Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO! It's an update!
"But how can this be?" You ask. "Months haven't passed yet! It must be some sort of trick!"
No my wonderful readers. No trick here. I just found myself writing this soon after I posted the last chapter, mostly because I didn't feel too comfortable with Chapter 12. And although I finished this the same day I posted the last chapter, I decided to give everyone a chance to read that before reading this. So, on to my wonderful reviewers…
Kate Maxwell: Don't worry, all will be explained in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!
Goddess of Twlight: No worries, I forget to review sometime too. And thanks, I'm glad you don't mind the shortness of like, all my chapters. I'm also glad you like how the story is going. Thanks for reviewing!
zizzy333: Yes, I like happy twists too. And, like I just said, I'm glad you don't mind the short chapters. Thanks for reviewing!
Linschickrule10: Thanks, I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story. Thanks for reviewing!
WolfDaughter: Yeah…Sorry it took so long. But hey, this one came pretty fast, didn't it? Hope you're happy about that. And I'm not sure if my Richie/Batman thing came out all that well, or at least not up to what you would have expected, but, well, it's what you're getting.
Okay, something really weird, both Goddess of Twlight and WolfDaughter say they think they wrote a review to me. Um, I don't know what happened to that, but it wait neither e-mailed to me, nor is it in the stories Review section. So, if you wrote a review, and I for some reason didn't respond to it because I didn't get it or forgot, please tell me. I don't like leaving people out….Plus, it makes me feel better. :D
And now…One with the story!
Chapter 13-A Bat And It's Pray
Trying to watch Flash zip around the waiting room was NOT a relaxing way of passing the time. Actually, John was getting quit a headache. Making his way to the trash can, he couldn't help but peer inside and see the thirty or so discarded coffee cups and three empty boxes of donuts, all of which was obviously Wally's. Looking back up, GL saw slight glimpses of a red streak and within one hundredths of a millisecond, he saw it again. Rubbing the bridge of his nose in a useless attempt to be rid of the headache, he finally looked up, much to his distaste, and tried to find that damned red blur again.
"Flash. Would you stop it already?" And suddenly, out of nowhere, stood Flash, eyes darting around the room.
"How long's it been?" He asked right away.
Sighing, John looked at the waiting room clock. "Five minutes."
"What?" Behind the mask, Wally looked slightly panic stricken. "Jeez. I hope the kid's okay."
"Why wouldn't he be?" Asked John, finding that all he had managed to do in stopping his best friend was increase his headache.
"Would YOU be okay in a room for five minutes with Bat's…alone?" There was a slightly sarcastic tone his voice, but traces of fear also found their way in.
Looking down at the floor and then at the room where said Batman was, John shook his head. "You're giving me a headache." He finally admitted. "I'm too old for this."
Wally had to smirk at this. There were very few times where ANYONE in the league admitted this, and when it happened, the young speedster took full advantage. "Race yah!" And with that, he zoomed off, back to the lounge was John's assumption. The place never seemed to run out of free donuts.
With a sigh, he sat back down and watched the shadows of Batman and Gear through the curtains. Smirking slightly, John had to admit something to himself. "No Wally, I don't think I would be okay."
Six minutes ago…..
Richie looked on with disgust at the stuff the hospital considered to be 'food'. Probing the 'mashed potatoes' he was slightly shocked when they decided to probe back. Giving up, he decided to stick with the apple, which seemed to be the only non-living thing on his tray. When I get out of here, I'm running a chemical analysis on the gunk here. Looking out the window, he absentmindedly bit into his apple and was relieved when it tasted like, well, an apple.
"What are you thinking about?" Richie was startled when he heard the unexpected voice and turned to face Batman.
"Nothing. Man, you really scared me there for a sec." Batman didn't seem to pay attention as he made his way out of the doorway and toward the hospital bed.
Looking over the monitors, the human bat continued talking. "Your fever's down. That's good."
"Yeah, I guess." Richie sighed, his thoughts straying to Virgil. "How is he?"
It was obvious who 'he' was. "Static's doing better. But I'm here to talk about how you feel."
Richie was now officially terrified. Batman had a reputation of showing no emotion, and not being in the mood to listen to other peoples problems. But here he was, standing in the young hero's hospital room, asking him how he felt. I must've accidentally eaten some of the hospital food. Rationalized Richie.
"I…I'm fine." His lye convinced no-one.
"No. No you're not. Tell me what's bothering you." Batman had by now eased himself into a chair…a not so comfortable chair…but a chair none the less.
