I land in the cave. I leap out of the car and run towards Wayne. He's
slumped down into his chair.
"Mr. Wayne?" I say, yanking off my mask. He still lays there. He's alive.
"Bruce?" I say even more tentatively. Wayne shudders and opens his eyes. For a few moments he stares ahead, probably trying to figure out what failed him and how.
Maybe he was just asleep.
"Don't get old, McGinnis." Wayne says, reaching for his cane.
"It becomes very irritating." I sigh, leaning back against the desk.
"No matter how old you get you can still scare the hell out of someone." Wayne doesn't answer me. He just goes up the stairs, breathing long and slow. It's almost scary how someone so powerful, brave, and intimidating can suddenly look so...old.
Maybe it was something else entirely.
***********************************************************
"Hey Terry." I look up. Matty stands in my doorway.
"What do you want? I'm gonna be late so don't try any of your little tricks on me." Matty gives me that I-can-annoy-you-to-death-but-I'm-still- your-little-brother-so-you-have-to-love-me look.
"Get the phone." I pick it up.
"Yeah?"
"Mr. McGinnis?" The voice is unfamiliar.
"Speaking."
"This is Dr. Stillson from Gotham General." Great. A Doctor.
There's only one guy I know that could need a doctor. Of any kind.
"Oh no." I groan.
"Don't worry, Mr. McGinnis. Your employer, Mr. Bruce Wayne, asked me to call you to inform you that you won't have to report in for work this evening. He's in our care at the moment."
"What happened?"
"He was having chest pains this morning at his home and prudently decided to call an ambulance for himself. It's nothing serious at the moment." For a second I think of skipping school and rushing over there. I'm worried. Wayne refuses to die. But there's a danger that Wayne could die, and that's making me uneasy.
Nah. Wayne would just frown and tell me to go back to school. I can hear him even now: I don't need you at my bedside, McGinnis. There's nothing wrong with me. Stop wasting time.
He's right. So I hang up the phone and head out the door, my head full of the situations that could arise with Wayne's death. Then I realize that I'm blowing everything out of proportion.
But Wayne will die. Eventually, one day, he will die.
And then what happens to me?
I arrive at school, getting jostled and shoved by everyone trying to make their way to first period. All I can do is stumble through them, wondering why I feel so horrible. I should be with Wayne. Making sure that nothing happens to him. Making sure he doesn't go anywhere.
I need him. I'd miss him.
Lydia. Lydia's the only one who can possibly make me laugh at this miserable morning. I head to her locker.
"Hey." SLAM. Lydia jumps so violently that she slams her locker door. And I almost jump myself when I see her. The face that's normally calm, unfazed and unafraid of anything around her is pale and frightened. She stares at me like I'm some mass murderer with a chainsaw, her eyes wide and for once not giving me a witty morning greeting.
Is anything normal today?
"Lyd, what is it? Geeze, I didn't think it was possible to startle you." I move to put my arm around her but she backs away. Backs away from ME?
"Nothing. I have to go." She says, very calmly, but all the time she's glancing around me, looking for an escape, refusing to make eye contact with me. I don't let her go that easy. I grab her arm as she tries to brush past me.
"What's wrong?" She opens her mouth to say something, but instead pulls away and disappears into the milling crowds. I stare after her for a minute, then go on to my class more annoyed than ever. What the hell is the matter with her? I can understand a lot of her crazy behavior. I can find a lot of it amusing. I'm in love with her because of it. But the other 50% of it I can't reason with. Lydia seems almost AFRAID. AFRAID of ME. It's the stupidest and most unlikely thing I've ever thought of.
But it's the most logical explanation.
The thought runs through my head all 2nd period, rambles till 3rd, and is just as strong when 4th ends. I slog through the hall. I don't see her like I normally do, and I half-imagine that she's avoiding me on purpose. I feel like everyone's staring at me, like everyone's talking about me and that somehow they know the inner turmoil that's going on in my head. Lydia's not here to help me for God-knows-why. Wayne's not here to help me because he's cursed with a human body that can't keep up with his superhuman soul. I bump into Max, spilling my books all over the floor.
"Sorry." I murmur, bending to pick them up. Max inhales deeply.
"It's all right Terry." She's got that annoying tone of pity in her voice. Why the hell should she pity me? Just because I've lost my understanding girlfriend and my misunderstood mentor all in one morning...
"What is it?"
"Nothing." I scoff.
"That what everyone says." Max doesn't answer.
"Sorry for snapping. I guess I'm a little paranoid today. It feels like everything's going wrong and everyone seems to know about it."
"I think they do." Max says, looking around. And I begin to notice that everyone else has got that face of pity on.
This is, to date, one of the foremost confusing mornings of my life.
"Wayne's in the hospital. And now Lydia's mad at me or something." At this Max looks up.
"I'd expect her to be a little upset, Terry." Why the hell should Lydia be angry with me?
"I don't know why! It's not like I tried to help her lately or anything. We all know how much she hates that. Things were going great. What the hell's her problem?" Max's jaw drops.
"You mean she didn't tell you?" Tell me what? Lydia tells me more than she tells herself. We have no secrets.
"Max, what is going on? Is something wrong with her?" Max glances around, and then pulls me into a corner so we're out of earshot.
"I didn't want to bring it up, but God I thought she'd tell YOU of all people!"
"Tell me what?" Max takes a deep breath before answering. I feel my stomach lurch.
