The Lantern slowly turned to see the calm face of J'onn Jonz still seated
at the meeting table. The Martian had not said one word during the entire
meeting. What necessitated a private meeting at this juncture? Had his
teammate read his mind?
Jonz's large orange eyes flashed briefly. "Sit down, Lantern. We need to talk before you embark upon your journey."
Lantern slumped into his chair. He never took his eyes off the Martian. Although they had fought many missions together, neither one would call the other his life-long buddy. Many times Jonz stitched, patched, and bandaged wounds that the Lantern had suffered in a fight in the Watch Tower's infirmary. Their discussion always centered around what happened during the mission or around the prescribed treatment for the injuries. There was no battle, nor were they in the infirmary.
After a brief but awkward silence, "Have you been taking care of yourself" came Jonz's monotone. "How are the ribs?"
"They feel fine. It was really nothing." Stewart laughed. "In boot camp, I can remember cracking a couple of 'em while..."
The Martian interrupted. "You obviously have not been eating satisfactorily. Your appearance is gaunt. Come with me please."
Lantern raised a surprised eyebrow. "What? Wh-where are we going?"
"Though the medical facilities in the building are primitive compared to the ones of the Watch Tower, I can still perform a physical exam to certify you fit for your journey."
The emergency room at LexCorp headquarters was small and sparse. The whole complex barely measured a third of the space at the Watch Tower, but it wasn't designed to repair the injuries of superheroes. Fortunately, J'onn salvaged several pieces of equipment from the Watch Tower. Plus the League still had their portable med-packs.
Lantern sat on the exam table. The Manhunter lifted his shirt and examined his ribcage. He twinged just slightly as J'onn touched the most sensitive area. An almost imperceptible frown furrowed across the Martian's lips. J'onn brought out his stethoscope.
"Breath deeply, Lantern."
After listening to Lantern's lungs, J'onn returned the stethoscope and reached for his small penlight. He examined Lantern's ears and had him say the traditional "aaahhh" as he looked down his teammate's throat.
"You appear to be in nominal physical condition, Lantern. Your weight is below normal but within acceptable limits. You appear to have no breathing problems, but I would be careful not to over stretch. Your ribs probably have a hairline fracture but I don't have an X-ray machine to confirm."
"So, I get a clean bill to travel Oa?"
"Yes, however, I would advise against it."
"WHAT?"
"Physically, I see no difficulties..."
"So what's the problem?" Stewart hopped down from the exam table and replaced his shirt. "Look, if this is some ploy to keep me from resigning from the League..."
"No. I would not resort to that type of guile. In my opinion, going to Oa and Katma Tui will not solve your real issue."
Lantern's eyes narrowed. He growled, "Oh, and what exactly is my "REAL issue? Have you been inside my head, looking around?"
Stewart could almost detect a hint of sadness in J'onn Jonz's solid orange eye bulbs. "No, I am disappointed that you would think me capable of betraying a friend's trust..."
"Yeah, well, betrayal and I are some real close friends these days."
Much to his amazement, the Martian reached out and touched his shoulder. "Lantern, you must forgive. Forgive our teammate, and most importantly, forgive yourself."
Stewart's jaw tightened. The hairs of his beard stood at attention. He stopped breathing to compose himself. "Forgive, huh? It all sounds so easy. I don't have anything to forgive anyone about. A choice was made. Simple as that."
"Yet, you feel responsibility for that choice."
"Aren't I responsible? I'm the ONE who let my guard down. I'm the ONE that acted like a rookie! Like some teenager who had never been on a date! I'm the ONE who let her get too close!!" He hung his head. "I'm the one who made her choose between us and them."
"Lantern... John... she made the choice she felt was best. Remember, my friend, no one forced her to leave. Eventhough I was unable to read her thoughts, I don't have to be a telepath to know that her feelings were true."
The Green Lantern shook his head. "I've been having nightmares every night since. It's all still too close. Katma's offer to go to Oa gives me the chance to clear my head. Do somethings I haven't done in quite a while." He chuckled. "I might even draw up plans for a new Watch Tower for you guys. I'll even give you a discount rate!"
Jonz's eyes glowed a cool amber. "Lantern, you can try to run from your problems. You can even try to run from your memories and emotions. Believe me. I've tried. But you can't run from the truth. And the truth is that you still care very much for..."
