Helena's heart clenched. "I'm gonna go run the bath... I'll be right back."
The Canary nodded slightly in response, eyes drifting shut as her brief consciousness waned.
Huntress stood and pivoted, grateful that the bathroom wasn't too far away. The tile floor felt cold beneath her feet as she padded towards the bathtub, immediately cranking the faucet handle to its hottest setting, then coming to her senses and moving it a quarter turn back to the cold side. Helena didn't want to burn the Canary and honestly, any semblance of warm water would probably do wonders for her frigid friend. Helena dipped her hand in the pooling water, adjusting the temperature slightly as the tub filled up until she was satisfied with its warmth. Smiling slightly, she turned and headed back towards her friend.
When Huntress returned, the Canary's eyes were closed. She cleared her throat gently and ran a hand through the blonde's tousled tresses. The heroine's eyes shot open and she sat up, murmurings sounding concernedly like, "I'm sorry," emanating from her lips. Helena reached out and placed a grounding hand on Dinah's shoulders, squeezing slightly so the blonde would look up at her. The heroine's blue eyes were much brighter now, pupils dilated and glassy as she met Helena's gaze. 'The pain medicine,' Huntress thought, shaking her head fondly. She glanced down at the oxygen tank and the short tube running to the Canary's mask, knowing that the apparatus would be difficult to take to the bathtub.
"Hey, Canary... do you think we can take that mask off for a little bit? Just to get you warmed up? If you need it, I'll put it back on right away." She promised, hoping that the heroine would still be able to breathe.
The blonde nodded, reaching shivering hands up to her face in an attempt to help Helena remove the mask. Huntress assisted in unlooping the straps from around the Canary's ears, only reaching to turn the oxygen off after the mask was completely off of her friend. Canary's breaths were still wheezing and rattling, but she didn't appear to be in severe respiratory distress. The blonde was staring down at her trembling hands, confusion etched all over her pale face.
"Dinah... let's get you warmed up. Do you think you can walk if I help you?" Helena asked, grateful that Question's medication had helped her friend.
The Canary nodded, already beginning to push herself up. Helena quickly reached out and looped an arm around the Canary's slim torso, easing her slightly to her feet. The blonde pitched forward initially, shaking limbs giving out on her, but Huntress quickly pulled her back upright.
"'m s-sorry..." The blonde murmured guiltily, obviously struggling to remain upright.
"Hey, don't apologize, Canary. Let's just get you taken care of." Helena admonished gently, leading Dinah forward towards the bathroom.
Despite the Canary's full body shivers, she helped immensely in stumbling towards the bathroom. As they neared the tub, Helena reached down and scooped the blonde in her arms bridal style, kneeling down to slowly lower her friend into the water.
The Canary gasped and hissed slightly at the first contact, but quickly stifled her pained exclamations as Huntress finished helping her into the tub. Worried, Helena sat back and observed her friend, hoping she hadn't made a mistake.
"How are you doing, Canary?" She asked in a fake lighthearted tone, concerned undertones evident.
The blonde gave her a weak smile, shivers still wracking her small frame. "'m okay..." She slurred, dazed eyes dancing around the bathroom.
Helena sighed in relief, sitting back against the wall. "If the water starts to get cold, let me know and we'll get you back under the covers."
The Canary hummed in agreement, staring down at her trembling hands in childlike fascination. "Why'm I s-so... shiv'ry?" She mumbled, confusion coloring her weak voice.
The vigilante let out a breathless laugh. "Cuz you're so cold, sweetie." She answered fondly.
"Oh." The blonde answered simply. "W-wait..." She turned to face Huntress, earnest concern filling her gaze. "'re y-you o-kay?"
Helena couldn't help a tearful laugh. "Yeah, kid, I'm okay." She answered breathlessly.
Dinah let out a rattling huff and shakily crossed her arms like a petulant child. "N-n't a kid..." She slurred.
This time Helena let out a full-on chuckle. She smiled in relief at the glimpse of her friend's normal banter. "If you say so, kid..." She teased, grinning at her friend.
