Bruce checks his wristwatch for the fifth time now. 12:04 AM. It's been thirty-one hours since the incident, but Terry hasn't come around yet. He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose with a thumb and middle finger, an action he's been doing too much. He's not looking forward to firing Terry, again, mainly because he doesn't have the energy to argue with him. No matter how injured the boy gets, he always has enough energy to disagree about something.
Suddenly, a slight movement catches the corner of his eye. He lifts his head to find Terry beginning to wake up. After a few seconds of twitching, Terry's eyes slowly slide open. He turns his head to the right and sees Bruce staring back at him with bloodshot eyes.
"How long have I been out?" He croaks
"Thirty-one hours. How are you feeling?"
"I could use a little more of that morphine," Terry replies as he nods to the IV drip to his left. "So what happened?"
"Inque turned you into a pin cushion."
"Does she think I'm dead?"
Bruce nods as he takes in a steady breath. "Terry, you're going to have to step down."
"Obviously; I can't exactly fight in this condition," Terry replies groaning as he tries to sit up.
Although the pain from his sides don't allow him to move much, he still manages to get into a somewhat comfortable position as Bruce places another pillow behind his head.
"I meant permanently."
"Jeez, Bruce; not this again!" Terry snaps growing frustrated.
"I won't allow something like this to happen again. You almost bled to death. You go after Inque, and she won't hesitate to shred you."
Terry stares him down before sternly stating, "I'm not stepping down. Just because things get a little tougher than usual doesn't mean I can't handle it. We've been through this once before, Bruce; you have to start trusting me."
However, Bruce casts his gaze downwards avoiding Terry hard eyes. It's a sign of lost hope, something of a rarity in Bruce's case. "There's no way of stopping her now. She's getting stronger after each attack."
Seeing the unusual sign of distress on his mentor's face, Terry eases the tone of his voice and tries to reassure him. "There's always another way."
Surprised, Bruce looks into Terry's bloodshot eyes, never expecting to be reminded of a lesson he taught Terry years ago. The determination etched into the young man's face reminds Bruce of why he chose him to carry the legacy.
"There's always another way," Bruce quietly repeats. After a short moment of reprimanding himself, his confident voice fills the room. "Stay off your feet for the next few weeks; I want you to recover quickly, understood?"
"Yes, sir," Terry replies with a smile. "But there is one matter of business I would like to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
"Batgirl," he whispers. Bruce instantly frowns and opens his mouth to argue, but before a word comes out, Terry beats him to the punch. "Before you say anything, hear me out." He stares at the young man before easing back into his seat waiting for him to explain. "I hate to admit this, but we need her help if we want to stop Inque." But the look on Bruce's face suggests that he isn't convinced. Frowning, he tries again. "Look, the only way to bring Inque down is with an unexpected surprise. I'll need Batgirl for backup."
"She's nowhere near your level of training. What makes you think she can handle Inque?"
"I have a feeling she's up to the challenge. We'll train her till I get my strength back; that should be enough time."
"She could get you killed if she messes up."
"Just trust me, Bruce. This girl, she's tough, fearless, and I trust her."
"You figured all that from a single encounter?"
"No, from a few."
Bruce frowns before understanding. "You know who she is." Terry nods in reply. Considering his suggestion, Bruce gets up and walks to the door. Just as he reaches for the doorknob, he turns to face Terry, "I'll see what she can do first, then we'll talk." He leaves the room allowing Terry to breathe a sigh of relief.
'You almost had me there, old man,' he thinks to himself as another smile spreads on his tired face.
-continued-