"Look...", Martha sighed. "Whatever is needed, we'll do it, if we don't have any other choice, then we should use mine... but if you think it might be better to try it your way, Waylon, then let's do it... they don't have time for us to be second guessing ourselves...".
Waylon nodded and Thomas exhaled, "Bruce, would you go get Poppy? Hopefully that Dick is asleep now, Poppy would feel a bit easier to leave him in the hands of Alfred and Caroline and Selina, next to the other kids.".
Bruce nodded, "Okay, Dad.", before leaving the bedroom, as Thomas went to check the IV bags, checking the temperatures of John and Mary, thinking of adjusting the thermostat while Leslie patiently worked on pulling the blood sample from Waylon into the vial, as Fate kept an eye on the machine for the next few minutes.
As Bruce came into the bedroom with Poppy, the machine dinged out on Martha's results while Leslie finally finished with Waylon, topping the vial, and cleaning his inner elbow with a swab and a bandage, and Fate replied, "Okay, Martha's blood type is clearly 0-negative, yet Waylon is right. There's two distinct bits of gamma genes, one being Martha, and one faintly Kel...It's not like a tinge, but rather like a wave...It's entirely 100% compatible, but a wave like that into John and Mary...
Thomas replied, "It would overwhelm them when they're weak, and they couldn't handle the wave like that. Then let's hope Waylon and Poppy's blood matches, and that their gamma genes are like steady dapples of a lake, and it would be better and easier into John and Mary.", grabbing the vial of Waylon's blood from Leslie, passing it to Fate who put it into the spinner once again as routine, while glancing at Poppy, "You go sit for Leslie. I already did Bruce and Martha, while she did Waylon. And how's Dick? Has he fallen asleep after so much today?".
"He finally fell asleep... crying while doing it.", Poppy sighed. "It hurt me so much to see him like that... and it's weird since we've only just really known him but...".
"You feel that pain on a more emotional connection considering he's one of your children?", Bruce asked. Poppy nodded, "Yeah...", as she sat down heavily with a deep sigh, as Leslie went to grab a fresh, new syringe, tube, and all for the blood withdrawal sample into another vial. Waylon went to drink from the water bottles, handing a few to Bruce and Martha.
Martha replied, "That's how I felt when you needed me after that Mad Hatter fiasco...Sure, it was only one day, but you were a bit shaken and such. But we'll be there for him, Poppy, just like we were there for the others when fear and struggle happened.", looking at Poppy who gave her mother a grateful smile.
The few minutes passed once again before the sound of the ding is heard again, and Fate took a look at the screen, and gave a triumphant laugh under his helm, "Waylon's blood type is O-negative, just like Thompkins said, and it's a compatible match for either John or Mary, and the gamma genes are like the steady dapples of a lake, strong yet not overwhelming.".
Thomas replied with a relieved smile and a laugh, "Excellent! Waylon, take that desk chair with you, so you can be as close as you can to John's bed. Martha, pull up the extra mobile stands from that corner, bring one for a new IV bag, and get Waylon hitched up to it while I work on the first blood transfer device to latch into John and then to Waylon.".
Leslie, meanwhile, had finished with Poppy's sample, cleaning and swapping the spot of the withdrawal, bandaging it, and passed the vial to Fate who put it into the spinner of the machine, as Leslie replied, "I told you so, didn't I, Fate, and the name is Leslie, not Thompkins.".
Fate chuckled, "Oh, I know. Can't help it, and I believe that I told you so as well.", and Leslie rolled her eyes, yet smile, "Fair is fair.".
"You alright?", Poppy asked Waylon as he nodded. "I got mauled by a croc, honey... giving blood will be nothing...", Waylon smirked as she chuckled.
"You sure? I mean, now would be a bad time to suddenly be afraid of needles.", Poppy teased even though he had already given some blood before.
Waylon chuckled, "I can't imagine any hero afraid of needles.", and Poppy smiled, "Touche.", as Martha brought up the new stand for the new IV bag, as Waylon got close with his desk chair as he could near John's side on the outside edge of the bed.
Poppy drank some water that Bruce handed her, glancing hopefully at the computer of the blood matching and testing machine that she'd be perfect to help Mary soon in a few minutes.
After a few moments, the results showed up. Poppy was revealed to be a match for Mary, for she's O-negative as well...Apparently, like mother, like daughter. Poppy gave out a deep sigh of relief upon seeing that. Martha did as well though again, she was ready to donate to both if it was needed.
Poppy immediately went to take her chair to be near Mary as Leslie went to get the IV bag and the other blood transfusion machine.
Poppy was glad, even if Mary is not a O-negative, they will work together, with her gamma genes in the mix. "Everything good so far, Leslie?", Thomas asked as she sighed.