This time, the Canary let out a laugh that quickly turned into coughs. Huntress was quickly snapped back to the present and she reached out hand to rub her friend's back. After a moment, the Canary turned to look at her. "Tis'it snow-ing?" She asked, eyes round.
Confused, Helena met her friend's gaze. "Yeah... it's blizzarding outside for the next few days." She answered slowly, unsure why the Canary was asking her that question.
The blonde smiled brightly. "C'n we g-go sl'dding?" She mumbled excitedly, childlike hope in her expression.
Helena couldn't help but return the smile, fully aware of her friend's childish excitement. "Canary, once we get you taken care of, I promise I'll take you sledding on the biggest hill we can find."
"R-real-ly?" Dinah grinned.
Huntress chuckled, grateful that even when she was drugged and injured and exhausted, the Canary was like her normal self. Despite the heroine's badass appearance, Helena had come to learn that her friend was a child at heart. The blonde was ridiculously optimistic and idealistic, championing the true ideals of what it means to be a hero. She was honest and bright and excitable, absolutely ecstatic when Helena had a sleepover with her or they got ice cream together. Dinah brought out the best in the vigilante.
Suddenly, the Huntress got choked up, realizing that she'd almost lost her brilliant friend. She swiped at the sudden tears appearing in her eyes, trying to tamp down her emotions.
The Canary fixed her with a concerned expression, obviously struggling to focus. "Hel'na? Whatsa m-matt'r?" She slurred deliriously, worry obvious in her weak voice.
Huntress let out a choked sob, shaking her head slightly. "Nothing." She muttered, blinking to dispel the tears.
"N-no..." The Huntress flinched slightly as Dinah's shivering hand grasped her own at the rim of the tub. "'m h-here, Hel-na." The blonde assured her as firmly as she could muster.
A fresh round of tears welled up in Huntress's brown eyes. After a moment's deliberation, she figured that the Canary wouldn't even remember this conversation in her exhausted, drugged state. "I just don't get it, Dinah." She admitted, shoulders slumping slightly. "Why'd you do it?"
The blonde tipped her head slightly in confusion. "D'what?"
"You pushed me out of the way of Sonar's blast... it should've been me who got thrown through the ice, me that almost drowned... me sitting there right now." She admitted guiltily. "I haven't been the best friend to you and I know we got off on the wrong foot and I know I snap sometimes and I- I just don't understand, Canary... was I worth it?" Huntress trailed off, normally averse to showing so much honest emotion but in her current stressed and exhausted state, she couldn't help but seek comfort in the answers.
The blonde let out a gurgling, choked sob. Huntress looked up at her friend, only to see tears tracking down her pale cheeks. The vigilante immediately felt guilty, knowing the last thing the Canary needed right now was more stress. She opened her mouth to comfort the blonde. "Dinah-"
"N-no!" Canary exclaimed intensely, squeezing Helena's hand weakly. "Hel-na no... you're al-ways w'rthit!" Dinah struggled to speak, her frustration at her broken voice obvious as she continued. "I would al-ways save y-you... you're m-my b-b'st friend and I- I-" She broke off, coughing.
Helena reached out to stop her friend, not wanting the Canary to get too worked up. "Canary-"
The blonde shook her head vigorously. "N-no... I l-love you an-and I c-care 'bout you and-" She gasped desperately. "Please don' s-say that!" The heroine dissolved into a fit of coughing, curling in on herself as she fought to breathe again.
Huntress reached out and pulled the blonde into a gentle hug, not caring that her friend was soaking wet. She finally allowed some of her tears to escape and she rubbed soothing circles on Dinah's back. The vigilante didn't know how long they'd remained like that. Even when the Canary's coughs ceased, she continued her ministrations, guilty yet grateful for the blonde's response. After a while, Helena felt the heroine's body become limp, slumping into her embrace. The vigilante pulled away slightly, watching Dinah fight to keep her eyes open against her exhaustion. Huntress smiled fondly, squeezing slightly one last time before fully pulling away.
