CLOSE CALL

Barbara glanced up from the monitor at the sound of creaking metal, eyes narrowing curiously behind glass frames.

Another elongated creak reached her ears as she watched her partner shift restlessly on the gurney, hair tousled, carelessly strewn across his sweaty forehead and pinched eyes. Her heart floated up to the base of her throat when she concluded that he might be on the verge of another fit.

Pressing the laptop shut and sliding it into the spacious compartment on the back of her chair, she wheeled herself across the room and came to a halt at his bedside. She observed every detail - every line on his furrowed brow; the crinkle of his eye; his scrunched up nose and the way he clenched his jaw so harshly she feared he might chip a tooth. She watched him in anxious silence, her heart hammering against her rib cage as she waited for him to burst into tears, to scream and struggle. Her fingers hovered over her comms, prepared to call in Bruce if restraints were needed.

Her anxiety spiked when he released a strangled moan, but it didn't lead to another immediate fit. Instead-

"Welcome back to the land of the living." She breathed, relief flooding her system and making itself evident in her voice when cerulean oceans started peaking out at her from under heavy eyelids.

She stretched a hand out to brush the shaggy hair off of his damp forehead. He answered with a weak groan, eyes momentarily disappearing under his droopy lids,"Babs..."

Her heart skipped a beat. His voice was croaky and barely above a whisper, which was to be expected, seeing as he'd been screaming his lungs out for hours on end, but he said her name. He was coherent enough to recognize her, at the very least.

The corners of her lips quirked up into a jubilant smile as she grabbed a wet cloth off of the nearby tray. She wrung it out in the provided bowl before carefully placing it on his forehead. It did very little to help keep his fever down, but judging by the way he relaxed and his face loosened up, the cool touch must've felt like heaven.

His eyes slowly fluttered open again, settling on her. She gave him a reassuring smile,"How are you feeling?"

There was a moment of silence filled with Dick's labored breathing, followed by a light huff,"Like I got run over by a bus," his breath hitched painfully,"fifty times."

She grimaced at his strained tone, dragging her palm onto his quivering hand and giving it a firm squeeze. He closed his eyes again, maneuvering their hands so he could lace his fingers with hers,"Gretchen Goode-"

"Shhh, Dick," she consoled, running her thumb over his knuckles. "Not now. Debriefing can wait."

He moved in a weak attempt to shake his head,"But Lightning-"

"Is fine," she finished for him. "You're the one who's in bad shape."

He seemed to calm down at the reassurance that Jeff made it out alive, but he clearly wasn't done probing yet,"Who-"

"Aquaman, and his partner, Wyynde - they saved you two. They're fine too, just in case you're worrying."

Dick responded with an understanding hum, then his brows furrowed again and he let out a loud groan.

Barbara straightened up and grasped his hand tightly, concern clouding her features as panic entered her tone,"What's wrong?"

He looked at her with a deep frown,"Kal finally brings his boyfriend to the surface and I'm out cold for it? Are you kidding?"

She blinked, looking taken aback for a moment,"That's what's wrong?"

She wanted to hit him for giving her a scare but at the same time, his concern was oddly endearing. She shook her head hopelessly, calming her racing heart,"No worries, they're both still here."

Dick slacked against the mattress, seeming to relax a bit more,"Good."

Barbara stifled an exasperated sigh at his disordered priorities,"You're unbelievable."

The corners of his lips twitched upwards,"I try my best."

"You could've died, Dick."

It was hard to keep the anguish she'd felt out of her voice. Those hours in between their capture and their rescue was some of the most stressful ones she'd ever had to endure. They've all been through hell and back together, but it's hard to get used to the fear of losing someone you love, no matter how many life-threatening situations they get into. It's even harder now that she can't physically come to their rescue anymore, now that she's always got to rely on someone else in the field.

Dick's smirk faltered when he noticed her distress. He grasped the hand at his bedside and gave it a tight squeeze, brows furrowing when she raised her head to meet his eyes,"I'm still here - thanks to you."

"The whole plan was stupid. I shouldn't have let you go."

She couldn't help but take note of how cold his hand was despite the fever and his constant sweating during those fits — cold, much like the hand of a corpse. They had a few close calls while he was unconscious — perhaps they weren't able to restart his heart again and she started hallucinating this due to the shock. It was possible — her mind not being able to cope with the guilt and his sudden death, then proceeding to change her perception of reality to fix it. Maybe she was talking to a corpse, and just imagining his smooth voice and cerulean eyes blinking back at her.

"What are you thinking?" his voice grabbed her attention again, his maybe-imaginary thumb gently starting to rub circles on the back of her hand,"It's not your fault. None of it is. I got us into that mess, so it's only fair that I take the brunt of the fall. I'm happy everyone else is alright."

Fair? Was her subconscious making him say that to erase her hand in his death? She must be sick.

Dick bit his lip when she remained quiet, knowing the silence was anything but good. He released her hand for the moment, making her gaze snap up as he attempted to push himself into a sitting position. Her eyes widened and she immediately wheeled herself forward to stop him by grabbing hold of his shoulders,"Don't."

He faltered, a frown settling on his lips,"I'm okay, Babs."

"No you're not," she forced out, her voice cracking mid-sentence despite her efforts to keep it steady. It was stupid of her to think he wouldn't notice because as soon as it happened, he pushed her hands off and sat upright with a faint grunt, ignoring her warning.

Before she had time to register it, she was being hauled up out of her wheelchair and pulled onto the gurney. Familiar arms slowly wrapped around her waist and pressed her against a strong chest. She could feel his warm breath on her ear as he nuzzled his nose into her hair.

"I'm here."

The butterflies in her stomach seemed to settle down as she registered his soft voice. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, resting her head against the clammy skin of his neck. He was still having difficulty breathing properly, but she could feel his steady heartbeat by pressing a hand against his chest, and that was enough,"I know."