A Matter of Life and Death. Chapter 11 This Chapter Rated PG
By Marcie Ann Gore Disclaimer Nothing is this is mine except the plot. All the
characters are owned by Dc and Warner Brothers. Of course this story is for
entertainment purposes only , no money Please don't sue. "When We Two
Parted and "She walks In Beauty," by Lord Byron
"Harper , you see anything when you were in the hospital room? Bruce yells
Roy hands a still crying Lian a coke and asks a security guard to watch her. Then he
follows Bruce and Clark to the ICU
"Yes a guy I thought was a doctor. I couldn't see his face; he had a surgical mask on.
He had a syringe in his hand. I figured with the security you have set up no one could get
in Dick's room who's not supposed to. It's weird how the alarm was only on for a
second. We still need to check it out."
They reach the room at the same time as a nurse They catch Joe in the act of
trying to strangle Dick. At first the three men stand frozen in horror. He's already
unplugged the respirator just as the men approach Joe makes a last attempt to inject
him with something, Bruce shoves Joe against the wall and starts punching him!
He has Roy get a police officer.
Roy says to himself, "You're SO STUPID Harper, your every instinct said this guy
wasn't a doctor, but you didn't check his id or anything, You were too busy to notice
your best friend might be in trouble. Now he could die, he could already be dead!" Guilt
is etched in every word he says
At the same time Nurse Gettes and Simms are plugging in the respirator and
performing CPR. It takes two minutes to revive Dick this time.
As they are taking Joe away, he screams, "It's too late, I injected potassium in his
veins. You know what too much of that can do to even a healthy person, much less a
person with one foot in the grave like your kid. Wayne, his heart will stop again and you
won't be able to get him back."
After things calm down Dick is taken to radiology for more tests. First they do an
EKG to check for damage to his heart. That test shows no major new damage to his heart
The damage that surgery did not repair seems to be healing naturally. Next they do a
blood test to check the level of potassium in his blood. It doesn't show an abnormal
amount. Finally they do a CAT scan. It shows no brain damage. It seems that the
respirator was replaced just in time.
Dr Montgomery looks sadly down at Dick's pale face and thin body He looks
like an athlete, the type of guy who embraces life, enjoying all of the good things in it.
For a moment she thinks about her brother who is about the same age as her patient
.No matter how often she sees it ,it's so hard to get used to the damage a bullet does
to a young healthy body.
A few minutes later when Dick is back in the room, Bruce and Dick receive a special
visit, from the Garrets. They tell Bruce they heard about the kidnapping and shooting on
the news. How bad are his injuries? They ask can he have visitors?
" He was shot in the chest, and he's still on a respirator. Yes you may but not for too
long. When I saw your son Randy, I was amazed by how much he looked like Dick. I had
to look carefully to make sure he wasn't him in the coroner's office. "
"Would you like to see a picture of our boy before he was shot. He was so handsome;
all of the girls loved him. I'm sure your boy has had lots of girlfriends, Mr. Wayne."
" Yes. I would. He has, but it seems like there's only one lady for him now, her name's
Barbara. He's known he since they were kids. He's been pursuing her, off and on for
nearly as long. It was looking like they were finally going to get together when this
happened your son does look like Dick. Did Com. Gordon tell you one of the men who
kidnapped Dick confessed to murdering your son?" Bruce asks.
"Yes he told us a man named Joe Kemper confessed I still don't fully understand why he
killed our son. As far as I know our son never met him before that day. From what
Commissioner Gordon told us it was a case of our boy being in the wrong place at the
wrong time. If he hadn't seen Randy I doubt he would've gone looking for someone who
looks like your son to kill, Mrs. Garrett says.
"That's hard to say as unstable as Joe is. Knowing what he has done, I can imagine him
doing just about anything, Bruce tells her."
The couple solemnly makes their way to Dick's room. They watch Dick as if entranced.
Ruth Garrett remarks sadly, " He looks just like our Randy. She starts to sob loudly as
they walk back in the waiting room. Her husband Joshua wraps his arms protectively
around his weeping wife. They tell Bruce they are going to the hospital Chapel to say
prayers for Dick before they leave.
A few days later Bruce enters the room for one of his daily visits. He sits in a chair next
to the bedside and whispers l love you to his fallen son as the young man lays
unconscious. Then he says forcefully but lovingly, "I don't care what the doctors say, you
will wake up soon, Bruce opens a book of poetry by Lord Byron, the 18th Century poet is
the favorite of both men. He has been reading to him at least once a day since Dick was
injured. Dick seems to respond when he hears Bruce read the words of Byron.
When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted,
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this!
The dew of the morning
Sunk chill on my brow;
It felt like the warning
Of what I feel now.
