A/N: Follow up to Chapter 74 Aftermath.
Being confined in the medbay was more agonizing than Shayera had thought. The first month wasn't that bad considering she had been comatose for the first three weeks. The fourth week, her first conscious week, also had went by rather smoothly and quickly. She was barely able to stay conscious for more than twenty minutes at a time. Though Shayera didn't mind not being able to stay conscious. It got her through the pain and she was in a lot of it.
The next two months brought about boredom and loneliness on top of her physical pain. The reconstruction of the Justice League was ongoing and it kept her mind preoccupied with worries and doubts for the future of the superhero team. But even that wasn't able to keep her attention for long.
The number of visitors slowly dwindled down. John and Wally were still daily visitors but they were still both active duty Justice League members, founders at that. Shayera could tell it bothered them that they couldn't spend more time with her than they wanted; she could tell it especially bothered John. The only other person she saw daily was J'onn. Clark and Diana were lucky if they were able to stop by twice a week at this point.
So, she was left to lay in her bed, with nothing to do.
It also pained her that she hadn't seen Emma and Rex for so long, even more than being unable to even get out of bed or to just simply fly. Though not seeing her own children was of her own doing. Shayera absolutely did not want them to see her in her current condition.
"There are so many things I could be doing right about now and yet here I am confined to a bed, away from my own kids," Shayera muttered to herself as she leaned back her head. "I don't know if I can handle this much longer."
The Thanagarian let out an exasperated sigh as she closed her eyes. She knew that she shouldn't be complaining about her condition. She was lucky to be alive and she was healing after all. That was a good sign; she just wished that it was faster than this. If she was on Thanagar she would have been fully recovered by now. The issue was that Earth simply didn't have the advanced technology necessary to treat her injuries.
"Not a bad time, is it?" An all too familiar voice asked. As Shayera looked over, she caught the sight of the League's resident speedster. Wally's eyes met with her emerald ones.
"Not at all," she replied with a small smile. "I would love the company actually."
With his own smile, Wally walked over by her bed side, taking the seat right next to the bed. "It looked like I was going to interrupt your sleeping time. I'm glad I didn't."
"Trust me, I rather not sleep," Shayera stated. It wasn't a lie either. The last thing Shayera ever wanted to do anymore was sleep. Sleeping brought along the nightmares. Nightmares of her fight with Grail. "Anyway, how are things going? The League still holding up?"
"Yeah everything seems to be going pretty good so far. The boyscout made this big speech and everyone was pretty inspired by it. Everyone that was injured is back on active duty. We're just waiting for our favorite Thanagarian to return now."
"I will return, once I manage to recover enough," Shayera frowned and slightly narrowed her eyes.
Wally held up his hands and shook his head, "I didn't mean it like that. I mean you were the most injured out of everyone. No one expects you to just hop right back into things like everyone else."
Shayera waved him off, "I get it Wally."
"How are you doing Shayera? I heard from J'onn that you're really getting better compared to before." And Wally would have to agree. The pale look on her face was slowly going away. Her left wrist and arm were no longer in a cast. Her wrist was now just in a brace. Even the splint on her left wing had been removed. He could only guess it was her ribs and shattered pelvis that were the difficult parts that were still healing. It really must have been a nasty hit and Wally could only wonder how she had managed to keep going during the rest of that fight. Imagining the pain she had to be going through during that time, it really must have been unbearable.
"I feel fine. At least when I'm laying down anyway. Moving my leg is still very painful but not as much as it used to be. I still haven't tried to stand and bare any weight on my left leg yet."
"That's somewhat good news though. Even if it's little by little, you'll be standing and on your feet in no time," Wally wanted to be optimistic for his best friend. He could tell how much it bothered Shayera to admit that she wasn't up to par to her own standards. It even hurt him seeing Shayera confined to her bed. This wasn't how things were supposed to be with her.
