Always Traught

Denial

"Why won't she come see me?" Wally asked Dick as he stared at his toes. It had been two weeks since Wally was practically spat out of the speedforce. He had been in a coma for a week.
It wasn't till another week that Wally was able to get visitors. In the short amount of time mostly all the leaguers had visited him. Wally's mother, father, aunt, uncle, Bart, and his cousins, Dawn and Don, had been the first ones to see him. Artemis was supposed to see him next, but she hadn't shown up. After that it was waves of friends. Wally was happy to see all of them, but his mind wouldn't stop thinking of Artemis.
"She's in denial, Wally," Dick sighed. He leaned back in his stiff chair and ran his hands through his hair. He had been up for three days straight. He was bouncing between Artemis and Wally. Wally was finally stable and good as new, if you ignored the fact he was once a muscular 173 pounds and he had dropped to a frail 109 pounds. Artemis, on the other hand, was a mess. She would only come out of her room to shower. When Dick mentioned Wally's name she insisted that Wally West was dead. She had lost weight too, since she hadn't been eating for two weeks.
"If she came to see me she wouldn't be," The redhead insisted. He pushed himself up but his arms shook. Dick helped his friend sit up and shook his head.
"It's not that easy. It isn't like when she was undercover, because you knew she was alive. To her, you were dead. She thought she would never see you again. You have to understand how hurt she is," He tried to explain.
"I know that I hurt her, but she can at least come see me. I need her, y'know!? You don't know how hard it was! I was in constant pain! I'm two years younger than I should be! I missed everything!" Wally curled up his fists and blinked back tears, "I can't even run!"
"I know, Wally. And I'm sorry, but Artemi-
-She's being selfish!" Wally sobbed.
"Wally, Artemis would never do anything to hurt you. Right now, you're dead to her. She had to bury your coffin, she had to see your statue put up at the Flash Museum, she had to inform your school that Wally West would not be graduating because he had died! She had to tell a lie and say that Wally West, the man she loved, had died in a fatal car crash when Kid Flash, her lover's alter ego, had saved the world! She had to say goodbye and move away from her home. She had to graduate alone, because no one came to see her do it. Everyone wanted to give her space, but space was the last thing she needed. She had to learn to be alone."
"I know, Dick! I just want to see her," Wally continued to sob. Dick grabbed Wally's hand and squeezed it.

"We finally got her to go to sleep," Will said as he opened Artemis' bedroom door. Brucely was on the bed and lifted up his head to check. When he decided that his mother was safe, he tucked his head back in his body and closed his eyes. Artemis' back was turned from the door. Dick could already tell that she was wearing Wally's Stanford shirt and was cuddling one of Wally's old Kid Flash uniforms. It made Dick's heartbreak just a tiny bit. 
"Is it okay if I wake up her up?" He asked the redhead.
"Just don't be too loud. If Lian hears her, she's going to be really upset. Lian said she tried really hard to make her fall asleep, when it was just sleeping pills," Will yawned as he walked in the hall to go to sleep. Dick sighed before he walked up to Artemis' bed.
The acrobat sat down on the bed and Brucely immediately walked up to him. The dog sniffed his hand before licking it in approval. Dick snorted quietly as he laid on hand on Artemis' shoulder and gently shook her. When the blonde didn't move, Brucely caught on and jumped over her legs. He walked up to her face and started to lick her.
"Please stop," Artemis murmured as placed a hand on her dog.
"He was the only way to wake you up," Dick said softly. The blonde turned around and looked at her friend.
"Why are you in my bed?" She asked.
"Will let me in. I was with Wally," Dick answered. Artemis' eyes glossed over and her lips went into a thin line.
"Please stop," She said before she turned herself so she wasn't looking at him.
"Wally needs you, Artemis. I promise this isn't a prank," Dick insisted as he rested his hands on her shoulders. Artemis shook her head full of hair.
"No, dead people don't come back!" She protested, "They don't!"
"We both know that's not true, Artemis. I know you're in denial about Wally, and trust me, I can't believe it either," When she didn't say anything Dick continued to talk, "Look, let me call him. I'm only asking for five minutes. I care too much about you to let you be hurt this badly,"
"Fine, five minutes. Then I don't want to see you," Artemis agreed. Dick nodded and took one hand off of her shoulder to grab his phone. He pulled it out of his pocket and dialed Wally quickly. He put it on speaker and they listened to it ring.
Artemis took deep breaths with each ring. Brucely, who had been quiet and still, snuggled her. Dick's heartbeat picked up too. This was supposed to be a private moment, but they needed to hear each other's voices. Wally needed his goddess and Artemis needed her speedster. They weren't complete without each other.
"No one's going to pick up," Artemis muttered when the rings started to become final, "You don't think I've tried calling him, Dick? It goes to vocal mail every time," She choked on a sob. Brucely started to lick her hand.
"Trust me," He said. He placed the phone by her side pillow and grabbed her shoulder again. There was a ring and then another one.
"Why did you do this?" Artemis sobbed when the last one ran through her room. Since she started crying, she missed the way the ring was cut off and a shuffling sound replaced it.
"Dick, I know you miss me and I do appreciate your company, but it's six in morning," Artemis immediately stopped crying. Dick smiled to himself when even Brucley's head titled.
"You're going to want to stay awake," Dick said.
"What do you want?" Wally sighed through the line, his annoyance perfectly clear.
"W-Wally?" Artemis stuttered. She grabbed the phone and held it to her chest. When there was nothing but a heart monitor beeping, the archer's hand started to shake.
"Babe, god, I- Oh fuck you, Dick Grayson," Wally said shakily. The blonde sat up slowly and tried to stop her hands from moving.
"This isn't real. It can-
-It is, Artemis," Dick said. He squeezed Artemis' arm and she swallowed hard.
"I promise, babe. I wouldn't lie to you. God, I miss you so much. I need you so much," Wally said. The blonde sobbed again.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get to you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you how much I loved you. I'm sorry I haven't seen you. I'm so sorry!" She choked out.
"I love you, Artemis."
"I love you too, Wally," Dick let the couple talk for hours on hours. Most of the time they had been crying and Artemis apologized hundreds of times. They agreed that she would see him after she had fallen asleep. And it wasn't until five hours of taking, that Artemis finally passed out.
"Did she finally go to sleep?" Wally asked when Artemis stopped responding.
"Yeah," Dick smiled as he looked down at her. She was starting to drool and for the first time in two years she looked peaceful. Artemis looked younger and happier too. It made his heart flutter from joy.
"Sweet dreams, beautiful," Wally said before he hung up.