——— A year later ———
"You're restless these days, Mrs. Wayne," Bruce panted, dropping to the side.
"More like energetic. Good for me you can keep up," she said out of breath, "wanna go for a round number three?"
He laughed, "I'd love to, but I gotta check on the boom and update the coordinates. And I have a feeling that if I stay here you're gonna keep me in this bed all day long."
"That was the plan."
"You know, the first step to overcoming an addiction is admitting you have a problem," he smirked.
"Okay. I have a problem. Now get over here."
Bruce laughed and reached for her lips, gave her a quick kiss, then promptly jumped out of bed.
"Come on," he said, "you gotta eat something. Rehydrate, at least."
"Ugh," she complained, then turned to the side and decided to try to fall back asleep. He chuckled and closed the door behind him.
They had gone back to Spain to spend the first weeks of summer on the beach. But when they got there, they decided on a whim to take a longer break and take the boat out again. Contrary to the time before, they had chosen to go south through Portugal and go around the bottom of the continent, finishing in France in time to go back straight home. Directly into the Atlantic, the seas weren't as calm as on their last trip, and Bruce had to constantly check the coordinates board to see if they hadn't lost direction.
They were just on the southwest coast of Portugal, heading north, and would stop from time to time to check out some towns and islands. It was their first morning back on the boat after making a four-day pause in Lagos, where they mostly spent their time eating pastel and laying by the beach.
Selina rolled around on the bed unquiet for about an hour, occasionally drifting off to vivid and semiconscious dreams. It was too hot to sleep, even wearing nothing at all. The smell of freshly scrambled eggs invaded the room and her stomach roared. It was past midday and she hadn't eaten since the night before. So she forced herself out of bed and grabbed one of Bruce's shirts from the floor to put on.
"I knew you'd show if I made these," Bruce smiled, already having prepared a plate for her.
She groaned in agreement, unwilling to talk yet. She wasn't sure if her "morning" moodiness was due to the hunger or the inability to sleep.
"Are you alright?", he asked, and she simply nodded, driving a spoonful of eggs into her mouth, "We're going to have to make another stop soon to check the oil. I think it might be leaking."
She muttered whatever unintelligibly and continued eating in silence. At first, she'd seemed to be starving, but then she just left half the food untouched and went to lay on the sunlounger.
Bruce went back to the control room to finish checking up on everything, then came back to lie with her under the sun for a while. When he got closer to her, he first thought she was asleep. But then he noticed her face was frowned oddly and she was moaning discontented.
"Selina? Are you alright?", he asked worriedly.
She groaned in response and stroked her neck anxiously, keeping her eyes shut tight.
"Talk to me, what's going on?", he squatted down next to her, and his voice had become urgent, "Look at me. Tell me, Selina."
Her agonized eyes found his only for a second before she darted out, running to the edge of the boat and kneeling down to throw up all her breakfast and a little bit more in the ocean. He moved quickly to help her, holding her hair back and stroking her back comfortingly, trying to stay calm and unconcerned. The sea really was abnormally agitated that day, and it was only natural that she felt sick after being on an empty stomach for so long.
"Better?" he asked when she sat down, seemingly done.
"Not really," she moaned, "I'm sorry you had to see this."
He puffed and tied her hair into a knot, "Please, bloods and guts don't affect me. Besides, in sickness and in health remember?"
Selina smiled faintly and gulped, still looking a bit nauseous and sick. Her face was so pale it looked like she might disappear into thin air, and her hands were shaking. Everything's fine, Bruce thought, trying to reassure himself, she's fine.
"Come on, let's get you up," he said and put his arms on her back and behind her knees, effortlessly lifting her up and carrying her to the couch, away from the sun.
He gave her a glass of water and her toothbrush with a small bucket, then pressed a cool wet towel to her forehead, and she slowly seemed to get better and regain some color.
"So… what was it? Sniffed too much catnip?"
"Ha-ha. No. I think it's just seasickness. I was feeling fine downstairs."
"Wanna stay there?"
"No. I'm better now. I think the cold water in the pool might help, though," she smiled and he quickly picked her up again.
He sat her down on the edge and jumped inside to help her.
"I'm alright now, Bruce. No need to hover. I can swim," she said as she took his shirt off of her.
"I'm not here to hover," he justified smirking, "I'm here to enjoy the view."
"You're a terrible liar," she said as she entered the pool.
"Well, one thing doesn't exclude the other."
She chuckled and wrapped her legs around him, hugging him and pressing kisses to his neck. One of her hands followed down the path from his chest and abdomen to his groin, and she teased him jokingly by giving it a soft grip from over his shorts.
He laughed amused, "You're impossible."
"Thank you."
"I guess that means you're all better?"
"Like I said, yes," she rolled her eyes then smiled, "you're cute when you're all worried."
"Yeah, don't make it a habit, though."
"Understood, husband," she joked.
He chuckled, "I'll never get tired of hearing that."
"And I'll never get tired of saying it," she replied cheeky, "although it's still weird."
"So weird," he added, then pressed his mouth against hers.
———
"I thought you said you wouldn't make a habit of this. This is the third day now," Bruce said nervously. He was leaning tensely on the door with his arms crossed as Selina brushed her teeth and then washed her face and neck in the sink.
"I'm not. You don't need to worry. It was the same thing as last time."
"That's not very reassuring… You're shaking, Selina."
"I'm fine, don't make this a big deal."
"I'm stopping at the first town I see and we're getting you a doctor."
"Bruce, stop. I told you, it goes away as quick as it comes. I'm okay."
"You're not keeping anything down!"
She sighed and wiped her face with a towel, sneaking past him, "I don't know what to tell you. I'm fine."
Selina was stubborn, but she couldn't stop him from going to land. A few hours later as the sun was setting, she was lying down and reading on the upper deck when she saw little dots of light from afar. She puffed angrily and stormed into the control room.
"What are you doing?", she demanded.
"I'm stopping by. Like I said I would."
"Ugh, you're unbelievable. Why can't you listen to me?"
"I do listen to you. But I promised I'd take care of you, and I'd protect you from anyone who'd mean to cause you harm — and that includes you sometimes."
"God, you are so frustrating."
"I can live with that. Besides, I told you before, we needed to make a stop anyway. If you don't wanna see a doctor, we'll at least get a hotel room so you can stay far from the sea for a while."
Selina grunted madly and bolted out, slamming the door behind her. She felt a ridiculous urge to cry, or at least to punch something.
Bruce parked the boat on the docks and went to find a hotel as Selina packed her bags, upset and angry. He went back for her and they headed to the resort just across the street, where he'd gotten them the presidential suite. Selina rolled her eyes in the elevator and he noticed.
"You need comfort right now."
"Don't tell me what I need," she groaned.
When they got to the room, Bruce went straight to the shower, trying to avoid any further confrontation and give her some time to cool off. She grabbed a granola bar and a can of peach iced tea in the minibar and let herself down on the bed, turning on the TV on the local news. Halfway through the snack, everything started tasting like garbage. She could feel a drop of sweat streaming down her forehead, so she gulped and took a deep breath. She would not give Bruce any more reasons to hover around.
