A. N. See? I told you guys I would release the next chapter soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman of any kind.

Bruce's awakening was long and drawn out. He stirred a little and caught a glimpse of a white room. The second time, he saw a nurse turned away and checking a clipboard before slipping back into unconsciousness. The third and last time, he was met with the sun shining in his eyes and he squinted until his eyes could adjust. Sometime after (he could not tell the passage of time with all the medication in his system) a short, hairy man waddled over. A joyous smile appeared beneath his bushy beard when he saw his patient back in the world of the living, and he greeted him warmly, "Ah, Mr. Wayne, it's good to see you awake. You've got some impatient visitors and you can see them after a quick check. I'm Dr. Shaw by the way, and this is Janice, your nurse," gesturing to the big woman behind him.

They moved quickly and soon ushered in Alfred with an enthusiastic Jillian, who had to be restrained from jumping on the hospital bed. Bruce was still a little foggy during the visit, which was kept short so he could rest. Alfred didn't speak much, but it was easy to see how pleased he was that his ward had made it past the brink of death.

The first time Gordon had visited Bruce Wayne, he lay like a pale puppet, with the strings attached as the only things keeping him from falling six feet under. The next time was after one of Bruce's quick visits and he lay sleeping. The change was obvious the moment his eyes fell upon him, he was no longer a lifeless doll, but rather a pale person sleeping off heavy medication. The doctor waddled in the room and smiled at the Commissioner as he checked over the charts, nodding to himself occasionally.

"Had you been an hour earlier Commissioner, you could have talked to him," the doctor casually addressed Gordon.

Gordon replied, "It's just nice to see him alive."

The bearded doctor nodded, "That it is. Would have been a shame to see the child raised alone, she was very happy to see him you know, jumping for joy, poor butler had a hell of a time restraining her."

Gordon smiled, he could picture little Jillian doing that, and for her sake he was glad that Wayne had made it past the danger zone. The last time he had seen her, she had reverted back to being silent, as if the joy of her life had been sucked out and was left with the others. They continued to talk a little before Gordon left to spend some time with his family, something he'd been doing more of lately, ever since the shooting.

Almost two weeks had passed before he managed to visit again. Bruce Wayne was awake and deeply engrossed in a book when the nurse announced that he had a visitor.

"Hi...?" the billionaire stared at him with a mix of curiosity and surprise and Gordon realized that he'd been standing for quite some time and couldn't hide the embarrassment that redden his face, "Uh, how are you doing?"

"Good, considering the circumstances," Wayne replied, still giving him that weird stare.

"That's good," and then the conversation died and Gordon once again stood awkwardly in the room. The silence only broke when he noticed that Wayne was moving around. "You okay?"

Bruce looked at the worried Gordon and quickly reassured him that he was, his arm just fell asleep. The conversation from there was relatively pleasant, if a bit awkward at times. Gordon left an hour later in a better mood, though he was still troubled by the shooter. As Gordon left, he checked with the guards he had stationed there since Wayne's arrival and there was no suspicious activity. Days slipped by and Gordon dropped by a few times later.

Gordon came to visit again and Bruce no longer greeted him with a confused stare, and always had a new book or two in his hands. After a few times of seeing so many different ones, he finally had to ask, "How fast are you reading those?"

Bruce was relaxed as he answered, "Around one a day or so."

Gordon looked a little surprised at that, the billionaire was supposed to be more air-headed than what Gordon has seen. He found that Wayne was easily engaged in conversation if it involved certain subjects, like his cat or classic literature, even gotten him into a huge debate about the existent of aliens. He found that the young man had extensive knowledge in many areas and he found that he had learned things as well, such as the evil Count Dracula was also a werewolf.

Bruce was on the phone when Gordon came in and he gave the guards a break, though he found himself listening intently to Wayne's conversation.

"Hey, how's it going?...Nice to talk to you too...she's loving that story you suggested...yeah, I guess it was an excellent choice...How's Jack doing?...That's great, I'm sure everyone is doing much better...What? They enjoyed it so much that they want to return? Ha ha, very funny...Well, they needed it."

Bruce's tone was a little frustrated as he continued, "If you already planned on doing it anyways, than why did you bother asking?...You're at the airport already, aren't you...Lies! You're not coming just for the concert...yes, I realize that the holidays are around the corner...I already said I would...can't do New Years...I'm busy, got other plans...which one? The fun one of course...maybe...Don't maim him, it's not his fault...the cards can't predict everything...yes, the usual crap about the future constantly changing...okay, talk to you later, bye."

Bruce finally finished up on his cellphone and Gordon walked in a few minutes later after enjoying Bruce's interesting view of the conversation.

A.N. Please read and review! I will try to make the chapters longer and put them out more frequently then I have been.