She arrived as Barbara ten minutes later. She walked inside, like a storm, and went toward her bedroom. The kid was curled up in a ball whimpering softly.
"Helena?"
"I want mommy..." the child sobbed, she felt so sick.
"What happened, Hel?" She needed to lie to prevent Helena from figuring out her connection to Batgirl. "I came as fast as I could. I promised it."
"I want mommy..."
She sat next to her and touched her forehead. "Hel, you have a fever."
"I feel sick..." the child whispered again.
"Oh... I'm sorry, Helena..." Barbara said, as she hugged her lovingly and pulled her against her chest.
"I want mommy..." she cried on the redhead.
"I know, honey, but your mom is not here. Why didn't you tell me when I was here that you felt bad?"
"Because I'm a nuisance for you," the kid whispered.
"That's not true."
"You never talk to me, you are never here, you're always in a hurry." Helena raised her red eyes.
"I haven't been fair to you. I must give you more time. I'm sorry." She hugged her. "Forgive me." The redhead felt her forehead, she felt very warm. She took her temperature again... 103F.
"Hel, I need to lower your temperature."
"Why?" The kid felt dazed.
"Because you are burning up. I'll be right back." Barbara went to the bathroom, she filled a container with cold water and took it to her room. She put it on the night table and, taking some hand towels, she put one inside the container.
Helena was curled on her side trembling. "Mommy?"
Barbara covered her with the blankets. "She's not here, but don't worry." She began put a cold cloth on her forehead.
"I want mom..." Helena cried again; she felt terrible.
"I'm so stupid, forgive me. I won't leave you alone." She wiped her tears with another cold cloth.
"I feel bad..."
"I know; you will feel better soon."
The girl just closed her eyes. Barbara felt guilty, she should have taken better care of her before and she had been ignoring her; not intentionally, but she had done it.
The kid jerked, her stomach performed a slow roll.
"What now?" Barbara asked. Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide. "Not here, Helena!" She stood up her and almost carried her to the bathroom. Vomiting was never her favorite part of being sick.
Helena spun, dropped to her knees in front of the toilet, and gasped. She buried her face in the toilet, certain that she was emptying her stomach of everything she'd eaten in the last month. Barbara crouched next to her, patting her back gently, while she continued to dry-heave over the toilet.
"I don't want to throw up..." the kid sobbed. The sensation was terrible.
"Easy Hel..." Barbara rubbed her back.
"Mommy... I don't want..." she said, glancing up, before being seized by another round.
Barbara grimaced sympathetically as she heard the retching from Helena.
After a few minutes, Helena rocked back on her heels and turned her head toward Barbara, pale face still crying. The red head wet a washrag and bathed the brunette's forehead and the back of her neck. "Do you feel better?"
The answer was Helena's cry. She didn't like to throw up, she hated it, she felt sick, and her arm still hurt. Barbara hugged her, trying to get offer some comfort. "You'll feel better soon. It's okay."
When she took her back to the room, she saw the sun was coming up. She stayed with the little girl all morning, but the kid didn't seem to be getting better. The Tylenol hadn't been enough. Suddenly, she went to her phone book and looked for the phone number for Dr. Leslie Tomkins. That's good luck, she knew her, too. She went to the phone and dialed a number.
"Leslie?.... sorry to call you so early... It's Barbara, Barbara Gordon. Yes, me again... I have a problem. Helena has fever and I don't know what to do... She threw up all night... Could you please come see her?" Being a crime fighter didn't make her a specialist in sick children.
::Sure, give me a few minutes. Just be sure she drink fluids once the vomiting is over,: not too much at first, to make sure she can keep it down.::
"All right."
When Barbara hung the phone, she sighed with relief.
Leslie was a mature woman, around fifty-five. She finished checking Helena and stepped outside the room. Barbara waited at the kitchen table with two cups of coffee. She gave one cup to her.
"How is she?" Barbara asked.
"Well, Barbara." Leslie said, taking the cup of coffee "She is much better, 98F."
"Oh, I was so worried." Barbara rubbed her temples.
"It's your first time with a child, as I can see." Leslie smiled. "It's common for kids to get viruses where they vomit for eight to twelve hours and then just feel bad. Helena is strong and she has an advantage: she heals quickly." She looked at the concern apparent on Barbara's face. "I see you are having a hard time with her; fist the accident and now this."
"I've never taken care of a child. I thought it'd be easier." Barbara leaned on her chair. "But now I see that it's more difficult that fighting against a gang of bad guys with knives."
Leslie laughed.
Barbara smiled lightly. "I've been an asshole with her." She sighed.
"Why?"
