More of my future!headcannonness, hope nobody minds. This doesn't have anything to do with any of my other future WallyArtemis fics, so don't worry.
Wally tries to keep a straight face to match his daughter's, but Dick is laughing in the background silently, and Roy is practically rolling on the floor and Connor is smirking too.
Iris glares more heatedly, eyes flashing like her mother's. "You said!"
The older speedster sighs, crosses his arms, and looks at his daughter. "I know I—"
"Youpromisedandifyoudon'tbringmeI'llgogetAuntM'gannIsweartogoshIwill—"
She turns slightly, arms uncrossing. Wally exhales slowly, glaring daggers at his friends. He kneels down in front of his daughter, hands moving to her shoulders. They tense under his grip, but she turns towards him. "Iris."
Her shoulders slump, and her chin trembles, but her glare doesn't let up. "Daddy," she mutters, her voice is angry and quiet. "You promised."
The others seem to understand that the two need some space, because Dick and Connor pull a still laughing Roy from the room.
It's quiet in the room while the two speedster's eye each other. Finally, Wally exhales and pulls her close, hugging her to him. "I know you wanted to go. And I know I promised you we could," Wally tells her, and she's sniffling into his shoulder. "But your mom isn't in the best shape."
"I know," she sniffs. His shirt is getting wetter by the second. "But Jai gets to stay there—"
Wally pulls her away, holding her away from him a bit. "I know kiddo," he's smiling slightly. "But Jai is staying with your grams, just like you should be." He raises an eyebrow, frowning. "And you know you're not allowed to run off whenever you feel like it. You had your grandma pretty worried."
Iris rubs at her eyes, nodding. "I know. I just—I wanted to see mommy and—and Jai got to and you said—"
The older man runs a hand down his face. "That's because Jai has stuff inside him that's helping your mom. He has to see her in order to help her."
The little girl frowns, "But we're the same—"
"You're twins," Wally murmurs, rubbing a tear off her cheek. "That's not the same, baby."
They sit in silence for a few more minutes before Iris speaks again. "Yesterday," she whispers, eyes not meeting Wally's. "When me and Jai were watching TV with Gar and Tim, I heard Rose tell Kon that mommy wasn't gonna 'make it'."
Wally freezes, stomach tightening. The thought had occurred to him, but he'd never—no, she won't die. He makes a mental note to kill Rose later.
Shaking his head, Wally pulls his daughter close again. "Your mom is probably one of the toughest people I've ever met. And I can tell you this right now that she's going to fight as hard and long as she can to get better. So don't listen to anyone when they say stupid things like that, alright?"
Wally meets his daughter's eyes, the green ones that are so much like his own, and smiles. "Let's go see your mom."
"Hi," Artemis smiles when the speedster's enter the room, grin lighting up her face. Iris speeds forward into the chair next to Artemis' bed. "How's my girl?" She asks, patting the bed next to her. The blonde looks tired, dark rings make her grey eyes seem like storm clouds. Iris climbs onto the bed with her mom, chattering away about her week. She doesn't mention her little stunt earlier.
The doctor peeks in a few minutes later, but Artemis is so into listening to her daughter that she doesn't notice. Wally, however, turns to the doctor and smiles. "How is she?"
"The chemo seems to be working, and the cells that your son has given her are strengthening her up. I know it's not good to think in maybe's, but if your wife keeps going through the treatment this well, she'll be in remission in no time." The woman smiles, teeth a startling white against her dark skin and checks her beeper. "I have to go tend to another patient, Mr. West. But I'll come check up on her later."
Wally nods and turns back to his family.
"I love you too," Wally murmurs to his son, pressing a kiss to his forehead. The boy blinks up at his dad, glances at his sleeping sister, then back at Wally. "Will you tell mom I love her too please?"
Wally's lips turn up in a small smile and he pushes Jai's hair from his forehead, dropping another kiss on the pale skin. "I sure will buddy."
Paula is smiling at him from the living room when he leaves his children's room, and she merely waves before he's off again, sitting next to his wife's bed.
His hand ghosts over hers. He scoots the chair closer to her bed. The heart monitor is beeping steadily when she glances over at him. Her eyes brighten a bit and she smiles. "Hi Wally."
"The doctor says you're doing better," Wally tells her. She nods, sitting up a bit. Wally remembers a time when she would be at home, getting up to feed Iris or to change Jai. He remembers a time when she didn't have cancer and when she was snarky and cruel and going on patrol in Central or staying with Dick over in Bludhaven. But then she'd gotten sick.
Wally had been out on some mission with the League—she was part of the team, but only occasionally—and M'gann had called him, panicked. When the doctor had diagnosed her, he thought she'd die. And for a while there, it seemed like she would. But then they'd checked Paula, Wally, Iris and Jai for matching cells, and found that Jai's were identical, and they began treating Artemis with them.
Now, Artemis smiles at him, fingers twisting with his. "You know you aren't allowed to stay the night," she whispers, rubbing her thumb across his knuckles. Her husband shrugs, pressing a kiss to her wrist. "They'd never catch me."
"Still," she says, eyebrows drawing together. Her finger traces underneath his eyes. "You haven't had a good night's sleep in a while…"
"Don't worry about me, okay? Just worry about getting better." He tells her, biting a lip. She mimics him, a small smile on her lips. "Go home. Go sleep, okay?" She coughs a little, tearing her hand from his and covering her mouth. He leans forward, touching her back.
When she finishes, she glances at him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Go home, Wally. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" He asks, and when she nods, he leans forward, kissing her, and then speeds out of the hospital.
Just a side note, she does get better eventually.