Selina stormed out of the room and prayed she could hold it down until she reached the lobby. By the time Bruce got out of the shower, she was nowhere to be seen, and the only evidence she'd left was the crumbs of her snack and the half-eaten bar on the bed.
The cleaning lady asked her if she needed help as soon as she got out of the bathroom stall. She only asked for directions to a drugstore, and the woman told her there was one inside the hotel.
After she explained her symptoms, the pharmacist started asking her a couple questions; she told him she was only looking for something to soothe her stomach, which he ignored and continued to ask away, going through a procedure chart.
"Okay, now… when was your last period?"
"I don't know," she replied impatiently.
"Can you try to remember?"
She sighed, annoyed. She was a bit fidgety, still not feeling a 100% well, and those questions were really starting to piss her off. Her stomach had been empty for days and her thinking was impaired from it. This was one of the times that if she had her catsuit on, she would probably be sprinting out to find someone to fight with, or someones. She didn't, so she tried to push through it.
"Sir, I really don't know," she answered, rubbing her eyes anxiously.
"Okay. Well. Then let's start with this," the man said, handing her a little box.
"What's this fo…", she began saying, then stopped on her tracks when she read the label, "No. No, this isn't… it's not a possibility."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," she said, though she didn't seem to be.
He studied her expressions, then continued politely, "Okay. It's probably just a stomach bug, then. Take it, just in case. And this is for the nausea, it will help with the upset stomach," he said kindly, giving her a medicine pack.
When she came back to the room, she took one pill before entering and hid the rest with her other recent purchase on her back pocket. Bruce was about to call her, so he dropped the phone.
"Where were you?", he asked in a contained tone.
"I was just checking the pool area."
"I thought you'd gotten sick or something, you left the bed with the…"
"Oh, sorry," she quickly went to remove the remains of her last vomit trigger, "I forgot to clean it up."
"Are you alright?"
"Yep, just fine. I'm just gonna take a shower," she said and left to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.
After a few seconds, she turned on the shower and sat down on the toilet. She felt an entirely different kind of urge to throw up looking at the little stick in her hand. She managed it as she could with the instructions and her only fair Portuguese skills. But this was just her playing on the safe side, she told herself. Just to be sure. She'd been on the pill and she'd never even missed a day. So there was no way…
"No. Nonononono," she moaned in despair, looking at the little blue positive sign. It might've as well come with a little message afterwards, "Congratulations! Your life is over now."
She squatted down to the floor and started silently panicking. She pulled on her hair and rubbed her eyes nervously, trying to come up with an excuse as to why that pregnancy test showed her a positive, when she was so clearly, certainly, obviously, not pregnant. There had to be another explanation for that.
She stood up quickly, starting to feel suffocated and claustrophobic, specially with the hot steam filling up the room. She grabbed her phone in her pocket and searched Pamela on her contacts list.
"Pam?", she murmured tense, "Pam, can you hear me?"
"Yeah… why are you whispering?", she asked, and the background noises around her indicated she was in a bar, "Wait, are you in trouble? Wait a sec," she seemed to go someplace else quieter, "What's going on?"
"Pam, I-I think… tell me there's a very reasonable explanation as to why I'm throwing up and holding a positive pregnancy test in my hands when I'm on the pill."
"What?! Claws! That's wonderf…"
"No, no, it's not, Pam! I don't want this, I can't… please, tell me there's another reason for this."
"Well... you could have cervical cancer, but that's kinda rare, and I don't think it'd…"
"Okay. Maybe that's it. Maybe that's what I have."
"No, Claws, listen… weren't you taking those PTSD meds?"
"Yeah, what's that do with anything?"
"Oh, honey… they can screw up with the birth control effectiveness. Are you late?"
Selina froze.
"What?!", she exclaimed, then quickly lowered her voice, afraid Bruce might've listened, "Yes, yes, I'm late, but why didn't anybody tell me that?!"
"I-I don't know, sweetie. Look, this isn't the end of the world."
"Yes, it is, Pam," Selina cried, "I can't do this, I can't. I don't want to."
"Oh, Bambi… did that sound as bullshit to you as it did to me?", Pam asked, "Yes, you're scared, I can see that, but I think it's just cause you want it so bad."
"No, I don't," she said, trying to sound more fierce, but her voice was shaking to the core and her runny nose wasn't helping her case.
Her eyes widened as she heard Bruce calling for her on the other side of the door, asking if she was okay.
"I'm fine!", she yelled, then muttered quietly to Pam, "Listen, I gotta go. Thanks for the… well, thanks. I'll call you later."
"Selina! Keep me updated!", she shouted, but she'd already hung up.
Selina got into the shower just for a minute so she could keep up the act, then cleaned her nose as best as she could so her puffy eyes wouldn't be too much of a given. She put on the hotel bathrobe and flushed the terrifying white stick down the toilet; then stepped out of the bathroom avoiding his look and slipped under the blankets.
Bruce had waited for her to say something as he watched her get into bed without saying a word. He sighed, thinking she might still be mad at him. So he stood up from the couch and went to lie down next to her, but she was facing the other way and didn't seem like she might change that.
He put one hand on her arm, "I'm sorry you're upset, Selina, but I did this so you could be safe. What if something happened to you and we were far at sea?"
She didn't answer, staring straight ahead at the wall. No matter how angry she got, she'd usually waver and grab his hand back, but this time she didn't, and so he reluctantly retrieved it.
"I'm not going to apologize for doing what was best for you."
"Bruce," she muttered quietly, "just… please, just leave me be tonight, okay?"
He was taken aback by her sudden cold tone, and it felt like being punched in the guts, but he didn't fight her on it.
"Alright…", he said, standing up from the bed and heading to the living room to go through his laptop, "as you wish."
Her chest clenched tightly around her and she held back the urge to shriek, though was unable to stop the silent tears from streaming down her face. She fell asleep while they were still coming, and woke up only the next day, in the same position, tensed and feeling as if an elephant had slept on top of her. She wasn't used to sleeping alone anymore, and the lack of Bruce's strong warm embrace was unsettling, specially under those cold sheets.
She sat up and saw him sleeping weirdly on the couch with his laptop on his lap, like he'd done so while in the middle of something. Initially, she felt like laughing, but then she remembered the day before and it all came crashing down around her again. She got up from the bed and headed towards him, pinching his shin gently.
"Bruce, hun, wake up... go to bed, your back must be killing you here," she murmured.
"Uhm," was all he could say. And so she took his laptop away from him and put it down on the coffee table.
Selina ordered room service — a breakfast buffet with everything Bruce liked. She knew she'd hurt him the night before, but she had no idea what she was doing, or how she'd deal with everything else, so in that moment that was all she could try to fix. Before the food could arrive, she took one pill to settle down her stomach, because lately even the smell of it could set her off.
The first thing the chamberlain noticed when he stepped into the room was Bruce asleep on the couch, while the bed was only unmade on one side. He'd seemed a bit amused with that and Selina got annoyed, cutting his tip in half. It was still the biggest tip he'd get all day anyway.