Thy vows are all broken,
And light is thy fame:
I hear thy name spoken
And share in its shame.
They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear;
A shudder comes o'er me
Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee
Who knew thee too well:
Long, long shall I rue thee
Too deeply to tell.
In secret we met:
In silence I grieve
That thy heart could forget,
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?
With silence and tears.
Even though the poem is about lovers separating, the words Byron
wrote also seem to speak of the fractured relationship Dick and he had in
the past, to Bruce. He'll do everything he can to repair it, if he gets a
second chance. "Please God give us another chance, Bruce pleads.
As Bruce reads Dick seems to grow restless. At first he stirs ever so slightly. Then he
thrashes around violently, trying to remove the breathing tube. His eyes are wide with
terror. He reaches out to grab Bruce's arm, but he's still weak. The limb falls over the
side of bed rail. He seems be coming out of the coma.
Bruce rushes to get Dr Montgomery who thoroughly examines Dick. She tells him, "Yes
Mr. Wayne it seems he is indeed coming out of the coma. However it could be a slow
process. He could remain like this for a while, trapped between light and darkness. . In
many cases like your son's it can be weeks between the time anyone notices the first
signs of movement in a patient and the time he is fully awake. I'm sorry, I wish I could
be more encouraging. "
Bruce goes to the waiting room to tell the other. " There's been a change in Dick's
condition
"What's happened Bruce? Is he dead?" Roy asks with a touch of fear in his voice.
" No, Dick seems to be coming out of the coma. He started moving when I was reading to
him a few minutes ago. He's moved before but this time he seemed to be trying to
remove the tube and reached out to grab my arm." Bruce is trying to keep his emotions in
check but his voice betrays the hope he feels.
"How long do you think it'll be Bruce, hours, days, weeks, months?" Donna asks.
"The Dr. couldn't tell me for sure, she's more optimistic about his recovery but still
wants us to remain realistic. It could be a while, Donna," Bruce tells them.
"I'd like to thank you all for staying with Dick when I can't. There are times I just have
to make an appearance at Wayne Enterprises. And thank you for covering Dick's and my
other duties sometimes." Bruce says.
The next morning the nurse tells Bruce they took the tube out of Dick's throat and
replaced it with an oxygen mask. He is able to breathe with less assistance now.
Bruce is reading to Dick, and Barbara holds Dick's hand. He seems more alert today.
Suddenly they hear a weak, horse voice repeating Bruce's words.
"She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
tbc
By Marcie Ann Gore Disclaimer Nothing is this is mine except the plot. All the
characters are owned by Dc and Warner Brothers. Of course this story is for
entertainment purposes only , no money Please don't sue. "When We Two
Parted and "She walks In Beauty," by Lord Byron
"Harper , you see anything when you were in the hospital room? Bruce yells
Roy hands a still crying Lian a coke and asks a security guard to watch her. Then he
follows Bruce and Clark to the ICU
"Yes a guy I thought was a doctor. I couldn't see his face; he had a surgical mask on.
He had a syringe in his hand. I figured with the security you have set up no one could get
in Dick's room who's not supposed to. It's weird how the alarm was only on for a
second. We still need to check it out."
They reach the room at the same time as a nurse They catch Joe in the act of
trying to strangle Dick. At first the three men stand frozen in horror. He's already
unplugged the respirator just as the men approach Joe makes a last attempt to inject
him with something, Bruce shoves Joe against the wall and starts punching him!
He has Roy get a police officer.
Roy says to himself, "You're SO STUPID Harper, your every instinct said this guy
wasn't a doctor, but you didn't check his id or anything, You were too busy to notice
your best friend might be in trouble. Now he could die, he could already be dead!" Guilt
is etched in every word he says
At the same time Nurse Gettes and Simms are plugging in the respirator and
performing CPR. It takes two minutes to revive Dick this time.
As they are taking Joe away, he screams, "It's too late, I injected potassium in his
veins. You know what too much of that can do to even a healthy person, much less a
person with one foot in the grave like your kid. Wayne, his heart will stop again and you
won't be able to get him back."
After things calm down Dick is taken to radiology for more tests. First they do an
EKG to check for damage to his heart. That test shows no major new damage to his heart
The damage that surgery did not repair seems to be healing naturally. Next they do a
blood test to check the level of potassium in his blood. It doesn't show an abnormal
amount. Finally they do a CAT scan. It shows no brain damage. It seems that the
respirator was replaced just in time.
Dr Montgomery looks sadly down at Dick's pale face and thin body He looks
like an athlete, the type of guy who embraces life, enjoying all of the good things in it.
For a moment she thinks about her brother who is about the same age as her patient
.No matter how often she sees it ,it's so hard to get used to the damage a bullet does
to a young healthy body.