"Yeah," Shayera gave a half-hearted reply, glancing up at the ceiling. "How long can you stay Wally?" She asked, her voice wavering a little. As much as she loved seeing Wally, there was only so much time one could spend in the medbay. She knew eventually that he'd have to leave and then she'd be alone once again. Or at least until John or J'onn came around.
"Oh um," Wally scratched the back of his head. "I was hoping as long as I could really. I don't have monitor duty and for once I'm not getting called off on a million League missions in one day."
"I see," Shayera went quiet for a moment. Wally, curious and worried, tilted his head to the side, ready to ask her if she was alright but she spoke before he got the chance, "Can I ask you a favor?"
Wally chuckled; he was expecting something worse but this was good compared to what was racing through his mind. "You know, you don't need to even ask. Of course I'll come visit again."
"No Wally it's not that. Not that I want you to stop visiting me, I mean," Shayera frowned for a moment, thinking how selfish she was to be asking this in her mind. "I need you to do something for me once I'm able to stand again. As long as you have time to that is."
"And what's that?" Wally asked in a confused tone
"I know it's a lot to ask and I'm sorry in advance but can you bring Emma and Rex here?"
"Sure," he immediately replied with a shrug.
"What?" Shayera was honestly dumbfounded by his fast response. She had at least expected that she would have to convince him to some degree.
"I get it. You don't want them to see you like this. You don't want them to see their mother this vulnerable looking. You're the parent and you're supposed to be the strong one they look up to," Wally lightly smiled. "Besides seeing yours truly, John, and J'onn everyday I'm sure it gets kinda lonely here, right? So, I can only imagine how much you want to see them. Besides the fact you love them more than anything in the entire universe."
Now Shayera was staring at him, just for a moment, before a smile appeared on her face. "Thank you Wally."
This time Wally was the one waving her off, "Don't mention it Shay."
Shayera absolutely hated having to remain in one single spot, even more in just one room. It really did suck in her perspective. She knew that she should have gotten used to it by now but, even after three months, she found that she couldn't. It just wasn't in her to just lay down like they wanted. Yes, she was still very injured and that was what she needed in order to heal but she also needed to get out of that cramped room and do something. Anything.
Did she regret fighting Grail? No. Was her body getting back at her for putting it through that torture? Absolutely. She had been repeatedly told it was a miracle that she was even alive after pushing herself to the limit in that fight. Maybe it was all just a miracle to them that she had survived; it didn't change the fact that she was still bedbound and bored out of her mind.
But it had all been worth it. She truly had expected to die in that fight and if she was going to die after that fight, a part of her would have been fine with it. She would have been at peace knowing that she had impeded Grail long enough and that the Earth was safe. That John, Emma, and Rex were all safe. Yet she was still alive, still kicking, still having her body hate her for what she did.
She groaned in frustration while looking up at the ceiling, "I just want to get out of here. Even to the hallway would be fine."
"You know that you'll just be causing yourself more trouble."
Shayera immediately looked over and smiled as John walked into the room, "You know me. I always have to cause trouble."
John smirked as he sat on the side of the bed, "That'll never change." He kissed the top of her head and then hugged her. If there was anything John could easily say that he missed doing those first few weeks following the fight with Grail would be being able to hold Shayera in his arms. "How are you feeling?"
Shayera smirked as she wrapped her arms around him, "I'm fine. Same as yesterday and the day before that and the day before that."
John finally let go of her but remained seated on the bed. He gave her a sympathetic look, "Still in pain then?"
Shayera shrugged, "Same pain as before, nothing different. It's not as bad as it used to be at least. Before it was unbearable now it's tolerable."
Most of her broken bones had fully recovered, excluding her pelvis and a couple of her ribs. She was now left with deep bone bruising across her body. It was also still painful enough that she was still forced to lay on her back and not on her stomach or right side. Her body was also still recovering from the blood loss. There were some days she felt fine and others where her body simply felt worn down. From what J'onn had told her before she was anemic which was what was causing her fatigue and overall weakness. The anemia wouldn't go away until her body replenished the blood she had lost.
John took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze, "You've always been a trooper."
Shayera squeezed his hand back with a smirk, "Trooper or stubborn?"