Bruce woke up with the smell and Selina had already set the table for them. They had breakfast together, though in silence. She could still feel a bit of a gag reflex once in a while, but it felt more manageable with the medicine. That meal turned out to be the first thing she'd been able to eat in days, and it almost gave her the same feeling as drinking coffee when you're sleepy — suddenly her body and mind started to feel functional again, and she regained some color.
"You seem better," he mumbled.
"I am," she replied.
"Good."
Good. That was the best conversation they'd been able to pull.
They were back on the boat by sundown, when the mechanics finished their job, and they'd kept quiet the entire day. Bruce set up the coordinates so they could leave in the morning and Selina went to sit on the upper deck, watching the town as the night settled in.
She felt numb. As if everything going on around her wasn't real or as if it was only a dream — though it was one she really wished to wake up from. She felt uneasy inside her own body.
That wasn't supposed to happen. That had never been part of the plan; not even a possible Plan B, or C, or D. As much as she'd tried to make peace with the idea for Bruce, part of her had already accepted that that was something that would never happen for her, and she was fine with that. Though "fine" wasn't exactly the right word. "Relieved" described it better.
A single tear ran down her cheek, but she quickly brushed it away when she heard Bruce's footsteps on the stairs.
"Hey," he muttered.
"Hey," she whispered back.
"So…", he sat down beside her, "at the risk of getting my balls kicked here… is there something upsetting you lately?"
"What do you mean?"
"You've been sort of… unpredictable," he spoke cautiously.
"Oh. You mean the raging bitch act."
"No, that's not what I said."
"I know, that's what I said."
They both smiled a bit, but the atmosphere was still heavy around them.
"Is there something I can do?"
"Trust me, you've done enough," she mumbled, but her tone was light and not at all intended to offend or provoke him.
He was confused. "Look, I understand you're angry, but…"
She scoffed a humorless laugh, "I'm not angry, I'm…"
Selina felt her face crumbling so rapidly she didn't even have the time to try to control her reaction. Bruce watched in shock as endless tears started pouring out of her eyes and she wailed uncontrollably out of the blue. Selina wasn't usually a crier, especially like that, so he quickly became apprehensive, knowing something was definitely wrong for her to act that way. He rushed to her side and tried to calm her down, shushing and pointlessly wiping away her tears.
"Selina, what happened? Are you feeling sick again? Why are you crying?", he asked urgently and concerned, pulling her to him, "What can I do?"
"I… I don't know how to… I can't…", she mumbled randomly, sobbing and sniffing.
Selina had read once about pregnancy hormones and how they could make a person's mood a bit unstable, but now she actually thought that was the understatement of the year. Her emotions were all over the place, and not being able to control them made her even more frustrated.
"Tell me," he begged her.
"Bruce…", she sobbed.
"What is it, my love? Tell me so I can fix it," he asked desperately.
She shook her head and covered her face; then she mumbled something, but her voice came out too muffled and unclear.
"Selina, I can't understand you…"
"I…", she began, then took her hands off her face and raised her soaked teary-eyed face to him, "I-I'm pregnant," she finally said, and her face crumbled again as if she'd just admitted a horrible lie.
Bruce froze on the spot. In that moment, he felt like the world was spinning way slower than it should. He could still hear Selina's cries and feel her entire body shaking next to his, but his brain couldn't process it. She'd been constantly aroused and moody and then she'd suddenly started throwing up… she was pregnant. Some detective he was.
"Bruce… I'm scared," her despairing tone pulled him back to earth and called his attention back to her, "I'm a coward, I am. That's my secret. Almost everything I do, I do out of fear. But this… I can't do this through fear. I know you're probably thrilled about this, but I'm not, I'm terrified."
Bruce shook his head, snapping out of it, "Selina, I'm not thrilled. Do you know how much it pains me to see you like this?", he said, pulling her chin up so she'd look at him, "Look, that's not your secret. That's a lie you tell yourself so you don't acknowledge how impossibly strong you actually are. I… I can't tell you there's no reason at all to be scared. I'm scared myself. All I can say is… I'm here. I love you, and I promised to be by your side no matter what, and I always will. You are the bravest, fiercest person I've ever met, and you're not alone in this, you'll never be, not ever. We can do this together… and whenever you feel like you can't, I'll carry you through. Okay?"
She scooched in his lap and held him tightly, letting her cries run free. He stroked her hair and back and tried to soothe her, but it took a while for her to calm down even the slightest bit. When her body stopped shaking and her wails became softer and quieter, he pulled back a bit to look at her. She looked so fragile and so strong at the same time. Her swollen lips trembled slightly and her eyes were red, but her tears had dried up. He leaned in to swallow her sobs with his mouth, feeling his own eyes getting watery.
"I love you," he said, "we'll be fine, alright? We'll be good."
——— A month later ———
"I'm fine," she said, closing the door on the car as Bruce picked up their bags in the trunk.
"I didn't ask," he said, following right behind her.
"You were about to ask."
"I wasn't."
"You wanted to ask."
"Yes, I wanted to ask."
"I'm fine."
Selina opened the door to their house at the Villa Montmorency, a private villa inside the 16th arrondissement, in the heart of Paris. It was so quiet and peaceful it was easy to forget they were right in the middle of one of the busiest capitals in the world.
They had cut their trip short and returned home after the "big news" and the realization that the boat wasn't really helping with Selina's morning sickness. There was also the unavoidable reality that they had to find doctors and get ultrasounds and all those things that Selina couldn't even talk or think about yet.
She took off her shoes and hung her coat by the door, then suddenly closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Bruce put the bags down, already having learned what that face expression meant.
"I'm gonna throw up."
"What do you need?", he asked, but she'd ran and was already halfway into the bathroom. He followed her and tied her hair in a bun, stroking her back calmly to soothe her.
"Ugh," she moaned after flushing the toilet, "What do you want from me?!", she yelled at her stomach.
Bruce sighed, "I think you just need something warm. I'll have Danielle make you some chamomile tea."
A whiny mewing sound entered the room and Iris came rushing in after she noticed Selina inside, sitting on the floor. The little kitten purred and stroked her furry face against Selina's, as if welcoming her back.
"Hi, kitty," Selina said weakly, petting her head, "I missed you. I'm sorry we couldn't take you with us. Trust me, you would have not gotten along nicely with that much water surrounding you. I didn't."
"Let me help you up," Bruce grabbed her hand and pulled her up so carefully she barely had to make an effort.
"I'm fine," she repeated.
"I know you are."
———
"You don't need to come."
"I want to come," he replied, getting in the passenger seat.
She sighed and turned the engine on, leaving the driveway making the tires squeal loudly.
Selina drove rapidly through the narrow streets until the main avenue, where she had to keep at a reasonable speed. They arrived at the doctor's office in way less time than it would've taken had a normal person driven them there. Dr. Thibault was waiting for them already, having anticipated her earliness. He was always on time with her, always giving her the special treatment the Wayne name would usually provide, even if unsolicited.
"So, let's start with the basics. You are now 15 weeks pregnant, as in 3 months and 3 weeks," the doctor said in a heavy French accent.