"Well, it will take a bit of time before we can start being sure about if this whole procedure even works. All I do know is that at the very least, this will be practically painless compared to my last procedures regarding gamma radiation.", Leslie explained as both Martha and Waylon shuddered a little bit, remembering practically the unimaginable pain they both went through.
And so, Poppy is soon attached up to Mary, copying their husbands in the same situation, and feeling a bit crowded now, Thomas asked Fate and Martha and Bruce to leave the bedroom.
Fate replied, "Glad to be of some help, Thomas. And I'll look over the city as much as Batwoman is, for all of you, as this is going to be a long night to wait and see.", and Thomas smiled, "You really are a great help, Fate. We will anonymously update Batwoman that the patrol is hers for the night.".
Fate nodded before he went to make a portal, heading to his home, while Martha kissed Thomas on the cheek, "We will keep the kids in their sort of couch fort, but yeah, it's going to be a long night for us to doze and wait.", before leaving with Bruce replying with a reassuring smile to Poppy and Waylon, "You guys got this.", and joined Martha out of the bedroom.
It was perhaps an hour later between checking the IV bags for the bed-ridden couple and giving some snacks to Poppy and Waylon to keep up next to their IV bags and the blood transfusions, when they heard the heart monitors steadily picking up from their slow, hard-working heartbeats into becoming stronger heartbeats.
Thomas heaved a sigh of relief, "It's working...It's a start, but we still need to keep an eye all night, just to be safe...", as Poppy replied, "Thanks, Mama...", with a smile as she glanced at the single window of the stars, thanking Kel for giving the couple the chance to try at gamma medicine.
"Hopefully, that's a good sign of things...", Waylon said. "Of course, can't be sure yet, right?", with a hopeful smile. "Right.", Poppy nodded. "Will have to give it quite a number of hours before I think we could truly start to tell if things are working.".
Leslie nodded, "Indeed. Perhaps the gamma medicine will start from deep inside, which their heartbeats had proven to be the first sign, to perhaps the smallest breaks in bones before focusing on the big breaks.".
Thomas replied, "That sounds reasonable.", with a nod. "All the same, we got a long night ahead of us of changing the IV bags for either couple in the bed or in the chairs, and make sure that there are no clogs or anything in the blood transfusions.".
"I wish I could sleep then but I get the feeling that I should probably stay awake for this?", Waylon asked as Thomas nodded. "Thought so... should've brought my phone...", he chuckled.
Thomas smirked, "Good thing that we got a few TVs up here in this wing, next to the family wing.", before pressing a button on a remote for a TV to appear out of a cabinet and handed it to Waylon.
Leslie replied, "You still got your phone, Poppy?", and Poppy replied, "Figured that I would need it.", and Leslie nodded, "Great. Thomas, why don't you go get a shower? I am gonna head to the kitchen to get more snacks for those two as transfusing bloods can't be easy on and off through this long night.".
Thomas looked reluctant, and Poppy replied, "I will text you and Leslie in emergency code if something's happening, Dad.", and Thomas exhaled, "Alright.", patting Poppy's shoulder, and smiled at Waylon before leaving with Leslie to go their own ways.
Gratefully, it seemed like anything didn't go wrong as it was quite a long night of almost 7 hours, between changing IV bags, refreshing Poppy and Waylon through snacks and some exercise around the beds, and the practically painless sound of bones rebreaking flawlessly and healing, next to seeing more color return in the bed-ridden couple of John and Mary before it was decided to stop the transfusions after Thomas and Leslie checked with mobile x-rays to see about the organs and the bones which was a major difference of a promising outcome compared to the prior x-rays in the hospital, taking off the casts and bandages.
"What do you think, Leslie?", Thomas asked, and Leslie replied, "Up to them to wake up on their own now, through we'd keep the IVs in just for procedure, but with the trauma from the fall and all of this, they will be awfully sore, so they can't really leave the room yet for at least a couple of days, to stay close to them when they use this room's bathroom and all, even if the gamma medication is making them feel good, better to be safe than nothing.".
"At the very least, they should pull through now...", Thomas sighed as Leslie chuckled. "I'm sure their son will be happy about that...", she said as he still didn't change his mood.
"The boy is still traumatized though, like Bruce that night; that'll probably never go away...", Thomas sighed. Leslie replied, "I know...I saw the news...He would have been more affected, but he can't forget that there are others like him who saw the whole thing happen...The audience, and the family...".
Poppy replied, "We will have to be there for him, Aunt Leslie, no doubt about it. John and Mary's recovery will make him feel relieved.", as Waylon nodded, "Indeed.".
Leslie then replied, "Then may I head home? It's almost dawn, anyhow.", and Thomas nodded, "Yeah. I'll keep an eye on them upon checking occasionally. Poppy replied, "Let me take you out then to your car. I'd want to see Dick myself.".