"Smartass," John muttered with an eyeroll.
"Professional smartass," she quipped.
John chuckled in response as he kissed her cheek, "Damn straight you are."
"On a more serious note though," Shayera began. "J'onn said he's going to let me see if I can bare any weight on my left leg either tomorrow or the next day."
"Think your leg can handle it yet or is it your pelvis you're more concerned about?"
Shayera paused, "Probably my pelvis. My leg doesn't hurt all that much anymore. My knee hurts but it's mostly my pelvis that's giving me issues still."
John just remained silent. Besides the internal bleeding caused by her broken ribs puncturing an organ and her lung, her broken pelvis had also caused internal bleeding and was the other life-threatening injury she had sustained. The extent of those injuries hadn't even been shared with Shayera. As far as Shayera knew she simply had fractured her pelvis and it had caused some additional internal bleeding. If things went the way John wanted them to than Shayera was never going to find out the true extent of her pelvic injuries. He even had J'onn sworn to silence over it. While J'onn didn't approve of the Green Lantern's plan, he didn't argue and simply agreed to go along with it. No one, besides them, knew the consequences of what her fractured pelvis had caused. That and John didn't know exactly how Shayera would react if she ever did find out. She had been through enough as it was. John didn't want to subjugate her to anymore pain or anguish.
"John you ok?" Shayera suddenly asked him.
John snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head, "Yeah I'm fine. Just was thinking about something."
Shayera smirked, "Hopefully about me."
John swallowed and forced himself to smirk back, "Who else would I be thinking about?"
"If the pain is too much then we'll stop. I highly recommend against pushing your body past its limits right now. You're still in the recovery phase," J'onn stated to her as he finished strapping the hip abduction brace onto her. He then adjusted the hinged rom brace on her left knee, "How do the braces feel?"
"A little uncomfortable but I'll get used to them. It's temporary after all," she replied as she exhaled. Honestly Shayera was worried. Even moving to simply sit on the edge of the bed had been excruciating. Currently she didn't have much hope that she would be able to stand.
John was silently standing off to the side though Shayera could tell he was just as anxious as she was. At least he had stopped pacing. That was one of his habits that had always drove Shayera up a wall. Now he was just standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, tapping his finger against his arm, as his eyes were trained on the floor with a fixed stare.
Shayera shifted on the bed in an attempt to gain a more comfortable sitting position.
"Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" John asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.
Shayera slowly exhaled as she nodded, "Yeah I'm sure. Eventually I have to try. I can't push it off."
"I know," he was silent again for a few moments. "Just don't push yourself too hard Shay."
"Don't worry John."
"You want a hand or are you going to be stubborn?"
Without saying a word, Shayera pushed up with her arms, putting most of her weight on her right leg. She let out a pained grunt as she struggled to maneuver herself into a standing position as she began to put weight on her left leg.
"Of course you're going to be stubborn," John muttered as he rolled his eyes. "Almost forgot who I was talking to."
Shayera sharply inhaled as she stared up at the ceiling, clenching her hands into fists. Beneath the pain, Shayera at first felt relief. Relief that she was finally out of bed and standing on her own. But she still couldn't ignore the pain in her knee and hip. She gritted her teeth hard with tears building up in her eyes. There were very few things that could make her cry in pain. Having one of her wings dislocated or going through childbirth were two of the few experiences that could reduce the mighty Thanagarian to tears.
After a moment John had noticed and was shocked at Shayera's expression, one of pure misery. "Shay is everything okay?" John quickly moved himself into her line of sight. "Is it hurting too much?" Shayera lowered her head and just stared at him, her eyes fighting to hold back her emotions. John gently laid his hand on her arm. "Do you want to sit back down? If it's hurting too much you don't have to do this."
His quiet sympathy and understanding felt like a slap to the face and Shayera's anger flared. "No," she grunted and jerked her arm away from him. She looked down at her left leg and attempted to move it forward.
