No edits. Trying to get this up and posted. Couldn't stop writing! :) - D

Pain ripped through me like a hot knife, not stopping anywhere. I could feel it deep down in my bones. I could hear sounds, but they sounded far away again. Hospital? I want to wince, but I can't. Bane. Liam. Blake. His hands around my throat. My body makes a small movement that I can feel when I think of that. The talking is low and muted, hushed. I could barely make them out over the beeping of my heart monitor and the sound of a – ventilator? The thought caused me to gag. Yay, vomiting. I winced as my eyes jerked open. Bruce was hunched at my bed side, holding my hand lightly. A nurse was typing away at the computer at her station.

"Shh, breathe," the nurse cooed as I made eye contact with her. Her hands pushed hair off of my forehead. "Just breathe, we can't take it out yet." I made a motion with my hand. I wanted to close my eyes and forget about everything, but I was afraid I wouldn't wake up again. She raised a syringe up for me to see and tapped it. I shook my head firmly, pushing her hand away as she brought it closer to my line. "It's going to help you," she insisted. I stared at Bruce, terrified, pleading him with my eyes.

"Just take out the intubation and see how she does," Bruce ordered, calmly. Oh, thank god.

"Mr. Wayne, she just had her throat crushed a week ago, and you want to –"

"You're being paid by me to take orders and care for us. We can re-do it if she needs it. Now pull it the fuck out," he barked, scowling at her. She didn't look pleased, but she obeyed, ripping the tape off of my mouth before slowly pulling the tubing out. I winced the entire time. "Thank you," he whispered as she gathered the things into a biohazard bag. She made some face at him, but I ignored it. He waited to talk until the door was closed. That is so much better. I relaxed against the pillow of my bed, enjoying the feeling of breathing on my own. "You better not talk for a while," he warned. I point at him, reminding him of my status. He grinned and laughed as I teased him. "My apologies, Doctor Engel," he responded, placing one hand on his chest. I rolled my eyes. Bruce Wayne – the playboy. He held out a pad of paper and a pen for me to take that I took almost immediately.

"Where is he?" I scribbled out quickly.

"Home. He had to leave today and rest. He was here for four days straight. Just left again a few hours ago."

"Is he normal?"

"For the most part, yes. He keeps having nightmares that he's choking you to death." I dropped my head and shook it slightly.

"Selina?"

"Broken leg."

"Blake?"

"Concussion." I swallowed with a lot of effort. It felt like a sore throat from hell.

"Gordon?" Bruce laughed.

"Just fine. Apparently in the middle of the purple haze incident, he took off into the house and held himself up in there with Alfred." I smiled at him as he spoke. "He was a little – inebriated." A weird sounding laugh escaping my lips as I thought back to him that night.

"Ivy?"

"In Arkham." He made a face at me and pointed. "I know what you did." Uh-oh. I've angered the Batman. "I'm not pleased, but from what Blake claims, I guess I can't be mad at you." No shit. I don't have a Batsuit, Bruce. She fucking deserved it. "You want me to call Liam and let him know you're awake? He's been worried sick about you." I shrugged. Could I handle seeing him? Would it be worth it? Maybe he's just pretending he's Liam to finish the job… But he could have done that all week. I exhaled a large gust of air and peered out of the window. "He's been worried sick about you, Holly. I'll have him all loaded up on inhibitor when he shows up, just for you. Does that help?" I gave a slight nod to him. Mainly because it hurt and I was still a little confused about it all.

My door opened and a nurse came in to check my vitals and administer me my hourly round of morphine, which I had no choice in refusing or accepting. Bruce left as Blake walked in to check on me in the middle of my dose.

"You're awake," he exclaimed with that large smile. There's a bandage on his forehead, just beside his hairline. I smiled at him, genuinely happy to see him. He held out a large bouquet of flowers to me and sat them down on the table beside my bed. For the first time, I peered around the room and took in the large amount of flowers and balloons set up everywhere. I don't know that many people. That many people that like me anyway. Gordon entered just as Blake sat down next to me. As the door opened I could see the reporters totally encompassing the hallway all trying to snag pictures of me, for whatever reason.

"Damn vultures," Gordon cussed, leaning against the door as he shut it. I raised up in my bed a little and waved. "You're awake!" He bounded over to me, the same big smile that Blake had on his face. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and kissed the top of my head. I smiled and patted him as I buried my face in his coat. I'm so glad you're safe. And unscathed. "I'm sorry I left you," he choked. I pulled back and raised a finger at him.

"It kept you safe," I wrote.

"But not you."

"Doesn't matter." I didn't want to be rude, but I didn't think Gordon could have handled a beating from Bane like that at his age. No one likes to hear they're old.

