

Barbara was recovering. Her body was reacting to the surgery and the medication. The IV was removed the next day and she could start to eat soft food. Helena's deep sadness had a small light of happiness, seeing that the redhead would be okay. Maybe not right away, but soon.

Jim was worried about the pressure of Social Services, they wanted to pick up Helena. Iit had been almost eight days since that terrible night and they insisted that she needed medical attention and orientation. With no legal power over the girl, he couldn't do much more than he had.

He needed to explain it to Helena, hoping she would understand what would happen.

He chose to talk with her while they ate lunch downstairs at the hospital.

The girl had been silent, as always. This would be hard. The nightmare that she was living was hard to endure. The pain of seeing her mother killed in front of her eyes was an unforgettable memory that always would be with her.

"Helena," he finally said, "there is something you need know."

Blue eyes looked at him with a serious expression. "Barbara?"

"No, no," he shook his head, "She is fine, she will be fine."

The kid sighed with relief.

"It's about you."

"Me?"

"Child Protective Services has been looking for you," he explained. "They want to take you to a children's home."

"A children's home? Why?" She let her fork fall on the plate.

"Because you are only sixteen. You are a minor."

"But I have a home. My home. The apartment." She didn't need to go to any place, she had her own house.

"Yes, but according to the law, you have to have parents or family that can take care of you." He moved his head. "But in your case, you don't have family. So, the state has the obligation of taking care of you until you are eighteen."

"I don't want to go!" Helena stated, outraged.

The old man exhaled, moving his coffee, "I'm sorry, but this is not something you, Barbara or I can choose. They have been insisting on picking you up. They say you need attention. I have been holding them off, but I can't hold them back anymore. I don't have any legal power, nor does Barbara. So, the state wants to protect you."

The brunette stared at him in shock. She couldn't leave her home! Inside were all her mother's things -- her clothes, her bed, her beloved paintings. Her own things were there as well -- her room, her stuff, her memories.

Jim played with his moustache a few seconds, the girl seemed to be disturbed.

"I promise I will ask permission to pick you up every eight days and take you to see Barbara."

"I don't want go." Helena said scared "They don't have right. I don't need to be protected."

"We can't choose, I'm sorry, Helena."

The girl nervously moved the fork on her empty plate. He was right. He and Barbara couldn't do anything. This was unexpected. "When are they going to come?"

"They said tomorrow morning."

Helena was officially panicked. She tried not to show her fear to Jim.

"I can take you to your home to pick your clothes and…" he remembered, with sadness, Barbara. She was a orphan too, but she was lucky, she had him and his wife. It made it easier for the young redhead to endure her pain. Helena was alone.

There was a deep silence between them.

The brunette kept staring at her plate thinking. First her mother, then Barbara, now this. What the hell was happening? The world was turning upside down. She left the fork on the plate and inhaled deeply. Life sucked.

"We'll try to help. You know Barbara will never leave you alone."

"But I must go there…" she mumbled. "I can't go back to my own house."

"You can go back eventually, but you need… to wait until you are… eighteen."

"It's absurd, Jim. It's my mom's home, my things," she said to him. "I can do things on my own, I walk to my school every day."

"There are many legal issues that you still can't handle, Helena," Jim explained. "The law just wants to protect you."

"The law couldn't protect my mom," she said with a bitter voice. "Why are they so sure that they can protect me?"

She stood up and walked toward the restaurant exit.

"Helena…" Jim stood and tried to stop her "Helena, come back."

He didn't follow her. It was best to let her think alone. He took a sip of coffee and stared at the girl's empty plate. He felt bad for her, but he was sure the counseling and attention they could give her would be helpful. Now he needed to talk with Barbara. She needed to know, as well.

Helena's steps took her to Barbara's room. She leaned her back on the wall and rested her head on it too, closing her eyes.

Going to a Children's home was not the future she had planned. No way she would spent the next two years of her life with complete strangers just because the law said "it was best." No one was going to take her away from the home her mom had built for them.

She began to pace in front of the room, she couldn't sit around and wait. If Social Services got her, it would be over. They weren't going to put a hand on her…. the problem was that she didn't have any place to go, to hide.

Leslie would never agree to help her to escape Social Services, she was on her own.

Barbara's nurse helped her brush her hair. It was hard to move with the wound in her abdomen, it hurt if she reached too far. She had learned that when she had tried to stretch that morning. She hated hospitals, hospital food and hospital gowns.

When the nurse finished, she helped Barbara lean back in her bed. It was not in a position that let her sit up all the way and it was still painful to move. The doctor said she needed to be in the hospital for another five days before she could go home.

She was worried about Helena. The kid had faced a terrible tragedy and Barabra wanted to recover as soon as possible so she could help her. Who could have imagined that a crazy man would stab Selina in a street full of people and in front of her daughter? Her father had told her the police were still was investigating, trying to find the murderer.

