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San Francisco felt alive even at night, like a heart that never stops beating. Perhaps it was a cliché, since there is nothing extraordinary about any big city's nightlife, but there was a certain allure here that Dick had never been able to resist.
The light flowed through the streets like a river of molten gold. The traffic that never slowed down even at this midnight hour seemed to give the cars almost a neon glow, shimmering like a sea of glitter from his vantage point at the top of one of the city’s tallest buildings. Lights and colors of human lives erupted from the windows of houses and apartments; bars and restaurants were bustling with joy, music, and food. The network of buildings stretched out before the eye all over the horizon, seemingly absorbing the streets’ glow, and the cacophony of sounds coming from every direction seemed to have no rhyme or reason until you stopped for a moment and listened to its rhythm — so natural and beautiful, so in harmony with itself and the world around it.
It wasn't the first time he had watched over the city like this, perched on the edge of a skyscraper’s rooftop, with his watchful eyes hidden behind his mask, searching for potential threats. He had seen Gotham from this side. Detroit too. He had come to know them both intimately; he knows the jagged edges of their night faces that they hide even from their own inhabitants, just as well as he knows his own, and he still left them both behind as soon as he got the chance. Something about the skyline he now had before him, though, unlike its predecessors, held his heart in its fierce grip and wouldn't let him look away.
Maybe that was why he had chosen this place for the Titans' headquarters years ago. Maybe that’s why he had returned here and decided to truly start over, to create a home for his family here. Maybe that’s why he had sworn an oath to protect this city with his life — and this time meant every word of it.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of pulsing wings.
“The corner of Market and 9th is clear,” a voice said behind him. Heels clattered against the concrete. “Looks like just a drunken dispute.”
Rachel joined him on the rooftop. Without turning, Dick caught the white of her hair, gleaming silver in the moonlight, as she effortlessly pulled herself up onto the short wall and swung her legs over to the other side, facing the city. He barely resisted the impulse to hold out his hand to keep her from falling.
“Nothing for us to swoop in?” he asked instead.
Her hood slipped from her hair when she tilted her head with a smirk. “Unless you want to be swarmed by fans? Gar told me how it ended last time.”
“Hey, entertaining kids at a birthday party wasn't all that bad!”
She didn't look too convinced.
“Right. Nightwing must have looked so cute with all that paint all over his suit.” Her eyes narrowed. “Wait, I think you still got a little something here…”
She began rubbing the heel of her hand against his right pauldron, and he swatted it away with a scoff. Rachel pulled away, laughing.
“Alright, it was horrible,” Dick finally relented. “I had to send it back to Stu for a deep clean.”
"Ouch."
They both knew how Stu could get about his creations not being properly cared for. And of all the things, kid paint was a big no.
“Nothing on the scanners?” She asked after a moment.
He checked the device mounted on his wrist, then shook his head. “No changes in the last thirty minutes.”
She sighed, disappointed. “Cool.”
Feeling his legs starting to go numb from being stuck in the same position for so long, Dick stood up to stretch, then sat down on the wall shoulder to shoulder with Rachel and let his feet dangle freely over the street below.
“I guess I shouldn't be complaining about the lack of criminal activity,” he said, “but we really picked a boring night for this patrol, huh?”
“Not even a stupid cat in a tree,” Rachel agreed. “But maybe it's a good thing. We get to hang out here and enjoy the view.”
That, she was right about. The view was indeed worth it. As well as the company.
They sat in easy, comfortable silence for quite some time. The light breeze was blowing Rachel's hair across her face, but she paid no attention to it; she simply rested her head on Dick's shoulder and, with a soft content sigh escaping her lips, stared at the view before her. Leaning his cheek gently against the crown of her head, Dick watched the way she was swinging her legs slowly like a child on a playground, letting her heels tap against the wall. He couldn't help but smile.
“How's school?” he asked softly. “How’s Bludhaven?”
