Chapter 6

The warmth of the sun's morning rays streaming through the sheer curtains of the nearby windows alerted him to the fact that he needed to wake up. Turning his head, Bruce opened his eyes to find Diana lying on her side watching him. Her cerulean blue eyes were still clouded with uncertainty as well as something more, something that created a warm spark low in his belly.

Staring at her, Bruce slowly leaned towards her, reaching out to tuck a lock of raven hair behind her ear. So many thoughts and emotions churned inside of him in that moment; so many things that he wanted to say to her, things that had his heart all twisted and fluttering and racing.

Then there was still a small part of him that wanted to run away, to ignore what was going on between them, what had been steadily building like an inferno set to explode. He wanted to push her away before he could hurt her…before this could end in pain. Somehow, though, that part of him was gradually growing smaller in the wake of his steadily growing desire for her.

"Diana…" he softly murmured her name, his intense blue eyes piercing straight through her as his hand lightly settled on her bruised cheek.

He watched as her eyes fell closed, a serene expression veiling her face, a barely perceptible sigh escaping her lips. A flutter of need erupted inside of him, his thumb softly caressing her cheekbone as he watched her respond to his touch.

Diana reached up, covering his hand on her face with her own. She opened her eyes again to find him leaning even closer to her; the heat from his body as well as the desire in his eyes stole her breath away.

Then suddenly his lips were against her forehead, so soft and gentle it made her want to weep. She had wanted this from him for so very long, wanted this connection, this intimacy, this love. She wanted even more. She wanted him…all of him.

His breath was a soft whisper against her face, warming her clear to her toes. "How are you feeling this morning?" he finally asked.

"There is no good word in the English language to describe how I feel right now," she rasped, loving the feel of his hand sliding into her hair to rest there. She was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't abruptly pulled away from her, turning the icy shoulder of indifference to her as had been his habit for so very long.

His sad eyes roamed over her face, telling her that she was bad shape. She could only imagine what she looked like to have caused such emotion to reflect in Bruce's eyes. If she looked as bad as she felt then she was certain she shouldn't be seen especially in the light of day.

"Do you need more pain medicine?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

"No," she groaned, softly shaking her head. "I feel hung over as it is from whatever they gave me last night. I'd rather try to clear my head."

Bruce's lips twitched at her response. "I'm afraid it was necessary in order to move you."

Diana's eyes finally left Bruce's face to take in her new surroundings. "I love what you did with the Watchtower," she softly teased as her gaze settled back on the handsome hero sitting before her.

The comment earned an actual smile, one that momentarily reached his ocean blue eyes. "I thought we needed an update," he teased back as he too looked around the bedroom.

While happy she was awake and talking, it still pained him to see her like this, to hear how weak even her voice sounded. She had a very long road ahead of her, but he swore to himself he'd be there every step of the way, helping her and being there for her no matter what it took.

"It was pretty bad…wasn't it?" she whispered, her face suddenly growing serious.

Bruce swallowed hard, momentarily averting his eyes at the memories that still haunted his sleep. "Yes…it was," he finally told her. "We almost lost you several times."

Diana bit her bottom lip as tears abruptly glistened in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Bruce," she whispered.

Bruce frowned with her apology. "Diana, you have nothing to be sorry for," he shook his head. "I'm going to make sure you're taken care of no matter how long it takes. I don't want you to worry about anything except getting better."

A soft chuckle filled the air before it turned into a cough that ended in a painful groan. Breathing heavily, she braced her side with her good hand as pain shot through her like a lightning bolt. Bruce quickly grabbed a glass of water, helping her take a drink.

Settling onto the bed next to her, Bruce adjusted the covers around her. "What's so funny?" he finally asked.

"Just picturing the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne as a nurse," she rasped with a soft smile. "Or the terrifying Batman being stuck here nursing Wonder Woman back to health again. That would make a great headline for the Daily Planet."

