Chapter 3
"Huntress?.Dinah?.Would someone answer me!?" Oracle practically screamed into her headset. The comms had gone absolutely silent since the gunshot had exploded over the comms and the silence was killing Barbara. She sat in her wheelchair, staring at her computers, praying they were both okay and cursing herself for not forcing the girls to wear minicams. At least then she would know what was going on. Right now, she was blind and totally helpless. Then she heard something that sent chills through her body.
"Dinah?" It was Helena, but she sounded so confused so scared. What was going on?
* * *
Helena couldn't believe the sight before her. It had all happened so fast, the shot from overhead, Dinah's face, filled with confusion and pain, and then collapsing to the ground. It all happened so fast and was so familiar. Flashes of her mother's death filled Helena's mind.
No, this can't be happening. I can't go through this again.
Helena seemed to be lost in her own world as she stared at Dinah, lying a few yards in front of her. Helena was pulled out of her memories by Oracle's frantic voice.
:Huntress, what's going on?:
Helena shook the cobwebs out of her head as she hurried over to Dinah.
"It's Dinah. She's been shot." Helena said searching the buildings above, "I think it came from somewhere across the street." She turned her attention back to Dinah, "Oh God Oracle, there's so much blood."
:Okay, hold on. I'm getting an ambulance:
Oracle wheeled herself closer to her computers and began typing. As she tried to type her hands began to shake. She clenched her hands and closed her eyes. Everything's going to be okay. Calm down, they need you. Barbara took a deep breath, opened her eyes and began typing.
:Huntress. I contacted the paramedics; they're on their way. Just hold on:
Huntress knelt down beside Dinah. There was a small hole in the front of her jacket and blood was seeping through.
Dinah looked up at Huntress, tears brimming in her eyes as she tried to fight back the pain and the encroaching darkness. "Helena?" she sounded so weak, so distant.
Helena clasped Dinah's hand. "Shh.I'm here. Everything's going to be alright." Helena looked down at Dinah's wound. "I'm just going to take a look."
Helena pulled Dinah's jacket flap back to get a better look at the wound. The bullet had entered from the back and exited below her right collarbone. Her T-shirt around the exit wound was soaked with blood. Helena placed Dinah's jacket back on her wound and placed her hands over the hole to stop the bleeding.
"Hold on Dinah. Help's on the way."
Dinah nodded, but her eyes fluttered. "I'm s-s-so cold," Dinah's voice sounded raspy like she was struggling to breathe. Her eyes started to close.
"No Dinah! Look at me!" Helena yelled as Dinah's eyes locked with hers. "That's it look at me. I need you to stay awake, can you do that?" Dinah nodded. "Good. Oracle, Dinah's going into shock. I need that ambulance NOW!"
:That wreck on Main Street has traffic stopped. I have Reese working on an alternate route, but its going to be a few minutes:
"Damn it, Oracle! Dinah doesn't have a few minutes. We have to get her to a hospital now. How far is Gotham Memorial from here?"
:It's too far. It's 14 blocks away:
"Is there anything closer?"
Oracle's fingers flew over the keyboard. :Yes! Riverside Memorial! It's four blocks West of your position:
"Perfect. I'll meet you there. Huntress out."
Huntress bent down over Dinah. Dinah was doing her best to stay conscious, but it was becoming harder to breathe. Helena reached over and moved Dinah's face so she was facing her.
"Hey you're doing great. Hang in there. The ambulance isn't going to make it so I'm going to carry you to the hospital." Dinah eyes started to close. "Look at me!" Helena motioned her finger from Dinah's eyes to her own. "I need you to focus. I want your eyes right here, don't take them off of me, okay?"
Helena grabbed Dinah's hand as Dinah nodded, "Everything's going to be alright kid."
Helena reached down and picked Dinah up in her arms. She stood up and walked out of the alley.
* * *
It felt like Helena had been walking for hours although she knew that wasn't true. With Dinah cradled in her arms, she couldn't move as fast as she had wanted, but she had kept good pace as she raced the four blocks to Riverside. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Helena saw the bright lights of the Emergency Room. She raced towards the doors.
Helena ran through the doors, screaming, "Help! Somebody help me! She's been shot!"
Everyone in the hospital froze as they turned to look at Helena and Dinah. A doctor standing at the nurse's station turned and yelled at two orderlies to fetch a gurney and ran to Helena.
"What happened," he asked as he looked down at Dinah.
Helena looked down. Dinah's eyes were closed and she looked so pale. "She was shot, didn't you hear me!" she screamed as her eyes morphed. The stress and rage were getting to her. Helena took a deep breath as her eyes returned to their normal blue.
"Okay, just stay calm," the doctor said as the gurney arrived. The doctor helped Helena place Dinah on the gurney. "Get her to the O.R. now! I'll be right behind you," he barked at the orderlies. As they rushed Dinah toward to O.R. he turned back to Helena.
"What's her name?"
"Dinah."
"How did she get shot? Are you two in a gang or something?" he looked at Helena in her black leather duster suspiciously.
"NO.no gang," Helena searched for an answer, "we were coming home from a party. We heard a gunshot and the next thing I know Dinah was shot."
"Okay. Is she a friend of yours?"
Helena didn't skip a beat, "No, she's my sister. Please, you have to help her."
"We will," and with that the doctor turned and raced after Dinah and the orderlies, leaving Helena all alone in the waiting room.