Technically, he already asked that before. On the phone during her first week. Whenever they face-timed or texted. But it was her first break since starting college and even though both he and Kory had already asked her a lot of questions since the moment she stepped out of the Tower's elevator — and Rachel smiled and answered them all — deep down Dick had a feeling it was a more-or-less watered-down version. She was back home for only a few days and really, he dragged her out here to catch up. He may have complained about nothing to do but this was the real reason they were stuck on this rooftop together.
He didn't want to push. He didn't want to overwhelm her even more than she probably already was. It was all so new after all; it's only been a few weeks. But he was curious. And, well, worried. Even though he knew he didn’t need to be.
Yes, he was being overprotective. Sue him.
Rachel let out a quiet chuckle. “I was wondering when you're gonna ask.”
Dick chuckled as well. She knew him too well.
“Did you make any new friends?”
“Nah, it's just me and Courtney for now. But…”
She went quiet and it made him lift his head in attention. Looking down at her, he noticed her gnawing at her lower lip, trying to repress a smile.
“But?”
Rather reluctantly, Rachel released a long breath. “So… this one guy asked me out…”
Uh oh.
There it is.
“...but then he stood me up.”
Dick straightened up. “He stood you up.”
“Mhm.”
“Say the word, he's dead.”
She burst out into a fit of the most beautiful, melodic laughter, and he couldn't help but join in, that's how infectious it was. Granted, he was only half-joking with that threat — one sign of his little girl being mistreated in any way and he is ready to bury a body — but now Rachel was leaning against him again, pressing her forehead to his shoulder while her own shoulders shook from the force of her giggles.
“You're unbelievable,” she said, breathless.
“I’m serious!”
She started laughing even harder.
And he won’t lie, he missed that sound. He missed hearing it every day, he missed seeing that smile greet him every morning. It's only been a few weeks, and they talked as often as they could, but it wasn't the same as having her here, having her home. Truth be told, he didn't expect it to hit him as hard as it did — he was fine when Rachel was on Themyscira but this time, it was different. He couldn't put a name to it or find words to describe it, but he suspected Kory knew what it was; he saw it in her eyes and the way she smiled at him whenever he mentioned something.
That's probably why she stayed behind tonight, he suspected.
“I don't know what's so funny but it looks like there's an assault/robbery happening on Hayes Street.” As if his thoughts had summoned her, his girlfriend’s voice broke through the static in their comms.
Rachel took a breath to compose herself, though a few giggles still managed to get out. “Oh, Dick just wants to kill my date.”
“Shocking.” Kory replied in a tone that bore no shock whatsoever. “Wait, what date?”
“I'll tell you later.”
A gasp. “Rachel!”
“What’s going on, Kory?” Dick cut in, suddenly not really in a mood to entertain the thought of Rachel’s potential boyfriend. He shot Rachel a pointed look and she fired back with a cocky grin, clearly enjoying his discomfort way too much.
“CCTV cameras picked up three males outside the Anina bar. You two are in the vicinity.”
As she talked, they both jumped off the wall. While Rachel went to the opposite side of the roof to survey the location, the device on Dick's wrist beeped, and the small hologram projected the footage Kory sent him. One scrawny guy, most probably on his way back from some office job, was being herded into a nearby alley by two brute, broad-shouldered men in dark hoodies. One of them was clutching a knife in his fist.
“I see it,” Rachel reported when she came back to his side. “We're close.”
Dick flashed her a smile. “Finally something to do.”
She looked at the footage and shrugged. “Looks easy. Are you sure you don't want to join us, Kory?”
“Nah, it's fine,” came the reply. “I’m good being your girl in the chair for the night. I'll let you two have fun. But call me if you need backup.”
“Deal.”
“And be careful!”
“Hey, we're always careful!” Dick responded with a broad smile.
“Babe, do I need to remind you–”
“See you at home!” He quickly clicked the line off and the comms went silent.
Rachel shook her head at him with a laugh but said nothing.