Bruce couldn't hide the amusement that filled his eyes. It was so good to see her smiling again. "I'll have you know that I am highly skilled in the area of medicine. I've had to bandage myself up out in the field numerous times."

Diana watched with regret as he moved to sit in the chair next to her instead of staying on the bed with her. He suddenly seemed too far away from her. "Yes, but how are your sponge baths?" she seductively asked, desire washing through her as his eyes darkened with mutual longing, desire that they'd both denied for far too long.

"If you're lucky, maybe you'll find out," he huskily replied, leaning forward.

Her pulse began to race with his words, his nearness already making it difficult to breathe. He reached out a hand to stroke her hair again, his heated gaze settling on her lips. How he longed to kiss her, to make love to her and finally show her what she meant to him.

His throat was suddenly thick as realization reminded him once more how close he had truly come to losing her forever. "I thought I'd lost you this time," he softly told her, his face revealing the painful ache that had been consuming his heart.

It was startling to see Bruce's face, his eyes suddenly revealing so much emotion to her. "Bruce," she whispered as he began to close the distance between them.

"Diana, I…"

A sharp rap on the bedroom door caused them both to freeze, Bruce immediately pulling away from her. Diana frowned as she watched him pull his heart back behind the impenetrable wall he'd erected around it, his expression stoic once more.

He quickly got to his feet, pinching the bridge of his nose and releasing a ragged breath in an effort to tamp down on the arousal pounding through his body. Opening the door, he found Alfred patiently waiting, a tray of food in his hands.

"Good morning, Master Wayne," Alfred cheerfully greeted him. "I brought up breakfast for both you and Miss Diana."

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce grumbled, stepping aside to allow him in.

"Good morning, Miss Diana," the butler beamed. "It is so good to see you awake."

"Thank you, Alfred," she politely replied. She'd always been very fond of the British butler, but right now she just wanted to be alone with Bruce again.

Even though obviously not in any shape to actually be with him the way that she so desperately wanted, she was content at the moment to just have him sit with her, to feel his hand warm against his face or in her hair again.

"Would you like some assistance to eat, Miss?"

"I've got it, Alfred," Bruce quickly interjected with a frown, taking the tray from him.

Alfred forced back the smile that threatened to form. "The doctor will be here in about an hour to see Miss Diana. Would you like me to bring her up here when she arrives?"

"No, I'll come down to get her," Bruce instructed him.

"As you wish, Sir," Alfred smiled.

Diana watched as the elderly man turned to leave, giving her a knowing wink as he turned to close the door behind him. She quickly turned her attention to Bruce who was setting the tray down on the table next to her bed.

She could feel the powerful overwhelming pull of sleep beginning to creep up on her, but she railed against it. She didn't want to fall asleep and miss this time with him. She wanted him to open his heart to her, to let her inside his private lonely world. She wanted him to let her love him and to be loved in return.

Bruce eased down on the edge of the bed facing her, careful not to jostle her too much. "Do you want to try and eat something?"

"Are you going to feed me?" her lips suddenly quirked causing his heart to skip a beat.

"Yes," he simply said, watching her intently.

"Really?" she murmured, suddenly annoyed with the thought. She's only been flirting with him. She didn't expect him to take her seriously.

"I said I was going to take care of you and I meant it," he reminded her.

Diana could feel her cheeks growing warm as Bruce gently lifted her to prop her up against the pillows. She hissed with the pain that shot through her body, reminding her once again how broken and in need of help she truly was. She hated it immensely.

"I'm sorry," he told her, sitting back down on the bed beside her.

"No…no, it's alright," she winced.

"Are you sure you don't want more pain medicine?" he frowned.

"No…not yet," she pursed her lips, trying to breathe through the pain.

"Diana, you don't have to put up a brave front for me," he told her, his voice firm and full of the frustration that permeated his heart. "You're no longer a meta with super healing abilities to help you deal with the pain."