"Huntress?.Dinah?.Would someone answer me!?" Oracle practically screamed into her headset. The comms had gone absolutely silent since the gunshot had exploded over the comms and the silence was killing Barbara. She sat in her wheelchair, staring at her computers, praying they were both okay and cursing herself for not forcing the girls to wear minicams. At least then she would know what was going on. Right now, she was blind and totally helpless. Then she heard something that sent chills through her body.
"Dinah?" It was Helena, but she sounded so confused so scared. What was going on?
* * *
Helena couldn't believe the sight before her. It had all happened so fast, the shot from overhead, Dinah's face, filled with confusion and pain, and then collapsing to the ground. It all happened so fast and was so familiar. Flashes of her mother's death filled Helena's mind.
No, this can't be happening. I can't go through this again.
Helena seemed to be lost in her own world as she stared at Dinah, lying a few yards in front of her. Helena was pulled out of her memories by Oracle's frantic voice.
:Huntress, what's going on?:
Helena shook the cobwebs out of her head as she hurried over to Dinah.
"It's Dinah. She's been shot." Helena said searching the buildings above, "I think it came from somewhere across the street." She turned her attention back to Dinah, "Oh God Oracle, there's so much blood."
:Okay, hold on. I'm getting an ambulance:
Oracle wheeled herself closer to her computers and began typing. As she tried to type her hands began to shake. She clenched her hands and closed her eyes. Everything's going to be okay. Calm down, they need you. Barbara took a deep breath, opened her eyes and began typing.
:Huntress. I contacted the paramedics; they're on their way. Just hold on:
Huntress knelt down beside Dinah. There was a small hole in the front of her jacket and blood was seeping through.
Dinah looked up at Huntress, tears brimming in her eyes as she tried to fight back the pain and the encroaching darkness. "Helena?" she sounded so weak, so distant.
Helena clasped Dinah's hand. "Shh.I'm here. Everything's going to be alright." Helena looked down at Dinah's wound. "I'm just going to take a look."
Helena pulled Dinah's jacket flap back to get a better look at the wound. The bullet had entered from the back and exited below her right collarbone. Her T-shirt around the exit wound was soaked with blood. Helena placed Dinah's jacket back on her wound and placed her hands over the hole to stop the bleeding.
"Hold on Dinah. Help's on the way."
Dinah nodded, but her eyes fluttered. "I'm s-s-so cold," Dinah's voice sounded raspy like she was struggling to breathe. Her eyes started to close.
"No Dinah! Look at me!" Helena yelled as Dinah's eyes locked with hers. "That's it look at me. I need you to stay awake, can you do that?" Dinah nodded. "Good. Oracle, Dinah's going into shock. I need that ambulance NOW!"
:That wreck on Main Street has traffic stopped. I have Reese working on an alternate route, but its going to be a few minutes:
"Damn it, Oracle! Dinah doesn't have a few minutes. We have to get her to a hospital now. How far is Gotham Memorial from here?"
:It's too far. It's 14 blocks away:
"Is there anything closer?"
Oracle's fingers flew over the keyboard. :Yes! Riverside Memorial! It's four blocks West of your position:
"Perfect. I'll meet you there. Huntress out."
Huntress bent down over Dinah. Dinah was doing her best to stay conscious, but it was becoming harder to breathe. Helena reached over and moved Dinah's face so she was facing her.
"Hey you're doing great. Hang in there. The ambulance isn't going to make it so I'm going to carry you to the hospital." Dinah eyes started to close. "Look at me!" Helena motioned her finger from Dinah's eyes to her own. "I need you to focus. I want your eyes right here, don't take them off of me, okay?"
Helena grabbed Dinah's hand as Dinah nodded, "Everything's going to be alright kid."
Helena reached down and picked Dinah up in her arms. She stood up and walked out of the alley.
* * *
It felt like Helena had been walking for hours although she knew that wasn't true. With Dinah cradled in her arms, she couldn't move as fast as she had wanted, but she had kept good pace as she raced the four blocks to Riverside. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Helena saw the bright lights of the Emergency Room. She raced towards the doors.
Helena ran through the doors, screaming, "Help! Somebody help me! She's been shot!"
Everyone in the hospital froze as they turned to look at Helena and Dinah. A doctor standing at the nurse's station turned and yelled at two orderlies to fetch a gurney and ran to Helena.
"What happened," he asked as he looked down at Dinah.
Helena looked down. Dinah's eyes were closed and she looked so pale. "She was shot, didn't you hear me!" she screamed as her eyes morphed. The stress and rage were getting to her. Helena took a deep breath as her eyes returned to their normal blue.
"Okay, just stay calm," the doctor said as the gurney arrived. The doctor helped Helena place Dinah on the gurney. "Get her to the O.R. now! I'll be right behind you," he barked at the orderlies. As they rushed Dinah toward to O.R. he turned back to Helena.
"What's her name?"
"Dinah."
"How did she get shot? Are you two in a gang or something?" he looked at Helena in her black leather duster suspiciously.
"NO.no gang," Helena searched for an answer, "we were coming home from a party. We heard a gunshot and the next thing I know Dinah was shot."
"Okay. Is she a friend of yours?"
Helena didn't skip a beat, "No, she's my sister. Please, you have to help her."
"We will," and with that the doctor turned and raced after Dinah and the orderlies, leaving Helena all alone in the waiting room.