A familiar wave of affection came over Dick. Watching her, standing battle-ready with that excited twinkle in her eye, her white suit a bright contrast against the dark backdrop of the night sky, he often couldn't believe his eyes. How is this incredible, powerful, wise young witch the same little girl he met at the police station in Detroit? How is this the same kid who used to come to him after nightmares, used to ask him to take mirrors off the walls, too scared to face her own reflection? Now so confident, both in her powers and herself. Going off to college, excelling in classes and her abilities. Spreading her glowing wings and taking the world by a literal storm of pure, bright magic.
Pride swelled in his chest. He always knew she was born to do incredible things. And she still managed to exceed all his expectations.
“Ready for some action, Raven?” He asked as he approached her, coloring her codename with a teasing note while he reached behind her and gently brought her hood up to rest against her hair.
One corner of her lips twitched. “Ready when you are, Nightwing.”
They grinned at each other, stoked about the fight ahead. Whether a supernatural, world-ending threat or something as mundane as a robbery, they stood side by side, always having each other’s back. Always ready to fight for each other, ready to protect each other.
It couldn’t feel more right.
Dick smirked. “Try to keep up.”
And without warning, he pulled the hood all the way down over Rachel’s face.
“Wha– HEY!”
But he didn't listen, too busy making the jump from one rooftop to the next.
They used the element of surprise. The two guys were too busy pushing the terrified man against the wall and threatening him to notice them. The shorter one, with a knife in his hand, yelped in surprise when Raven's power wrapped around his torso with the speed of a snake and threw him against the opposite wall. The guy sank into the ground, moaning in pain. His taller buddy, with a tattoo of a dragon wrapped around his thick neck, landed on the ground with impetus when Nightwing’s fist collided with his face. He spat blood and growled, trying to get up, but Dick added a kick right into his ribs and pushed him back down.
"For someone of your size, you’re too easy to knock out," he joked. Then he turned to check on the victim, but Rachel was already taking care of the shaken man — with a softly glowing hand, she healed a bruise blooming across his cheek. Once done, she helped him stand up and put his leather briefcase back in his hand.
"Everything all right?" Dick asked them.
Rachel threw him a quick glance over her shoulder. "Yeah, he’s fine." She looked back at the victim and spoke in a calm, soothing tone. "Go home. Leave the rest to us."
The man nodded quickly, mumbling thanks, and then, pressing the briefcase to his chest, ran out of the alley as fast as he could.
Just like back on the rooftop, Dick was flooded with pride. Rachel was doing great. He would even go so far as to say that in many ways, she was better than him when he was her age. He didn’t get the opportunity to tell her that, though.
"Watch out!" Rachel shouted but it was too late. The guy she had previously knocked down threw himself on Dick’s back. He was short and skinnier than expected — it wasn’t that visible before under all the baggy clothes — so it was not difficult to throw him off. As soon as he got rid of the added weight, Nightwing spun around and threw a punch, but his opponent dodged and aimed up, catching his chin.
Dick's head bounced back; he felt the taste of blood in his mouth. In the haze, his eyes caught Rachel — she was stuck in Dragon Tattoo’s grip, who grabbed her from behind and tightened his big arms around her shoulders, immobilizing her. A wave of protective rage rushed over him, but he had no chance to react because his own opponent kept charging at him.
The guy was young, and even though trained and skilled, he was getting sloppy. There was more anger in his moves than technique, which kind of reminded Dick of Jason. They exchanged blow after blow, but his attention still kept returning to Rachel.
She seemed to be trapped at first but fought fiercely enough to free herself. With a single elbow to the gut and head thrown back, causing a nasty crunch in the giant's nose, Dragon Tattoo was soon writhing in a vice grip of the glowing, white-gold energy, gliding up the building against the wall.
Dick smiled. That’s my girl. There was nothing to worry about. She’s got this.