"I…." Sighing, Richie stared at his bed sheets. "It's all my fault." He whispered. He hadn't intended to say it, it just…came out.
"Why?" Batman knew exactly what to say, exactly when to say it. He didn't ALWAYS play bad-cop, just most of the time.
"Because….Because he would have never entered that bank. I made him go in there. Virgil was scared. If I hadn't pushed him to go, he wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed right now, fighting for his life."
"And civilians would be dead." Stated Batman, trying to get the distraught teen to reveal everything. "He knew the risks before putting on the suit, and so did you."
"Yeah but…they never had guns before. Powers sure, but not guns. The crooks would eventually give up anyway. Some people were already dead when we got there." Richie had a distant look in his eyes, and his voice remained completely emotionless.
Waiting a minute before talking, Batman continued the conversation, knowing the only way for the teen to ever get over it was to let it off his chest. "What happened?"
"The guy…Reed….Reed just…just shot him. I wanted to help, I really did but…he wouldn't let me. Said he'd shoot Static again if I didn't crack the password. I…I didn't know what to do. People were…were screaming, and crying, and…and dying Batman. They were dying." The last word was a shocked whisper, and he was once again staring into space. Bruce wasn't sure if he should keep probing or let the kid rest, although he would never admit that to anyone else. But, much to his relief, he didn't have to choose, because Richie continued talking. "I worked as fast as I could, but a little while later, one of the guys he…he got scared or something…and he sh…shot me. But…but I had to keep working. By the time I was done, so was Virgil. He…He had stopped breathing…he was blue. I don't know how long it took me, but…but I brought him back. He started breathing again."
Batman could see that Richie was reliving the whole horrific experience as he retold it, envisioning everything. Each plead, each gasp, the very smell of blood, and the feel of his own sweat pouring down his exhausted face.
"It ended there. Everything was just…over. The robbers were gone. They were GONE! They got away! The damned basterds got away!" He was yelling now, tears streaming down his face as he glared as Batman. "I let them get away damnit! It was my fault they got away!"
"What would have happened to Virgil if you had caught them?" This seemed to strike Richie as he just broke down, no longer able to maintain even the slightest of composure, much like he had with his father. He fell into the expecting arms of Batman and wept. Neither knew for how long, but Bruce was willing to wait.
Running around the room, Flash finally came to a halt in front of John, who had finally given up on avoiding his headache and had instead settled for a hot cup of coffee.
"How long has it been now?" Flash asked anxiously.
With another sigh, John looked at the waiting room clock. "Five minutes since you last asked."
"You mean Bat's has been in there for TEN MINUTES! The poor kid is probably bat-chow by now!" Just as the words came out of his mouth, he heard a door opening behind him. Before you could blink, Flash was standing next to Batman as John walked over to them and Bruce closed the door quetly.
"How is he?" Asked Flash the instant the door was shut.
"Sleeping." A hint of a smile appeared on the dark knight's face. "He's going to be fine." And with that, he walked away, leaving no doubt in John's mind that he was headed toward the lounge.
Sighing, Flash slumped down in one of the waiting room chairs, which he had zipped over to once Bat's had left. "Where do you think he's going?" Asked Wally once John was next to him.
"Same place you went." He replied, staring absent mindlessly at Gear's door.
"And where would that be Mr. Detective." Mocked Flash.
"The lounge." Flash gave him a quizzical look.
"Why would he go there?" He was confused. How did GL do that?
"Because the cafeteria food's inedible." He said as he stood up and followed the path that Batman had gone down only seconds before. Flash stared at his friend's back for a few seconds, unsure exactly what to think.
You know, he's right. You can't eat the gunk that they serve patients. And, with his trade mark grin, he ran off after his friend.
Hmmm, I tried adding humor into this, so tell me what you all think. I really hope I displayed Richie's emotions well. I feel like I'm getting kinda drained doing that lately. Yes, I know Bat's is slightly out of character, but it had to be done for the well-being of this chapter. Oh, and don't ask where the other Leaguers are, just pretend they're off doing something important. Ending world hunger, uniting all planets in peaceful unity. I don't care. They're not here because they're not important to the story. Sorry all you fans of Sups, J'onn, WW, and HG, but they're not gonna play too big of a role in this, and pretty soon, neither will the rest of the League…Or at least, that's my plan for now. I could always change my mind. Yah never know!
Well, anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review!