J'onn immediately realized what she was attempting to do when he noticed her leg move by a few centimeters, "Easy Shayera! You're going to hurt yourself!"
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Trying to cause more damage?" John chastised her.
"It doesn't matter! That's the point, don't you get it?!" Shayera seethed. "It's been three fucking months since I've been stuck in that bed!" She heaved out a ragged breath and when she looked back up at John; he could see the defeat in her eyes. Shayera's voice tapered off to barely a whisper as she spoke again, "It's been three months and I'm no better than I was when I woke up. I can barely stand up on my own. It's useless. I'm never going to be the same again and we both know it."
When John grabbed her hand, Shayera tried to pull it out of his grasp but his hold was tight. John met her gaze and squeezed her hand as hard as he could. "No," he stated firmly. Shayera could feel the tears in her eyes and shrugged a shoulder up to her cheek to wipe away the one that escaped. "You're not giving up. I don't care if it takes over a year but you're not giving up. Do you understand me Shayera?" John reached up and gently wiped away a tear from her cheek. "You, Shayera, are a fighter. You and I both know that. I've seen you overcome so much these past three months. This is just another thing you're going to overcome. I know you will because you're my extremely stubborn Thanagarian wife, remember?" John cracked a small smirk and was relieved when Shayera's lips twitch at the corners. It was not anywhere close to being a smile but it was a start and he would take it for now.
Shayera didn't say anything as John wrapped his arms around her. John and J'onn exchanged glances. The Green Lantern mouthed 'I got her' and the Martian nodded as he left the room.
"I miss being able to do things for myself," she told him as she buried her face into his shoulder. John began to rub her back, in between her wings, and Shayera found herself struggling to say what she wanted.
"I know," John simply said to her. "You never liked to rely on assistance for anything."
"I haven't been outside since I got injured and I can't stand it. I miss flying and feeling the wind," Shayera closed her eyes for a moment and tried to conjure up those feelings in her mind. She could almost feel the sun against her skin. "I miss seeing the sunrises too."
"What do you miss the most?" John gently asked her, though he knew what her response would be.
Shayera didn't even have to think twice about it as she immediately answered, "My kids. When I see Emma and Rex again I'm never letting them go. I just-" Her voice broke off as a sudden swell of emotion overcame her. As belittling as it made her feel, Shayera couldn't help but begin to cry into John's shoulder as she tightly wrapped her arms around him.
"It's going to be okay Shayera," he quietly whispered into her ear.
"I just want everything back to normal. I want to be able to at least walk," she murmured quietly, so low that John was barely able to hear her.
John looked down at her like she was absolutely crazy. Maybe she was but John knew how badly she wanted to be able to just take a step or two right now. To just prove to herself that everything was going to be alright. There wasn't anything that was going to stop her from trying though. John was able to read the determination on her face as he sighed heavily and nodded his head.
"Alright we'll try it but you're going to let me help you. Think you can do that?" John asked her in a serious tone. Shayera merely nodded as John let go of her and moved to her side. "You're going to lean your body against me. I'm going to hold onto your waist in case you fall. I'm going to be right next to you the entire time. Okay?"
Shayera nodded as she leaned the left side of her body against John as she felt his arm wrap around her waist and he told hold of her left hand with his free one. Shayera could feel that John took on some of her weight and the pressure lessened on her hip slightly. With a deep breath, Shayera slowly lifted her left leg and slid it across the tiled floor a few inches. The weight transfer was a bit shaky and Shayera was sure she was going to face plant but John held her steady until she had gotten her weight on her forward leg. She pulled her right leg up from behind and moved it forward.
She had done it at last. She had actually walked.
The realization had hit her so suddenly that it felt like she was punched to the gut. She then sharply inhaled. She was in pain and was certain she was about to lose her shit. John had read it all over her face because he quickly interceded.
"Alright Shay, I think that's enough for today. You don't want to push things too much," John halted their progress and took more of Shayera's weight against his side. John gently eased Shayera back down onto the bed. Once Shayera was sitting back on the bed, John leaned down and kissed her.
