Don't Fear the Reaper

36) Bruce Really is the World's Favorite Punching Bag

It wasn't until the next morning that they heard anything more from the room. Dick and the others had tried to stay up all night to wait for news, getting Kate and Luke to take over patrol, but they had all fallen asleep at some point.

They were all immediately awoken by the sound of the door opening.

Will walked out, looking completely exhausted, but wearing a small smile.

"How did it go?" Bruce asked, his eyes anxious.

"It went well," Will said, making all of them let out a breath of relief. "This was the first step of many for Barbra to recover, and there is no guarantee that she will ever return to anywhere near her former level of mobility, but it's a start."

"So what are we looking at?" Dick asked, moving to the edge of his seat as his foot bounced anxiously. "Still partially paralyzed? Some movement but no feeling? No sensation but full mobility-"

"For now, Barbra should remain on bed rest for about a week. I would recommend bringing in a physical therapist daily to work on the small things such as moving her toes and feet. After the week is up, she can move back to the wheelchair if she would like. She should have almost all sensation back in her legs, which is good, however it also means she will be in a lot of pain. This will sound harsh, but you need to let her feel that pain— limit the amount of pain medication she takes, avoid it completely unless absolutely necessary. Obviously if the pain is at an unbearable point, then she can take something to help tone it down, but nothing too strong."

"I thought healing took longer when the body was in pain," Tim said, eyebrows furrowed.

"Usually that's true, but the type of healing I did is not like normal medicine. Taking pain meds won't undo the work I did, however it will slow down her recovery." Will looked at them for a long moment, seeming to debate how to phrase it to them. "My current estimation is that Barbra might be able to walk with mobility aids in six months to a year, and that is a strong might. She needs daily physical therapy, but she also cannot overly strain herself. She needs to work at it, but she also needs rest."

"I will make sure she has every opportunity and resource available to her," Bruce said, his face serious. "I know that you are a private person— or at least, Nico made it seem like your people all were— but is there a way that we could contact you in the future for a check up or in case something happens?"

Will's face shifted. It wasn't quite guarded, but it was more closed off than before. "I will try to stop by some time in the future if I can, however it probably won't be for around a year. I am the head medic at the place I live and while there are other medics, I do not like to leave too often. I will make sure Damian, Jason, and Cass are able to contact me if you need to."

"What if none of them are around and something-"

"Then you will have to manage until one of them becomes available," Will said, cutting Dick off. "I don't know who you people are and my trust in Nico was strong enough to get me here to help, but that doesn't mean I trust you. I am glad I could help, but there is a limit to what I am willing to risk for people that I do not know and who do not know me or my people. The only way in which you will get me back here without Damian, Jason, or Cass, is if Nico calls me himself."

Dick opened his mouth to argue, but Bruce cut him off. "Understood. Thank you for everything you've done."

Will nodded. "I am going to take a nap and try to recover some before we head out, but Percy would like a word with Bruce."

Bruce nodded. "May I ask why?"

"That is between you and him." With that, Will turned and left the living room, returning to where he had been all night.