Diana stiffened with his words, her anger suddenly simmering with the painful reminder. "I know that," she replied with a clipped tone. "I'm fine."

"Diana, you're practically trembling from the pain," he said as he studied her. "I'm going to do everything I can to get you your powers back…I promise. In the meantime, you're going to have to rely on help."

Diana slowly nodded her head as Bruce reached for the bowl of broth. Dipping the spoon into the warm liquid, he brought it to her lips as she stared back at him. She loathed being treated as if she was nothing more than a helpless child.

"I'm not an invalid, you know," she bit out in defiance.

"One arm is broken and the other is attached to IV's and monitors. Not to mention, you have a dislocated shoulder," he reminded her. "You need some help."

She ground her teeth in irritation, the flirtatious banter of earlier suddenly forgotten in the wake of the reality that was now her life…or what was left of it. As much as she loved Bruce, loved being here with him, she hated having him see her so weak and helpless or being treated like she was. She feared he'd end up rejecting her for sure now.

Bruce appraised her for a long moment. He could see the anger flashing in her eyes, the defiance in the determined set of her jaw. Even though badly injured, her stubbornness was still fully intact and thriving. He found he was actually relieved to see it. It meant even though her body was broken, she was still his Diana in spirit.

"Don't make me force you to eat, Princess, because I will if I have to," he threatened, his blue eyes dancing with resolve. "I have my ways you know."

Staring at him, Diana finally opened her mouth, allowing him to feed her. "You're enjoying this aren't you?" she glared at him.

"Seeing you hurt? No," he solemnly replied, sorrow momentarily flitting across his face. "Having the upper hand over you? Yes…but I'll enjoy it even more when I get to give you that sponge bath you've been begging me for."

The corners of her lips curled slightly despite her best efforts to stay angry with him. She opened her mouth again, allowing him to feed her another spoonful of broth, the feel of the warm liquid slipping down her throat soothing her and making her feel a little better.

"Why, Mister Wayne," she throatily murmured. "Are you flirting with me?"

Bruce watched as her sweet lips slowly wrapped around the spoon, wanting more than anything to feel that mouth against his, her lips on his body teasing him and fueling the fire that burned within him for her.

He continued to watch her as he attempted to suppress his rapidly growing heated thoughts, all of the erotic things that he'd dreamed of doing with her assaulting him, but it was damn near impossible when he was sitting this close to her.

He could see that she was quickly wearing out, her eyelids growing heavier by the moment as he continued to feed her. He could also tell that she was trying hard to fight against it, but was beginning to lose the battle despite her efforts.

"I think that's enough for now," he finally said, setting the bowl aside.

"No…I'm fine…really," she murmured, fighting to keep her eyes open. "I want to stay awake..."

Bruce suppressed a smile as he leaned over her to adjust her pillows for her. "Stubborn to the very end," he muttered under his breath, adjusting the covers around her.

"And you love it…" she whispered as sleep finally won out.

Bruce paused to gaze at her, his hand coming to rest against her cheek. "Yes…I do," he softly sighed, knowing that she'd never hear his confession.

He knew the love he felt for this woman was becoming too strong, too intense to ignore any longer. Being thrust headlong into this terrible tragedy that had happened to her had forced him to finally face it, forced him to make a choice.

Moving back to his chair by her bed, Bruce knew beyond a doubt that he was in over his head when it came to her and there was no way out for him. The thought caused the corners of his lips to curl despite himself.

XXX

A soft soothing sound gradually reached deep into her subconsciousness, slowly tugging her awake. She groaned as her eyes fluttered open, the sound of someone humming piquing her curiosity. It was a soft beautiful sound, the baritone melody coming from somewhere nearby.

Looking around her, Diana noticed Alfred straightening the room, gathering linens and moving as silently as if he were a church mouse. He suddenly paused, noticing her watching him. He immediately made his way to her bed side, a kind smile gracing his elderly face.