After John cutoff the kiss, Shayera took a deep breath and wiped a hand across her face, surprised to find tears there. After a long three months stuck in a bed with a body that wouldn't cooperate with her, she finally was able to get out of bed and walk. Even if walking just consisted of two steps right now. The relief she felt was overwhelming; it was like a huge weight had slid off of her shoulders. She took another deep breath and lightly smiled over at John, letting him know that she was okay.
"Well how do you feel?" John asked as he sat down next to her.
"My knee and hip hurt like all hell but I'm happy," she quietly replied. "And relieved that I was able to do it."
Shayera didn't need to look over to know that John was watching her like a hawk, ready to pounce at a moment's notice should she falter. She smirked at him and forced her leg to keep moving. She was tired and in a lot of pain but that was nothing new to her. Shayera knew that she wasn't going to get anywhere if she didn't push herself a little more each day. She also knew they wouldn't allow her to attempt to fly until she could bare more weight on her leg in order for her to push off of the ground.
It took all the effort she could muster but Shayera dragged her lagging left leg the last few inches to meet up with her right one. She let out a heavy sigh and clenched her hands tightly to her sides to mentally keep herself from collapsing as her throbbing left leg and hip quaked beneath her. It had only been five days since she first stood and took her first two steps. Since then J'onn was having her stand daily and walking as far as she physically could.
"Alright, I think you've done enough for one day," John remarked.
"No, I'm good. I can keep going," Shayera grunted out, causing John to roll his eyes. She kept her eyes focused straight ahead at her bed.
Being as stubborn as she was, Shayera had decided to try to walk on her own without either J'onn or John there to help her, as she was sick of being hovered over and babied. It had been her luck that John had chose then to visit her. Surprisingly, John hadn't tried to stop her. Instead he had encouraged her to continue.
Shayera was tired and honestly not sure if she could make her left leg move one more step. She knew if she told him she couldn't keep going, told him how shaky she felt, than John would call it to a stop right then and there. So instead Shayera dug down deeper, to those last energy reserves she called upon during her time as a Lieutenant in the Thanagarian Empire and on countless League missions before. She moved her right leg forward and dragged her left leg up behind it. Shayera turned herself around and slowly sat on the bed with a sigh.
"How's that leg holding up?" John asked, looking down at her.
"My knee hurts but it's still my pelvis that's giving me the most trouble," she was still frustrated that she couldn't take more than a few steps before she was in too much pain to move anymore or that walking across the room exhausted her. "It's very slow going."
"At least you can walk from one end of the room to the other," he pointed out. "Fast or slow, you're walking. That's all that matters."
"I don't like going slow with things. I just want things back to normal already."
"Yeah, I know you want to be going faster but it'll come back on its own time, Shayera. It'll all come back and you'll be kicking ass again before you know it. Just don't push yourself too hard."
Shayera lightly smirked as she nodded, "Don't worry I'm not going to."
"Good, I don't want to hear from J'onn that you blew out your hip or knee doing something you shouldn't have," John as well smirked.
"Hey you guys, is this a bad time?" Wally asked as he poked his head in.
"No why Wally?" John asked him.
"Wally why-" Shayera immediately cut herself off when she saw who Wally had brought along with him.
Shayera ignored the pain in her hip and knee as she immediately got off of the bed and knelt down onto the floor, a red-haired blur came running through the door and tackle-hugged her, almost knocking the Thanagarian over.
"Mom, I'm so happy you're ok!"
Rex was the next to run in and tackled Shayera as well with a hug, "Mom! I missed you!"
Shayera was silent as she tightly hugged them back. After a few moments Shayera took a shaky breath before she spoke, "Emma, Rex."
Emma tilted her head, "What's wrong Mom?"
"I love both of you. I'm so sorry." Despite trying to keep a straight face, Shayera began to cry and hugged them tighter.
"We love you too Mom," Rex replied. "You don't have to say you're sorry."
"Yeah you don't have to be sorry for anything," Emma agreed.
John turned to Wally with a grin, "We really do owe you Wally. Thanks for bringing them."