"I was seeing her not as a child, I was seeing her as an adult, and... a child needs time to be with them, talk. She was asking me for attention and I didn't hear her; I couldn't read that in her eyes. I was hurting her, she felt alone," she moved her head, "sad, she misses her mom because is the first time that she has been far from her and I didn't realize it. I was so blind... She'll never forgive me."
"Never is a long time," Leslie said to her, understanding how she felt. "Helena is a lovely child, she will forgive you."
Barbara felt so guilty. "You don't understand. I had promised to watch a movie with her yesterday night, she prepared the snacks and fell asleep waiting for me because I was working as Batgirl and I returned at three in the morning. I took her to my room and she was crying, telling me she felt alone, and I left her again to go out for another emergency call."
Leslie listened to her without knowing what to say.
"When I was on my bike, I saw her walking down the street with her cat. I stopped her, she said she wanted go to her home because she thought I didn't like her, that she waa bothering me. I felt like a piece of shit."
"She knows you are...?"
"No, no... she didn't recognize me, but she was so sad, that she opened her heart to a stanger, to Batgirl, and she told her how she felt. That made me understand; she broke my heart."
"Well, you have time to try to be close to her. She has a big heart."
"I hope." Barbara fixed her eyes on her cup of coffee.
"She will do it. Trust me." Leslie pressed her hand. "Barbara, I need to go."
"Yes, I understand."
"She can eat toast, crackers, bananas. Not milk."
"Great, Helena loves milk for breakfast and dinner. How do you convince a cat not to drink milk?" Barbara asked her.
"Well, you are very smart, you will know what to do." Tomkins winked. "Give her watered down juice, Gatorade, applesauce. Avoid ice cream, cheese, any dairy products."
"Leslie, I'm a bit lost here. I need help. She is crying, calling for her mom. What should I do?"
The doctor laughed and stood up. "Kids want your undivided attention, especially when they are sick or hurt. She just needs to feel that someone is taking care of her. Just be nice, make her feel loved. I know Helena, she likes to be spoiled. It's not difficult."
"Thanks, Leslie," Barbara said to her.
"Any time, call me if you need more help. And get her this medicine. " She gave her a prescription.
"Sure, let me walk you out."
Barbara followed all the doctor's instructions. She spent the rest of the day with the sick girl, who went to the toilet two more times, and each time she needed to clean the room. By afternoon, she was tired. She hadn't slept the whole night, fighting against burglars, and then had taken care of the child all day. She wondered what was more difficult, trapping criminals or taking care of children.
Night.
The redhead had her back against the headboard with Helena's head in her lap sleeping, while she distractedly brushed her hair. She was watching television, trying to stay awake. Helena had felt much better the last couple of hours and had managed to sleep more than two hours. She put her hand on the child's back and felt her light purr. She lowered her head and smiled; that strange purr began to feel nice. Yes, she liked her purring. Slowly, her eyes began to close. The phone rang, waking her again.
"Hello?" she said in a drowsy voice. "Selina... Hi... no, it's not late, just eight, but... Helena was sick."
::Sick? How is she?:: Selina interrupted her.
"Easy, calm down... she's fine. Dr. Tomkins checked her and I've been keeping an eye on her all day. She is sleeping now."
::Is she bad?:: Selina asked, worried.
"The doctor said it's normal for kids to be sick sometimes."
::Oh my... and I'm not with her. She likes to snuggle close to me and I pet her head.::
Barbara gazed at the sleeping girl, while she kept brushing her hair. "Yes, I discovered she likes you to pet her head. Now her temperature is normal. She will be better tomorrow morning. I'm sure of that."
::Oh, my poor baby... Barbara, give her Goldfish crackers, she likes them::
"Sure... how's it going?"
::Dammit... I need to be here a few more days, I'm sorry, Barbara.::
"Selina... don't worry. I'm happy with Helena here." The red head realized her own words. She said that? Yes, she liked her. She was cute and lovely. She loved kids, but she had needed to learn how to manage them, and she was learning with Helena.
::She is giving you trouble.:: Selina pulled her from her thoughts.
"She's sick, that's all. Don't worry. Take your time."
::But...::
"Selina... I have it all under control, don't worry."
::I had promised her take her to the parents camping day this Saturday, please call Joahan Kafka... her son, Gibson, is a friend of Helena's, he is meta too, and she will take her... ::
"Don't worry, I'll take her..."
::You work and...::
"Selina, let me take her. It'll be good to have a bit of fun. I need it."
::Oh, thanks so much, Barbara. I'll call her tomorrow morning.::
"Sure, we will be here watching TV, we still have a movie to watch." Barbara smiled fondly at the kid, who sleepily moved slightly to hug her waist and snuggled against her a bit more. Barbara put the phone on the night table and hugged the girl, kissing her head. She felt her purring. She closed her eyes, she had forgotten to ask Selina about that. Well, maybe she would do it the next day.
