Life Under the Hood

Chapter 28

Dick's POV
(What an interesting turn of events)

"There. Now was that really so bad." I tease as Lucy pushes away her now empty plate.

She rolls her eyes, reaching for her water. When her fingers fall mere inches short, I quickly reach out, grabbing it and handing it to her.

"Thanks." She smiles before taking a sip.

I study her silently, happy to see some definition returning to her face, glad to know she's re-emerging from her shell.

"How did she do during the sonogram?" Lucy asks.

I snap from my daze, pulling my eyebrows together before registering that she's talking about Kody.

I shrug, then sigh. "She was terrified. I could read it all over her face. She was shaking. It was like she was awaiting execution."

Lucy nods as she sucks on the blue straw floating in her glass. "She'll come around, give her some more time. Kody's not used to being vulnerable and right now she's in a constant state vulnerability. I don't blame her for being terrified."

I glance to Lucy, who stares straight ahead at some invisible object placed on the table. I pinch my lips together and drop my shoulders.

I'm disappointed. And I have no right to be. I'm getting everything I wanted. But...I want more.

Lucy shifts beside me, inhaling sharply and letting a hand drift down to her stomach. She rubs at a spot, applying pressure to it.

"Kicking?" I gather her attention.

She looks to me, nodding, then grabs my hand.  I let it fall limp as she guides it, setting it heavily against her stomach.

I bite my lip as I feel a light thump against my palm. "She's strong." I comment.

"You have no idea." Lucy chuckles, moving my hand underneath the fabric of her shirt so I get a slightly better understanding of just how strong my niece is.

Every frustration I feel instantly slips away as the kicking continues. This is it...exactly what I want. My thoughts darken for a brief moment as I think of how this should be my wife. She should be glowing, absolutely bursting with joy and pride, but instead she can barely think of our child without being shaken to her core.

"Finished?" I remove my hand from Lucy, instead grabbing onto to her empty water cup and plate.

"Yep." She stands with me following close behind.

She stretches briefly before beginning to leave the room. I watch as she walks slowly and carefully, as if calculating the risk of each step, not wanting to make single mistake, afraid to put her child in the way of any harm. I begin to head for the kitchen. 

"Dick." Lucy calls before she leaves. I turn to find her leaning gently against the door frame. "Thank you." She smiles.

I see it. The relief in her eyes. The gratification that someone sees her right now. Feels for her, wants nothing but the best for her. It pains me to realize that gleam had disappeared in the first place. Now, that I see it again, I never want it to go away. It makes her appear younger. It's proof she's living the life she always deserved. The one we all deserve.

"Of course." I nod.

She turns, ready to return to her solitude, but the thought of her being alone right now makes me heart clench. I don't want her retreating again. No one does.

"Lucy?" She freezes, turning back to me and raising an eyebrow. "Did...did you still want a second opinion on nursery colors?"

She freezes for a moment as she considers, then nods.

"Meet me upstairs in 15?" She asks, slipping out of the room.

I call an agreement after her, then retreat to the kitchen. I hum quietly to myself as I wash the few dishes, then place them back in their respective spots. I turn to leave only to nearly collide with Barbara.

"Nice to see you around." I say as I straighten myself.

"You can only spend so long wallowing in self pity." She shrugs. Only a minor degree of bitterness can be found in her tone. She rolls past me, heading straight for the fridge. "Heard I'm not the only one who made an appearance today."

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Lucy." Barbara states plainly. "Tim told me you convinced her to leave her room."

"I don't think force counts as a method of convincing." I counter.

She smirks. "Still...you're the only one she let get away with that."

I lean back against the wall, watching as she continues to rummage through the fridge to the best of her abilities. I step forward, grabbing the juice that Babs strains herself to get to.

"Thanks." She mumbles, her cheeks flushing with a pink color. "I saw Kody upstairs. Sonogram must have worn her out."

"Growing a human is hard work, according to Lucy." I respond.

Babs turns to me, setting the juice on the counter to avoid spilling it. She looks me up and down quickly before before looking away. She's biting her tongue.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing." She shrugs, attention still on her juice.

"Since when has Barbara Gordon ever held her tongue, especially around me." I cross my arms.

"It's just you've been spending a lot of time with our sister-in-law." She makes sure to place emphasis on Lucy's title.

"She's pregnant." I state.

"So is your wife." She states back.

"And Jason isn't here." I add.

Barbara leans back, lip pulled in between her teeth. She looks me over for a second before speaking.

"Go upstairs." She says softly. "Go be with the woman you love. Please, Dick, she needs you."

With that she wheels herself out of the room. I purse my lips, smacking them together before pushing myself away from the counter and towards the back stairs.

I mull over Barbara's words for a second, piecing together the few things she wouldn't say. Eventually, the whole conservation fills me with guilt and frustration, and I end up shaking it from my mind.

I straighten, placing a small smile on my face as I reach the bedroom door and twist open the knob.

"Hey." Lucy smiles as I walk in. "Ready?"

I hesitate, looking into the hall at my own bedroom door before taking a breath and officially entering the room.

"Ready." I say, letting the door close behind me.

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Ding dong the witch is not actually dead...(just slowly pulling herself out of the worst bout of writer's block known to man)

Hi Everyone! Miss me? I missed you. It's been way too long, and I really hope that something like this does not happen again. I felt terrible just leaving you all hanging. But I'm back and slowly recovering from awful writer's block. I hope this chapter is a good enough apology gift for my disappearance. Is it what you guys were expecting? As always thank you for your support and patience, and hopefully I will return very soon with a new update.

Until next time