We Were Born Sick • Gotham Fanfiction •

XLIX: Best of Friends

"Her heart was telling her to trust him, but it wouldn't be the first time that -that foolish muscle, there in the middle of her chest, had betrayed her." ― Mirella Muffarotto, Sweet Cherry Chapstick

~()~

"You sure you don't want to go back and get your car?" Jim asked as he pulled to a stop on the side of the street and looked over to Bird who was in the passenger seat.

When they went to leave The Foxglove, some reporters had already shown up and there was no way she could have gotten to her car without being spotted, so she went out the back exit with Jim and Bullock.

"No, it's been a long day and it's really late." She declined, saying she'd have someone take her to get her car once the sun came up.

"I'm sorry." He finally said, "For the day I came into the club needing an invitation for The Foxglove, I'm sorry about how it all went down."

"I'm sorry for nearly breaking your arm." She said, before giving him a small smile and excusing, "Even though you kind of deserved it."

Her words brought out a small laugh from the exhausted detective, who knew there was some truth in what she was saying.

He wouldn't have normally acted like that, but he'd felt entirely responsible for Barbara's life being in danger and he had to fix it. No matter the cost, he needed to right his wrongs.

Turning in his seat some, he looked over at her and watched her for a few moments in silence as she made no attempt to get out of the car.

Barbara was safe, thanks very much in part to Bird being able to get Sally to open up to her. They'd found Jason Lennon's apartment and after a taunting telephone call from him, they'd tracked him and Barbara to her parents house.

They'd been too late to save her parents lives, but they were able to put a bullet in The Ogre's head before anyone else was killed. Though in the struggle, his knife had slid across Barbara's neck –luckily the cut wasn't very deep and she was going to be fine.

Without Bird's help at The Foxglove, Jim knew the night could have turned out an entirely different way. Only now he found himself wondering the personal cost she'd faced in helping them.

Bird looked down to her lap and blew out a sigh, as she fidgeted with the button on Jim's coat that she'd borrowed earlier in the night.

"You're staring." She pointed out.

Clearing his throat he said, "I know tonight wasn't easy on you. After everything you've been through, walking into a place like The Foxglove had to have been difficult-"

"Goodnight, Jim." Bird quickly said, scrambling to find the handle of the car and get out of the small space so she could breathe again.

Quickly getting out of the car, he jogged around it and met her on the sidewalk outside of the brownstone house. "I'm not trying to bring it up, I just-"

"I'm not talking about this with you." She gruffly said, shaking her head back and forth.

"That's fine, you don't have to." He quickly said, before clarifying, "I just want you to know that you helped save Barbara's life tonight. If you hadn't gotten Sally to open up to you..."
His voice trailed off and there was a tinge of helplessness to his tone as he added, "I guess I'm just trying to say thank you."

"I didn't do it for you." Bird reminded him, "Barbara is my friend."

Dismissively she turned and started for the house and Jim walked along beside her, reassuring, "They said Barbara's going to be fine, she's going to make a full recovery. They just wanted to keep her at the hospital overnight for observation."