Help Me, Mr Batman

Chapter 21: Merry Christmas

A/N: Christmas is here for the Wayne family. Cliffhanger Solution engaged.

 

Kayne woke to a gentle shaking pulling her out of her foggy mind. She moans, and pushes the hand away from her shoulder. Well, she attempts to but the thick blankets restrict her from doing so. Her hands get wrapped up in the blankets as she hesitantly opens her eyes.

A blurry image of white paint and a red smile meet her sight. She shuffles back in fear, sitting up on the bed, with a scream bubbling at her lips.

She stops when the image becomes clearer to see Bruce dressed with a tie and his hands rising in surrender. “Sorry for spooking you. I just came to wake you up to check and see if you were feeling better for a Christmas breakfast... Merry Christmas, uh, by the way.” Bruce explains, the words seemingly coming out rusty. He takes a moment to take in Kayne’s defensive position.

It slowly shatters as Kayne relaxes into the soft bed. She swallows a dry gulp down her parched throat before replying, “Merry Christmas to you too… Yeah, my mind is just so stuffy. What happened when I got home?”

She felt the need to ask because honestly she remembers almost nothing of Christmas Eve. It seemed blotted from her mind. The water staining the paint of her memory, blurring it around the edges. She remembered picking up Lily, and taking Lily around to a few errands which included a dumbass jeweler but it was blurred between that. She remembers the worry she felt for Lily but doesn’t recall why.

Bruce gives her a worried look.

“Well, you got wrapping paper and locked yourself in your room and about ten minutes after that we heard a crash in your room. When we came to check on you, you were vomiting in the toilet. Your dresser items were on the floor too. You were embarrassed and tried to get us to leave. We obviously didn’t because, one, you were vomiting and, two, had a fever. We wrapped your feet in snow and sent you to bed without dinner but not necessarily in the order.” He reasons, putting his hand on her forehead.

“Still a bit warm but it looks like the snow did the trick.” He answers, pulling back her blanket to reveal a white towel soaked in freezing water at the base of her bed where her feet once were.  Kayne looked quizzically down at the towel.

Bruce replies to her unasked question. “Snow is cold. Your body creates a fever to warm up your upper body. If we put the extremely cold snow around your feet, all the heat on your head will rush down to warm your feet... I learned that from my mom.”

Bruce quickly opens his mouth before Kayne responded. “Before that we washed you up, you wrapped the presents that we apparently weren’t supposed to see and you got them ready for the tree that we are going to put up now. You want to help?” He jumbles out in a hurry; afraid she might say no or point out that he had just spoken about his parents.

Kayne blinked before falling back on the bed from her elbows. “Yes Dad. I would love to have Christmas breakfast, and help put up the tree. But I have a raging headache. Can you get me some painkillers while I get dressed?” She eases, raking a hand through her hair.

A sharp sting comes from her lips causing her to wince. Bruce nods in relief. “I’ll make you a cup of water and have some painkillers set aside for you. Alfred is setting the table. Dress somewhat nicely because we have a guest, and then presents. See you downstairs.” He answers, patting her leg before making his way out of her room.

Kayne rolls to sit up with a groan. Her everything was sore. Her cheeks prickled like fire. Her mind felt like some had soaked a rag in vodka and stuffed into her head before lighting it.

She tosses her feet over the edge of the bed before shimmying off it to land on the white rug. Her breathe felt putrid and her eyes felt caked. Kayne closes her eyes against the light from the window. She stumbles against something lying on the ground.