"Let's get you back to bed, sweetie..." Helena offered. "I'm gonna get you some nice warm clothes, okay? Stay awake, Dinah. Just a little longer."
Without waiting for the Canary's response, Huntress quickly stood and raced to her bedroom closet, rifling through the doors until she pulled out a pair of fuzzy sweatpants, fuzzy socks, and a soft hoodie. She knew they'd be too big on the blonde's small frame, but it was far better than having Dinah remain in only her combat shorts and sports bra. Huntress quickly walked back to the bathroom, glimpsing Canary fighting against the fluttering of her eyelids.
"Hey, kid," she greeted softly, padding back into the room, setting the clothes on the sink counter and kneeling next to the bathtub. Dinah met her eyes with a half-lidded, glassy gaze of her own. Helena could tell the blonde was fading fast. "Let's get you outta here."
The Canary nodded slightly, muscles tensing as she tried to push herself up. Expecting this after the blonde's past few shows of bravado, Helena simply scooped up the heroine, pivoting to set her dripping frame on the closed toilet seat. Her shivers had returned full force and she swayed back and forth slightly, fighting against the pull of unconsciousness. Huntress's heart clenched and she quickly grabbed a towel, patting the Canary's slightly warmer skin dry. She pulled the hoodie over the blonde's head, slightly surprised at how much it dwarfed her slim frame, then pulled on the sweatpants, tugging the socks on shortly after.
Finally, Helena brushed wayward, tousled blond strands out of Dinah's pale face. "Hey, sweetie, you still with me?" She asked softly, slightly relieved when the Canary's eyelids opened slightly. "I'm gonna carry you back over to the couch." She informed the heroine, not waiting for a response before picking her up and carrying her back over to the couch. The vigilante gently lay Dinah's trembling form on the cushions, quickly tucking the discarded blanket around her friend. She then reached for the oxygen tank, turning on the flow and delicately affixing it over the Canary's face. The blonde let out a sigh of relief, taking in a deep, gurgling breath.
Helena crawled on to the couch, burrowing beneath the blanket and wrapping her arms around the Canary. Her friend's body was limp in her grasp; evidently she'd slipped back to unconsciousness. Without a second thought, Helena allowed herself to do the same, drifting off to sleep, comforted by the rattling rise and fall of her friend's chest.
The next time Huntress awoke, she was burning. The vigilante startled awake, nearly sitting straight up and throwing the blanket off of herself before coming to her senses. She wiped some sweat from her brow and glanced down at the blonde in her arms. The Canary shifted in her sleep uncomfortably, brow furrowed in pain. Heat was radiating off of her skin, cocooning them with fiery warmth beneath the covers.
Shocked, Helena sat up, quickly throwing the blanket off of them. Dinah let out a short whimper, trembling as the cool room air hit her burning skin. Huntress pressed the back of her hand to Canary's forehead, wincing at the sheer heat emanating from her friend's face. Helena quickly untangled herself from the blonde, rushing to the radio she'd left on the table.
"Question! Question pick up!" She demanded, risking a glance at the restless heroine she'd left on the couch.
"Helena? What's going-" Question answered quickly but was soon interrupted by Huntress.
"Q, I don't know what happened but Canary's burning up!" Helena exclaimed, unsure of why her friend's condition had changed so quickly.
"I was afraid of this..." Question responded ominously.
"Afraid of WHAT?" Helena demanded anxiously.
"It must be the beginning of infection. There's nothing we can really do without a hospital except mitigate the symptoms." He answered grimly.
"Okay... how do I do that?"
"Try to keep her temperature in check. We can't let the fever get too high. Try to keep her conscious enough to give her some fever-reducing medication. Just keep an eye on her and let her rest if you can. I'll try to help J'onn work on fixing the teleportation system remotely." Question instructed with a steely tone.
"Okay, okay, I can do that." Huntress pursed her lips and let out a breath.
"Keep me updated. Good luck, Helena. I'll do my best from here." Question responded with finality.