He threw himself back into his own fight with a newfound enthusiasm. He used the earlier spark of anger to put more force into his blows, and the surge of adrenaline only excited him more. Some time has passed since his last dirty alley fight. A lot has changed since then, too. However, the thrill of the fight was still the same. It still made him feel alive, though now for different reasons than before. Better reasons.
This is what he was missing tonight.
The fight could have been over a long time ago. He was toying with his opponent at this point, but the kid couldn’t seem to get enough. Blood was already running from his nose as well as from his split lip, and his right eye was quickly swelling, but he continued to get up and threw the next blow with a furious roar. It was starting to piss Dick off. The guy really had nothing better to do?
"Come on, kid!" he shouted. "What, no money for booze so you and your buddy decided to empty the pockets of some accountants?"
The guy growled. "Fuck you."
They went at it again. Dick aimed at the ribs, the head, and the solar plexus, but the kid was good at dodging. It was becoming tiring.
He regretted that thought the next moment. When the guy raised his arm, Dick caught the glint of a blade.
Fuck. The knife. He forgot about the goddamn knife.
Okay. That’s enough, he thought, suddenly furious.
When the guy attacked, Dick dodged down. With a smooth, swift move, he reached behind his back for one of his escrima sticks, and, activating it, hit his opponent’s head with full force. The combined force of impact and electricity knocked the guy face down to the ground, where he let out a painful grunt and stilled.
Breathing heavily, Nightwing straightened up and hid the weapon.
"Was it worth it?" He spat towards the unconscious. Obviously, he didn’t get an answer, not like he wanted one anyway. Dick rolled his shoulders, letting the last of his anger leave him, and ran a gloved hand through his sweaty hair.
“So, that wasn’t so bad!” He said. “Good job. I’ll notify the cops, let’s let them deal with—”
“Dick?”
Something about the way she said his name brought chills to his spine and made all the alarms go off in his head. He spun around, are you okay ready on his lips, and immediately froze.
Rachel stood still as a statue, staring at him with terrified eyes. Dragon Tattoo was slumped against the wall behind her, also knocked out. But it wasn’t him, or her ghostly pale face, that caught his attention; it was the knife that was sunken hilt-deep in her abdomen.
Dick felt blood drain from his face. “Rach?”
Her lips quivered but nothing but a shuddering breath came out.
He took a wobbly step forward. His gaze was fixed on the bloody spot as the scarlet stain grew larger and larger, turning her white dress maroon. And the longer he stared, the more his limbs felt like they were being filled with concrete. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t think; for a couple horrifying seconds, he just stood there, rooted to the ground as if the whole world had stopped.
Tears welled up in Rachel’s eyes. Slowly, she looked down at herself, and that’s all it took for her knees to buckle under her.
He reacted instantly; leaping forward, he caught her in his arms and gently lowered her down to the ground.
"Shit. Shit, shit, shit, c'mere. C’mere," he murmured as he brought her close to his chest. Everything within him screamed for him to act, yet panic had seized him, rendering him useless. He’s been trained for this; he knew every step he should take and how to keep his cool, but instead he was shaking, his heart racing, because it's Rachel, Rachel is hurt, Rachel is bleeding, Rachel, Rachel, no please, not Rachel...
All he could do was stare at the knife in morbid horror.
“D–Dick…” Rachel gasped, her wide, panicked eyes trying to catch his gaze, and it worked like a snap of fingers in front of his face. It reminded him he’s needed, but it also sent another wave of panic straight into his chest.
"Hey, hey, shhhh. Shhhh. You're okay," he soothed her with a forced smile. “You’re gonna be okay.”
Her trembling hands moved towards the knife but Dick quickly caught her wrist.
“No, don’t! Don’t pull it out, you’ll— you’ll make it worse.”
You’ll bleed out, he almost said but stopped himself just in time. For her sake and his own.
“It hurts…”
A lump formed in his throat. He tried to swallow it down.
"I know. I know it hurts, baby girl," he whispered. "We're gonna fix you up, brand new. I promise." His throat went dry when he realized what he needed to do next. “But first, I have to stop the bleeding. This... this is going to hurt. But only for a second, okay?"
