CHAPTER 2
Reese was sitting on a stool in the kitchen on top of the second floor. Dinah could not sit still waiting for Barbara to come out of the bedroom to report on Helena's condition. Alfred had served Reese a glass of coke and offered the same to Dinah but she didn't say a word, just shook her head. "You know it's not your fault, Dinah." Reese said to Dinah.
Dinah did not reply. She continued to prance back and forth, chewing on her right index finger nail. After what seemed like an eternity, Barbara came rolling out of Helena's and Dinah's bedroom where Dinah had met her face to face. "Her face, especially around the eyes has been burned pretty bad. There was some damage to her eyes. I tried to repair the damage, but I am not a doctor and have limited recourses."
"Oh my god, she's blind?" Dinah began to shake, barely able to keep herself from collapsing.
"Calm down, Dinah. It's too early to tell. First of all, I am confident that I did as good of a job as most doctors under this circumstance, and they could not have done much better. Her eyes are wrapped up, and should stay wrapped up for 48 hours. Afterwards, we will unwrap her eyes and we will know the extent of the damage."
"You mean, we'll know instantly if she's going to be blind for the rest of her life or will have hope of regaining her sight back," Reese said.
"Basically," Barbara replied. "Reese, you want to see her? She's in bed and resting, but she is awake."
Reese nodded and walked past her and Dinah and entered the darkened room. Dinah turned around and made her way into the kitchen. Barbara could feel the turmoil that Dinah was in. She followed her into the kitchen. "You know that what happened to Helena is not your fault."
"Yea, I've heard that rumor before," Dinah replied taking a glass and putting it under the kitchen faucet. "I was her partner, and I let her down. What was I thinking, wanting to become a superhero. Some superhero I turned out to be."
"No, Dinah. You were outstanding out there. You did everything right, I was highly impressed with your performance out there on your first partnership outing."
"If I was such a good partner, then how come Helena is lying in bed, with the possibility of never regaining her sight again? I could have done something to help."
"Dinah, there was nothing you could have done. Every time you two go out there, there is a danger of something like happening to one of you. Helena knew that risk. To win a confrontation with any villain, it takes fifty percent strategic planning, thirty percent strength and twenty percent luck. Helena just fell victim to falling onto the wrong side of the odds."
Dinah fought the urge to break out in the tears. She could not help but feel guilty for what happened to Helena. Despite what Barbara tried to do, she still felt responsible for what had happened. "Did Helena mention me at all? Is she upset at me?"
"She's not mad at you. She knows that you could have done nothing to help her."
* * * *
Reese entered the darkened room. The only light coming into the room was the light from the outside. On the right was Dinah's neatly kept bed. On the left side of the room, was a shadowy figure, who's legs were under the covers, but the figure was sitting up and leaning back on the wall. To the right of the bed, on a chair were her Huntress clothes. She was wearing her normal plain white tank top that she usually wore as pajama's. "Who's there?"
"It's me, Helena," Reese said as he sat on the side of her bed. She had a thick piece of cotton covering both eyes and a white bandage wrapped around her eyes and her head several times to keep the cotton in place. "How are you doing?"
"I've been better," her voice was deeply horse as if she was in the middle of the flu.
Reese grabbed her right hand and held it in is. "How's the pain?"
"It's subsiding," Helena replied. "God, I'm so stupid. I should have seen it coming. I got overconfident."
"Dinah seems to blame herself for what happened to you. She was talking like she is contemplating quitting the superhero business."
"Is she crazy? She was outstanding out there. She did everything perfectly. This was not her fault."
"I think Barbara is trying to explain that to her," Reese replied. "Anyway, I'm glad that you are okay."
"Okay? I may be blind for the rest of my life! I wouldn't call that 'okay'." Helena said, starting to get restless and agitated.
"Okay, you're right, I'm sorry. Don't get riled up, right now. You need to rest." Reese said. "But let me say this, don't you give up. I don't want to hear you say that you are going to be blind. You are on a hiatus right now. In a few days, you'll be back defending New Gotham."
For the first time in a while, a hint of a smile appeared on Helena's face. "Come here and kiss me, already." Reese laughed as he slid in closer to Helena, place his right hand on her face, and directed her face to where he could lean forward and kissed her across the lips.
"Ahem," A voice came from the doorway. Reese sat up and looked back to see Dinah standing there. "It's Dinah," Reese whispered into Helena's ear.
"Hey, Dinah."
Dinah entered the room nervously. "How are you feeling?"
"I'll be fine. I am glad you came in. I just wanted to let you know that you did you a great job out there tonight."
"Really?"
"Yes, I will be glad to continue having you as a partner."
"But I failed to stop this from happening to you. How good of a partner can I possibly be?"
"Dinah, what happened to me was a freak accident, nothing more, and besides…"
"Maybe you're right, you'll regain your eyesight. I guess I was kind of afraid for the worst."
Reese looked at Dinah confused about what she had just said. Helena titled her head, also confused at what she had said. "I'm right about what?"
Now it was Dinah's turn to be confused. "What? You just said that you are sure that you will regain your eyesight after the 48 hours are up, and I agreed with you. I'm sorry to intrude on you two, I let you two be alone."
Dinah turned around and walked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. "What just happened? Did I miss something? You never told her that you were sure that you" Reese asked looking at Helena.
"I don't know?" Helena replied. "I was just about to use those exact words, but I never got the chance."
"How did she know what you were about to say?"
"Just luck, I suppose. Must have heard the same thing from Barbara."
