A Sane Insanity: Wally West

Chapter 6

"Wally, you must understand." Black Canary shook her head. She was now meeting Wally on a regular schedule of twice a week. After two or three sessions, he did stop talking about seeing Robin, but it was obvious that he believed Robin was there. "Robin is no longer with us. Every time you 'see' him on a mission, you endanger all the lives of your team mates that are still with us."

"I told you already," Wally slumped in the chair, grabbing another handful of popcorn, "I don't see him."

"Don't lie to me, Wally," Black Canary said.

"I'm not!" He insisted. "I can't see him!" And he couldn't. He could hear him, he could feel him, but see? No. Just his reflection. Every time she brought this up, it just made Wally hurt. Wally wanted to see Dick. He wanted to laugh and prank and just live with him. It was a punishment no doubt. He couldn't see Robin because he let the small bird be killed.

"Then who do you talk to?" Canary was pressuring him, and he was sure to snap soon.

"That's none of your business!" Wally grit his teeth in frustration. "I don't have to tell you anything."

For a second Wally wondered if this was how Superboy felt like. He just wanted to keep everything - Robin- to himself because he's just so scared. So scared it'll go away if he tells anyone. Robin came to him, Robin... he came to him. Robin told him not to tell, he couldn't tell anyone. Them laughing and talking at night- that was their secret because Dick was supposed to be dead. A secret Wally couldn't even see, but it was his secret. Dick would go if he told them. He would leave...

"Mine," Wally muttered. "You can't make me do anything. It's not going to go- it's mine."

"What's yours, Wally?"

"Don't!" Wally stood up abruptly, pointing a finger at her. Just like all the other sessions, she asked that question. Why? Wally knew why- because she wanted to make Robin leave. Wally wasn't sure how she knew, but what else would it be? She didn't care... if she did, she would have believed him the million times he told them about Dick. Before he had to keep it a secret. "Don't try that! You cant make it leave! I won't let you!"

Robin told him not to tell, he had held his fingers to his lips. Wally couldn't tell. Robin would go away again. He couldn't let Robin leave, he just wanted him to stay. Robin just needed to stay.

Why couldn't Wally see him? Why couldn't he just see him?

"I won't tell you anything," Wally sat back down, his eyes slightly glazed. "You can't make me- it'll go away. You can't ... just to see... I want to just see..."

Black Canary left the room before Wally started to cry. This was the same routine for who knows how long, but yet she still couldn't bear the fact that Wally could cry so bitterly. She had to leave the room or else she would get too emotional herself.

Batman and Flash, like always, were waiting outside. Flash raised an eyebrow, waiting for the news.

She only shook her head, and they both knew what it meant. Wally was getting worse. He was mumbling, he was saying things that didn't make sense. He yelled and got frustrated and he stopped smiling. They couldn't let Wally go back on mission- not unless he was back to normal.

Not unless he was... sane... again.

"I've never seen anyone like this," Canary said. "Not over a death. He's seeing him... but then he starts mumbling about not losing him. Or, rather, 'it'."

They all winced at one of Wally's screams.

"Yeah," Flash said. "I've heard him. I just want him to get better."

"We all do," Batman replied in his gruff voice. "We all do."