The last of the color drained from her already pale face, leaving her almost gray. But she seemed to have anchored herself in his gaze, trusting him, and with a sharp breath, she gave him a quick nod.
“Okay.”
Careful not to jostle the knife, Dick laid his own hand over the wound and pressed down. Rachel cried out and pushed her face into his arm, her whole body shaking from the pain.
Dick let out a strangled sob. "God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, honey. It'll be over soon, I promise.”
Frantically, he looked around. He had to get her out of here. But how? His motorcycle was a few blocks away; he left it by their vantage point. If his memory served him right, there was a hospital not too far from here, but he wouldn’t be able to drive with her anyway.
Maybe if he carried her there...
"Okay,” he breathed, trying not to spiral. “Okay, here's what we're gonna do— fuck."
Tears of fear and frustration started to burn behind his eyes when he saw more blood leaking through his fingers. His mind was blank. What was he supposed to do?
Wait—
Kory.
Of course. Fuck, how could he be so fucking stupid?
Dick quickly tapped on his comm. “Kory, are you there? Code red!”
Reply came instantly.
“Dick, what’s happening?”
“Rachel has been hit. A knife to the gut. She’s losing blood fast and I…” he began to tear up. “I can’t…”
He heard a muffled curse. “Is she conscious?”
“For now, but… Kory, Kory there’s so much blood…”
The entire front of her dress was now covered in it. It was spilling onto her cloak and staining his suit. His glove was soaked.
“Okay. Okay, are you still—”
“We’re still in that alley. Yeah.”
“Two minutes. Two minutes and I’m there, okay? Stop the bleeding. Keep her awake. And don’t lose your head.”
He wasn’t sure for how long he could do that. “Please, hurry.”
“I’m on my way.”
The line disconnected.
Rachel suddenly started coughing. A small stream of murky blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth.
“No. No no no no no,” Dick started mumbling in panic. "Please be okay. Please be okay, please be okay—”
He wanted to wipe the blood from her face, but he didn't have a free hand to do it. He couldn't let go of the wound, and with his other arm he was supporting her shoulders and head. So he hugged her tighter and pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips to her clammy forehead.
"Everything's going to be okay, honey. Kory is on her way."
He squeezed his eyes shut and let his tears fall into Rachel's white hair. This was supposed to be a simple, boring patrol, he thought bitterly. His earlier complaints about having nothing to do were now stuck in his throat. Why was he in such a damn hurry for some action? They could have hung out on this rooftop for another hour or two, teasing each other about dates and lectures and grumpy professors. They could have gone for ice cream or pizza, they could have looked for a cat in a tree or a homeless person in need — they could have done anything other than pick a fight with some halfwits in an alley behind a bar.
This wasn't how this night was supposed to end.
“I’m— I’m s-sorry,” Rachel choked out. Dick raised his head and blinked back tears, confused.
“For what?”
“I didn't— notice— the knife.”
Something between a sob and a laugh clawed its way out of his throat. He could barely see her through the tears clouding his vision.
“It's not your fault; it's mine,” he told her. “I should have seen it coming. You... you did so good, baby girl.” He kissed her forehead again. “Don't worry, you— you did so good."
Her eyelids fluttered and drooped. She was having trouble lifting them up again.
“I'm so tired…”
Dick shook her urgently. "No. No, stop. You're gonna be fine, you just have to stay awake."
“You should go.”
It felt like a bucket of ice-cold water was just dropped on him.
“Absolutely not. I'm not leaving you."
A line of blazing fire cut across the dark sky above them, illuminating the alley. A few seconds later, the sound of heels clattering against the pavement reached them from the street, and suddenly Kory came running around the corner, all suit up, still enveloped in the fading glow of her starfire.
If he wasn't already on the ground, Dick would have fallen to his knees from relief.