"Lydia's pregnant."
"Mr. Wayne?" I say, yanking off my mask. He still lays there. He's alive.
"Bruce?" I say even more tentatively. Wayne shudders and opens his eyes. For a few moments he stares ahead, probably trying to figure out what failed him and how.
Maybe he was just asleep.
"Don't get old, McGinnis." Wayne says, reaching for his cane.
"It becomes very irritating." I sigh, leaning back against the desk.
"No matter how old you get you can still scare the hell out of someone." Wayne doesn't answer me. He just goes up the stairs, breathing long and slow. It's almost scary how someone so powerful, brave, and intimidating can suddenly look so...old.
Maybe it was something else entirely.
***********************************************************
"Hey Terry." I look up. Matty stands in my doorway.
"What do you want? I'm gonna be late so don't try any of your little tricks on me." Matty gives me that I-can-annoy-you-to-death-but-I'm-still- your-little-brother-so-you-have-to-love-me look.
"Get the phone." I pick it up.
"Yeah?"
"Mr. McGinnis?" The voice is unfamiliar.
"Speaking."
"This is Dr. Stillson from Gotham General." Great. A Doctor.
There's only one guy I know that could need a doctor. Of any kind.
"Oh no." I groan.
"Don't worry, Mr. McGinnis. Your employer, Mr. Bruce Wayne, asked me to call you to inform you that you won't have to report in for work this evening. He's in our care at the moment."
"What happened?"
"He was having chest pains this morning at his home and prudently decided to call an ambulance for himself. It's nothing serious at the moment." For a second I think of skipping school and rushing over there. I'm worried. Wayne refuses to die. But there's a danger that Wayne could die, and that's making me uneasy.
Nah. Wayne would just frown and tell me to go back to school. I can hear him even now: I don't need you at my bedside, McGinnis. There's nothing wrong with me. Stop wasting time.
He's right. So I hang up the phone and head out the door, my head full of the situations that could arise with Wayne's death. Then I realize that I'm blowing everything out of proportion.
But Wayne will die. Eventually, one day, he will die.
And then what happens to me?
I arrive at school, getting jostled and shoved by everyone trying to make their way to first period. All I can do is stumble through them, wondering why I feel so horrible. I should be with Wayne. Making sure that nothing happens to him. Making sure he doesn't go anywhere.
I need him. I'd miss him.
Lydia. Lydia's the only one who can possibly make me laugh at this miserable morning. I head to her locker.
"Hey." SLAM. Lydia jumps so violently that she slams her locker door. And I almost jump myself when I see her. The face that's normally calm, unfazed and unafraid of anything around her is pale and frightened. She stares at me like I'm some mass murderer with a chainsaw, her eyes wide and for once not giving me a witty morning greeting.
Is anything normal today?
"Lyd, what is it? Geeze, I didn't think it was possible to startle you." I move to put my arm around her but she backs away. Backs away from ME?
"Nothing. I have to go." She says, very calmly, but all the time she's glancing around me, looking for an escape, refusing to make eye contact with me. I don't let her go that easy. I grab her arm as she tries to brush past me.
"What's wrong?" She opens her mouth to say something, but instead pulls away and disappears into the milling crowds. I stare after her for a minute, then go on to my class more annoyed than ever. What the hell is the matter with her? I can understand a lot of her crazy behavior. I can find a lot of it amusing. I'm in love with her because of it. But the other 50% of it I can't reason with. Lydia seems almost AFRAID. AFRAID of ME. It's the stupidest and most unlikely thing I've ever thought of.
But it's the most logical explanation.
The thought runs through my head all 2nd period, rambles till 3rd, and is just as strong when 4th ends. I slog through the hall. I don't see her like I normally do, and I half-imagine that she's avoiding me on purpose. I feel like everyone's staring at me, like everyone's talking about me and that somehow they know the inner turmoil that's going on in my head. Lydia's not here to help me for God-knows-why. Wayne's not here to help me because he's cursed with a human body that can't keep up with his superhuman soul. I bump into Max, spilling my books all over the floor.
"Sorry." I murmur, bending to pick them up. Max inhales deeply.
"It's all right Terry." She's got that annoying tone of pity in her voice. Why the hell should she pity me? Just because I've lost my understanding girlfriend and my misunderstood mentor all in one morning...
"What is it?"
"Nothing." I scoff.
"That what everyone says." Max doesn't answer.
"Sorry for snapping. I guess I'm a little paranoid today. It feels like everything's going wrong and everyone seems to know about it."
"I think they do." Max says, looking around. And I begin to notice that everyone else has got that face of pity on.
This is, to date, one of the foremost confusing mornings of my life.
"Wayne's in the hospital. And now Lydia's mad at me or something." At this Max looks up.
"I'd expect her to be a little upset, Terry." Why the hell should Lydia be angry with me?
"I don't know why! It's not like I tried to help her lately or anything. We all know how much she hates that. Things were going great. What the hell's her problem?" Max's jaw drops.
"You mean she didn't tell you?" Tell me what? Lydia tells me more than she tells herself. We have no secrets.
"Max, what is going on? Is something wrong with her?" Max glances around, and then pulls me into a corner so we're out of earshot.
"I didn't want to bring it up, but God I thought she'd tell YOU of all people!"
"Tell me what?" Max takes a deep breath before answering. I feel my stomach lurch.
"Lydia's pregnant."