Chapter Twenty-one
"How is he?" Barbra asks Dr Leslie as she stands up from the chair she has been sitting patiently on outside Dick's room, waiting for any news.
"He's doing fine, he will be bedridden for a few weeks, but I have given him something to ease the pain, so he should be more comfortable" Dr Leslie whispers as she gently closes the door behind her.
"Can I see him?"
"Yes, he's very tired though, he's been through a lot, a lot more than most men his age have to go through and lives to tell the tail"
"Yes I know, thank you Dr"
Barbra quietly opens the door and slowly walks towards the bed where Dick is now resting more peacefully. She quietly sits next to the bed and gently lays her hand on his arm.
"Mhhhh" Dicks slowly stirs.
"Hi there handsome" Barbra smiles as she looks at the many cuts and the darkening bruising slowly emerging over his body which he had sustained.
"Hi… there yourself" Dick weakly whispers.
"How are you feeling?" Barbra asks, concern.
"Never felt… better" He quips as a painful expression shoots onto his face as he tries to sit up in the bed.
"You gave us all a fright"
"All of you?"
"Yes, we thought we had lost you"
"And that would have been… so bad?"
"Yes, of course it would have stupid!... I don't know what I would do without you"
"Probably the same thing… you did before you met me"
Barbra sadly looks towards the floor, thinking that maybe Dick does not feel the same way she does about him.
"I could never forget you Dick" Barbra quietly mumbles, still looking down at the floor, she could feel the tears welling inside her, thinking that maybe he doesn't have the feelings that she so wished he would have.
Dick looks at her in, surprised at the way she has acted over the comment, of course she has feelings for him, he looks at her, beautiful Barbra, she has been waiting around for who knows how long, worried sick, how could he even contemplate that she doesn't have feelings for him. Dick reaches over and takes hold of her hands which were rested on her lap and looks at her for some time, studying her face.
"Well… it's a good thing you don't because if you did, I wouldn't be able to take you dancing or the movies when I'm better now would I?" Dick smiles at her, Barbra quickly looks at him, he watches as a single tear rolls down her face.
"You… you heard that… all of it?" Shocked at what he just said.
"I'm afraid so" He answers, smiling at her.
"I thought you were asleep" Barbra adds, embarrassed. Dick watches as Barbra's face turns a crimson red "You do… you want to take me dancing?"
"Of course I do, what man wouldn't"
Dick slowly brings Barbra towards him and Barbra leans towards him, Dick softly wipes the tear from her cheek before gently moving his hand around the side of her face to bring her even closer, Barbra could feel her legs going weak at the knees, as they gently kissed.
"Huh umm" A cough is heard from by the door and Barbra quickly moves away from Dick and they both look at the door.
"Hope I'm not disturbing anything am I?" Bruce smiles as he walks towards the bed.
"No, no, I was um, just leaving, I will, see you later Dick" Barbra embarrassedly says as she walks out of the door, trying not to make eye contact with Bruce and at the same time, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.
"You two seem to be getting on… well"
Dick slightly smiles and looks at Bruce.
"She cares a great deal about you, you know"
"I know, and I do to"
A moment of awkward silence enters the room, but Bruce soon breaks the silence.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine… what's a few ribs"
Dick hesitates for a few moments, pondering over the right thing to say "Look, Bruce, I… want to thank you for what you did for me, I wouldn't know where I would be right now if it wasn't for you"
"It's what I do"
"I know, but I haven't been much… well I've been"
"You don't have to explain yourself to me, it's in the past now"
"But I've been a total jerk to you, after everything you have ever done for me, I should have been a lost cause, but instead you took me in and cared for me like as though I was one of your own, and that was how I thanked you" He looks down, frustrated at the way he has acted in the past.
"You are family Dick, and no matter what you have done, you will always be and I will always be there for you" Bruce walks towards Dick and reassuringly puts his hand on his shoulder.
Dick looks up at Bruce, now instead of feeling the bitterness that until recently would have threatened to consume him, he feels content.
"You will be staying with us until you get better?"
Although it has been years since Dick and Bruce have spoken or have even seen each other, Dick still knows how to read Bruce's face and he can see in his eyes that he wants him to stay and softly smiles.
"Doesn't look like I have much of a choice do I?"
"I'll leave you to get some rest"
"Thanks again, Bruce"
Bruce nods his head and smiles at Dick as he closes the door behind him.