“Kory…”
“Oh God, Rachel!” Kory sobbed out as she dropped down next to them, hands hovering aimlessly over the girl. Rachel turned her head in the direction of her voice, pale lips trying to form her name, but she couldn't focus long enough. She reached her hand out and Kory grabbed it instantly.
“I’m here. I’m here, sweetheart,” Kory whispered, holding on tightly. She looked to Dick with a wide-eyed gaze. “What happened?”
“One of the guys had a knife. He must have thrown it when I dodged. I…” he swallowed down his guilt. “We need to get her out of here.”
Kory reached to his face and brushed the tears from his cheek. There was understanding in her eyes. But also urgency. She knew what he was feeling but they didn't have time to talk about it now; they needed to act.
“I’ll fly her to the hospital,” she said. “San Francisco General is ten minutes away from here. I can get there in one.” She threw a quick look around. “Where's your bike?”
“At Fifteen Fifty.”
“Go get it. And meet me there.”
She moved to pick Rachel up from him, maneuvered her into her arms as gently as possible. Dick reluctantly took his hand off the wound but sighed relieved when he saw that the flow of blood had slowed down. Still, Rachel’s face was too pale, her skin too thin; she had lost too much blood already. So much of it was soaked into her dress, her cloak, the pavement.
And his hand.
He looked down and stretched his fingers. It felt too warm, too sticky.
Rachel's blood. On his hand...
So much blood...
“Dick!” Kory called and it snapped him back to attention. He looked up and met her emerald eyes staring at him intensely. “She's going to be fine.”
He nodded, his lips pressed in a thin line. He couldn't let himself spiral. He couldn't lose his head. There was no time for panic or guilt. They needed to get their girl help.
Rachel was looking at him with unfocused, half-closed eyes. She was fighting to stay awake. Stealing one last moment, Dick leaned in and ran his clean hand through her snow-white curls.
“I'll be right behind you,” he promised. His eyes moved to Kory. “Go.”
She was gone in a flash.
Suddenly feeling very cold and very numb, Dick slowly turned around. His eyes fell on that stupid kid, still unconscious on the ground. In a fit of rage, his bloodied hand clenched into a fist.
But it wasn't worth it.
He spun back around and broke into a sprint.
They have taken her in for an emergency surgery. Doctors told them that some organs may have been damaged but didn’t give them much else.
All they could do now was wait.
Kory sat in a chair in the corner of the waiting room, deep in thought. Dick, on the other hand, could not sit still; he paced from one end of the room to the other, back and forth like a caged animal, checking the clock on the wall every few minutes. How long had they been here, two hours? Five? It seemed to him that the hands of the clock weren't moving at all.
They were alone. Due to the gravity of the situation and their status as protectors of the city, they had been given a private waiting room, which he was grateful for, even though the silence was driving him mad. He stopped for a moment and ran his hands over his face, rubbing his eyes. His mask and gloves lay abandoned on the coffee table; it took him a good twenty minutes to wash the blood off his hands and he could still feel it on his skin.
Kory looked up at him. “Pacing won’t move the time faster. You know that, right?
He ignored her comment. “Did you call the boys?”
She straightened up with a sigh. Her face looked tired and haunted. “Gar isn’t answering. I left him a message, but I don’t think he’s even on this Earth right now.” She ran her fingers through her burgundy waves. “Conner said he’ll be here as soon as he can, but it might not be until tomorrow. And Tim asked to keep him updated.”
Dick nodded. So there’s just the two of them, then.
He turned to the door, praying that a doctor or a nurse would finally come through and tell them something. No one wanted to give them any answers. Nothing, just the surgery is still in progress. We’ll update you when we can, please wait. Dick was tired of waiting. He was tired of standing still and doing nothing.
He wanted to see his daughter.
“You should call Donna,” Kory whispered quietly behind him. The intensity of her gaze was burning into his back.
He lowered his head with a heavy exhale. Yeah, he should.
