"What time is it?" Adriana woke up and yawned.
Bruce looked at the Rolex that was still on his wrist.
"4:42 a.m." he answered.
"Mmm.." Adriana moaned against the pillow. "We were in here all evening...Alfred probably had to put Arsenio to sleep earlier.."
"It's fine," Bruce said and kissed her forehead. "He'll be up in a few hours."
"Did you sleep?" Adriana asked him. She had fallen asleep for a few hours and had awakened to him watching her sleep.
"No," he answered.
She smiled. "You're just an energizer bunny right now, aren't you?" she yawned again.
"You could say so," Bruce said.
Truthfully, he was beginning to remember the past. It was the day that she had died and it was all echoing in his mind. He was anxiously waiting for the time to pass. In half an hour it would have come and gone, and then maybe he would feel like this was final and real. He would finally realize he had been given a second chance.
"Maybe you should get some sleep," she told him and lifted herself up onto her arms to kiss him.
"I will," he said.
"Okay," she said, waiting for him to lay down. He was sitting up with his back against the pillows. "When?"
"I don't know," he said. "Maybe in an hour."
Adriana dropped the side of her face back down onto the pillow and stretched one of her arms out over the sheets covering his legs.
"So weird.." she said.
"What's weird?" he asked.
She tilted her head and looked up into his eyes. "My gift. It's completely gone," she told him. "Forever this time. I mean..I guess I've gotten used to this feeling from when I was pregnant and I couldn't hear thoughts. But this time..it's permanent and I know it."
Bruce caressed her arm that was stretched across his lap.
"Now what will we do about the people harassing and threatening your freedom and identity?" she asked.
"Don't worry your pretty head about that, my love," Bruce replied and looked straight ahead. "I will deal with it. I'd much rather have you here and healthy than have you gifted and suffering."
"Well.." she shrugged. "It was just hot flashes here and there. We probably could have waited."
"No," Bruce said and squeezed her arm gently. "It needed to be done."
"Mmm..." Adriana moaned again. "If you say so. I just wish there was more I could do to help you."
Suddenly, Bruce was overwhelmed with guilt. He was remembering very vividly how he had accused her of being the threatening to expose him to police.
"You alright sweetie?" Adriana asked him.
"Yes," he said. "I love you so much."
"I love you too," she said sleepily.
"You're right, I should sleep," Bruce said and began to slide down into the covers with her.
They kissed, covered by the sheets and Bruce wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"Nooo..." she moaned into his chest.
"What is it?" he asked quickly.
"I don't feel like getting up," she said. "I have to pee."
"Oh.." Bruce said and squeezed her a bit tighter.
She began to sit up and he clung to her, not wanting to let her go.
"Be right back," she whispered and kissed him before flinging the covers off of herself.
Adriana swung her legs off of the bed and began to stand up but Bruce lunged forward and grabbed her around the waist pulling her back. She erupted into a fit of laughter in his arms.
"What are you doing?" she asked and reached back to touch his cheek.
"Stay," he said. "Please..."
"Love, I have to pee," she said and gently moved his arms. "I'll be right back."
"Are you sure?" he said, grabbing at the air once as she stood quickly and began to walk away.
"Am I sure I have to go to the bathroom?" she turned and asked him. "Yes."
Bruce looked back and forth between Adriana and the bathroom door, not wanting her to go in.
"I'll come with you," he said and began to get up.
"I don't think I need a chaperone," she laughed and kissed his cheek. "I'll be back in a sec."
Bruce helplessly watched her go into their bathroom and shut the door. He waited and waited for her to finish but the seconds felt like hours. He began to feel alone, paranoid, anxious and impatient. After jumping from the bed he ran over to the door and opened it. He walked in past the vanity and around to the toilet where she was just flushing and had begun to stand up.
"You have to go?" she asked him. He looked rushed and panicked.
"No..no I don't," he said.
"Oh...okay then," she said and went over to the sink.
He walked behind her as she went to the sink and grabbed a bar of soap and a washcloth before yawning again. She looked very sleepy as she washed her hands and barely seemed to take notice of him behind her as she lathered the cloth. She looked up into the mirror and saw him behind her, watching her intently.
"Bruce?" she asked as she squeezed excess water out of the cloth.
"Yes?" he replied.
"You're hovering," she said, almost laughing.
"I'm just..watching you," he said and glanced at his watch again. It was time.
"Okay...but it's awkward," she said.
"Why?" he asked. "I just want to..be close by you...that's not awkward."
"I mean," she said and lifted one of her legs to place her foot on the edge of the sink counter. "It is awkward when I'm about to wash my vagina."
"Well, I'll just watch," he said, afraid to blink in case she disappeared or somehow her gift returned.
She shook her head and began to clean herself. Bruce watched her for a moment and then looked at himself in the mirror. Seeing himself strong, muscular and built made him feel like he could conquer anything. Nothing would hurt her. He looked back at her as she rinsed the cloth before wiping again.
"I'm sorry," Bruce apologized, even though she seemed to be ignoring him. "I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable."
"I'm not," she laughed, using both hands to clean. "It must be weird for you to watch though. Me just...cleaning your cum out of there."
"It's not weird," he said. "I've seen you do it before."