"Wait. What?", she asked. Bruce also seemed a bit startled.
"Yes, I realize you've only recently discovered the pregnancy, but your blood tests show that it has already been that long. Which leads me to the one concern we are looking at right now," the doctor said, showing them her test results on the computer screen, "The baby is developing accordingly, your heart rate is fine, bloodwork is fine, though it shows you're a bit anemic, and, at this stage of the pregnancy you should've gained at least 3 pounds. You've lost 4."
Bruce's hand tensed around her knee, but he didn't say anything.
"Yeah, well… I haven't been able to keep anything down," she said unaffected, staring down at her own hands.
"Nothing?"
"Well, water and tea will go down just fine," she joked humorlessly.
"Okay, we'll need to work on that. And we'll start you on some prenatal vitamins as soon as possible. Now, let's take a look at this baby, shall we?"
Selina lay on the gurney and the doctor excused himself, pulling her shirt up to spread the gel on her yet flat stomach. Bruce sat down next to her head and caressed her hair comfortingly, then grabbed her hand in his and kissed it. He was trying so hard to get her more comfortable and at ease, she felt the guilt starting to wash over her all over again.
That had become routine for her. She'd be irritated and moody and downright awful towards him and he'd always respond with love and patience. And then she'd get annoyed at how understanding he was and how he'd never get mad at her. And then, she would be filled with guilt and remorse for ruining this moment for him. She could see how much he wished he could be excited and reveling in the news, but how he'd always turn it down for her.
Truth is, beyond the constant fear and anxiety, she was also jealous. Jealous of how accepting and content Bruce was with the pregnancy, even though he wouldn't let it show. She was jealous of how he seemed to handle it so well and maturely, while she'd shut down and pushed everyone away — they were all so hesitantly happy around her, and she hated herself for not being able to feel the same. And she was jealous about how Bruce already seemed to love that baby, while she still could only see it as a little parasite sucking away all her energy. And so on top of all the jealousy, she also felt like the most horrible person on the planet.
She couldn't help but feel like it wasn't fair. She'd told and warned the universe time and time again how awful of a mother she would've been, and it wouldn't listen. Fate was either punishing her over her bad karma or just straight up cruelly playing her.
While she was too absorbed in her own mind, Bruce had been talking to the doctor, who'd been explaining to him the ultrasound. Selina had barely heard a word. But when the room was filled with muffled pounding sounds, her head and attention immediately turned to Bruce. He was smiling contained, but she could see his eyes were filled with unexpressed sentiments.
"What…", she mumbled.
"That's your baby's heartbeat, Mrs. Wayne," the doctor said.
Her eyes darted back to Bruce in shock. The sounds were clear and rapid like a bird flapping its wings.
"It… it's so fast," was all she managed to say.
"Yes, that's the usual heart rate at this stage, it's completely normal. It means your baby is healthy and strong."
Her own heart skipped a beat when she heard him say "your baby". Her baby. She had a baby. And it was a person, an actual person, living inside her. Either a mini-Bruce or, god forbid, a mini-her. Or even just someone else, completely different than both on them. She started getting panicky, but not in the usual anxiety-attack way — just panicked at the reality she'd been trying so hard to ignore and deny. They had a baby.
"I'm going to give you two some privacy," the doctor said, noticing how the couple had been just staring at each other silently and excusing himself from the room. He'd turned the volume down a bit, but the heartbeat was still playing on the background.
"Bruce…", she said under her breath after a while. His expression carried so much emotion it was hard to look at him without letting her walls crumble down into a million pieces. "I… you must really hate me right now, don't you?"
He instantly became very confused and disturbed, "What on earth are you talking about?"
"Come on, you don't need to pretend… I've been awful to you these last months. But you brush it aside every time. Then you come back even sweeter and more loving than before. And I can tell how much you try to… restrain your feelings around me. Like you're not allowed to feel them. I'm torturing you and you're just standing there smiling and bringing me tea."
"Selina," he took her face in his hand, "listen to me. You've given me the life I've always wanted. And I see how you've been struggling and how it hasn't been easy on you. You're starving. You're míserable and physically uncomfortable most of the time. You're giving me everything and you're the only one paying the price. The least I can do is shut up and take it."
Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back as soon as they appeared.
"Who tells you to say these things?"
"Alfred, mostly," he joked, but then added more solemnly, "but this… this is all me. I mean it."
The room became silent again, and the only noise was their baby's heart, sounding more evident and striking as ever. Selina opened her arms, as if asking Bruce to hold her, which he gladly did.
"I'm gonna have a really stupid reaction right about now, so I'd appreciate it if you kept hugging me and didn't look at me so I don't feel more pathetic than I already do," she whined, already feeling the tears pooling in her eyes.
He laughed and held her back tighter, "You could never be pathetic."
——— A month later ———
"I take it back, you can be pathetic."
"What? I just don't want her to feel left out," Selina replied as she sat down on the floor and gathered the pieces of the little cat crib she'd just bought. She assembled them one by one as Bruce worked on his office desk, occasionally glancing at her and shaking his head amused.
"I got you something too," she said after a while, "I actually bought it a while ago, when I was still all too freaked out and catatonic about the whole thing. But I saw it and I knew that if I ever became more… accepting of it, I would hate myself for not buying it."
"What is it?", he asked curious.
"Well, it's not actually for you… and it's hidden far deep in your last drawer."
Bruce raised his eyebrows, then reached down reluctant and excited to his desk. A small silver bag rested inside and he picked it up, not knowing what to expect. He untied the knot on the bow and saw something black and tiny folded inside; he grinned widely when he lifted it and saw it was a little baby onesie with the Batman emblem on it; it even had a little cape attached to its back.
"Damn it, Selina, I love you so fucking much," he exclaimed and she laughed.
"Okay, now I really know you liked it. God, I love it when you curse," she said, suddenly feeling a bit worked up and so returning her attention to the wooden pieces in her hands. Her hormones were driving her crazy sometimes.
"So, did you find that missing evidence from the Mellier case?", Bruce asked, folding his present carefully and putting it back in the bag.
"Legally, I can't tell you that. But then again, legally, I shouldn't even be involved in it, so yes. Had to break through a glass window and broke a nail to get it," she exhaled frustrated.
He chuckled, "Well, I'm just glad you finished quick."
"Speaking of quick-ies… don't you wanna have one here," Selina purred, tapping on the furry rug she was sitting in.
He laughed, "Gotta say I'm loving this side effect of pregnancy. But I have a meeting in five."
"Five… We can make that work."
"I'm sure we can… But relax, we have all night, and good things come to those who wait."
"Yeah, but great things come to those who snatch and grab them first. Thief's word."
"Very funny. Sit tight, Mrs. Wayne, you won't be able to tomorrow."
Selina laughed, gleeful and a bit tingly.
"Can't wait," she stood up and went to hug him from behind on the chair, kissing his cheek, "I'll leave you to it, then. And before you let this meeting run late, just know your wife's gonna be upstairs in bed waiting for you, and I can only wait for so long before I start without you. I can only hope you get there in time to catch up," she said dramatically.