Wally shrugged and had a bashful smile on his face, "It was nothing. Shayera asked me to bring them once she was able to stand on her own again. I figured we'd might as well cash in that favor now. She seemed like she needed the morale boost."
Rex then giggled, "I don't think I've ever seen you cry before Mom."
At that Shayera smirked as she finally let them go and wiped her eyes. John as well smirked, "Don't let her fool you. Even your mother is capable of crying Rex."
"Did you cry when you broke your wing? Or when you got punched in the ribs?" Emma asked her. "It looked like it hurt a lot."
Shayera's eyes widened slightly, "What? How did you know that?" She looked over to Wally and narrowed her eyes. "What did you tell them?"
Wally held his hands up in defense, "Nothing, I swear!"
Shayera then glared at John who likewise held up his hands, "Don't look at me. I didn't say a thing."
"We saw your fight on one of the monitors when we were in the Watchtower," Emma said to her. "We really thought you were going to win at first."
"You saw that?" Shayera asked as she frowned. "How much of it did you see?"
"All of it," the two replied in unison.
Shayera sighed, "I wish you two didn't see any of it."
"I mean we did also see you when Uncle Wally brought you up here," Emma stated but then shrugged. "Though it was only for a couple of seconds. You know how fast Uncle Wally can run."
Rex nodded, "Yeah you looked really super-duper mega beat up when Uncle Wally was carrying you."
Shayera looked unamused as she rolled her eyes, "A very eloquent way of putting it Rex."
"Did you really die Mom?" Emma quietly asked as she hugged her. "I heard a League member say that you died after the fight and they had to bring you back."
Shayera swallowed as she hugged her back, "I almost died. It doesn't matter though. I'm here now and that's all that matters."
"She had to be really strong to hurt you like that Mom," Rex said. "Cause you're super tough."
"I am tough but Grail was tougher," Shayera lightly frowned.
"Yeah but isn't the saying what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" Emma asked. "So are you gonna be like unstoppable now?"
Shayera paused and then gave a cocky grin, "I'm going to be even tougher than before. No one is going to be able to take me down."
"I can do this," Shayera whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. John stood next to her as they were in the simulation room of the Watchtower.
John glanced over to her and watched as her wings twitched, one of her nervous habits, and her hands were curled into tight fists at her sides.
A small sigh slipped from her throat as she looked forward once more. Right now Shayera felt like she was that timid, little girl back on Thanagar who was just learning how to fly. The same little girl who had been afraid of even her own shadow.
"Shayera, why are you so nervous? Everything is going to be fine," John assured her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's been three weeks. You can stand and walk."
"With the braces and a prominent limp," Shayera pointed out dryly.
John frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, "Because you're still recovering."
"And what if my wing hasn't recovered and won't?" Shayera asked him. "Then what do I do?"
John opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. Honestly he didn't know how to respond. What could he possibly say to her? There was no way of telling if Shayera's left wing had fully recovered from its break. At least they wouldn't be able to tell unless they had her attempt to fly. The issue had been getting her hip and knee strengthened to the point they could support her body weight so that she could push herself off of the ground without debilitating pain.
Shayera sighed again, "Everyday all I hope for is to be able to fly again. If I can't fly ever again than what value do I have?"
A disabled wing in Thanagarian culture would immediately deem a Thanagarian useless in the eyes of their people. They were nothing more than a scourge to their society. From what she had told him, Thanagarians were more willing to die than to live with a crippled wing.
"You'll still be my wife and the mother of my children whether you can fly or not. You have a life on this planet that isn't dictated by what you can or can't do."
Shayera looked over at him and gave him a light frown, "John it isn't that simple."
John playfully rolled his eyes, "I've heard that one before."
This time Shayera was the one rolling her eyes, "I'm being serious John."
"And so am I," John looked over his shoulder. "You can turn it on J'onn."
Soon the simulation room's landscape shifted to one of a canyon. Shayera looked up at the artificial sun and lightly smiled. This was the closest she had come to being outside for the first time in nearly four months. She deeply inhaled as an artificial breeze lightly blew through the room.
