Chapter two
"Doctor, I think she's waking up!"
Hawkgirl was struggling. Struggling to keep a deep, dark blanket of warmth that had enveloped her for hours from sliding off her body. But it insisted on leaving, and she was cold now........so cold...........
"Doctor!" The man's voice was louder, sharper. She opened her eyes, sligltly disoriented, and squinted at the bright lights reflecting off the snow-white blanket that covered her nose. She smelled disenfectant. And Clorox. And.......French Toast? As he stomach rumbled in response, she felt another sensation- a sharp pain on her left side. "Oh.........."
"Don't move." Hawkgirl squinted up, again into that face, the one that was so much like John's. She opened her mouth to ask, "who are you?" but only managed to let out a croak.
The man grabbed a small paper cup from the bedside, slipping a straw betwen her lips. Oh. Nothing had ever tasted as good as that cool, clear liquid now clearing a path down her throat- she'd never complain about having just ordinary water in the fridge again.
"Can you talk?" The man's vocie was gentle, yet somewhat harried, and Hawkgirl nodded, then shook her head, tears pooling from her eyes and running down her cheeks. Her throat was burning up. Not to mention her left wing............she attempted to lift it, but gasped in pain.
"Don't try to move," the man said, still in that gentle tone. "My name's Preston. Preston Stewart." He held the cup up to her lips again, and after another swallow, she found her voice, albiet rather hoarsely.
"Who....who are......."
"I'm John's brother. You gave us quite a scare, breaking in like that."
Hawkgirl licked her lips. John, a brother? But he never mentioned..... Preston had a bemused look on his face, studying her every expression. "How......."
"You were shot in the wing," he said flatly. "I'm sorry. It was Katma, John's friend. She didn't know why you were breaking in or if you were trying to do him any harm, so......" he broke off. "She has a bit of a trigger finger. I'm sorry."
Despite the ludicrous situation she was in, Hawkgirl was siezed with an insane desire to laugh, but one look unto the eyes of the man opposite her sobered her instantly. No! He couldn't actually think......
"I wasn't trying to......do anything wrong......"
"I'm not so sure about that." A chilly female voice cut through the silence in the room, and on the edges of her vison, Shayera saw her. Katma. It had been at least a year since their last encounter, but Hawkgirl remembered every feature of her face. And if the look on Katma's face was any indication, she recognized her as well.
Rising from a chair on the other side of the room, Katma walked over to the bed, a scowl on her normally pretty face. "You weren't satisfied with breaking the man's heart? You had to try and KILL him?"
"I wasn't trying to kill him!" Hawkgirl protested weakly.
"Try telling THAT to the authorities." Katma's voice was chilly. "You already have a charge of breaking and entering, not to mention fleeing the scene of a-"
"Katma!" Preston broke in, "I'm not filing any charges until I have a clear story of exactly what-"
Hawkgirl didn't wait to hear Preston's defense; she rose up to her full height sitting down, despite the pain in her wing, and looked Katma straight in the eye. Where did this little human trick get off, trying to scare her, a Thangerian warrior? She brought her brows down low and flashed the woman a look. "How DARE you accuse me of lying!" she spat, low.
Katma actually stepped back, but Hawkgirl didn't allow herself to be psyched by even that gesture. "You little witch. You don't even know the whole story, and you jump to conclusions, and-"
"Well, how's our patient?"
All eyes turned to the doorway, where a jolly, tubby fellow clad in scrubs strode into the room, stethoscope round his flabby neck. "Not in that good a mood, hunh?" He walked over to her, oblivious to the tension in the room. "We had a helluva time treating you- I actually had to call in a vet to repair that wing! But good news- you'll fly again. Not for a while, but you will."
"Thank you," Hawkgirl said politely, but her eyes were still fixed on Katma.
"Would you like to have anyone contacted?"
"Actually, yes. Please contact J'onn Jonnz, at this number." J'onn was the only one out of the Justice League who MIGHT understand what she'd done the day before. "Tell him i'd like to keep this matter private."
The doctoer nodded, took the paper, and left the room.
Silence reigned.
Preston broke the silence. "I wasn't aware......"
"That I am still a part of the Justice League?" Hawkgirl said.
"Well.......yes."
Hawkgirl laughed without humor. "Dispite my initial betrayal, my actions afterward proved my.....loyalty."
"I'm confused."
"I would be glad to tell you the whole story.....but, where is John? And you are....his brother?"
"When he so chooses," Preston said cryptically, then smiled, a smile much like John's. "You know Katma, I presume." His tone was dry.
For the second time that day, Hawkgirl felt an almost hysterical desire to laugh. "Yup."
He looked startled; then his mouth curved upward once more in that bemused smile. Katma looked as if she couldn't fathom the source of their amusement; but then again, Hawkgirl couldn't, either. The whole situation was ridiculous.
"Well," she said, composing herself, "Here is the whole story......"