She grabbed the newly assembled crib and Iris began following her out.
"Oh, come on! That's not fair!", he complained, but smiling.
"Haven't they taught you in rich kids school? Life isn't fair, Mr. Wayne," she said from over her shoulder and then shut the door behind her.
She left him to work and went to the kitchen, where Danielle was preparing her her afternoon smoothie. She drank it gladly, because she'd barely had any more nausea since Dr. Thibault wrote her a prescription for it, which she only used the first week anyway. Deep within the second trimester, her morning sickness was fortunately almost nonexistent. As was her bump.
She was almost hitting the five months mark, and only those who actually knew she pregnant could spot the tiny difference if they searched for it, which was only a little round protuberance between her hips. Even with her being finally able to eat properly, her scale number hadn't really gone up as it should have, and that was a constant topic of discussion with Bruce. And so he'd left Danielle in charge of every one of Selina's meals throughout the day when she wasn't traveling for work, so she'd make sure she didn't miss any. But it wasn't making much of a difference either way, which Selina tried to justify with her fast metabolism.
Overall, she was feeling a bit more comfortable with the pregnancy. Or less spooky, at least. She could see how Bruce was relieved with her change of attitude towards it, and she'd try to grab onto that; though there were still times when she'd freak out about it and lash out on everything standing in her way.
"You get it, don't you, Iris?", Selina murmured to the kitten, who jumped on the bed and lay cuddling next to her. She scratched her little ears just the way she liked it, and the cat purred happily. "We get to run, and fight, and jump off roofs, and no one else depends on us. We're independent, wild, free. So I guess Ted was right in a way, we are selfish. But I mean… how can this little person just walk into our lives and we're suddenly expected to drop everything for them? How is that fair?"
Iris meowed.
"Yeah, I know. That's not what I'm really scared of… What I'm actually scared of is to screw this up. I can't screw up anyone else… and what if I do and she resents me forever? What, then? Will this all have been for nothing?", the cat looked at her and blinked, "I don't know, it's just a guess."
The phone on the bedside table rang and she smiled as she read the name on the ID caller.
"Hey, Alfred."
"Hello, Selina. How are you feeling today?", he asked politely.
"Good. No nausea or anything."
"That's very nice to hear."
"Yeah… but you called me Selina. Why are you trying to get on my good side, Alfred?", she joked.
"I… I have some disturbing news," Selina promptly sat up, suddenly tense, "Everything is alright now, but little Damian..."
Selina froze. "What about him, Alfred?", she demanded.
"He fell off his bike and hit his head pretty hard on a rock. They had to open him up to stop a small bleeding on his brain. He just got out of surgery, and he's recovering well."
Selina's stomach dropped. She stood up and started walking anxiously around the room, her heart beating fast in her chest. Iris followed her with her eyes. She felt angry, desperate, and at a loss of what to do. What could she even do?
"Why didn't you… why weren't we inf… how… is he awake?"
"Not yet. The doctors say it might take a few hours. But he is alright now. Out of the woods. There is no need to worry."
"Of course there is! I… we… we'll be there."
"Missus…"
"I think I can call the airline and see… no, it's better to rent a private jet… or maybe…", she started thinking out loud, mumbling agitated.
"Selina. There's no reason why you should be here. Leslie and I are looking after him. Besides, legally you don't…", he stopped himself and changed the direction of the conversation, "Are you even allowed to fly?"
She hadn't thought about that, "I-I'm not sure. But I can call Dr. Thibault right away and explain…"
"Selina, you can't just drop everything to come here like this."
"The hell I can't! He's… he… he needs us right now."
"I promise you, he's well taken care of. Right now, you have to focus on you. Take a deep breath, all that stress is not good for…"
"Take a deep breath?! He's injured! I can't believe…", she yelled exasperated, but then lowered her tone, "I gotta go. Bruce is in a meeting and we'll call you later to let you know what time we're arriving."
She hung up and started quickly grabbing the bags in the closet.
"How could they not call us first, Iris? I mean what… we're supposed to…"
A little later, downstairs at Bruce's office, he had just finished his meeting. He heard scratches on the door and opened it to find Iris trying to get in. But as soon as he did, she looked at him and bolted up the stairs. That was weird, because she never left Selina's side, and because it felt like he was being called upon. He furrowed his brow and started heading to their bedroom.
"Selina?", he called. There was no answer, but he wasn't nervous, because it was a big house and she might not listen. "Selina?", he opened the door. There were clothes scattered across the bed and traveling bags on the floor. Their passports were on top of it and she was nowhere to be seen, "Selina!", he called more urgently.
"Bruce…", he heard a whisper coming from the bathroom, so he stormed in. She was sitting on the floor with her head between her knees, and he could hear her sniffing.
"Are you okay?", he rushed to her side, squatting down next to her, "Are you sick again? Tell me what's wrong."
"Everything's wrong," she raised her head and he noticed her red eyes and nose, "first Damian, and now…"
"What happened to Damian?", he asked, suddenly worried.
"He just had brain surgery! And now… now I'm bleeding, and…", she cried.
"What? How… I… stand still, I'm calling the doctor to let him know we're coming," he picked up his phone on his back pocket and began dialing, "Is Damian okay?"
"Yes… I mean no, how could he be?!", she whimpered, "He's 7 and he just had brain surgery! And he's got no one to… oh god."
"Calm down, Selina, I'll take care… Dr. Thibault's office? Yes, this is Bruce Wayne. My wife…", his voice faltered, "she's bleeding and I… I don't know… it just happened… how is it, Selina?"
"It's just a little spot," she mumbled under her breath.
"She said it's just a little spot… okay… okay, we'll be right there," he hung up the phone, "he said it's probably nothing, but we should get there as soon as possible. Come on, let's get you up."
"How is it nothing?!", she cried out, "Of course it's something, it's always something with us! How could we even think that we could have… that we could get… Bruce…"
Bruce was panicking as well, but he tried to keep it under control. There was too much going on around him, and he felt like he'd entered battlefield mode, having battle reflexes. No time to dwell on it, just to act. He grabbed her bag and jacket and lifted her off the floor, carrying her downstairs. The fact that she didn't complain about it made him realize she was just as worried as he was.
He put her in the passenger seat and drove rapidly through the streets. She was looking out the window crying silently, and he was too nervous to speak.
"This is all my fault," she murmured.
"Selina, no," he reached for her knee, "don't say that. It's gonna be fine. The stress must have… I don't know. It's nothing."
"It's not nothing! I cursed this pregnancy from the beginning and now…" she whimpered, "All I know is the universe is punishing me for all the bad things I've done… it knows I'm not cut out to be a mom! It gave me a baby just to flaunt the possibility in my face only to take it away from me," she whined.
"You don't believe that, Selina," Bruce said, slightly containing a bit of anger. Of course that wasn't what was going on, and he hated that she would even let herself go there.
"But I do," she moaned, "I mean, look around. Look at what happened to Damian… this… this shouldn't be happening, none of this would've happened if…"
"What's that to do with anything?", he asked, suddenly feeling weirdly hesitant.