The chair creaked. Kory's warm hand lovingly caressed the back of his neck. She stood in front of him and touched his face to make him look at her; instinctively, Dick pressed his cheek against her palm.
"I don't know how you do it," he whispered. "How you stay so calm."
She gifted him with a warm smile. "Because I know how strong Rachel is. And so do you."
It was true. Rachel often proved to be the strongest of them all. Where they failed, she triumphed. She had the kind of will to fight that Dick couldn't always find within himself.
“I’m scared,” he admitted with a heavy heart. “It was my fault, Kory. I forgot the guy had a knife. I didn’t see him throw it. I could have stopped it.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Kory replied. “But even the easiest missions can go wrong. Even the best of us can make mistakes — you taught us that yourself.”
Not when those mistakes can cost the life of someone you love, he thought bitterly, but he didn’t say it out loud. Deep down, he knew Kory was right.
She moved her hands down his shoulders, then wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against his chest. As he drew her nearer, Dick embraced her tightly and pressed his cheek to her forehead.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “Our girl’s going to pull through. She’ll even make it for her date.”
He managed a smile. “No, she won’t. The asshole stood her up.”
“What?”
“Mhm.”
She looked up at him with that dangerous twinkle in her eye that he loved so much. “Are we burying a body?”
That got a genuine laugh out of him. “I wish. But I think she handled it just fine.”
“Of course she did.” Kory beamed at him, proud.
Stepping away from him, she pushed her hair out of her face and rolled her shoulders.
“I’m gonna get us some coffee,” she said. “It’s gonna be a long night. You call Donna.”
She kissed him quickly before leaving the waiting room. Once she was gone, Dick grabbed his phone and sat down with a sigh. Picking Donna’s number, he felt his heart sink in his chest.
Yeah, it’s definitely gonna be a long night.
It took another hour before Rachel was out of surgery. Another three for her to wake up. The sun was already rising above the horizon when the hand Dick held in his palm twitched and the girl turned her head his way.
“Rach?”
“Hi.”
She sounded weak and she could barely keep her eyes open, but she was smiling. Instantly, Dick stood up and leaned over her to place a loving kiss on her forehead.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he whispered, smiling as he brushed his knuckles across her cheek. Relief at seeing her bright blue eyes staring back at him was immense. “How are you feeling?”
Rachel frowned for a brief moment. “Sore. And thirsty.”
“Here.” Kory appeared on the other side of the hospital bed with a glass of water in hand along with a straw. Dick adjusted the bed with a push of a button so she could drink comfortably. Rachel took a few small sips, then gave the glass away and fell back against the pillow with a sigh, closing her eyes.
Never taking his sight off her for a second, Dick returned to his chair and took hold of her hand again. This time, her fingers curled around his palm instead of just lying there limply and he raised it to his lips, fighting a fresh onslaught of tears.
She still looked pale, and he suspected that the color wouldn't be returning to her face for at least the next few days. Blood loss and the extensive surgery took a heavy toll on her body, leaving her exhausted, with her usually round cheeks sunken and dark shadows circling her eyes. She didn't seem to be in much pain right now, just uncomfortable, but she was awake; she was breathing and talking and smiling, and that he was beyond grateful for.
He came way too close to losing her tonight.
Kory sat down on the edge of the bed and tucked Rachel's hair behind her ear affectionately.
“We knew you’d pull through,” she said with a proud smile. “Well, I knew. Dick may have been spiraling a bit.”
Dick chuckled at the remark, ready to argue that yes, he tends to worry too much on occasion, but this time he had a pretty damn good reason to. Only instead of brightening, Rachel’s faint smile faded. When she turned to face him, she was overcome with guilt.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” she whispered. “I didn’t see the knife coming my way. I turned and it just… I should have been more careful.”
He shook his head and leaned in, squeezing her hand tighter.
“No, I’m sorry. I should have protected you and I didn’t. I could have stopped it.” A dry chuckle escaped him. “I never should have suggested this patrol in the first place.”