"Good morning, Miss Diana," he softly greeted her.

"Morning, Alfred," she groggily replied, looking past the butler to notice Bruce standing in the bathroom in her suite. The door was partly open revealing the handsome man who filled her every dream, dressed in nothing but a bath towel that was wrapped securely around his waist as he shaved.

"Does he always hum when he shaves?" she asked, entranced by the alluring sight of him, stunned to hear him so happy. It seemed so incongruous with what she knew about the brooding secretive man.

"Never," he replied. "I believe this is definitely a first."

Diana didn't miss the hidden meaning behind his words. "Has the doctor been here already this morning?" she finally asked, pulling her eyes off of Bruce and his striking physique.

"Dr. Leslie has been here and gone a few times, Miss Diana," he informed her. "I'm afraid you've been asleep since you last woke yesterday morning."

"Yesterday morning?" she gasped in surprise. "I slept through yesterday and last night?"

"Afraid so," he nodded. "Dr. Leslie feels the journey here from the Watchtower took a lot of you, but it's good to see you awake again. I know Master Wayne will be happy to see you've finally woken."

"Really?" she asked, stunned.

"Most definitely," he reassured her.

"What are you two conspiring about over there?"

Alfred looked up, amusement lighting his eyes. "Just that I was going to bring Miss Diana some breakfast," he loudly replied as he straightened up before heading to the door. "I'll bring you some as well, Master Wayne."

Diana looked over to see Bruce dressed in a gray t-shirt and black jeans, so unlike the debonair playboy and yet somehow still so him. His dark hair was wet, his piercing blue eyes filled with mischievousness. She didn't think he could possibly look more handsome at that moment.

Bruce settled into his chair that had become his home since bringing her here. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at her. She felt her heart begin to race, the heated look in his eyes setting her insides on fire. He smelled clean – like soap and masculinity and fine leather.

Diana rolled onto her side with a grimace, gasping at the pain in her side. "Easy," he murmured with a frown, reaching out to adjust her pillows behind her head, helping move the monitor cords and IV tubing out of the way.

Staring at him, she reached out a hand to run her fingers lightly along his cleanly shaven face, his strong jaw line that sent shivers up her spine. "You shaved," she softly said.

Bruce's eyes momentarily fell closed at the feel of her fingers lingering along his jaw. It made him ache for so much more from her and with her. "Thought it was about time," he murmured. "Can't have the Batman looking like he just dragged himself out of a dumpster in some back alley."

"I like it," she whispered, losing herself in his intense eyes.

"You were asleep for a long time," he commented, his face growing serious. "Thought that maybe I was being a bad host…or you were already bored with my company."

Diana smiled softly at his words. "Never," she replied. "I tried to stay awake, but someone keeps pushing that damn button on the pain pump when I'm not looking."

A smirk tugged at Bruce's lips with her words. "I can't stand to watch my guest suffering in pain even if she's too stubborn for her own good to admit it," he told her.

"Your loss then," she mumbled. "Are you going to let me feed myself this morning?"

"Is your right arm still in a cast and your left arm still hooked up to IV's and monitors? Besides, Dr. Leslie doesn't want you moving that dislocated shoulder too much yet."

Diana frowned at him, her irritation beginning to simmer again. She refused to give him the satisfaction of an answer that he already knew especially with that smug look of victory plastered on his face. He definitely loved every moment of this humiliation.

"Exactly," he said. "And if you're lucky, maybe this time you'll stay awake long enough to remember the sponge bath."

"What?" she asked, her eyebrows perfectly arching in surprise.

Bruce chuckled softly, a sound that both stunned and excited her. She didn't think she'd ever heard him laugh before. She found she couldn't wait to hear it again.

"I didn't touch you while you were asleep," he reassured her. "I am going to help you with a bath today if you're feeling up to it."

Diana looked at him, skepticism veiling her face. "Oh you think so, do you?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," he smiled mischievously.