Waylon replied, "Alright. I'll join ya...You good, Dad?", glancing at Thomas who smiled reassuringly with a nod, "Go ahead.".
A few more hours passed, and Thomas was relieved to see occasional flutters of awareness from Mary and John, and Dick himself was beyond relieved yet confused, knowing that adults with bad crashes and falls needed far longer to recover than a single night and incoming day, but got permission to come in with Poppy and Waylon's support, as they explained in simple words of just their gamma medicine, knowing that Dick would need to wrap his head around the truth over the next week or so to understand completely of the true story behind the family, including that he was one of Poppy's lost children.
All the same, he was stunned to realize that Poppy and Waylon now have more connection to him, through his parents, just for donating their blood to them, and slept easier in Poppy's lap as she slept in one of the brought loveseats to the guest/medical bedroom, with Waylon sleeping, his arm around Poppy as she leaned into him, her arm around Dick protectively yet motherly, while the twins understood, distracted with a game downstairs with the other kids.
It was perhaps another hour before they fully were able to wake up, with Mary finding herself in a bedroom/medical bed, seeing John wide-awake across from her in his bed, having a loving, relieved, and fond smile at her, and gestured with his eyes over her shoulder.
Curious, she slightly gritted at the sore yet slightly buzzing feeling in her body as she slowly turned her head and shoulders over and then smiled with tears to see Dick protectively loved by Poppy and Waylon, and then spoke quietly, "Dick...", clearing her throat as it was dry, and then spoke again, "Richard.", as it's an occasional last word effort when Dick didn't want to leave bed.
He gave a small moan as he was still mostly asleep as Mary sighed. Better to let him keep resting for a bit longer after everything he went through emotionally at least. She was sure he probably cried himself to sleep multiple times from the moment the accident happened. Or, well, attempted murder probably was a better way to describe the ordeal.
Mary glanced at Poppy and Waylon gratefully, seeing them asleep, and saw signs of bandages where needles would be, and realized that it was those two who saved her and John, and tears kept coming as she realized that they wanted to do it, and they did, turning her head over to look at John who smiled, reaching out with his hand, as they have been pushed a bit closer, but still enough to give them boundary space between Thomas to check on them occasionally, and enough for their hands to reach out and grasp together which Mary did, smiling as she spoke quietly, "John...How are you feeling?", as she felt his thumb caress the top of her hand lovingly and reverently.
"Like everything hurts still... like a full body cramp but other than that...", John gave a small smile. "Still breathing...". Mary replied, "Yeah; feel the same but I'll take this pain over the alternative every time...".
John nodded, "Very much agree with you, Mary...I love you so much, sunflower.", as he would never forget the day where he realized he was in love with Mary in a field of sunflowers, and how she seemed to glow that day while the circus was passing through in a resting place between traveling.
Mary choked up as it was yesterday morning when they woke up in their bed, in their caravan, calling her that like usual, upon waking and falling asleep every day, unknowing of the horrible events several hours later, and spoke warmly, "I love you too, flyboy...", as it was a pet name for him, making her think that he somehow could fly despite his large frame when on the trapeze since the day she first saw him.
And to think, if she hadn't gone after John in her turn, and if she heard the same thing with Dick, she and he would have lost John, or he and Dick would have lost her, if Tony Zucco went to sabotage the swings too next to the trapeze wires and the corner small nets. They wouldn't have this chance to say those sentimental words again for a long time until meeting again in heaven.
"You two are recovering well...", Poppy's voice spoke up as the two of them turned to look at her while she still had Dick resting in her lap. "Dick insisted on not leaving this room once we told him you two would be okay.".
Waylon replied warmly next to her, "She's right...And I think Dick is finally sleeping better...He was a wreck last night between us trying to distract him with a movie, and the kids trying to reassure him that any of us wouldn't dare let you two down somehow without trying...", glancing at John and Mary, as he rubbed his eyes with a free hand.
"I'm glad... it's nice to know that he at least would've been cared for if we didn't make it...", Mary said as Poppy teared up a bit, "Yeah... I really fear what might have happened had we never met...".
Waylon rubbed her back, "Breathe, Poppy, it's in the past now. All right now is that our friends are alive and more than just okay, and that Dick got more family.", with a reassuring kiss on her cheek.
"Yeah...", Poppy sighed as John cleared his throat a bit since it was dry. "Um... I... there are some things I remember in that little coma of ours...", he said.
"Mama Kel?", Poppy asked as both John and Mary nodded. "How much do you remember then?". Waylon gently left the loveseat to grab a couple of water bottles and straws as Mary replied, "That she's your mama, she started everything, and she loves and misses her wife and husband in your folks as much as she does everyone else.", with a smile.