“Hey, I wanted to get out too. It’s been a while since we’ve done this and I thought—”
Dick opened his mouth to say something, but to both of their surprise, it was Kory who cut in with a brief, uncontrollable snort.
“You two are so alike,” she said with a shake of her head, as if she couldn’t believe it. “Truly, birds of a feather.” She squeezed Rachel’s hand, reached across the bed to take Dick’s hand too, and as she looked them both in the eye, her expression turned serious. “Yes, it was a close call. An unfortunate close call that probably could have been avoided. But these things happen. These things will happen, whether you like it or not. It’s the risk of this job, and I know you both understand it.” A smile tugged at her lips as she turned her gaze towards Rachel again. “What matters now is that you’re going to be okay. They’ll keep you here for another day or two for observation and then you’ll be on strict bed rest at home for the next few weeks.”
A frustrated huff came out of Rachel’s lips as she dropped her head against the pillow and raised her eyes to the ceiling. “Great,” she grumbled. “I barely started and I’m already going to miss classes.”
“We’ll get in touch with your professors,” Dick assured her. “They know who we are. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
She tilted her head, raising a brow. “You’re saying you’re gonna use the superhero privilege on them?”
Dick smirked and shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
Rachel started to laugh, but it must have irritated the stitches in her stomach because in an instant she froze, inhaling sharply, her face strained in an effort to fight the pain.
“Ow,” she grunted through gritted teeth.
Both Dick and Kory, though not exactly sure what to do, stood up to offer help but she waved them off.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just… can’t laugh too much.”
“I think a doctor should take a look at you, just in case.” Dick suggested while the girl carefully laid back down and released a long, slow breath.
Kory nodded in agreement. “I’ll go.” She put a hand on Rachel's shoulder. “Try not to move too much, okay? I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
With one quick kiss to the crown of Rachel's hair, Kory left the room in search of a doctor. As Dick watched her leave, he sent out a silent thank you to the universe for blessing him with a woman like her. He would have been a complete mess without her. Her strength, her patience, and a level head in a crisis situation were what saved them from what could have been a tragedy.
When he looked back at Rachel, he found her gently pressing her hand to her stomach through the sheets, feeling the injury.
“I’m gonna have a cool scar like you,” she said excitedly once she noticed him looking.
As if the blade were now piercing his own gut, his insides contorted and spasmed in excruciating pain, his entire body rebelling against the idea.
“I'd rather you didn't have any scars.” He spoke grimly.
At his words, Rachel's face immediately softened. “I’m okay, Dick. Really. And Kory is right; the risk comes with the job. But I promise to be more careful next time.”
“You were incredible. None of what happened is your fault.”
“Then let’s agree it wasn’t your fault either.” She reached for his hand again. “I hate seeing you beat yourself up over this.”
He had no choice but to agree with her. Rachel often showed an uncanny amount of wisdom and intuition for her young age; maybe it had something to do with her powers tied to empathy, or maybe it was something different; Dick wasn't sure. But in moments like this, when his mind was wandering into a dark abyss, she always knew how to pull him to the surface. She was his light at the end of the tunnel.
To hide his emotions, he bowed his head and once more brought her hand to his lips. He wasn’t sure why he suddenly wanted to cry — perhaps because he couldn’t love her any more than he already did, and somehow she still raised the bar higher.
“I’m really glad you're okay, Rachel,” he said, his voice coming out a little raspy.
That radiant smile of hers was something he could never get enough of.
“Yeah, me too.”
After a moment, her head rolled to the side and her cheek pressed against her shoulder. As her eyelids became heavier, she began to breathe deeper, losing the battle with her exhausted body.
“You think I'll be able to eat something?” She mumbled out sleepily. “I’m starving.”
Dick let out a soft chuckle. “Let's see what the doctor says first.”
Rachel nodded, though her eyes had already closed. He did not have the heart to keep her awake; she was sound asleep long before the doctor even entered the room.