Epilogue: Choices/The Wonderful Life
Dick was still screaming as he opened his eyes and found himself back in his hospital room. The figure was standing next to him as he collapsed onto the floor.
"Are you satisified with what you have seen?"
"No," he growled, looking up at her. "What? Is this supposed to make me value my life? Because it hasn't. You showed me nothing. Some people would have been better off if I had never existed at all, and some would have put their lives to shit. So what does that tell me? Nothing. I can do nothing!" he yelled at her, storming past her.
"I didn't come here to show you a fantasy world where everyone would have suffered without you," she said harshly. "I came here to show you the effects of your choices… and let you make the decision as to whether your life was worthy or not. And I wasn't the one doubting it in the first place… you were."
"So what am I supposed to do now?" he asked, wheeling on her.
"You give up… you die. Or you continue the fight. The choice is yours."
"Choices… choices…" he scoffed. "Well from what you've shown me… when have I made any good choices?"
"It's not the choices you have made," the figure explained, softening. "It's the choices you could make. Everyone strays down the wrong path at some point in their life. The true winners are the ones who backtrack, and find the way back to the right one."
He looked up at her for a moment. "You're one hell of a guardian angel, can I tell you that? Only I would have a guardian angel that has to kick my ass to get through to me."
She smiled through the veil. "I'm flattered, even though I'm not your guardian angel."
"Who are you, then?"
"Let's just say…," she started as she eased him over to the bed, laying him down on top of his own body, "that you're a very important person to me… you're part of me in some ways. And it benefits me to make sure that you make the right choices."
He nodded. "This is the right choice," he said as he laid down on the hospital bed, watching the figure take a seat beside him, and hold his hand in hers. "This is right."
As he closed his eyes, he noticed that he recognized the figure. That face… I know that face…, he thought as he slowly drifted back to reality.
When Dick Grayson opened his eyes, he was once again blinded by a bright light, but through the bright light, he saw a woman sitting next to him. She was holding his hand. No, he thought. I'm still here. I've actually died this time. I can't go back and fix things.
When he opened his eyes, he heard the woman that was holding his hand gasp tearfully. "Oh my god…" she said softly. As she touched his face, his vision adjusted and he saw her face clearly.
"Barbara?" he said in a horse voice.
Tears streamed down her face as she nodded. "Yes… oh my god." She pressed her face close to his and he could feel the hot wetness of her tears. "Oh my god… Dick… I thought you were never coming back to me… I thought I had lost you forever."
"How?" he asked, swallowing to try and wet his parched throat. "How long have you been here?"
She looked at him, holding his face in her hands. "As soon as I heard, I headed down here. You've been in a coma for two days. I was so worried…" she began sobbing as she said this. "So worried that you had left me… I know I shouldn't have given up on you when you left Gotham… I know that… I chose Gotham over you… I made the wrong choice. My god, I was so afraid I had lost you…"
His hands reached up to cover hers. "No… no Barbara, you never lost me… you found me."
THE END.
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