Soft knocks at the door called her attention.

"Come in," she said, arranging the blanket over her waist.

"Hey." A dark head appeared.

"Hey, come here… How was lunch?"

"Uh…" Helena walked inside. "Fine? Jim is nice."

"Yes, he is… Dad looks as like very tough man, but he is very sweet."

"He scared me so much when I was younger." The brunette pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed.

"Really?"

"Yes, he just looked at me like I was an alien."

Barbara smiled, remembering her dad didn't like the idea that she and Selina were be good friends, mainly because of the rumor that she had once been Catwoman.

For instance, acting as the occasional babysitter of Selina's child was an idea that he thought was dangerous.

"But he has been nice with you here…"

"Yeah." The teen nodded. "He let me stay here. He helped me with my mom's stuff…"

The redhead observed her in silence for long seconds, Helena was avoiding looking at her straight in her eyes.

"How are you?" she finally asked the girl.

"Fine. Did you know that the doctors said you can go home soon."

"Yes." Barbara noticed Helena was avoiding talking about herself. "Believe me, I will be very happy go out of here."

"They said you will start to walk soon."

"I took my first steps a few moments ago." The redhead said, "It hurt like hell. I felt like a baby."

"But it's good you have started to walk." Helena smiled at her.

"Yea, but I'll need therapy for a few months."

"Why therapy?"

"Just to help me to walk again. The shot was close to my spine."

"I heard your dad say you were close to being crippled." The brunette laced her fingers nervously.

"Yes, I'm lucky." Barbara noticed the light movement. Helena seemed to be stressed, she wondered if it was because she was still wrapped up in her own pain.

"I'm really happy for you, your dad was really worried."

"Yes, I appreciate that you stayed here… with all that happened."

The young girl lowered her head, she didn't have any other place to go, she was alone. Barbara was the only person she trusted and, now, she needed to leave. She didn't want to do it but it was her only choice, she didn't want to be locked up in some home with strangers.

Green eyes looked at the girl. She was thin and pale, the weight of her pain from the last few days were evident in her appearance "Are you okay, Helena?" Barbara asked again, gently.

"Yes, just tired." The young girl lowered her head, trying not to cry.

Barbara exhaled. Helena was not a good liar. "You don't have to lie to me."

"I just need to sleep a bit and I'll be okay," the brunette said, trying to sound animated.

"You can talk to me anytime."

"Ok. Thanks." She stood up, she couldn't stay any longer. She felt tears coming again to her eyes.

"Where are you going?" Barbara asked.

"You need to rest and…" she waved her hands toward the door, "and I want go back home and pick up some clean clothes."

"Ask my dad to give you a ride."

"Oh no, Gibson's mom told me that she… she will pick me up…"

"Gibson's mom?"

"He has been calling me every day," she moved in her place nervously, "asking me how it's going, and asking about you too."

"Dad could give you a ride," the redhead insisted, she didn't like the idea of Helena heading home alone. Clearly, the girl's pain was still very raw.

"He is worried about you and I… I don't want him to have to leave you, he has been done enough for me."

"Okay, come back soon."

"Sure, sure…" Helena stepped back slowly, "I'll be back in a few."

The brunette stopped at the door, looking back at Barbara for a moment. She was very pained by the idea of not see her again anytime soon. At least she was okay now. Helena needed to focus on herself.

"Bye," she said quietly, stepping outside.

"Bye…" Barbara waved her hand, even as her intuition told her something was wrong.

Barbara's father returned to the room an hour later. He had finished lunch and made some phone calls to his office. When he opened the door, he found his daughter reading a book. She had always loved books, since she was a girl. She used to get lost in her fantasies.

Now, he needed to talk with her about Helena's situation. He didn't see the girl around, which was good. He wanted to speak with Barbara alone. Having Helena close would be uncomfortable for the poor child.

She smiled as soon as she saw him appear in the door frame.

"Hi Daddy," she greeted, closing the book and resting it on her legs.

"Hey Babs, feeling better?"

"Yes, thanks." She kissed him on his cheek, "Just a bit uncomfortable, it's not pleasant to be in bed all day."

"I understand. Do you want me to help you with the pillows behind your back?"

"Yes, please." She leaned downwards carefully. "How was lunch with Helena? She said you were very nice with her."

"It was good." He arranged the pillows behind her back, "We ate big burgers."

"Now I understand why she finally ate something. She loves junk food."

"She eats as much as a small army," he said, helping her lean back again.

"Tell me about it." She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "Thanks."

She knew he didn't like the girl so much just because of Selina. She was a woman that he distrusted. His detective instinct was strong and he was right about his feelings. Selina was once Catwoman, but he failed thinking she was still a criminal. She changed so much when Helena was born.

"We need to talk about Helena." He sat down in the chair that Helena had pulled up to the bed.