"Doctor, I think she's waking up!"
Hawkgirl was struggling. Struggling to keep a deep, dark blanket of warmth that had enveloped her for hours from sliding off her body. But it insisted on leaving, and she was cold now........so cold...........
"Doctor!" The man's voice was louder, sharper. She opened her eyes, sligltly disoriented, and squinted at the bright lights reflecting off the snow-white blanket that covered her nose. She smelled disenfectant. And Clorox. And.......French Toast? As he stomach rumbled in response, she felt another sensation- a sharp pain on her left side. "Oh.........."
"Don't move." Hawkgirl squinted up, again into that face, the one that was so much like John's. She opened her mouth to ask, "who are you?" but only managed to let out a croak.
The man grabbed a small paper cup from the bedside, slipping a straw betwen her lips. Oh. Nothing had ever tasted as good as that cool, clear liquid now clearing a path down her throat- she'd never complain about having just ordinary water in the fridge again.
"Can you talk?" The man's vocie was gentle, yet somewhat harried, and Hawkgirl nodded, then shook her head, tears pooling from her eyes and running down her cheeks. Her throat was burning up. Not to mention her left wing............she attempted to lift it, but gasped in pain.
"Don't try to move," the man said, still in that gentle tone. "My name's Preston. Preston Stewart." He held the cup up to her lips again, and after another swallow, she found her voice, albiet rather hoarsely.
"Who....who are......."
"I'm John's brother. You gave us quite a scare, breaking in like that."
Hawkgirl licked her lips. John, a brother? But he never mentioned..... Preston had a bemused look on his face, studying her every expression. "How......."
"You were shot in the wing," he said flatly. "I'm sorry. It was Katma, John's friend. She didn't know why you were breaking in or if you were trying to do him any harm, so......" he broke off. "She has a bit of a trigger finger. I'm sorry."
Despite the ludicrous situation she was in, Hawkgirl was siezed with an insane desire to laugh, but one look unto the eyes of the man opposite her sobered her instantly. No! He couldn't actually think......
"I wasn't trying to......do anything wrong......"
"I'm not so sure about that." A chilly female voice cut through the silence in the room, and on the edges of her vison, Shayera saw her. Katma. It had been at least a year since their last encounter, but Hawkgirl remembered every feature of her face. And if the look on Katma's face was any indication, she recognized her as well.
Rising from a chair on the other side of the room, Katma walked over to the bed, a scowl on her normally pretty face. "You weren't satisfied with breaking the man's heart? You had to try and KILL him?"
"I wasn't trying to kill him!" Hawkgirl protested weakly.
"Try telling THAT to the authorities." Katma's voice was chilly. "You already have a charge of breaking and entering, not to mention fleeing the scene of a-"
"Katma!" Preston broke in, "I'm not filing any charges until I have a clear story of exactly what-"
Hawkgirl didn't wait to hear Preston's defense; she rose up to her full height sitting down, despite the pain in her wing, and looked Katma straight in the eye. Where did this little human trick get off, trying to scare her, a Thangerian warrior? She brought her brows down low and flashed the woman a look. "How DARE you accuse me of lying!" she spat, low.
Katma actually stepped back, but Hawkgirl didn't allow herself to be psyched by even that gesture. "You little witch. You don't even know the whole story, and you jump to conclusions, and-"
"Well, how's our patient?"
All eyes turned to the doorway, where a jolly, tubby fellow clad in scrubs strode into the room, stethoscope round his flabby neck. "Not in that good a mood, hunh?" He walked over to her, oblivious to the tension in the room. "We had a helluva time treating you- I actually had to call in a vet to repair that wing! But good news- you'll fly again. Not for a while, but you will."
"Thank you," Hawkgirl said politely, but her eyes were still fixed on Katma.
"Would you like to have anyone contacted?"
"Actually, yes. Please contact J'onn Jonnz, at this number." J'onn was the only one out of the Justice League who MIGHT understand what she'd done the day before. "Tell him i'd like to keep this matter private."
The doctoer nodded, took the paper, and left the room.
Silence reigned.
Preston broke the silence. "I wasn't aware......"
"That I am still a part of the Justice League?" Hawkgirl said.
"Well.......yes."
Hawkgirl laughed without humor. "Dispite my initial betrayal, my actions afterward proved my.....loyalty."
"I'm confused."
"I would be glad to tell you the whole story.....but, where is John? And you are....his brother?"
"When he so chooses," Preston said cryptically, then smiled, a smile much like John's. "You know Katma, I presume." His tone was dry.
For the second time that day, Hawkgirl felt an almost hysterical desire to laugh. "Yup."
He looked startled; then his mouth curved upward once more in that bemused smile. Katma looked as if she couldn't fathom the source of their amusement; but then again, Hawkgirl couldn't, either. The whole situation was ridiculous.
"Well," she said, composing herself, "Here is the whole story......"