"Seen and watching is two different things," she laughed humorously. "Anyways..maybe we should just get in the bath since we're here-"
"No!" Bruce said as she sat the cloth down. "I..uh...let's just go back to bed."
She frowned at his outburst. He hated the bathroom. He abhorred the bathtub. All he wanted was to move back to Wayne Manor immediately, away from the place that haunted his memories.
"Mmmkay," she said and touched his arm. But then she was frowning again.
"What is it? Are you okay?" he asked in a bit of a panic.
"Yeah..just...your hair," she said and touched his hair with both hands. "What the.."
"What is it-" he asked and looked into the mirror.
It was shocking how in just a few moments he had developed several gray hairs. His hair was still overall dark, but the white streak by his ear stood out the most.
"How..." she began to ask and he moved her hands down.
"Let's go to bed," he repeated.
"Bruce..what the hell were they doing to you in that board room today? Your hair just went gray..like just now," she asked, mostly confused.
"It's fine," he said.
"Bruce, that's really weird. How could this just-" she said reaching for his hair again.
"Stop," he said, calmly. "It's fine..it happens. I'm under a lot of pressure right now. It's normal."
Besides the fact that Bruce had barely looked into the mirror and that he had accepted the grey so quickly, Adriana looked down at her feet. She looked guilty.
"Okay," she said. "Yeah..let's go to bed.."
"Hey.." he said gently and touched her chin and lifted her face. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry," she said, suddenly tearful. "You must be worried sick about..these people...the one's who have it in for you. I mean..there's a chance you could get sent to prison and everyone will know about Dent and that you killed him and-"
"No, no, no, no," Bruce tried to calm her.
"And now I can't even help you..." she said.
"Adriana," he said seriously, holding her face firmly. "Look at me."
She blinked and looked him timidly.
"Trust me," he said. "I don't care anything about that right now. Not at all! All I care about is you. I love you more than you could ever know..and just the fact that you're here with me right now...Just...I love you. I'm not stressed about anything. I'm happier than you could imagine."
She nodded, unconvincingly. "Okay."
He kissed her forehead before picking her up and carrying her to bed. She fell asleep easily and he felt himself drifting off moments later.
Bruce wasn't prepared for the dream. A nightmare. It was like reliving the past.
.
.
He felt arms pulling him..it was Alfred. He felt himself in a haze of grief as paramedics came in from behind him and he felt another set of arms pulling him away from the bathroom. He could barely see her as the paramedics went down to the floor to begin to work on her. Alfred could have called Dr. Kapoor but he judged the situation, and saw that an entire team was necessary. The paramedics eventually removed him from the bathroom and guided him to the bedroom.
They made him sit and tried to get him to explain what had happened but all he wanted was to get back to her. To hear her cough or breathe. Something to let him know she was alive. Time stretched on and on as Bruce sat in the bedroom and finally the police arrived. They wouldn't let him anywhere near the bathroom.
"Please.." Bruce begged as one of the officers came from the bathroom. "Tell me what's going on-"
"Mr. Wayne," a paramedic emerged from the bathroom after the officer.
"Yes!" Bruce stood up and Alfred stood beside him.
"Typically..we only to administer CPR for 40 minutes maximum," the paramedic began to explain sadly. "I'm so sorry...but we must pronounce your wife as dead."
Bruce felt his legs weaken as he fell back onto the chair. He sat in a dazed as the people around him moved. The world moving around him in a clouded haze. Alfred's hand on his shoulder did nothing to ground him. It felt unreal.
A few minutes later he watched them carry out the covered body on a stretcher and it was finalized. He couldn't see her at all, she was covered. In the present reality, Bruce barely remembered this moment, but in the dream it was painfully real. It seemed that his brain had blocked this memory because it was too painful. But now he was seeing it vividly again and he would always remember it.
"No..." he began to sob and go to the stretcher but he was held back. "Adriana! Adriana!"
He began to scream her name over and over and felt himself held back by countless arms. The police had to subdue him. The sounds of his own crying and screaming rattled his brain. He knew that he was physically strong enough to throw all of the cops off of him, but in the moment, his muscles felt limp and useless.
Bruce gasped for air as he opened his eyes. The sun was out and he was in the bed alone. He felt completely lost. He was in the penthouse, not knowing what was real. Was it the morning after her death? Had he really gone back in time to save her?
He got out of the bed, entirely nude and ran into the bathroom.
"Adriana?!" he called out with no answer.
Then he ran from the bedroom, calling her name over and over. Before he could break down, he found her and Alfred in the kitchen. She was holding Arsenio in one arm as she poured creamer into her coffee. She and Alfred looked at him, standing in the kitchen naked. Arsenio looked at him sleepily, nudity not something he was aware of yet.
"Uhh..." Bruce said, running a hand through his hair nervously but relieved none of the cleaning staff were around. "I was just looking for you..."
"Daaaa," Arsenio said and reached to Bruce.
"Maybe you can help your Daddy find his boxers," Adriana laughed and walked over to hand the baby to Bruce.
Bruce laughed nervously and Alfred went back to putting the lid onto the syrup pouring jar. As Bruce held Arsenio and made his way back to the bedroom, he thought of his extremely clear and realistic feeling dream. He never wanted to have such a dream again.