Reese was sitting on a stool in the kitchen on top of the second floor. Dinah could not sit still waiting for Barbara to come out of the bedroom to report on Helena's condition. Alfred had served Reese a glass of coke and offered the same to Dinah but she didn't say a word, just shook her head. "You know it's not your fault, Dinah." Reese said to Dinah.
Dinah did not reply. She continued to prance back and forth, chewing on her right index finger nail. After what seemed like an eternity, Barbara came rolling out of Helena's and Dinah's bedroom where Dinah had met her face to face. "Her face, especially around the eyes has been burned pretty bad. There was some damage to her eyes. I tried to repair the damage, but I am not a doctor and have limited recourses."
"Oh my god, she's blind?" Dinah began to shake, barely able to keep herself from collapsing.
"Calm down, Dinah. It's too early to tell. First of all, I am confident that I did as good of a job as most doctors under this circumstance, and they could not have done much better. Her eyes are wrapped up, and should stay wrapped up for 48 hours. Afterwards, we will unwrap her eyes and we will know the extent of the damage."
"You mean, we'll know instantly if she's going to be blind for the rest of her life or will have hope of regaining her sight back," Reese said.
"Basically," Barbara replied. "Reese, you want to see her? She's in bed and resting, but she is awake."
Reese nodded and walked past her and Dinah and entered the darkened room. Dinah turned around and made her way into the kitchen. Barbara could feel the turmoil that Dinah was in. She followed her into the kitchen. "You know that what happened to Helena is not your fault."
"Yea, I've heard that rumor before," Dinah replied taking a glass and putting it under the kitchen faucet. "I was her partner, and I let her down. What was I thinking, wanting to become a superhero. Some superhero I turned out to be."
"No, Dinah. You were outstanding out there. You did everything right, I was highly impressed with your performance out there on your first partnership outing."
"If I was such a good partner, then how come Helena is lying in bed, with the possibility of never regaining her sight again? I could have done something to help."
"Dinah, there was nothing you could have done. Every time you two go out there, there is a danger of something like happening to one of you. Helena knew that risk. To win a confrontation with any villain, it takes fifty percent strategic planning, thirty percent strength and twenty percent luck. Helena just fell victim to falling onto the wrong side of the odds."
Dinah fought the urge to break out in the tears. She could not help but feel guilty for what happened to Helena. Despite what Barbara tried to do, she still felt responsible for what had happened. "Did Helena mention me at all? Is she upset at me?"
"She's not mad at you. She knows that you could have done nothing to help her."
* * * *
Reese entered the darkened room. The only light coming into the room was the light from the outside. On the right was Dinah's neatly kept bed. On the left side of the room, was a shadowy figure, who's legs were under the covers, but the figure was sitting up and leaning back on the wall. To the right of the bed, on a chair were her Huntress clothes. She was wearing her normal plain white tank top that she usually wore as pajama's. "Who's there?"
"It's me, Helena," Reese said as he sat on the side of her bed. She had a thick piece of cotton covering both eyes and a white bandage wrapped around her eyes and her head several times to keep the cotton in place. "How are you doing?"
"I've been better," her voice was deeply horse as if she was in the middle of the flu.
Reese grabbed her right hand and held it in is. "How's the pain?"
"It's subsiding," Helena replied. "God, I'm so stupid. I should have seen it coming. I got overconfident."
"Dinah seems to blame herself for what happened to you. She was talking like she is contemplating quitting the superhero business."
"Is she crazy? She was outstanding out there. She did everything perfectly. This was not her fault."
"I think Barbara is trying to explain that to her," Reese replied. "Anyway, I'm glad that you are okay."
"Okay? I may be blind for the rest of my life! I wouldn't call that 'okay'." Helena said, starting to get restless and agitated.
"Okay, you're right, I'm sorry. Don't get riled up, right now. You need to rest." Reese said. "But let me say this, don't you give up. I don't want to hear you say that you are going to be blind. You are on a hiatus right now. In a few days, you'll be back defending New Gotham."
For the first time in a while, a hint of a smile appeared on Helena's face. "Come here and kiss me, already." Reese laughed as he slid in closer to Helena, place his right hand on her face, and directed her face to where he could lean forward and kissed her across the lips.
"Ahem," A voice came from the doorway. Reese sat up and looked back to see Dinah standing there. "It's Dinah," Reese whispered into Helena's ear.
"Hey, Dinah."
Dinah entered the room nervously. "How are you feeling?"
"I'll be fine. I am glad you came in. I just wanted to let you know that you did you a great job out there tonight."
"Really?"
"Yes, I will be glad to continue having you as a partner."
"But I failed to stop this from happening to you. How good of a partner can I possibly be?"
"Dinah, what happened to me was a freak accident, nothing more, and besides…"
"Maybe you're right, you'll regain your eyesight. I guess I was kind of afraid for the worst."
Reese looked at Dinah confused about what she had just said. Helena titled her head, also confused at what she had said. "I'm right about what?"
Now it was Dinah's turn to be confused. "What? You just said that you are sure that you will regain your eyesight after the 48 hours are up, and I agreed with you. I'm sorry to intrude on you two, I let you two be alone."
Dinah turned around and walked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. "What just happened? Did I miss something? You never told her that you were sure that you" Reese asked looking at Helena.
"I don't know?" Helena replied. "I was just about to use those exact words, but I never got the chance."
"How did she know what you were about to say?"
"Just luck, I suppose. Must have heard the same thing from Barbara."
