Bruce made several traffic violations on his way home. He drove many miles over the speed limit, ran a few red lights and stop signs, trying to get to the penthouse as quickly as possible. Once he was there he burst through the front door, drenched in a nervous sweat. He saw Aymara in the living room.
"Where is she?" Bruce demanded immediately.
"Mother and Adriana are in the bedroom, since she needs to be laying down-" Aymara started to say and Bruce began his dash in the direction where they were but Aymara lept in front of him.
"Excuse me-" Bruce said and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"You can't go in," Aymara said firmly.
"What?" Bruce asked.
"Mother told me not to let you in until they're done," Aymara said.
"Listen... Aymara...you know what I've been through. You're the one that made all of this possible, you're the one that told me that it was possible for me to go back and fix everything. I've been through hell and all I need right now is to see my wife," Bruce told her but Aymara looked confused.
Bruce could tell that she had no recollection of Adriana dying and no memory of telling him to go to Madame Twyla.
"You have to wait," Aymara said softly. "We can't interrupt."
Bruce looked beyond Aymara's shoulder, desperate to run through the halls. But he didn't want to ruin anything. This was his only chance.
"Okay," Bruce said, wiping his hair back with his hand. "Okay..we'll wait."
"We must," Aymara said and smiled.
"How is she?" Bruce asked. "How is Adriana is she.."
"She's just fine," Aymara said. "Although she was asking for you-"
"She was?" Bruce felt himself leaping out of his skin. It look all he had to contain himself and remain in the living room area.
"Yes," Aymara said. "She said she wanted to wait for you to be here before we started but Mother said no."
"What? Why?" Bruce asked.
"I don't know," Aymara shrugged. "She told me to leave the room and wait for you-"
"Master Bruce," Bruce heard Alfred behind him. He was holding Arsenio. "I hope your day was productive."
Bruce almost fell back onto the couch when he saw how small Arsenio was. His mind was warped.
"Arsenio.." Bruce said and reached for him.
Arsenio smiled and held out his arms. "Daaa!" he squealed.
When Bruce had him in his arms, the lighter weight, the finer hair on his head...it was all too much. Some instinct in him had to be suppressed. The instinct that small children should always be growing and that was what was healthy. Shrinking back meant illness or undernourishment. But the baby was perfectly healthy, just months younger.
Alfred and Aymara looked at Bruce, he looked shocked and overwhelmed and neither one of them knew what was wrong with him.
"She's going to be fine," Aymara encouraged Bruce.
Bruce nodded, holding his baby and sitting down on the couch with him.
"I missed you," Bruce said to Arsenio who was still smiling. "So much...I'm sorry I was away for so long.."
"Perhaps you can take the day off tomorrow," Alfred suggested, unsure of why Bruce looked so guilty for spending a few hours away during the day at work.
"Oh..I will be taking the day off for sure," Bruce said to Alfred.
Aymara sat next to Bruce and Alfred asked if they needed anything before leaving the room. She watched Bruce's knee bouncing rapidly with nervousness. Arsenio seemed to be enjoying it and began to laugh.
"So.." Bruce said and smiled at his son, trying not to let his nerves show. He felt like an alien acclimating to life on another planet. "What exactly is Sidi doing to Adriana?"
"Oh," Aymara said, ready to explain. "She gives her an herbal tea, it's basically to relax her body and mind. It's a rare herb that we must import and doesn't have the longest shelf life but we got some more recently. It works to dull the gift as an initial first step to weaken it before we proceed. Last time Adriana drank a bit too much the first time...it's quite a noxious drink and since she overdid it we couldn't go on with the rest. Anyways, after the tea she'll take another herbal tincture which does basically the same thing but a bit stronger and it also helps temporarily dull the taste sense. The last step is more difficult..mother has these mineral rocks, it looks like a small salt crystal. Adriana would have to lay down and hold it in her mouth under her tongue until it dissolves. It's a horrible tasting thing, and takes a while to break down, but the tincture makes it bearable."