Helena turned back to the feverish heroine on the couch, grabbing a thermometer from the first aid kit. She ran it over the Canary's forehead delicately, shocked when the blinking numbers read 102.5. Worried, Huntress decided to wake up the Canary, hoping that she could take some fever reducer and stay aware enough to help Helena take care of her.
"Canary? C'mon, sweetie, please wake up..." Huntress gently shook the heroine's burning shoulders.
Dinah's eyes fluttered open, dilated and glazed over with fever. "Hel...na?" She mumbled dazedly, blearily blinking up at her friend. "I-it hur-ts..." The blonde admitted, voice cracking as her eyes welled up with tears.
Helena's heart clenched painfully. She knew that the Canary must be really out of it if she was admitting her pain to the vigilante. "I know, I know, sweetie. Just hang on, I'll get you some help. I'm gonna give you some medicine, I just need you to stay awake... can you do that for me?"
The heroine nodded shakily, eyelids fluttering. Helena quickly ran to her personal medicine cabinet, shaking out a few fever-reducing pills from a well-used bottle. She stopped by her kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and wetting a few cloths before heading back to her friend.
"Canary?" Helena placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. The blonde inhaled sharply, eyes shooting open. "I've got some medicine to help you, okay?"
The Canary met her gaze, eyes unfocused and unseeing. Concerned, Huntress unfastened the straps of the oxygen mask, pulling it away from the Canary's face. She pressed the bottle of water to Dinah's lips, which seemed to rouse her slightly. Encouraged by the blonde's swallows, she delicately placed the two small pills between the heroine's parted lips, letting out a sigh of relief as her friend swallowed them both. She pulled the water away, replacing the oxygen mask over her gasping friend.
"Great job, Canary..." She praised, voice cracking with worry.
Dinah's unfocused, dazed eyes widened slightly. "Hel-na?" She gasped out desperately.
"I'm here, sweetie." The vigilante assured, squeezing her friend's hand to ground her.
The blonde coughed lightly. "Hel-na... ev'rything's s-spinny an-and c-cold... 's too bright... c'lors..." The feverish heroine slurred.
Helena shifted worriedly, running her thumb over the Canary's hand. "Dinah... you're sick, sweetie."
"'m s-or-ry..." The blonde shivered, her rambling dissolving into unintelligible babbling shortly thereafter, her voice too weak and mind too feverish to speak coherently.
Helena, unsure what to do, tried to lull the Canary to sleep. She carded delicate fingers through the blonde's frazzled tresses, humming lightly in an attempt to soothe her babbling. Her ministrations worked; after a few moments, the heroine's eyes fluttered closed, breathing deepening as she drifted into a restless slumber. Huntress continued her motions for a few minutes, before finally sighing and pulling away, smoothing the blonde's hair before padding back to the radio.
"Question? How's that transport coming?" Helena asked, voice heavy with defeat.
"Just a few more hours hopefully. Even then, it's not guaranteed to be safe." Question answered, his voice ominous.
Huntress sighed. "Q, I don't know if she has a couple hours. I think her fever's climbing and she's really out of it. She's resting now, but I don't know how long she can take this. Should I try to get her to a civilian hospital?"
Question thought for a moment before responding. "No... you two would never make it. Snow is falling too hard for you to get through on foot or with your bike, and ambulances are probably swamped right now."
"What am I supposed to do then?!" Helena burst out, running a hand through her hair frustratedly. She let out a deep breath, allowing fear to creep into her tone. "I can't- I can't let her die, Q..."
"We won't let that happen, Helena." He promised, resolve palpable in his tone. "J'onn and I will focus our efforts on connecting the system between your apartment and the Watchtower... hopefully we can do that quicker than getting the whole system back online. It'll probably still be a few hours, but we'll work as fast as we can."
Helena let out a sigh of relief, dimly aware of the tears tracking down her cheeks. "Okay... thanks Q."
"Stay strong, Helena."
