Love Birds

Chapter Thirty

-Dick's POV-

Wally collapsed into Artemis's arms. His red hair flopped onto his forehead into a sweaty mess. I stepped closer to see if the mission was pointless. Luckily, there was a small rise of his chest. Nightingale shoved me as she kneeled beside Wally and Artemis.

"He needs to get to a hospital," she said gently to Artemis. Artemis looked at Wally before handing him to Nightingale. Surprisingly, Victoria could hold him up without dropping him. She was really strong. "Let's take the Zeta-Tubes." We let Nightingale go first as she disappeared to the Watchtower.

When we all arrived in the base, Victoria was hooking Wally up to proper machines and equipment. He had an oxygen mask as well as an IV. The room was kind of dark compared to the usual bright hospital lights that were on the ceiling. It smelled like flowers and bleach. It was also warm, like sitting next to a fireplace.

"Will he be alright?" Artemis whispered. Nightingale nodded and stood up. The rest of the Team filed into the room to examine the returning hero.

"Just be sure to be quiet. He needs somewhere peaceful to heal," Victoria ordered before she left. I stayed around for a few more minutes, but we all eventually decided to leave Artemis alone with him while we got back to saving the world.

I wandered around until I found Victoria on the upper levels of the tower, staring out the window. "Hey," I called out, breaking the silence as I approached her from behind. She kept her eyes glued to the planet below.

"Has he woken up yet?" She responded. I stood beside her, also looking out.

"No. He is breathing though." The space was silent for a few more moments. The Earth gleamed as we stared. At the upper levels, you would have the best view of the planet. We were both sitting in the tiny computer cabin where Watchtower duty is usually carried out. From that cabin, you could see Earth and into space. You could keep an eye on Earth and any danger looming towards it.

"I could've killed all of you," Victoria finally spoke. I had never heard her sound so vulnerable or so caring. She was sitting on the window sill. As her knees were pulled in for her to hug, I felt that she was closing that part off to me again. A sigh erupted from her as she stood up.

"Time to get back to work." She got down and headed down the stairs to the lower levels. I stopped to think about the girl I just saw before following after Victoria.

Nightingale walked into the hospital to check on Wally. She had a little bottle of purple liquid. Artemis stared at the liquid. "What's that?" She snatched it, but Victoria quickly plucked it away.

"Well, Tigris, it's what's gonna wake him up." The cap was popped off of the bottle and Victoria bent over Wally. She removed the oxygen mask.

"Are you crazy!?" Artemis whispered angrily.

"Can you just trust me for a minute?" Victoria lifted Wally's head gently and waved the bottle underneath his nose. He choked and coughed before sitting up. His eyelids slowly opened as if they were millions of tons.

"Artemis? Where's April?" Wally said softly. I raised an eyebrow as Barry and Bart sighed.

"Who's April?" Artemis answered. She grabbed Wally's hands as he looked at her through the dim light. He grabbed her blonde hair and twirled it around his finger. He blinked a lot as if trying to convince himself what he saw was real.

"Our daughter, Arty, remember? Wait...they-they took me! Help me! They took me!" He began screaming as he shoved Artemis away and ripped out his IV. Blood spilled everywhere as he stood, trying to run. Barry ran forward and held him back. Artemis just laid on the floor looking up at her boyfriend in horror.