Chapter 29
Back at the Cave, Tim and Piper sat on the couch and tried to comfort each other. Piper's head, hand, and side were bandaged. The red patches on Tim's face were now beginning to turn black. The rest of the Team gave them their space and stood in the kitchen. From his seat on the barstool, Blue Beetle looked at Piper with sadness. He got up and walked over to her. She looked up at him.
"Jaime?"
He opened his mouth to say something, but then decided against it. He put his hand gently on her shoulder then walked back to the kitchen.
They sat there for hours. The minutes ticked by slowly. Horrible thoughts floated through Piper's mind. He's dead and you know it, their nasty voices said. You couldn't save him. In the end he died saving you. Piper tried to push the thoughts out of her head, but they were replaced by the images of Joker.
Finally Batman came into the room. He walked over and stood in front of Tim and Piper. The rest of Team gathered behind the couch. Wally reached over the back of the couch and put his hand on Piper's shoulder. She and Tim squeezed each other's hands. Batman drew in a deep breath.
"He's alive."
Cries of joy rang out. Piper and Tim hugged each other. They were also attacked with hugs from the others. They stood up from the couch and hugged Wally. Being Dick's best friend, he had the same amount of fear as Piper and Tim. The three of them, plus Batman, were probably the happiest people in that room.
"Nightwing will need a few weeks to recover completely," Batman said. "The number of visitors should be a minimum. Athena and Robin, you can go in first."
Piper and Tim ran out of the room and into the infirmary wing of the Cave. They ran into Dick's room. He was sleeping. His shirt was missing but instead of a bare chest, he was covered by a bandaged. They leaned over and gently hugged him. Piper kissed his forehead.
"Keep fighting Dick," she whispered. "You can do it."
They spent a few more minutes in the room, then were asked to leave. Piper brushed Dick's hair back off his forehead.
"See you later Nightwing." She and Tim turned to the door. As they walked to it, the doors slid open and Bruce is standing outside. He opened his arms and Piper and Tim ran into them. There was a mixture of laughter and tears.