"He… he should've been here," she muttered quietly.
He had just parked the car and was about to ask her what she meant, but the nurse opened her door and started helping her get in the wheelchair. Bruce was paralyzed for a second, but then snapped out of it and rushed to her side.
They did a couple blood tests and put her in the gurney, and the doctor came in shortly after with the ultrasound machine.
"We're waiting for your results, but let's take a look here. You're at 20 weeks, up until the 22nd week, spotting can happen for numerous reasons. We already know you're a bit under the weight, but bleeding doesn't always mean something's wrong, so let's not worry until we have to, okay?", he pulled her shirt up and spread the cold gel on her stomach. "Just try to relax."
Selina tried but was unable to hold back a sarcastic nervous laugh. Bruce looked at her gently and held her head closely to his chest. The doctor furrowed his brow for a second looking at the monitor and Bruce tensed.
"Okay… oh, there it is," he said cheerfully and the room was again filled with the sound of the baby's heartbeat. "It appears everything's fine."
Bruce let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and Selina dove her face in his chest, gripping his shirt.
A nurse came in and handed over the blood test results.
"Now let's see here…", the doctor studied the papers carefully, "Everything looks just alright here, except… were you exercising? Or in a stressful situation?"
"Yeah, the last one," she muttered.
"Your adrenaline levels were through the roofs. I believe this is what must've caused the spotting. Let's try to avoid any stress, okay? But for now, I think I have an idea as to why you're having difficulty with the weight gain. Do you exercise a lot?"
"No…", she mumbled.
"Yes," Bruce said at the same time. She glanced at him giving him an angry warning look.
"I mean, it's not like I'm at the gym 24/7. My… job is… physically demanding."
"That's an understatement," Bruce murmured under his breath, but she heard him and rolled her eyes.
Dr. Thibault seemed a bit confused and surprised — probably wondering what kind of physically demanding job the wife of Bruce Wayne could possibly have. He noticed they didn't seem too eager to talk about it, so he chose to leave it behind.
"Well, I think it's time you take a break. I'm recommending you get bed rest for a week and slow down for the rest of the pregnancy. In a few weeks, if there's no more spotting incidents, you can exercise up to three times a week, but nothing heavy or particularly challenging. Do you think that's manageable?"
"Uhm," she simply groaned in agreement.
"Absolutely," Bruce reinforced.
"I'll get you a medical certificate for your work," he said, starting to walk out.
"There's no need," she said, and he seemed even more puzzled.
"Okay... That's about it, then, you're free to go. If there's any problem, you can call me on my personal number at any time."
"Thank you, Dr. Thibault," Bruce said, and the doctor left the room. "See? I told you it was nothing."
"Ha. You don't fool me, Wayne, you were shaking to your core."
"Yes, I was. But I knew it was nothing."
"Actually… can you get him back here? I forgot to ask something."
Bruce went outside and brought the doctor back, looking a bit curious.
"Dr. Thibault, would it be okay for me to travel at this point?"
Bruce looked at her confused.
"You mean fly? If it's anything less than two hours, sure. If not… I would really be discouraging about it. If something happened and you were up in the air, there's no way to tell…"
"I see. That's okay. I understand. Thank you."
Bruce didn't need to ask. On the way home, he could see she was more relieved, but that she wasn't calm yet, and it wasn't hard to figure out why.
He stroked her thigh comfortingly, "He'll be alright, Selina. You three will."
She sighed.
——— A month later ———
"Iris, honey, I see you, but one of these days someone's gonna step on your paws," Selina said, treading carefully as to not crush the cat stroking its face and twining around her legs as she walked.
She let herself down on the couch, where Bruce waited for her to come back to unpause the movie they'd been watching. She lay down and rested her head on his lap. Now on her body, where before there was practically nothing, stood a small but evident baby bump, specially when she lied on her back like she'd just done. Bruce smiled and absentmindedly started stroking her hair.
"I don't know what social conformity or common sense say about this, but I hope you don't mind me using you as a popcorn bowl holder," Selina said to her stomach, placing the plastic bowl on top of it.
Bruce chuckled, but before he could say anything, something moved underneath it and the popcorn swung slightly to the side, and it would've hit the floor if it weren't for Selina's rapid reflexes.
"I think you mind," Selina said in shock, "did you… did you just see this?"
Bruce was also startled, staring at Selina's bump dumbfounded.
"Oh my god," she shrilled, "I… I can feel it moving. This… this is so… weird."
Selina looked up at Bruce, who seemed petrified. She grabbed his hand and put it on her stomach, and when it happened again, he flinched in surprise. She laughed at his deadpan face and he forced himself to relax, trying to feel it again. The second time, he opened the cutest, happiest smile, and Selina's chest filled with warmth.
After that, they barely paid any attention to the rest of the movie, too absorbed in their own little bubble of joy playing with their little alien.
"I mean, she's clearly a kicker, but you can just tell she's got a great right hook."
Bruce widened his eyes, "She?"
Selina felt herself blushing a little. They had decided not to know the gender until the birth.
"It's just a guess. When I imagine it, I see a girl."
He grinned, "We're having a girl?"
"If you believe my questionable unproven subconscious superpowers."
"I do."
"Then yes, we're having a girl."
Bruce wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her up to him, pressing quick kisses all over her shoulder and neck as she laughed delighted.
It felt like a horrible thing to say, but Selina was glad they'd had the spotting scare. Because now that she realized how desperate and afraid she'd gotten when she thought she'd lost her baby, her other fears seemed incomparable and irrelevant next to that one. She was feeling way more comfortable with the pregnancy, trying to focus more on the fact that she'd have a kid instead of the fact that she'd be a mom — it was the way she'd found to not feel so overwhelmed and affected.
It started out simple, with her feeling more at ease talking about it, to her being more comfortable touching her belly, feeling it, talking to it — which she'd avoided at all costs for the first months, when all it'd do was leave her anxious. And then came the other things, smaller ones comparatively, like being able to look at baby things, like clothes, toys or furniture; and then willingly looking for them.
Obviously, there were still many concerns and things that frightened her and intimidated her. She hadn't had the most functional raising or family, so she had no idea what she was in for. Her sister Maggie had picked up on that and would always tell her she had nothing to worry about, and that she'd always be around to help if she needed. Her brother wasn't so forward about these things, but he tried to help in his own way; he'd send her funny videos of babies and children, most of them making messes, warning her that that was what she should be expecting from now on; he'd be joking, of course, because then he'd send her gifts once in a while, like funny baby t-shirts and hats.
So one of the main reasons she had for not completely losing it was the extensive safenet she'd suddenly found herself in. Alfred called everyday, no exceptions. Leslie would text her often, making sure she was okay. Pam was so supportive sometimes it would even get annoying, and Jen always had her back, no matter how many sarcastic comments she'd make. Even Blake would check in on them once in a while.
And, of course, Bruce. Her ever-loving, impossibly patient and inexplicably understanding husband, who'd hold her hand and carry her every step of the way.
And still, she felt this unexplainable pit in her stomach telling her something was missing. Her life had turned out to be everything she never thought it'd be, full of love, safety and support. But there was still this feeling that she lacked that one piece right in the center of her puzzle.