"What does the mineral do?" Bruce asked.
"It dissolves into the salivary glands, and collects in some tissues..namely the pineal gland in the brain," Aymara said. "It goes there and basically forms a wall of rock around it..hardens it. Nothing gets in or out."
"That..sounds dangerous," Bruce said, thinking of a mineral he was unfamiliar with trickling in and calcifying Adriana's brain.
"Don't worry..the herbs help make it safer in the right doses," Harri said.
Bruce nodded as Arsenio tried to put one of Bruce's fingers into his mouth.
"And then when this is done..she'll be okay," Bruce said.
"It will block her gift when the entire thing is dissolved," Aymara said and suddenly Bruce felt some relief.
If he had gone into the room immediately, Adriana may have seen all his thoughts and memories before the mineral could take effect. Her death, his return to the past...his knowledge about her and the Joker.
"She will have some effects for a few days though," Aymara said.
"Like what?" Bruce asked.
"Mainly headache," Aymara said. "She will take a teaspoon of the herbal tea for ten days, one spoon a day at noon and it will ease it somewhat."
"Can she take medication?" Bruce asked.
"Yes," Aymara said. "Pain medicine is fine as far as I know..I'll check with mother when they're done to be sure."
Bruce nodded again and again, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to go to the bathroom.
"Will you take him for a moment," Bruce said, finding it difficult to let Arsenio go. He wanted nothing but to cling to his family and cherish every second. "Just..need the men's room."
"Yup," Aymara said and took Arsenio and Bruce went to the restroom off the side of the living room.
When he was alone he felt himself grow enormously proud of himself. It had worked! He had saved her! He was sure that Sidi knew what she was doing. He prayed that everything would go well. He stood in front of the mirror and looked at himself.
He looked great. His body was built again, his hair was rich and dark and his skin was youthful. He touched his jaw and admired himself. The change that had occurred to his body in the past had impacted him more than he realized. Seeing himself now was such a contrast. Maybe Madame Twyla was wrong. He looked phenomenal.
The one thing he was confused about was Harri. She remembered nothing and he remembered everything. He also needed to know about the radiation exposure that they had been exposed to. If Twyla was right about the physical changes being permanent, both he and Harri would have signs of radiation exposure in a few months.
Bruce took a deep breath and after he was finished in the restroom he walked out and looked at Aymara playing with Arsenio. As he watched them, he felt a bitof sadness. He thought of everything Arsenio had learned, all of the time they spent together and how many things Bruce had taught him. The smiles, the laughter, the new words, all of those cherished moments had been erased. But then Bruce realized they would all happen again, but this time Adriana would be there for them all.
.
.
.
"It is done," Sidi said behind Bruce and Aymara as she came into the living room an hour later. Arsenio was taking a nap and both Bruce and Aymara were waiting.
"Sidi," Bruce said and stood up. Aymara stood beside him. "She's alright?"
"Yes," Sidi said. "She is resting."
"May I see her?" Bruce said, his anxiousness obvious.
"Here," Sidi said and handed Bruce a small bag. "Brew a quarter teaspoon this in one cup boiling water for three minutes. She needs a teaspoon every day at the same time. Noon. Discard the rest and brew freshly every day. Ten days she will need this."
"Okay," Bruce said and took the bag.
"Oh, mother," Aymara remembered. "Bruce wanted to know if she can have pain medication?"
"She can," Sidi said and looked Bruce in the eyes, something in her eyes all-knowing. "We'll go now, Mara."
"Okay.." Aymara said and gave Bruce a hug.
"I..can't thank you enough," Bruce said to Sidi who was picking up her bag from the couch.
Sidi said nothing and simply gave Bruce a tight smile.
"Come see me," Sidi said to Bruce. "We have much to discuss."
"Oh..alright," Bruce said.
"Come, Mara," Sidi said as they went to the door. "I'm sure he's anxious to see his wife."