Steal the Show •On Hold•

Chapter Twenty Three

Artemis laid on the bed, with a pillow over her face.

"Artemis, are ever gonna get up?" Zatanna asked.

"Well, I'm actually having an internal debate about that."

"And what does that sound like?" Raquel asked.

"Well my anxiety is saying: 'Get up, get up, get up! You have stuff to do and who knows what will happen if you don't do them!' My depression says 'but I don't feel like it.' Anxiety says, 'I don't care! This is important, we have to do it!' Depression says, 'why, though?' Anxiety: 'because something bad might happen if we don't!' Depression: 'key word: might.' That on and on in my head since I woke up."

"Well then, take your meds," Bette said.

Artemis groaned. "But that would involve having to get up."

"Well, we know what's winning the argument," Zatanna muttered. She yanked her friend out of bed. "Get your lazy butt up!"

Artemis groaned, and mumbled her objections. But she dragged herself over to the counter where her pill bottles (both of which had special caps so she could only take one a day) were. She took the two pills, popping them into her mouth and gulping them down with a swig of water. She grabbed a coke from the fridge, debating whether or not the caffeine buzz was worth the agony of her anxiety worsening. She decided three gulps would be fine. The caffeine woke her up without many affects. It helped her ADHD out a little, too.

"C'mon, Arty! How many times will we get to visit Baghdad? You didn't really get to enjoy Mecca. Let's explore!"

The girls went shopping, to Artemis' chagrin. She muttered something in Arabic that made the cashier laugh, and Zatanna look at her wide-eyed, and then laugh, too.

"What did she say?!" Raquel asked.

"'F*** life if I have to go shopping. I didn't get out of bed for this sh**.'"

"Oh, my god, Artemis," Megan said, shaking her head. She'd been invited to join their girl's day out. "Really? How mature."

Artemis shrugged. "Never said that I was trying to be mature. No can we find a bakery or something? My sweet tooth is killing me."

"How about we just eat lunch first, and then handle the sweet tooth?"

"Fine."

The four girls ate lunch. "So I'm sure you heard about that cop that about beat Cam to death before your dad stopped her?" Bette said.

"Of course I did. Officer Maria, right?" (A/N that's BatMac for you curious folks.)

"Right."

"Didn't she swear vengeance?"

"Yep," Zee said, popping a piece of chicken into her mouth. "You've got an angry, vengeful cop on your side."

"Sooo..." Raquel said. "Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Your mom's pregnant, Arty?"

Artemis groaned. "Yeah, my dad got his wish somehow. Probably the baby won't last long. It's unfortunate."

"It is," Bette said with a sigh.

"But you and your sister both were at death's door a few times. The baby might live, but it's a big might. Plus, does your mom even want it?" Raquel chimed back in.

"She said yes when I asked. I mean, I guess having a little brother or sister would be cool. I wouldn't be the baby of the family anymore, though. That's both a good thing and a bad thing."