"Selina, I know what you're thinking," Bruce said suddenly, interrupting her train of thought. He touched swiftly the little wrinkle that had formed between her eyebrows while she'd been concentrated.
"He's supposed to leave the hospital today," she murmured.
"I know," he mumbled, "I talked to Alfred, he already did."
She raised her eyebrows a bit startled, but then her face crumbled again and she sighed.
"Is there something you wanna tell me, Selina?", Bruce asked calmly.
"What do you mean?"
"I think we both know what I mean," he said, "Do you trust me?"
She glanced at him confused, "Of course I do."
"Then say it," he whispered gently.
Selina looked into his eyes, and hers suddenly became pooled with tears.
"We have to bring him home, Bruce," she said, then exhaled, feeling like she'd just taken a huge weight off her shoulders.
Bruce didn't seem one bit surprised. He studied her expression for a while, and then wiped away the tears that hadn't yet streamed down. A little smile popped in his face.
"You were scared to have one, now you want two?"
She let out a nervous chuckle and sniffed, "Well, I've always been an all-or-nothing kind of girl."
"It's always sink or swim with you, isn't it?"
"Yeah… but I guess part of me has always wanted him. I've just been too scared to even consider it," she said and looked at Bruce, "and I think you have too. And while we're at it, he's there all alone. He's an orphan just like we were, but maybe… maybe he doesn't have to be."
Selina stood up from Bruce's lap and began treading around the room wonderingly. He followed her with his eyes and waited patiently for her to start talking, as she was so clearly trying to organize her thoughts to do so.
"He just reminds me so much of you. His eyes, his smile, sometimes even the way he talks. We fly over just to see him, we call him all the time, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why… he's ours," she said, then stopped walking and crossed her arms embracing herself, "He should be here before she arrives. So he doesn't feel left out." Bruce kept staring at her and she suddenly became afraid she'd pushed too far too fast. She came over and squatted down in front of him, grabbing his hands, "Sorry, I feel like I just sprang this out on you without a warning. But Bruce… I mean, if you can honestly tell me you don't want him, I'll never bring it up again."
Bruce sighed slowly and muttered, "No, I want him."
Selina widened her eyes, "You want him?"
"Yeah, I want him."
She grinned widely and pressed her forehead against his hands for a second, then jumped on Bruce's lap again, throwing her arms around him. Her excitement was outpouring and he laughed freely at it. His own heart was exploding with joy inside his chest.
"I love you so much," she said, pressing kisses all over his face, "we both do," she smiled, driving his hand to her belly so he could feel how strongly their baby was kicking.
He stroked it tenderly, then spoke full of emotion, "I guess we're also having a boy."
——— Three months later ———
"Alfred, are you sure?"
"We'll be fine, Missus Wayne. Go and bring our little Helena home."
"Okay," she said, looking around the room a bit agitated, "leave the night lights on or he'll get scared. Also, he always gets rid of his blanket in the middle of the night, so just check once in a while, otherwise he wakes up curled up in a ball in cold."
"Selina, Alfred's done this before," Bruce whispered, entering the room with Damian asleep in his shoulders.
"Right," she murmured, "I'm sorry, I'm just a bit…"
"I know, my dear," Alfred kissed her forehead, "just try to remain calm and worry only about you and this baby right now. I'll take care of little Damian and everything else.
Bruce put him down in bed and kissed his head softly. The little boy groaned but quickly became still again, breathing heavily. They'd taken him for a last hangout around town before his little sister arrived. He'd begged them to take him to the "big tower" he'd usually see from anywhere in town. Needless to say, it wasn't Bruce and Selina's favorite spot; but she wavered almost immediately seeing his excitement to go. Bruce was a bit more hesitant for her, but it paid off seeing his son's eyes shining watching the tower lights flickering at night.
Their trip was cut short when Selina began feeling breathless. She insisted it was only Braxton-Hicks, because their due date was only in a week, but mainly because she didn't want to spoil Damian's fun, who'd been playing and running on the grass. Bruce kept saying she was being stubborn, but then he gladly missed the opportunity to say "I told you so" when her water broke seconds before they entered the car to go back home.
It was a bit late already and Damian fell asleep on the way back, so they didn't feel like waking him up. Alfred insisted and had already flown in to help them around with him and the baby for the first few weeks; which worked out perfectly for them, because the boy was already familiar with him. Damian had fit into their small family so naturally it felt as if he'd been there all along.
Selina turned off the lights and the little bats flying out of his bed on the wall shone in the dark. She gazed at the little boy sleeping peacefully and smiled; but then a grunt came out of her mouth when a sharp pain hit her again and Bruce helped her into their bedroom. Their little girl was early and already anxious to come out.
Although they'd already been treating the baby as if it was a girl, they'd had the confirmation a few weeks before, when one of nurses let it slip while they were taking an ultrasound. So they decided to make it official and pick out a name. None of the ones they'd considered were clicking, but when Damian one day casually suggested his late mother's name, they both instantly felt it was the right choice — especially after the little boy immediately bursted into happy tears when they told him.
Selina sat down on the bed and Bruce rushed around the room to get their bags and documents. Her hands stroked her round stretched belly soothingly, trying to calm down the agitated and antsy baby inside.
"You're getting uncomfortable, aren't you?", she muttered short of breath to Helena, "You and me both."
Bruce squatted down in front of her to change her shoes.
"I feel so pathetic when you have to do that. I miss seeing my feet."
"Newsflash: your feet are the same… Okay, they're a little swollen, but there's really nothing to see," he said, then grabbed her hand and kissed it before standing up.
"Ha-ha."
Bruce had already called the hospital to let them know they'd be coming. Contrary to what he'd thought it would be like a few months before, Selina was the one who had to reassure him and keep him from losing it.
"How are you doing?", he asked tensely as soon as the hospital staff accommodated them in the birthing room marked SKW.
"I'm fine. How are you doing?"
"Are you sure about the epidural? I don't wanna see you in pain…"
"Bruce, chill. I'm al-right…", she said, but stopped talking right in the middle of a contraction and held the handrails in the bed for support.
"Okay, they're getting less and less further apart," he said, stroking her shoulders as she rode it out.
"God, these hurt like a bitch," she groaned in a strangled voice.
"Selina… take the anesthesia," he begged, "There's nothing wrong with that."
"No, I'm fine."
"You are so stubborn."
"Tell me something I don't know."
Hours and hours passed and the sun had already risen when the big one hit. It came out of nowhere and it took Selina by surprise, taking her breath away. Bruce knew she had an unimaginable, inconceivable tolerance for pain, but when he looked into her eyes he could see she was doing everything in her power to hide her agony and not complain. But she was pale and sweating cold, and she closed her watery eyes shut tight to try to focus.
"Selina, please just accept the drugs, please," he asked desperate, brushing her hair away from her face.
The doctor came in, "We're past that time. Her pulse is a little weaker than ideal, but she's going to have to give birth without the anesthesia now."