"Stand straight and then spread your wings," Shayera mumbled to herself as she slowly spread her wings out to their full length. "Close your eyes."
John silently listened as Shayera closed her eyes. He was slightly amused as she probably didn't realize she was speaking to herself in Thanagarian. Though he could tell by her tone and the way she was talking that she was giving herself instructions. It was as though she was teaching herself how to fly all over again.
"Concentrate on the wind and sky. Feel how it glides through each of your feathers and how it moves them. Ignore everything else around you."
The nervous twitches of her wings seemed to have subsided and her mouth slightly shifted upwards. Shayera noticed when the artificial breeze stroked her feathers and it made her forget everything, even her fear and self-doubts.
Carefully, within a few wing beats, she lifted herself into the air. She tried to hold back a pained grunt as her knee, hip, and shoulder had protested against the take off. Though the pain wasn't enough that it could stop her.
Shayera acted instinctively and her wings began to beat faster and stronger. First her left wing was a bit sore but, after a few moments, the wing beats were smooth and Shayera felt pure euphoria as the pain subsided for the most part.
John grinned as he flew after her, "You're doing great Shayera."
A relieved smile graced Shayera's face, "John you have no idea how good this feels."
John chuckled, "Judging by your expression, I think I can imagine. How's your wing feeling though?"
"It was a little sore from lack of use but now it's fine. I just had to stretch it out and use it," she replied.
"I told you that you had nothing to worry about."
Shayera then lightly frowned, "Not exactly."
John raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"
"My shoulder," Shayera began. "Every time I flap my wing I can feel the tendons pulling in my shoulder. It feels like my shoulder is grinding and cracking."
John let out a sigh. Shayera's left shoulder had sustained multiple tears during the fight. Unfortunately there wasn't much J'onn could do for her at this point. A shoulder replacement wasn't feasible due to all of the tendons and ligaments that connected down to her back and wings. All they could do was hope that over time her shoulder would heal itself to the point she would be able to move it without pain, though that seemed to be unlikely at this point. As of now it appeared that her shoulder pain was going to be something she was going to have to learn to live with.
"What if you wore a compression brace on your shoulder?" John asked her. "I mean you have to wear one already on your left wrist and you said that helped."
"It might help but right now I just want to enjoy the feeling of finally being in the air," she then smirked. "Even if it is the simulation room."
"I'm guessing you're not going to try any crazy aerial maneuvers at least, right?" He teasingly asked her.
Shayera this time laughed as she shook her head, "Not at all Lantern. Even I'm not that crazy."
John lightly smiled to himself. That was the first time in four months he had heard her actually laugh. Just the few short minutes she had been in the air improved her mood immensely. Though being able to see Emma and Rex again on a daily basis had also helped brighten her mood considerably. Shayera seemed to be getting back to where she needed to be mentally. Though John knew the hardest part was still ahead of her. Physically, Shayera still had a long way to go until she could possibly come back to the Justice League at any capacity.
Though that was if she was going to come back.
They had already had a discussion before about when or even if she would return. Right now Shayera was more concerned over healing from her injuries and had told him even when she was better she wasn't going to go back right away. She had also told him she wanted to spend time with Emma and Rex for a few months before she made any attempts at trying to return to active duty. John completely understood why she wanted to do things this way and he was going to support whatever decision she ended up making in the end.
"I got a good idea," John casually stated.
Shayera tilted her head and looked over at him, "And what would that be?"
"When J'onn discharges you from the medbay tomorrow, I say we fly back to Detroit. That way you'll really get to stretch that wing out and be outside for once. I'm sure you'd rather do that than get teleported. Plus if anything starts to hurt I can carry you the rest of the way."
Shayera smirked, "That, John, is the best idea I have ever heard from you."
A/N: There will be yet another chapter to follow up with Aftermath. This was just a touch of the physical portion of the recovery process. Spoiler but the next will be the psychological recovery.