Part VII
Diana, directed by Oracle, found the entrance to the Batwing's flight channel. Upon passing the external hologram, she found herself in a pitch-black tunnel. She paused only a moment to get her bearings. The only light apparent in the tunnel, was the dim glow at it's ending. She noticed that the walls seemed to be composed of alternating panels of steel and unlit illumination. Must be keyed into his jet, she thought. Bruce groaned slightly in her arms. She had to hurry, before he got any worse.
As she reached the end of the tunnel, Diana noticed the walls had widened out and had merged seamlessly with the rest of the cave. The Batwing sat idle before her on it's platform and beside it stood the older man she had come to call a friend.
"Alfred!"
"Come with me Miss Diana, I'll show you where you may place him."
As Diana followed him, she thought how in recent weeks she had marveled at how Alfred managed to stay unfazed through Batman's hardest glares and his biggest temper tantrums. Now faced with a badly injured Bruce, she saw his stone-faced veneer crack ever so slightly. They stopped in a section of the cave, which Diana could tell was a well-used medical bay.
"Just place him on the table please."
As she lowered him to the stainless steel table, Alfred walked to a nearby wall that was dominated by large cabinets and returned with a tray filled with various needles, clamps, sponges, and sutures. As well as what looked like two or three very sharp scalpels. She was slightly disturbed by the way his movements seemed almost routine, but Alfred's concerned voice shook her out of her stupor.
"Are you injured Miss Diana?"
It was then that she looked down to see her breastplate, as well as the exposed part of her chest was covered in blood. Not her own, but Bruce's.
" No Alfred, I'm fine."
Having been satisfied by her answer, he set about removing Bruce's cowl and cape from his still prostrate form. He removed a pair of scissors from the tray next to him and began cutting away the bandages that Bruce must have applied to himself.
"Miss Diana?" Yet again Diana had found herself deep in thought and Alfred voice had brought her back to the here and now.
"Yes Alfred."
" I will most likely be engrossed in Master Bruce's care for quite some
time yet. So, if you wish, you may use that time Master Bruce's cave shower and change into something more comfortable."
" You don't need my help?"
Diana saw the English man give a slight smirk that she had seen so many times on Bruce's face, before replying on a pseudo offended tone.
" Trust me in the fact that fact that I the fact that I have done this many times
unassisted. Not to mention the fact that I have given a solemn vow that I would never allow a lady to stand before me soiled and uncomfortable, when something could easily been done about it."
"Very well, Alfred" Diana replied laughing.
After Alfred had told her the location of the bathroom, she turned to leave. Then, curious, she stopped right at the edge of the lighting and turned back to him.
"Alfred?"
He never looked up from his task as he replied.
"Yes, Miss?"
"Is there anything Bruce doesn't have in this place?"
"Only enough light, Miss Diana, only enough light."
Diana understood his meaning and smiled slightly, before letting her eyes drift to back to Bruce. She could feel her eyes start to water a little.
"He's very lucky to have you Alfred."
He looked up at her with a small twinkle in his eye.
"I suppose he is, but I could tell you the same thing, Miss Diana."
She felt a single tear roll down her cheek.
"Thank you Alfred."
"No, Thank you."
She turned to leave then and proceeded to find her way to the bathroom. She found it positioned conveniently between Bruce gym and the stairs that led up to the manor. The bathroom was, like the rest of the cave, large and strictly utilitarian. A long countertop with three sinks lined on wall. While at the other end a large shower was open and inviting. Diana sat on a small bench opposite the counter and began removing her tall red boots. She grinned as her feet touched the black marble floor and realized it was heated. She removed her breastplate and the remainder of her uniform, chuckling ever so often at the thought of Batman's fear of cold tile on his feet. Her uniform was placed on the spacious countertop, while she turned the hot water on in the shower.
Diana gazed into the mirror above the sinks, taking in her appearance. Her eyes were still puffy and red from cry and her hair was wind blown from the flight.
Her body was riddled with small black marks, where bugs had hit her during the flight. In the blood that covered her chest she could clearly see the outline of her breastplate. She really did need a shower. Fog crept in from the edges and obscured her view. She was surprised at first; her shower at home took a lot longer to heat up. Then she remembered whom she was talking about.
"Nothing, but the best for the Batman." She muttered sarcastically to herself before adjusting the water temperature to her liking and climbing in.
Diana emerged many minutes later, feeling cleaner, if not refreshed. She still felt exhausted. For the life of her, she couldn't fathom how Bruce managed to stay up for days in end without any sleep with little or no effect on his performance. As a warrior she could stay awake indefinitely, but that didn't mean she didn't feel like crap because of it. It never really seemed to faze Bruce though, or maybe it did and no one noticed because they thought he was ill tempered all the time. Diana knew that wasn't true though, she had seen him laugh and smile too many times over the years. She had to admit though that the majority of the instances she could actually place, occurred in a fantasy, created by her own alien technology.
A fantasy where she had chosen to be with Kal, while Bruce stood in the sidelines, knowing the whole time that what they were experiencing wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Deep down she had known that too. While Superman had always seemed the ideal match for Wonder Woman, there was a deeper, darker part of her as Diana, which her best friend just couldn't touch. That was the part of her that only Bruce had been able to reach.