CHAPTER 7
Barbara was keeping an eye on the computer monitor where there was a window for each camera that was set up by Helena to watch over Jeff Chadwick. Alfred walked through the door with a older African-American male following behind him. Barbara noticed this visitor and immediately turned her wheelchair around. "What's going on Alfred?"
"I have taken the liberty, since you may walk again one day, to hire a personal physical therapist to help you in your exercises, Master Barbara. He is the same physical therapist that helped Master Bruce walk again after he was paralyzed, so he is fully aware of your secret identities and can be trusted to keep it confidential."
"Thank you Alfred," Barbara said. If truth be told, she had totally forgotten about her exercise. Alfred was right, she would need a trainer to help her walk again. Dr. Maxwell knew of Bruce's secret identity and he did very well in helping him return to his life as Batman. He had kept the secret for these many years.
"It is good to see you again, Mrs. Gordon." Dr. Maxwell said with a smile.
"Hello, Mark."
"This is a nice place you have here," Mark commented, looking around at the hideout. Upstairs was the living quarters while the bottom level was their base of operation with technology that he could never imagine. "I will say the same thing to you as I said to Mr. Wayne. If you want to walk, you have to be serious about this. There will be no excuses for not exercising. You're exercises must be done everyday. You need to be committed to this. If you are only half hearted in doing this, then you will never walk again. Are you ready for this level of commitment?"
"I am," Barbara said confidently.
"Excellent. By tomorrow, I will set up the balancing poles. Until then, continue to move your ankles as much as you can as often as you can."
"I have been, and I will continue to," Barbara replied. Never before was she confronted someone who spoke with such authority like herself. It was like two rams butting heads. She knew she was going to have to take some of her own medicine if she was going to walk again.
* * * *
Dinah and Jeff were on their way towards his house. Dinah was going to walk Jeff to his house each night to make sure that he made it home alright. Not only that, it gave her more time to be with him and more of a chance to get another kiss out of it.
"So, now that you know about my life, I will understand if you are afraid and want to avoid me," Dinah said looking down to her feet.
"I think you being superhero is cool, but It's not the superhero who I care for. The girl I care for more than anything is in my eyes a very attractive blonde who I met in high school named Dinah."
The two of them stopped in the middle of the empty street and found themselves lost in each other's gaze. Jeff had a way of saying some of the sweetest things she has ever heard and it was causing her to fall more in love with him. She leaned into him, and tilted her head to kiss him. Her eyes shut close as she felt his arms wrap around her. She found herself loosing herself in his arms. She was ready to loose herself completely when she heard Barbara's voice over her ear piece. "Dinah, watch out!"
Dinah broke off the kiss in time to see a speeding car coming up from behind Jeff. Dinah pushed Jeff onto the sidewalk and stuck out the palm of her right hand towards the incoming car. Using her powers, she formed an invisible barrier which the car crashed into and roll off into the sidewalk.
Dinah turned around to see another car coming at her at ramming speed, but it was too late. The car hit her and she went crashing into the windshield, leaving a spider-web cracks in the windshield. The car came to a halt which resulted in Dinah's broken body to be thrown on to the ground. Her body rolled before she was flat on her back. Blood was drooling down from the corner of her mouth.
"Dinah!" Jeff screamed in horror as he ran to her body. She felt her wrist for a pulse. It was faint but she was still barely alive. With the touch of her skin, he also got the scene of damage and he knew she was in bad shape. She had a broken rim, a fractured pelvis and skull. She would not live to make it to the hospital.
"Please don't die on me, Dinah!" He closed his eyes and began to use his healing powers to heal the damaged bones. He was not done when he felt a hand grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him away. "Let me go! Dinah, help me!"
Two men had grabbed hold of him and threw him in the car. The car backed up and peeled away. "Dinah, do you read me? Dinah! DINAH!" Barbara's voice came over the ear piece, but Dinah could not reply. She laid there in the middle of the street lifeless.
* * * *
"No!" Dinah shot up, sitting up from her bed, breathing heavily. Great pain quickly followed which brought her back down into bed.
"It's okay, Dinah. You are safe and back at the clock tower, lucky to be alive." Barbara said besides her bed.
Standing behind Barbara was Helena. "How are you feeling, kid?"
"Horrible," Dinah replied. "What happened? Where's Jeff?"
You were run over by a car. You are very lucky to be alive right now and without a single broken bone. The only explanation I could come up with is that Jeff used his powers to save your life."
"Where's Jeff?" Dinah repeated.
"I'm sorry Dinah, they got him. They pulled off a perfectly time and executed kidnapping."
"Oh god, I failed him! I can't believe I failed him," Dinah began to cry.
"Dinah, there was nothing you could have done. It was obvious that they knew that we were on to them and planned accordingly."
"I need to go save him!" Dinah fought to get out of bed but both Barbara and Helena kept her down in her bed.
"You need to rest, Dinah. Helena will find Jeff. You are in no condition to go out."
"I have to!" Dinah resisted.
"Don't force me to tie you down, Dinah. You are not going anywhere. Helena will save Jeff and bring him back safe and sound."
"Take it easy, Dinah. I'll handle things, trust me," Helena smiled.