"My mind's made up, Manhunter. I'm going to Oa. If you're finished with your examination, I need to complete the necessary paperwork and start packing."
Jonz's large orange eyes flashed briefly. "Sit down, Lantern. We need to talk before you embark upon your journey."
Lantern slumped into his chair. He never took his eyes off the Martian. Although they had fought many missions together, neither one would call the other his life-long buddy. Many times Jonz stitched, patched, and bandaged wounds that the Lantern had suffered in a fight in the Watch Tower's infirmary. Their discussion always centered around what happened during the mission or around the prescribed treatment for the injuries. There was no battle, nor were they in the infirmary.
After a brief but awkward silence, "Have you been taking care of yourself" came Jonz's monotone. "How are the ribs?"
"They feel fine. It was really nothing." Stewart laughed. "In boot camp, I can remember cracking a couple of 'em while..."
The Martian interrupted. "You obviously have not been eating satisfactorily. Your appearance is gaunt. Come with me please."
Lantern raised a surprised eyebrow. "What? Wh-where are we going?"
"Though the medical facilities in the building are primitive compared to the ones of the Watch Tower, I can still perform a physical exam to certify you fit for your journey."
The emergency room at LexCorp headquarters was small and sparse. The whole complex barely measured a third of the space at the Watch Tower, but it wasn't designed to repair the injuries of superheroes. Fortunately, J'onn salvaged several pieces of equipment from the Watch Tower. Plus the League still had their portable med-packs.
Lantern sat on the exam table. The Manhunter lifted his shirt and examined his ribcage. He twinged just slightly as J'onn touched the most sensitive area. An almost imperceptible frown furrowed across the Martian's lips. J'onn brought out his stethoscope.
"Breath deeply, Lantern."
After listening to Lantern's lungs, J'onn returned the stethoscope and reached for his small penlight. He examined Lantern's ears and had him say the traditional "aaahhh" as he looked down his teammate's throat.
"You appear to be in nominal physical condition, Lantern. Your weight is below normal but within acceptable limits. You appear to have no breathing problems, but I would be careful not to over stretch. Your ribs probably have a hairline fracture but I don't have an X-ray machine to confirm."
"So, I get a clean bill to travel Oa?"
"Yes, however, I would advise against it."
"WHAT?"
"Physically, I see no difficulties..."
"So what's the problem?" Stewart hopped down from the exam table and replaced his shirt. "Look, if this is some ploy to keep me from resigning from the League..."
"No. I would not resort to that type of guile. In my opinion, going to Oa and Katma Tui will not solve your real issue."
Lantern's eyes narrowed. He growled, "Oh, and what exactly is my "REAL issue? Have you been inside my head, looking around?"
Stewart could almost detect a hint of sadness in J'onn Jonz's solid orange eye bulbs. "No, I am disappointed that you would think me capable of betraying a friend's trust..."
"Yeah, well, betrayal and I are some real close friends these days."
Much to his amazement, the Martian reached out and touched his shoulder. "Lantern, you must forgive. Forgive our teammate, and most importantly, forgive yourself."
Stewart's jaw tightened. The hairs of his beard stood at attention. He stopped breathing to compose himself. "Forgive, huh? It all sounds so easy. I don't have anything to forgive anyone about. A choice was made. Simple as that."
"Yet, you feel responsibility for that choice."
"Aren't I responsible? I'm the ONE who let my guard down. I'm the ONE that acted like a rookie! Like some teenager who had never been on a date! I'm the ONE who let her get too close!!" He hung his head. "I'm the one who made her choose between us and them."
"Lantern... John... she made the choice she felt was best. Remember, my friend, no one forced her to leave. Eventhough I was unable to read her thoughts, I don't have to be a telepath to know that her feelings were true."
The Green Lantern shook his head. "I've been having nightmares every night since. It's all still too close. Katma's offer to go to Oa gives me the chance to clear my head. Do somethings I haven't done in quite a while." He chuckled. "I might even draw up plans for a new Watch Tower for you guys. I'll even give you a discount rate!"
Jonz's eyes glowed a cool amber. "Lantern, you can try to run from your problems. You can even try to run from your memories and emotions. Believe me. I've tried. But you can't run from the truth. And the truth is that you still care very much for..."
"My mind's made up, Manhunter. I'm going to Oa. If you're finished with your examination, I need to complete the necessary paperwork and start packing."
