Young Justice Oneshots

A Little Advice

Commissioner Jim Gordon looked at the redhead in exasperation. "Look, Barbara, I know that this is hard, but you have to go on with life. You can't stay in bed forever. You're out of the hospital, your back is healed, you need to-"

"Get back on my feet?" Barbara scoffed. "I'd kill to do that."

"I know-"

"You know nothing. You've never lost the use of your legs! Stop acting like you can relate! You don't know what this is like!"

Gordon sighed. "I don't. But I might know someone who does." He left the bedroom, pulling out his phone. "Hello, Artemis. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need a favor from your mother."

———

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Barbara said, uninterested. She was surprised to see Paula Crock roll in. "Paula! What are you doing here?"

"I heard what happened. That is NOT a fun experience, and trust me, I would know." Paula patted the armrests on her wheelchair, chuckling.

Barbara looked taken aback, having forgotten how Paula had become disabled. "I forgot you-"

"At least you were doing the right thing. I have a constant reminder of my guilt, my past that I would much rather forget." Paula wheeled over to the bed. "And I know how this part feels. You don't want to get up. What's there for you if you do? Some stupid chair that you'll be confined to for the rest of your life? Sitting in bed, where you don't have to accept it seems so much easier."

Barbara nodded.

"But let me give you a little advice, Miss Barbara Gordon. It's so easy to be bitter, to hate whoever did this to you. To want revenge. You got shot, you got paralyzed. You have to accept it. You could decide to hate the one who did it, and give them a taste of what you're going through. I've been there. But hatred is like a wildfire. A spark igniting something much larger. It will grow larger and more deadly until someone or something stops it. Don't go down that road. I spent two years of my life on it, and I'd probably still be on it if it weren't for Artemis. There isn't an end of the road.

Letting go is much harder. But trust me, it's better in the long run. It won't happen instantly. It takes time. And I'm not saying that you have to completely forgive them, I have, but that's because I recognize that I was the bad guy in the situation, while the opposite is true for you. Accept that it happened. Get up and in that chair and conquer in it. You're still the same bada** Barbara Gordon. Don't let yourself believe otherwise."

A smile, Barbara's first real smile in two months spread across her face. "Thank you, Paula. I needed to hear that."

"I know you did. As I said, I've been there. And look where I am now. Just because I'm in a wheelchair doesn't mean I'm helpless."

Barbara laughed. "Remember when Bette, Dick, and I were at your apartment for a school project and Artemis was being a sassy b**** to you, and you straight up judo flipped her? How'd she respond again? 'Ok, I deserved that'?"

Paula smirked. "I do remember that. Maybe one day you'll be able to judo flip her when she gets b****y, too!"

Barbara laughed again. "That's a goal that I can only strive for, never succeed at."

"Now, get up and at 'em, Barbara."

"Get me the chair!"

Paula arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, right."

"Commissioner!" Paula yelled.

"Yes?" Gordon replied.

"Get the f***ing wheelchair!" Barbara exclaimed.

Gordon grinned, bringing it out.

Paula started accompanying Barbara to physical therapy, and helping her out. Taught her basic life skills, including life hacks. Told her what local restaurants accommodated disabilities, and which ones didn't.

Paula became Barbara's most helpful friend. Barbara was grateful that she had someone who truly understood what she was going through, and Paula was more than happy to be that person.