Nightwing: Heartache

Part 55: Shot

March 14, 3:10am
New Orleans

They stumbled onto solid ground, Willa struggling to stay upright as Dick's limp body crashed against her. She had his arm around her shoulder, with almost his entire weight propped against her. She really hated boom tubes. She took a breath and straightened her knees, looking around. Where were they?

It was just a nondescript alley. The sky was dark, the moon and stars out, and they stood surrounded by a cement jungle. It could be Gotham, it could be any city in the country. Or world, for that matter.

She needed to find a zeta tube. But... Willa looked around a little helplessly. First, she needed to figure out where they were. Then maybe find a phone. Easy.

"Dick," Willa shifted his weight, pulling his body so she could wedge her shoulder under his armpit and make it easier to move. "Dick, can you hear me?"

She got a groan in response. His eyes were squeezed shut, like he was still in pain, and his face shone with sweat. She swallowed her panic and took a few steps. He wasn't completely unconscious at least. He was trying to help, move his feet and support himself as best he could. God he was heavy, Willa still thought.

"Almost there," Willa puffed out as a sidewalk came into view. She could see light from a street lamp too. Good. Sidewalk = road = car = people.

"Mmfine," Dick mumbled, his head dropping to lean on top of Willa's.

"Yup," Willa replied, pulling him another few steps. She was almost to where the buildings ended and the sidewalk alongside the street started when a man came around the corner, startling at the sight of Willa and Dick. Willa would have cried out in relief if she wasn't out of breath. "Thank god," she did say. "Sir-"

"Whoa, you kids alright?" He asked. He looked to be in his late thirties to forties, wearing a jacket and jeans, a Saints cap on. He looked between Willa and Dick worriedly. His eyes dropped to Dick's chest, to the Nightwing emblem. "Is that..." he looked at Willa again, "are you..."

Dick let out another groan and some garbled speech.

Willa couldn't worry about the repercussions of being recognized together now. Headlights flashed as cars drove past them. "Yes, please, I need a phone, can I-"

"Thanks for confirming," the guy said.

"Rrrrrn..." Dick mumbled, and Willa felt him squeeze her shoulder weakly.

Willa made eye contact with a couple across the street. She blinked, finally hearing what the man just said. She shifted back, away from him, looking around. She could hear more people around the corner, a group. Another car sped past them. Not too long until more people showed up. The man realized it too.

"Nothing personal kid, just doing a job." Then he moved his jacket where he aimed a gun at Willa's chest.

She let out a yell as he pulled the trigger. She felt Dick jerk forward, just conscious enough to let his body fall in front of her. She leaned right back on him, trying to push him away. A silent contest of wills in a split second.

She hit the ground, hissing at landing on her wrist. Some part of her heard wheels screeching, the sound of footsteps running, someone yelling. She sat up, furiously feeling her chest, shoulders, stomach, but she was fine. No bullet, no blood. That meant...

Dick's body was only a foot away, but he wasn't moving. He was on his stomach, and-

She scrambled towards him as fast as possible. "Oh god, no, no, no," she muttered to herself as she turned his body over so he laid on his back. His face was slack, fully unconscious now. Unconscious, she told herself, not dead.