She didn't like the tone of his voice.

"Something wrong?" Barbara asked, concerned.

"Child Protective Services has been looking for her," he explained to the redhead, brushing his moustache with his fingers. "They want take her into custody."

"Oh God." That was like a cold shower for the redhead. She had forgotten the legal issues with orphans.

"She is just sixteen-- a minor and an orphan." Jim leaned back in his chair. "We are not her legal guardians or family. The law is very clear about it. This was going to happen sooner or later."

Barbara was annoyed, she knew about laws and he was right. They couldn't ask or demand anything, they didn't have any legal power over Helena. "Dad, this is terrible. She just lost her mother."

"I know, but…" he sighed, feeling really bad, "we can't do anything."

"Locking her up in a children's home will kill her. She's been so sheltered."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I asked and I tried, but I could only delay them for a few days. Now I can't hold them off anymore. They will pick her up tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning? That is too soon!" This was so unexpected.

"I know, I already talked with her… She needed to know."

"What did she say?" The redhead brushed her hair back, trying to think of a solution.

"You know, she didn't like the idea… but she needed to know, she had a right to know."

"We can't let them…" Barbara analyzed the situation, Helena would never go to a Children's home, she was a sweet girl, but stubborn and hard headed. The main risk was that she is meta. All it would take would be her getting angry once and people would discover who she was. Her dad didn't know about Helena's unique skills, and she thought it best not to tell him. It would mean too many explanations… None of which she was inclined to give.

If people found about Helena, they would try to use her as a guinea pig.

"Barbara…" Jim said, resting his hand over hers, "we are not her family, you must understand. I know all of this has been hard, but we are not responsible for her."

"I know, I know, I'm thinking."

Barbara let her head fall on the pillow and closed her eyes. It would break her heart to see Helena in the hands of a stranger. She loved the girl, but try to adopt her would take a long time and she would have trouble getting it to go through. She had many things against her.

Selina would die again if she knew that her beloved child would end up as an orphan in a Children's home.

When Barbara was thirteen, her mother and father were tragically killed in an automobile accident (due largely to her father's drinking problem). After the accident, her uncle, James Gordon and his wife (also named Barbara) adopted the orphaned Barbara.

If they hadn't been there, she surely would have spent all her childhood and teenage years in a children's home, alone. She didn't want that for Helena.

"I told her I can pick her up every eight days and…" Jim said.

"I can request a legal guardianship," Barbara interrupted him.

"Excuse me?"

"I can ask for a legal guardianship."

He couldn't believe what was he hearing, but his daughter's voice was clear and firm. She wasn't joking. What was she thinking? She couldn't be responsible for a teenager.

"I know the law. I can do it, Dad."

A legal guardianship gave an adult who was taking care of a child the formal authority to provide for the child's needs. With a legal guardianship, a non-parent could give a child a safe home.

"Barbara, I don't think…"

"A legal guardian has the same responsibilities for care and control of a child as a parent does. A legal guardian must feed and clothe the child, provide for the child's education and medical attention. A legal guardian must also be kind and loving toward the child. I know her, she knows me, I can do it. I can raise her."

"Babs, you must think about this.." He covered her hand with his palm. He didn't want to see her restless, she was still recovering, and knowing how stubborn she was…

"Setting up a legal guardianship is a simple process." Green eyes shone.

Barbara began to talk faster, trying to explain. She was so excited about the idea, it must work, it was perfect!

"First," she said, "I do not need lawyers. My petition of legal guardianship will not have objectors, because Helena doen't have family. Second, any adult, eighteen or older, can serve as a legal guardian for a child under eighteen. Third, I'm good with paperwork and I can fill out the forms and petitions and give them to the court. The Department of Social Services will investigate me to see if the legal guardianship will be good for the child. I have a good reputation, Dad, you too, I can do it. The court will schedule a date for a hearing, at which time a judge will decide whether the legal guardianship is in the minor's best interest in just one session, no more."

"You are very sure, eh?" Jim asked, amused, squeezing her hand in a gesture of support.

"Call them," Barbara asked him. "Tell them I'll start the process. An adoption will be denied, I'm young, I'm single, and you know how long it would take, but, if I ask for a guardianship, it will be easy. I need you to get me all the necessary paperwork."

"It's a great responsibility, Barbara."

"I know, but I can't leave her alone. I know how she is feeling now, I know how empty you feel when you lose your mother. I was an orphan too, remember?"

Jim bit his lips, thinking. Why was it so damn hard to argue with her?

"You and Aunt Barbara helped me survive my pain." Barbara cupped his cheek with her hand. "I couldn't have done it alone. I can't let Helena face her grief alone. I know what it would mean and I don't want that for her. If I can help her, I'll do it."

"I understand, Babs. Don't worry. I can work on it."

"Tomorrow?"

"First thing."

TO BE CONTINUED...