Light Amidst the Chaos

Ch 40

y'all i just finished finals week. who else had finals?

Flashback 3 years ago

My dad and I were in the middle of making dinner. Charlotte and mom were outside with Maverick doing some yardwork. Usually I would be with them but I could see my dad was particularly tired. So, I decided to stay inside and help him.

I've always admired my father. He was courageous, smart, and was a quick thinker. He always had a solution for everything and thought outside the box. That's what made him an incredible detective. My father used his intuitions to his advantage and it made him incredibly respected.

"Hand me the chopping board, would you?" My father asked, looking over his shoulder.

I grabbed it off the counter next to the sink and set it on the island where my dad was standing. "Here ya go."

"Thank you, mouse." He smiled, setting a tomato on the board. "You know, your 15th birthday is coming up next month. What would you wanna do for it?"

I shrugged, taking a seat across from him. "I haven't really thought about it."

He hummed and looked at me over his glasses. "How about a trip?"

"A trip?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. "To where? And since when do you like trips?"

My dad grinned at me, setting his knife down. "I've always liked trips." He picked up the board and gently slid the tomatoes into the blender. "We can go wherever you want."

"Let me think about it and get back with you."

End of flashback

I sat staring at the last family photo I had of my family. It was from Maverick's 4th birthday. We ordered in and had a small gathering that night. Bruce took a picture of the five of us. Mom and dad were sitting on the loveseat, Maverick in between them. Charlotte and I were standing behind the loveseat. We all looked so happy.

I was still in no condition to fight but I was at least able to move around. My powers weren't ready to be used and I was still in some pain. I was healing though, according to Barry anyway. He offered to stay and help out for the time being since his team had enough people for him to stay with us.

I looked over at Maverick who was playing with his lego set Bruce got him. He was alive, unharmed, and he was being a normal kid. For the time being, my little guy was being a kid, just like I wanted him to be. Everything has been so crazy lately, it felt nice to see him just be in his own little world for a change.

It's been about 3 days since I woke up from my coma. Jason's been watching me like a hawk and barely letting me out of his sight. I appreciated the concern but I was extremely grateful when Dick dragged him off to help him map out Talia's possible next move. I loved him a lot, but I just need some space.

"Wanna talk about it?" Rachel's voice rang out from the doorway.

I looked up from Maverick and chewed the inside of my cheek. "What's there to talk about?"

Rachel gave me a look and walked inside my room. She sat down next to Maverick on the floor and started helping him with his legos. He didn't mind, he loved Rachel.

"You've been isolating yourself for a few days. I thought you may be ready to talk about what happened to your mom." Rachel explained, her voice gentle.

I looked back down at the photo in my hands. "The last thing we did was fight." I shook my head. "I can never apologize for what I said to her or even try to rebuild our relationship. I was so angry at her but I just don't feel anything now that she's gone again."