"Matters to me, Holly," he corrected. I rolled my eyes and smiled. He turned to Blake and put his hands on his hips. "Has anyone told Liam that she's awake?"

"I think Bruce just left to go call him and tell him," Blake answered. "He left not too long ago to catch some rest. He hasn't been sleeping well."

"Well, he shouldn't after he did what he did-"

"He wasn't himself, Gordon." Gordon adjusted his glasses, growing a slight shade of red. I was surprised to hear Blake of all people defending Bane.

"Be that as it may – it's going to take me a while to get over it." I scribbled furiously on my paper as they talked.

"I suppose he doesn't remember anything?" I asked.

"Only that he somewhat remembers regaining consciousness when he was choking you," Blake replied. I nodded and listened as he talked with Gordon about some random new case they had started working on until the morphine finally worked me into a sleep.

When I woke up again, I felt a hand gingerly caressing my face. I knew exactly who's hand it was without even having to look at it. Liam was there. Am I ready to face this? I resisted the urge to bat at it and slowly opened my eyes. The morphine had made me extremely tired and groggy, but I was grateful, it was helping me forget about the pain. "Hey," he whispered softly. The lights were off. It was dark in the room and I could barely see him. His fingertips dragged across my face, pushing hair back away from my forehead. I wrote something down on the paper and handed it to him.

"Can't see." He laughed and turned on a dim light by the nurse's computer.

"Better?"

"Yes." He smiled at me warmly. I missed those eyes. Those warm, sweet, loving blue eyes. And his full soft lips. He was there before me again.

"I'm so sorry, Holly," he whispered, holding his hand on my face. His eyes became glassy in the light. I held my on his and blinked. "You have no idea what this last week has been like for me – what I remember doing to you – it was like waking up in Arkham again with all new memories, but you're being called monster again with no idea why." Believe me, I have a pretty firm idea of what you're week's been like. Welcome to my world while you were Bane, Liam. I never thought I would see you again. I never thought I would even live after that. Before I knew what I was doing, I was crying, then he was crying. I pulled my blanket and sheet back, patting the bed next to me for him to get in. He scooted in beside me and wrapped me up under his chin. "I don't blame you if you don't forgive me."

"Scopalamine," I wrote, holding it up. Couldn't stop yourself. Honestly. I tried to get you to stop.

"I'm stronger than that," he insisted. I sighed. No one is.

"You're not Superman, Liam," I whispered, hoarsely.

"You shouldn't be talking," he scolded. No shit.

"To hell with this telegram bullshit," I whispered, throwing the paper and pen to the floor. He laughed lightly.

"You sound terrible." He kissed my cheek and nuzzled his face into my hair.

"You look terrible," I teased, pinching his leg. He laughed again. I could feel his laughter in his chest. I missed this so much. It was nothing like Bane's laugh. Nothing at all. This is my Liam. He is not Bane. "I think t's your fault that I sound like shit anyway." He grew incredibly still.

"I'll never forgive myself for that."

"Liam…" Oh, shit, I was only joking a bit.

"Holly," he cut me off. "I'm never taking venom again. Even in a low dose. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I hurt you or anyone else again."

"You only hurt those people to save me. So technically, it wasn't like you were just out terrorizing the city for the hell of it."

"Gordon came and spoke with me." I raised my brow.

"About?"

"He told me about what you had told him the night you were abducted – that you were afraid for me – and that if I ever hurt you mentally, physically, or emotionally ever again, that he has shot gun and has connections so high up he can make it look like an accident." I laughed hard. It hurt my throat, but I couldn't stop. He laughed a few times. "I'll give him credit, he did seem very threatening when he said it." I tried to imagine Gordon walking up to Liam, talking to him like that. It seemed laughable.

"What did you say in response?" He sat silently for a second.

"That it won't happen again, because I don't try to hurt people I love." I froze and peered up at him. Love? Am I losing my ability to hear?

"You what?" I asked, stupidly.

"I love you, Holly," he repeated, staring at me with those eyes blazing. I tried to recount how many times I had heard the words in my lifetime. Close to five – only by four different people. My mom said it twice, that I can remember at the age of 5. My grandparents and uncles rarely ever said it, but I remembered my uncle saying it to me the day I graduated from medical school. My dad said it once to me the day they hauled him off to prison, but I knew it was for show. A boyfriend of mine in med school said it to me, which promptly ended our relationship. I didn't know how to handle that at the time. We had been dating for almost a year and I just wasn't ready to commit to someone like that. I smiled slightly and put my hand on his face, rubbing my thumb across his skin. It was so hard for me to find someone that actually made me happy and was actually worth losing. Especially considering how difficult I am to get along with. I was a mess without this man…

"I love you, too, Liam," I whispered, leaning in to kiss him.