A few minutes later when Dick is back in the room, Bruce and Dick receive a special
visit, from the Garrets. They tell Bruce they heard about the kidnapping and shooting on
the news. How bad are his injuries? They ask can he have visitors?
" He was shot in the chest, and he's still on a respirator. Yes you may but not for too
long. When I saw your son Randy, I was amazed by how much he looked like Dick. I had
to look carefully to make sure he wasn't him in the coroner's office. "
"Would you like to see a picture of our boy before he was shot. He was so handsome;
all of the girls loved him. I'm sure your boy has had lots of girlfriends, Mr. Wayne."
" Yes. I would. He has, but it seems like there's only one lady for him now, her name's
Barbara. He's known he since they were kids. He's been pursuing her, off and on for
nearly as long. It was looking like they were finally going to get together when this
happened your son does look like Dick. Did Com. Gordon tell you one of the men who
kidnapped Dick confessed to murdering your son?" Bruce asks.
"Yes he told us a man named Joe Kemper confessed I still don't fully understand why he
killed our son. As far as I know our son never met him before that day. From what
Commissioner Gordon told us it was a case of our boy being in the wrong place at the
wrong time. If he hadn't seen Randy I doubt he would've gone looking for someone who
looks like your son to kill, Mrs. Garrett says.
"That's hard to say as unstable as Joe is. Knowing what he has done, I can imagine him
doing just about anything, Bruce tells her."
The couple solemnly makes their way to Dick's room. They watch Dick as if entranced.
Ruth Garrett remarks sadly, " He looks just like our Randy. She starts to sob loudly as
they walk back in the waiting room. Her husband Joshua wraps his arms protectively
around his weeping wife. They tell Bruce they are going to the hospital Chapel to say
prayers for Dick before they leave.
A few days later Bruce enters the room for one of his daily visits. He sits in a chair next
to the bedside and whispers l love you to his fallen son as the young man lays
unconscious. Then he says forcefully but lovingly, "I don't care what the doctors say, you
will wake up soon, Bruce opens a book of poetry by Lord Byron, the 18th Century poet is
the favorite of both men. He has been reading to him at least once a day since Dick was
injured. Dick seems to respond when he hears Bruce read the words of Byron.
When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted,
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this!
The dew of the morning
Sunk chill on my brow;
It felt like the warning
Of what I feel now.
Thy vows are all broken,
And light is thy fame:
I hear thy name spoken
And share in its shame.
They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear;
A shudder comes o'er me
Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee
Who knew thee too well:
Long, long shall I rue thee
Too deeply to tell.
In secret we met:
In silence I grieve
That thy heart could forget,
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?
With silence and tears.
Even though the poem is about lovers separating, the words Byron
wrote also seem to speak of the fractured relationship Dick and he had in
the past, to Bruce. He'll do everything he can to repair it, if he gets a
second chance. "Please God give us another chance, Bruce pleads.
As Bruce reads Dick seems to grow restless. At first he stirs ever so slightly. Then he
thrashes around violently, trying to remove the breathing tube. His eyes are wide with
terror. He reaches out to grab Bruce's arm, but he's still weak. The limb falls over the
side of bed rail. He seems be coming out of the coma.
Bruce rushes to get Dr Montgomery who thoroughly examines Dick. She tells him, "Yes
Mr. Wayne it seems he is indeed coming out of the coma. However it could be a slow
process. He could remain like this for a while, trapped between light and darkness. . In
many cases like your son's it can be weeks between the time anyone notices the first
signs of movement in a patient and the time he is fully awake. I'm sorry, I wish I could
be more encouraging. "
Bruce goes to the waiting room to tell the other. " There's been a change in Dick's
condition
"What's happened Bruce? Is he dead?" Roy asks with a touch of fear in his voice.
" No, Dick seems to be coming out of the coma. He started moving when I was reading to
him a few minutes ago. He's moved before but this time he seemed to be trying to
remove the tube and reached out to grab my arm." Bruce is trying to keep his emotions in
check but his voice betrays the hope he feels.
"How long do you think it'll be Bruce, hours, days, weeks, months?" Donna asks.
"The Dr. couldn't tell me for sure, she's more optimistic about his recovery but still
wants us to remain realistic. It could be a while, Donna," Bruce tells them.
"I'd like to thank you all for staying with Dick when I can't. There are times I just have
to make an appearance at Wayne Enterprises. And thank you for covering Dick's and my
other duties sometimes." Bruce says.
The next morning the nurse tells Bruce they took the tube out of Dick's throat and
replaced it with an oxygen mask. He is able to breathe with less assistance now.
Bruce is reading to Dick, and Barbara holds Dick's hand. He seems more alert today.
Suddenly they hear a weak, horse voice repeating Bruce's words.
"She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
tbc