Barbara was keeping an eye on the computer monitor where there was a window for each camera that was set up by Helena to watch over Jeff Chadwick. Alfred walked through the door with a older African-American male following behind him. Barbara noticed this visitor and immediately turned her wheelchair around. "What's going on Alfred?"
"I have taken the liberty, since you may walk again one day, to hire a personal physical therapist to help you in your exercises, Master Barbara. He is the same physical therapist that helped Master Bruce walk again after he was paralyzed, so he is fully aware of your secret identities and can be trusted to keep it confidential."
"Thank you Alfred," Barbara said. If truth be told, she had totally forgotten about her exercise. Alfred was right, she would need a trainer to help her walk again. Dr. Maxwell knew of Bruce's secret identity and he did very well in helping him return to his life as Batman. He had kept the secret for these many years.
"It is good to see you again, Mrs. Gordon." Dr. Maxwell said with a smile.
"Hello, Mark."
"This is a nice place you have here," Mark commented, looking around at the hideout. Upstairs was the living quarters while the bottom level was their base of operation with technology that he could never imagine. "I will say the same thing to you as I said to Mr. Wayne. If you want to walk, you have to be serious about this. There will be no excuses for not exercising. You're exercises must be done everyday. You need to be committed to this. If you are only half hearted in doing this, then you will never walk again. Are you ready for this level of commitment?"
"I am," Barbara said confidently.
"Excellent. By tomorrow, I will set up the balancing poles. Until then, continue to move your ankles as much as you can as often as you can."
"I have been, and I will continue to," Barbara replied. Never before was she confronted someone who spoke with such authority like herself. It was like two rams butting heads. She knew she was going to have to take some of her own medicine if she was going to walk again.
* * * *
Dinah and Jeff were on their way towards his house. Dinah was going to walk Jeff to his house each night to make sure that he made it home alright. Not only that, it gave her more time to be with him and more of a chance to get another kiss out of it.
"So, now that you know about my life, I will understand if you are afraid and want to avoid me," Dinah said looking down to her feet.
"I think you being superhero is cool, but It's not the superhero who I care for. The girl I care for more than anything is in my eyes a very attractive blonde who I met in high school named Dinah."
The two of them stopped in the middle of the empty street and found themselves lost in each other's gaze. Jeff had a way of saying some of the sweetest things she has ever heard and it was causing her to fall more in love with him. She leaned into him, and tilted her head to kiss him. Her eyes shut close as she felt his arms wrap around her. She found herself loosing herself in his arms. She was ready to loose herself completely when she heard Barbara's voice over her ear piece. "Dinah, watch out!"
Dinah broke off the kiss in time to see a speeding car coming up from behind Jeff. Dinah pushed Jeff onto the sidewalk and stuck out the palm of her right hand towards the incoming car. Using her powers, she formed an invisible barrier which the car crashed into and roll off into the sidewalk.
Dinah turned around to see another car coming at her at ramming speed, but it was too late. The car hit her and she went crashing into the windshield, leaving a spider-web cracks in the windshield. The car came to a halt which resulted in Dinah's broken body to be thrown on to the ground. Her body rolled before she was flat on her back. Blood was drooling down from the corner of her mouth.
"Dinah!" Jeff screamed in horror as he ran to her body. She felt her wrist for a pulse. It was faint but she was still barely alive. With the touch of her skin, he also got the scene of damage and he knew she was in bad shape. She had a broken rim, a fractured pelvis and skull. She would not live to make it to the hospital.
"Please don't die on me, Dinah!" He closed his eyes and began to use his healing powers to heal the damaged bones. He was not done when he felt a hand grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him away. "Let me go! Dinah, help me!"
Two men had grabbed hold of him and threw him in the car. The car backed up and peeled away. "Dinah, do you read me? Dinah! DINAH!" Barbara's voice came over the ear piece, but Dinah could not reply. She laid there in the middle of the street lifeless.
* * * *
"No!" Dinah shot up, sitting up from her bed, breathing heavily. Great pain quickly followed which brought her back down into bed.
"It's okay, Dinah. You are safe and back at the clock tower, lucky to be alive." Barbara said besides her bed.
Standing behind Barbara was Helena. "How are you feeling, kid?"
"Horrible," Dinah replied. "What happened? Where's Jeff?"
You were run over by a car. You are very lucky to be alive right now and without a single broken bone. The only explanation I could come up with is that Jeff used his powers to save your life."
"Where's Jeff?" Dinah repeated.
"I'm sorry Dinah, they got him. They pulled off a perfectly time and executed kidnapping."
"Oh god, I failed him! I can't believe I failed him," Dinah began to cry.
"Dinah, there was nothing you could have done. It was obvious that they knew that we were on to them and planned accordingly."
"I need to go save him!" Dinah fought to get out of bed but both Barbara and Helena kept her down in her bed.
"You need to rest, Dinah. Helena will find Jeff. You are in no condition to go out."
"I have to!" Dinah resisted.
"Don't force me to tie you down, Dinah. You are not going anywhere. Helena will save Jeff and bring him back safe and sound."
"Take it easy, Dinah. I'll handle things, trust me," Helena smiled.