As Question's voice crackled away, Huntress felt a pit of despair open in her stomach. Their situation was dire... the best she could do is keep the Canary comfortable until they hopefully were rescued. She stood, absently picking up the cool cloths and dabbed at the beads of sweat on Canary's forehead and neck. Huntress was shocked at the heat emanating from her friend's skin, deciding to take her temperature once more. 103.2. Her fever was getting worse. Helena folded the cloths and placed one on Canary's forehead, the other beneath her neck in an attempt to soothe the blonde.
The vigilante curled up against the couch, running a shaky hand over blonde strands. "Please stay with me, Canary... I can't lose you, sweetie..." The Huntress begged, continuing her gentle ministrations, comforted by the gasping, ragged sounds of her friend's desperate breaths...
"AAAAHHHH"
A screech caused Helena to startle awake. She leaped to her feet, immediately sinking into a defensive stance. The vigilante pressed her hands over her ringing ears, looking around the room wildly.
The Black Canary was thrashing on her couch wildly, a sheen of sweat causing her pale skin to glow in the dim light. Her hair, tousled and mussed, framed a stricken face. The blonde's eyes were squeezed shut, brow furrowed in pain. Her oxygen mask had been clawed off, laying near the couch. The heroine's breaths came in desperate, gurgling sobs, tears streaking down her flushed cheeks. She let out occasional screams, inadvertently using her power in her panic. Luckily, Canary was too weak to screech with her full power, instead letting out short bursts of sonic waves enough to make Helena's ears ring but not enough to destroy anything around her.
Helena panicked, thinking the heroine would hurt herself in her fever-induced state. She deftly leaped on the couch, grabbing the blonde's thrashing limbs and bundling them to her chest. Huntress delicately placed her weight on the other heroine's small frame. "Canary! Wake up, sweetie. It's not real! Canary!" Helena shouted desperately, hoping to startle the blonde into reality.
Suddenly, Dinah's blue eyes shot open. She looked up at Helena, unseeing. Her unfocused, dilated azure irises were glazed over with fever and fear. The heroine let out a panicked cry, weakly struggling in the Huntress's grip.
"N-no... please... don' hurt th-em! N-no... t's all my fa'lt... 'm s'rry..." The desperate litany of slurred apologies shocked the Huntress, who relaxed her grip on the blonde in concern.
Sensing this, Canary struggled to break free again, tears streaming down her face. "N-no! Don' hurt them *please!*" She begged, breaths hitching as the blonde struggled to breathe. "Hel-na... Arr-ow..." She whimpered, dissolving into defeated sobs. Her body went limp beneath Helena as the heroine broke down. The anguished cries emanating from the Canary broke Helena's heart.
Realizing that the Canary was too weak to fight back in her delirium, Helena gently pulled back, releasing the blonde from beneath her pinning weight. Dinah didn't move, full body heartbreaking sobs wracking her small frame. Huntress's eyes welled up with tears... understanding that the fever dream must have broke her friend.
"Dinah, I'm right here, sweetie." Huntress whispered, gingerly wrapping her arms around her friend, pulling her into an embrace. The heat radiating off of the blonde was almost unbearable, but Helena knew the heroine needed the comfort. She wrapped her friend in her arms, rocking gently back and forth as the Canary nearly hyperventilated in her arms. "Shhhh... it's okay... it was just a dream, sweetie... I promise I'm here... everyone's safe... shhhhh..." Helena murmured the sweet assurances in Dinah's ear, using one hand to stroke her friend's tousled hair and the other to rub small circles into her heaving back.
Dinah continued to break down for a few moments, Helena's heart shattering with every passing second. Eventually, her sobs quieted... Helena wasn't sure if her comforting ministrations worked or the other heroine was simply too exhausted to remain conscious. She continued to rock her friend back and forth for a few moments, wincing at the gurgling, watery breaths the blonde desperately gasped.
Huntress allowed a few tears to fall down her cheeks, fear a palpable icy dagger in her heart. She'd never seen anyone - especially not the strong Black Canary - so distraught. Helena was scared... scared that they wouldn't get the transport fixed in time, scared that she'd honestly lose the loving blonde in her arms. Helena cared deeply about the woman she'd grown to see as a partner, a confidante, and a friend. She was scared that Canary had made the ultimate sacrifice for *her*. And most of all, she was absolutely terrified that she'd never get the chance to thank the Canary for believing in her, for giving her a second chance, for helping her become a true hero...
