"The machine is creating a three dimensional image of your scar," Dr. Kapoor told Adriana.
She nodded with a smile.
"Once it's finished we can program the laser to treat the area," he said. "It will only take a few minutes. You have been wearing a surgical mask to cover the scar but I do have a colored plastic face shield for you to wear when you leave. You shouldn't allow fabric to touch the scar. I may also advice a short break from your vigilantism. The area will be very sensitive for some time."
"Jack was here," Adriana said to him.
He looked at her innocently.
"Was he?" the doctor asked.
"Yes," she said. "You scheduled him for an appointment this morning too. At the same time you scheduled mine."
"Oh my," the doctor said with a smile. "I suppose I made a mistake. I will contact him when we are done to reschedule."
Adriana, still smiling, shook her head.
"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake...on purpose?" she asked him.
"We all have little mix ups sometimes," the doctor replied, still smiling at her.
Adriana nodded.
"Thank you," she said, and took Dr. Kapoor's hand, squeezing it gently.
.
.
.
"But Daddy," Arsenio said over video chat with Bruce. "I want to know...history."
"Son," Bruce said to Arsenio gently. "You can read all the books I have in the library on history when you turn thirteen."
"But..." Arsenio said, as Adriana held him on her lap. "I'm big.."
"You're still my baby boy," Bruce said to him.
Adriana and Alfred had already let Arsenio know that the history books in the Wayne Manor library we off limits until he was older. As well as the law books, psychology books, books on politics and Adriana also restricted books on biology. Arsenio loved to read and as soon as he learned something new, he remembered it. His learning seemed to be accelerating and he was hungry for more information about the world around him.
"Okay," Arsenio said finally, trying not to pout. Adriana felt his legs swinging in frustration.
"I promise you," Bruce said. "You will be a teenager before you know it."
"It takes long..." Arsenio said and then corrected his grammar. "Taking long."
"Don't worry, baby," Adriana said and leaned down to kiss his cheek. "There are plenty of other things for you to learn about."
"Your mother is right," Bruce chimed in. "I don't think it's a bad idea for you to learn about..say...geology or astronomy."
Adriana nodded in agreement.
"That's true," she said and spoke to Arsenio about what those words meant.
Bruce watched his son perk up with interest at the idea that he would be learning about minerals and rocks and the planets. She even discussed the possibility of Arsenio getting to use a real telescope.
Arsenio asked her many questions and Bruce sat and listened to her answer him.
Adriana looked happy, Bruce noticed, in a way he hadn't seen before.
He was aware that she had undergone laser treatment on her facial scar that morning. The scar looked reddish, slightly inflamed. In spite of it, she looked relaxed, optimistic, at ease. She had never been what Bruce would have considered to be entirely neurotic, but Bruce had come to see Adriana as always active, sometimes to the point of being nearly obsessive or manic. She rarely sat still. She was always cleaning, practicing vigilantism, caring for himself and Arsenio. Even when they had their restful moments together, Bruce has never seen her so serene. It had seemed to have happened overnight. He could see the completion in her eyes. She was now complete. And it was without him.
