Bluejay: The Protégé of Black Canary

Tibias and Fruit Snacks

Waking up was a slow process. My brain began to register the faint light filtering through my eyelids, or the smell of the sour air. My body felt like I'd been trampled by a whole herd of elephants or something because of the dull throbbing in my leg and head. I tried to peel my eyes open, but it was like trying to lift three hundred pounds.

Through fuzzy thoughts, I tried to make sense of the last thing I remembered. I tried to figure out why I was feeling so crappy. It wasn't like I had just lost a fight to Dinah. Then it was like I had been dunked in a bucket of ice water. I'd been in a car accident. 

I tried not to let it, but those two words made my heart go into overdrive. It began to beat furiously and fear began to flood my body. Even though I was laying down, I began to feel dizzy. The memories of the sound of crunching glass and tearing metal were enough to trigger something in my brain. I remembered the battle I had in the van with the Intergang while I tried to get my hands on that brief case, and then how the van tipped over. 

Unconsciously, my hand went to touch the jagged scar along my shoulder I'd gotten from the last time I'd been in an accident, but was stopped by a tug I felt from the inside of my arm. For the first time, I opened my eyes and noticed the IV attached to me. I groaned, but then tried to calm myself down. I took deep breaths slowly through my nose and out my mouth, just like Dinah had taught me. 

While my pulse slowed, I started to take notice of the rest of my surroundings. With a start, I realized I was in the med lab at the Cave. I recognized the rows and rows of special equipment like x-ray machines or surgical tables, the fluorescent lights, the big locked cabinet of medications and drugs, etc. 

I was laying on one of the patient beds near the end of the room. I recognized the soft purple comforter I was under. I brought it to my nose and inhaled deeply. Lavender. It was the blanket I slept with when I lived at Dinah's apartment. She must have brought it for me. Four or five chairs were positioned around my bed, with empty fast food bags scattered  on the floor. There were other items like portable chargers or candy wrappers or homework books- all were evidence of visitors. 

How long have I been out? I began to panic, but then something caught my eye. I blinked. There was a jacket on the armrest of one of the chairs. My face began to burn as I recognized it. It was Robin's. He'd been here while I was passed out. I could only imagine that post-incident me looked as beautiful as Roz from Moster's Inc. Which was just plain fantastic. 

Turning my head, I searched for the time on a digital clock on one of the machines. It was training time, so that's probably why I was alone for the moment. I looked around for my phone to maybe try and contact someone, but I couldn't see it. But, they were most likely in the training room, which wasn't far. Besides, Wally probably had some sort of snack on hand, and I was hungry. 

I flipped the covers off of my legs to slip off of the bed when a sharp pain ran through my right leg. I cried out and cursed, grabbing my knee to haul my leg back on the bed. Thankfully, it wasn't in a cast, but a black brace was buckled all the way up my thigh. What the hell happened? 

"Hello?" I paused. No response. "Hellooo? Immobilized girl over here!?" I croaked, surprised by the hoarseness of my voice. 

I searched around for a wheelchair or something when I noticed a button on the edge of the bed I was on. I pressed the button once. Nothing happened. I pressed it again, my irritation growing. I was about to give up before I heard the faint sound of trampling of feet coming down the hallway. It began to grow louder the closer they got. 

I nearly laughed out loud with relief when a group of six teenagers came through the doorway. Robin, Artemis, Kaldur, M'gann, Wally, and Connor were all in their costumes, which confirmed my suspicions about training, and wore bright smiles. I noticed a couple scrapes and bruises on their arms or faces, but thankfully no one else was in crutches or anything like that. They all seemed okay, which was an immense relief to me.