Helena squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that the Canary could understand her, but knowing it was futile. "Dinah... I'm so sorry... you shouldn't be here, dying right now. I'm so sorry I can't save you. I'm sorry that I never said it before but I'm proud of you, kid. After Mandragora... I never thought I'd be a hero again. But you saw me and you believed in me and you helped me realize what being a hero truly means. You're the reason that I am the hero I am today... you're my best friend, too, and I'm so sorry that I haven't shown you the appreciation you deserve. I'd give anything to make sure you're okay..." Helena's voice broke and she dissolved into fitful sobs of her own.
Canary hadn't even stirred. After Helena's tears had slowed, she delicately lifted the blonde back on to the couch, placing a pillow behind her head. Ensuring the heroine was truly unconscious, Huntress put her head in her hands, worry shaking her shoulders as her brain tried to process the current situation. She took a deep breath, trying to channel the Canary's optimism. Though time had passed quickly, it was nearing their second day after the fight with Grodd and Sonar. Helena's stomach grumbled painfully as she realized that, in her worry, she'd forgotten to eat. She felt a pang as she realized the Canary was probably starving too... she knew how often her blonde friend became too busy to eat... who knew how long it'd been since she had a full meal.
Cooking gave Helena something concrete to focus on. She glanced at the sleeping Canary, who was covered in a sheen of sweat, but didn't appear to be in any worse condition than Helena had left her in. Huntress quickly padded towards the kitchen, grabbing two cans of soup out of her cupboard and popping the lids open. She dumped the soup into a pot and turned on the burner, pouring in a cup of water to dilute the thick paste. The vigilante stirred the soup as it warmed up, occasionally risking glances at the sleeping heroine in the other room. Finally, she got two bowls out of the cupboard, pouring a generous amount of soup into each, and turned the burner off.
Helena took a few bites of her soup, mentally deliberating whether she should wake up the Canary. On one hand, the Canary needed nourishment to help her body fight off the infection, but on the other, Helena didn't think she could bear seeing her friend in the throes of another feverish nightmare. Huntress decided to try to wake up the heroine, hoping that she never had to hear those heartbreaking sobs again. She placed her own half-eaten bowl of soup on the kitchen counter and crept over to the couch, placing the Canary's on the couchside table.
"Canary? Dinah, wake up..." Helena began, gently shaking the heroine. The blonde didn't even stir, causing Huntress's heart to thud in concern. "Canary?" She tried again, giving the heroine a firm shake. Nothing. "Dinah! Wake up!" She shouted, shaking even harder. The blonde gave no response, slow, shallow, rattling breaths emanating irregularly from her chest.
Helena pressed a hand to Dinah's forehead, immediately drawing her hand back at the sheer heat. Ice cold terror flooded her body as she began to grasp the dire situation. She rushed for the radio.
"Question! Question she won't wake up!" Helena pleaded desperately, praying that he'd fixed the teleporter. There was a mumbled expletive from the other end of the line. "Please tell me it's ready!"
Question's trepidation was palpable. "It's running but we haven't run diagnostics on the system... I don't know if it's safe. We'll know in an hour-"
"She doesn't have an hour, Q... she's barely breathing!" Huntress yelled tearfully.
There was a moment's pause as Question obviously deliberated between his options. "Get the Canary ready... I'll try to teleport you to the Watchtower."
"Okay..." Huntress hurried over to the blonde, picking her limp form up bridal style and bundling her to her chest. "I've got her." She reported, shifting uncomfortably at the heat.
"Helena... I don't know if this will work..." Q began, fear creeping into his tone.
"It will." Helena interrupted, hoping her desperation would will her statement true. "Get us out of here."
Helena felt the familiar tingling of the teleporter, watching white and blue pixellated sparks dance around their bodies. She shut her eyes, praying that the next time they'd open, they'd be at the Watchtower...
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