Sorry for not updating sooner. My grandmother, who supported my writing, passed away recently so it's been hard for me. She never got to read my manuscript and I have a lot of regrets. The worst part is she died from a botched surgery so this story kinda touches that subject. Here's a piece of advice...

NEVER TRUST SPANISH HEALTHCARE!

Also, I'm dedicating this story to my late grandmother. I miss you...

As Wounds Heal

Chapter 1:

The Start of a New Life

...January 10th...

Zatanna's eyes gently fluttered open that morning and she stiffly sat up, stretching her arms above her head. She smiled as she surveyed her bedroom. They'd only moved in a week ago but she'd already made it her own. The walls were painted lavender and white lace curtains hung in the windows. The carpet was a light shade of cream with a violet rug under her bed. She had a white bookcase already filled with books, picture frames and ornaments and her desk and chair were a matching white with a cushioned seat. Her wardrobe was also white but had intricate rose detailing framing the corners.

There were still boxes to be unpacked but that was to be expected. Her Uncle Giorgio had only just sent their things over from Italy. Today was a big day. Despite being in America for over two years now, Zatanna wasn't actually an American citizen but today she was going to become one. All the paperwork and legal issues had been sorted out and now she just had to go get her passport stamped (cross the T's and dot the I's, so to speak).

"Zatanna! I'm making chocolate chip pancakes!" Giovanni called from the kitchen.

"Save some for me!" she yelled.

It had been over a month since she managed to walk those few steps but learning to walk on a prosthetic leg was going to take a long time. For now, she zipped around in a compact streamline wheelchair that folded away for easy storage.

Giovanni flipped a pancake into the air as Zachary quietly ate his stack at the kitchen counter. Due to being funded by Wayne Industries (thank you, Dick) they could afford a rather luxurious condo that even had a hot tub on the balcony. He heard a door be opened and closed and Zatanna came wheeling in.

"Good morning," she happily sang.

"Morning, Zatanna," Giovanni responded.

"Buongiorno, Cugino Zatanna," Zachary said, his Italian accent still smooth like honey "C-Cous-in Zat-an-na," his American accent however... was less than perfect.

Giovanni finished Zatanna's stack of pancakes and finished them off with syrup and whipped cream. Zatanna attached the little table to her wheelchair's armrests and began eating her breakfast. As she chewed her first mouthful, there was a knock on the door. This was strange as their building had a doorman so the visitor must be someone... Zatanna grinned as she realized who it was. There was a chorus of welcomes when Giovanni opened the door and Dick entered the kitchen, bending over backwards to spider-crawl his way in.

"Hey-oh! Ready to become an American citizen, Zee?" he asked before collapsing onto the floor.

"Yup! How 'bout you? You're auditioning for that music conservatory this afternoon, right?" Zatanna asked.

"The St. Claire De La Fontaine Conservatory of Musical Arts, yep! That's the one... guess what my piece is!" Dick asked as he sat up at her feet.

"Dunno," she responded, shrugging as she took in another mouthful of chocolate chippy goodness.

"A certain catchy anime theme song..." he answered with an evil smirk "Doo-do-do-do-doo-doo-doo-doo..."

"Guren no Yumiya?!" Zatanna exclaimed, almost coughing up her pancakes "I know you like anime but-"

"But it sounds amazing on the *violin!" Dick interrupted.

She sighed and smiled at him. He got to his feet and sat himself on a barstool by the counter. Giovanni and Bruce had come into the kitchen from talking at the front door and the latter had a smooth black leather violin case with a blue bird emblem sawn into the wider end. Since they'd be out all day and Dick's violin was extremely valuable, he wasn't letting it out of his sight.

Zatanna had to finish her breakfast, shower, put on her prosthetic leg and get dressed before they could leave. She was smiling ear-to-ear as they drove through the slush-filled roads. On her head she did not wear her dirty-blonde wig. After everything that had happened to her, she was once again comfortable with a wig that resembled her real hair. Although, since her chemotherapy had stopped, Zatanna's hair had been growing back a softer texture and the ends were curling.

She still had radiotherapy to help prevent tumor regrowth but was an out patient at Dr. Thompson's clinic. Dick was having the same treatment to his brain so he still didn't have much hair but that didn't matter. Shauna had outfitted him with a wig also of wavy raven-black locks. He was also sure to keep the beanie his brother gave him firmly on his head.

After driving through the city, Alfred brought the car to a stop outside of City Hall. As everyone clambered out, Dick took Zatanna into his arms and helped her into her wheelchair. They had to go round the side for the wheelchair ramp but they soon found themselves inside the building. It was quiet with people waiting in line for various reasons. Zatanna reached into her satchel and took out her new passport. Just had to be stamped...

"Hey, babe, whatcha want to do after this?" Dick asked, leaning down to childishly rest his head on hers.

"Aren't we going to that Support Group?" she asked.

"Boo... I hate group therapy," he complained "C'mooooooon, Zee, let's skip and go play Knights of the Realm or something... I don't wanna be bummed by Group before my audition..."

"Well... I hear a new MMO is coming out by the same people who made KtR..." Zatanna wondered aloud.

"SAO?"

"No..."

"Oh..."

During their little banter, they'd reached the front of the line. Zatanna presented her papers and such and watched intensely as the woman stamped her passport. As they made their way out the building, she stared at the stamp with a smile on her face. She was now officially an American citizen and this was the start of a whole new life for her.

*If you want to hear Guren no Yumiya on the violin, go listen to Taylor Davis on YouTube. It really is amazing...

Also, I mean no disrespect to anyone attending group therapy. I'm sure it can really help it's just that Dick is not one to talk about his problems in front of people he doesn't want to worry.