"Bruce, bucket," she murmured faintly, "bucket…"
"Wha…", he picked it up before finishing, quickly understanding what she meant.
She threw up violently, even though there was nothing in her stomach.
"You really are in a lot of pain, aren't you?", Dr. Thibault asked concerned.
"I'm fine," she mumbled, but she wouldn't open her eyes and her voice was too weak to be taken seriously.
"Doc, please, is there really nothing you…"
"Not at this point. We'll just have to wait, at most give her something to get her blood pressure up a bit."
"How long now?", Bruce asked and Selina's eyes followed the doctor, waiting for his answer.
"Probably about an hour. I'll be back in 15 minutes. Try to take deep breaths. And you, dad," he pointed to Bruce with his pen, "distract her."
The doctor closed the door and Bruce brought in a cool towel to wipe her face. He started massaging her belly in hopes that it would alleviate some of the tension, but she just grabbed his hand.
"Just talk to me," she asked weakly.
"Okay…", he sat down on the bed, "let's see… what happened to the car you stole from me the second time we met?"
She chuckled a bit, "I sold it to the Maroni's."
"Uh, great."
"It was good money."
"I'm sure it was."
"I'll pay you back."
"Interest payment?", he joked.
"Sure."
He kissed her forehead, "You're doing amazing. There's no need to downplay your pain, I won't freak out, okay? I promise. I'm right here, take it out on me, I can take it."
"Okay, good… Cause there's another one coming," she grunted.
"Wait, already?! I'll call the doctor right now."
"Bruce," she muttered, gripping his hand before he could leave. Her eyes suddenly let show the fear she'd been trying so hard not to let show.
Bruce shot her a sympathetic look and pulled her to sit up, that way he could slip in and sit behind her and hold her from behind to help her. She lay on his chest and threw her head back, writhing and trying not to scream, breathing through the excruciating pain that followed. He pressed the button to call in the nurses and stroked her hair to calm her down.
"It's alright, my love. I'm so sorry it hurts this much. But I'm right here, I love you infinitely. I won't let anything happen to you or our little girl. You're gonna be fine, just take it out on me."
"It's time," the doctor announced as he entered the room.
———
"Why do I have this feeling that she's going to be a daddy's girl?", Selina said, looking at Bruce nursing a sleeping Helena in his arms. The scene warmed her heart.
"Cause your feelings are usually spot on."
"That's so unfair," she pretended to whine.
The bedroom door was busted opened and Damian stormed in, rushing to the hospital bed, as Alfred came in close behind.
"Mom!"
"Hi, baby!", she said excitedly, "Wai… ouch," she moaned when he jumped on her lap and hugged her.
"Be careful with your mom, Dam, she's still sore," Bruce said softly, walking towards them, "There's someone here dying to meet you."
"Do you wanna hold her?", Selina said and his little eyes sparkled.
"Can I?", he asked surprised.
"Of course. Sit down here next to me."
Selina put her arms around him and Bruce put the tiny baby in his lap as she supported her head.
"Hello, Helena. I'm Damian, your big brother. It's nice to meet you," he said formally. They all chuckled around the room and he looked confused, "Shouldn't she say something back?"
"Not yet, buddy," Bruce laughed.
Selina noticed Alfred was still standing watching them by the door.
"Aren't you coming in? She doesn't bite yet," she joked.
"I am. I'm just…", his voice faltered, "taking it all in."
His tone made all three heads turn to him, which caused him to lose whatever control over his emotions he still had. A few tears streamed down his face and Bruce smiled, going straight to hug his former guardian.
"Daddy, why is Alfred crying?"
"He's just happy, son," he said, turning his head to look at them, "as am I."
Selina caught his eye and smiled, her eyes filled with unspoken emotions.
They were kept at the hospital for observation for another night, since Helena's delivery had been rough on Selina and she'd been feeling a bit weak and worn down. Damian wept a little when visiting hours ended, but Bruce comforted him in his arms and walked with Alfred to the car.
"Just you and me again, huh?", Selina whispered to the little bundle in her arms, "You've really taken after your father, you know? I can already tell you two are like two peas in a pod… just like with him, I was so scared of you at first. Then I realized I was just scared of how much I wanted you and how much I loved you."
"You won't remember this day, my sweet Helena. But please, know this; me meeting your father was the beginning of a new life for me. But your birth was my birthing of it. You and your brother are our most treasured gifts and we can only hope to be do good by you. You see, we're a little scarred and damaged ourselves. But I guess if we can make something so perfect and beautiful as you, maybe it's cause we're not so broken after all."
"Now that I've come to think about it, maybe you do have something that's all me in you. I'm the thief, but you're the one who stole my heart."
——— 2 years later ———
"Alfred would've loved this."
"Yeah…"
"Leslie called again today."
"Yeah..."
"Are you okay?", Selina asked, gently stroking his cheek.
"Yeah."
The ocean breeze hit their faces and they could almost feel the taste of salt, sand and sunset. She rested her head on Bruce's shoulder and took it in.
Damian was swimming in the water and Helena slept heavily on the cloth laid in the sand in front of them, exhausted from her day playing at the beach. The only sounds came from the little boy as he laughed, jumping and skipping waves.
"Ugh, it just kills you to have to wake her up, doesn't it?"
"I think we can let her sleep a little longer," Bruce replied, gazing at the little girl.
"She's going to be fussy all night. Then you're going to have to stay up with her."
"I don't mind," he muttered quietly.
Selina looked at him, studying his expression for a while, then kissed his cheek softly.
"I'm just kidding. Of course I'll stay up with you."
He smiled faintly and caressed her thigh, seeming too absorbed in his own mental wanderings.
"Do you wanna go home?", she asked.
"No… I wanna be here. Besides, the kids would be devastated to leave now," he said, then complemented, "If you need to go back to work…"
"Bruce, no. What I need is to be with you. You, the kids, you're my priority. Everything else can wait," she reassured, "Besides, I do most of my investigations from afar these days."
"But they need you there anyway. You don't need to stay. I'm fine, I promise."
"No, you're not. And that's okay. You carry me, I carry you. It's my turn."
Bruce sighed and wrapped his arms around her, "I'm so lucky to have you."
"Luck doesn't even begin to cover it," she joked.
He chuckled a bit and that was enough for her for the moment. Damian called them and started showing them new tricks he'd invented for playing with the waves.
"You're right, I'm not fine," he said later, then sighed, "but I will be. You've made me the happiest I could ever be. I just need to be sad for a while."
"I understand. Take your time. I'm right here," she said, then decided to speak her mind out loud after some time, "Five years ago on this beach you promised me the world. You promised me you. That's my favorite memory of us, that's when I thought I'd peaked in life. It could never get any better than that. Truth is, you gave me so much more since then, and so every second with you I'm peaking."
He caved in and opened a teasing smile, "You're Catwoman. Are you telling me you peaked at the most vanilla moment of your life?"
"You're Batman. Are you telling me the happiest you could ever be was achieved with a wife and kids? Isn't that too vanilla for the dark knight?"
He laughed.
"Yeah, well… then I guess we're both suckers," he smirked, then pressed his lips against hers.
——— The End ———