I believe I resolved things too quickly between Dick and Wally. Sure, Dick's forgiven him. At least he says so, but what about subconsciously? He understood Wally's anger, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel... abandoned? Betrayed? Wally was one of the few people who was thought to be a constant in his life. An anchor.
And when someone's anchor to the world, especially if that person has suffered trauma, begins to slip away from them... the relationship can start to crack. And I mean come on, Wally was an ASS to him! He freaking pushed him over a chair!
We all know, through other fanfiction, canon information, or otherwise, that Dick's psyche has always been uh... delicate when it comes to losing his loved ones. And that stems from the early trauma we all know he endured at such a young age. And, being tortured a bunch mentally/physically probably didn't help either.
_______________________________________
It's been several hours since the procedure, and in that time Dick has only woken up one. Just a half hour ago. And although he was aware of who everyone was, he was still very loopy.
And very... emotional.
When he saw Bruce and the other Bats, especially Jason, he was very relieved.
And since he was still a bit loopy, he seemed a little confused at seeing Jason at first, but his confusion soon turned to happiness.
It was, as Leslie later explained, a side effect of the anesthesia and also possibly an effect of the blood loss he had suffered.
He probably didn't remember everything right away, or maybe was disoriented as to what was going on, but as long as he knew who everyone was then there was no need to worry.
Dick's eyes slowly blinked open, his eyes adjusting to the low glow of the lamp beside his bed.
He blinked once more to bring his vision into focus as he gazed at the three faces grinning down at him.
His family.
Barbara, Tim and Jason.
......
Jason?
Dick's mouth twisted into a small frown.
That... that wasn't right. Wasn't he... gone?
Jason's mouth moves to say something but in Dick's muddled state, he can't quite make out any words.
Dick's eyes narrow as he stares up at Jason. A moment passes before Jason's grin turns into a scowl and he raises a finger to poke Dick's forehead.
Despite Dick's initial confusion, his frown turns into a weak smile.
Maybe he got hit by something out in the field and he's delirious. Well, delirious or not, he sure was happy to see his little brother again.
And that touch sure felt real...
But there was something else. There was something about Jason, wasn't he supposed to be doing something related to him? He thought so, but he couldn't remember what...
Tim and Barbara both seemed to say something now, but as with Jason, it just came out as garbled nonsense to Dick.
The three faces soon moved away from his field of vision as another face came into view.
Bruce...
Dick instantly relaxed, the tension visibly seeming to leave his pinched face.
His eyes became sleepy and half-lidded as he felt Bruce's hand come to rest gently on his head. So comforting, just like when he was young.
Bruce as well moved to say something, and like before, Dick couldn't quite grasp what he was saying.
But it didn't matter. The tone was enough. Soothing, reassuring...
And he felt so blissfully warm. So comfortable. And so safe.
So sleepy.
If he could just close his eyes a little more...
Everything is alright. He can rest.
He can--
Bruce's hand receded from his forehead and his face vanished from Dick's view.
Dick's eyes opened a little wider.
Why did he leave? Who else could possibly--
There was a flash of red and soon emerald eyes were staring down at him.
Dick's eyes widened further, his pupils dilated and he felt his muscles seize up.
Why was he here?!
Wasn't their 'conversation' in the Hall of Justice enough for Wally?!
A strangled sound came from Dick's throat, struggling to say something.
Anything. Anything at all to make him leave.
He couldn't deal with him right now, not again. He had too much to worry about.
Artemis, Kaldur, and everyone else.
He had to find a new base, a new home for his Team. And he had to protect Tim.
He couldn't lose another brother, not like he lost Jason--
No, no that's not right either! Jason was just there!
H-he was just in front of him! Wasn't he?!
He started desperately trying make his body listen to him, he had to get up!
His fingers twitched, grasping at the bedsheets, his hands raising up and scraping at the rails of the bed, causing a sharp pain to resonate from his hand.
A sudden, harsh beeping cut across his foggy mind. But to him, it was an alarm for an incoming attack.
Up. UP. GET UP!
Strong hands grabbed his flailing arms and he soon saw Bruce's face again, eyes gentle but stern.
The hands gently forced his arms down to his side again, Bruce's mouth moving quickly, his eyes never leaving Dick's.
"-down! You have to calm down, you're starting to hyperventilate-- Leslie, he's--"
Footsteps rushed inside the room, muffled yelling reaching his ears.
"Need-- keep him still... have to... sedate him!"
No. NO.
Dick's eyes were bulging, sweat pouring down from his face, hands clenching into fists.
"Panic attack-- hold his arm!"
NO!
He felt a sharp prick in his arm and his body instantly stilled, going slack against the bed.
He felt his breathing slow as his eyes slowly relaxed before closing, his breath shaky as he finally went back to sleep.
That was half an hour ago.
Bruce and the others were back at the Manor, they couldn't keep Alfred in the dark any longer. He hasn't been told anything since he first went into surgery.
And what happened... well, it's best to tell him in person.
Leslie had just finished reseting the IV that Dick had managed to rip out during his attack.
It was ripped out savagely, and she had to clean and dress the wound it made on his hand before setting up a new IV line farther up on his arm.
She stood up straight and wiped her brow before she grabbed a cool rag from a bowl of water next to the bed and gently wiped Dick's sweat-soaked forehead, monitoring his chest falls.
Up and down, nice as smooth. Just as it should be.
Dick let out a gentle sigh at the feel of the cool rag, his head tilting slightly to left in his sleep.
When she was finished she wrung the rag out before setting it back down on the bedside table.
She studied his condition a moment more before turning around, facing the only other occupant in the room.
The red head was slumped in the chair across from the room.
Although his stare was directed at Dick, he wasn't really looking at him.
He seemed lost. In a daze.
Leslie loudly cleared her throat, making Wally jump and look up at her, blinking rapidly as if he just noticed she was still there.
"W-what?"
Leslie raised an eyebrow, as if her inquiry should be obvious.
"What was that?"
Wally's head tilted to the side. What the heck was that supposed to mean?
"I know he wasn't exactly in his right mind at the moment, but he was calm until he saw you. Something must have happened between the two of you to warrant that reaction. What happened?"
Wally's face twisted into multiple emotions all at once.
Yes, yes there was. He thought they were both passed that.
Dick's behavior would suggest otherwise.
"I'm his doctor Wallace. If it's going to threaten his health like that again, I need to know."
Wally swallowed before moving his gaze back to Dick, this time really looking at him.
"During the invasion, after the Mountain blew up, I... confronted him in the Hall. I said some things that I wish every day I could take back. And for what I did to him... I just wish he would give me a good puch in the face. I just thought... when he brought me back, we talked about it, briefly anyway, and I thought he was fine. I..."
He trailed off as his words started to fail him.
Leslie's gaze hardened for just a moment before softening once again.
"You, more than anyone, know how he is. He'll say something, just to make someone else feel better. Even if it's not really how he feels. That reaction may have been caused by delirium, but it wouldn't have happened if that wasn't how he subconsciously felt. He wouldn't have flinched away from you or tried desperately to get up if everything was truly resolved."
Wally deflated more with every word. He knew that... but he really thought everything was fine. That he had somehow made up for it. He understood now, he understood now what he didn't then. Why Dick had to do what he did...
If only he had understood that back then... then Dick wouldn't of had to be knocked out because of a panic attack.
A panic attack that was subconsciously caused by him.
Wally lowered his head as Leslie turned around to check the incision site from surgery.
She had to make sure, one more time, that his panicked thrashing didn't cause a tear.
After a moment she nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied, and turned back around to dim the lights.
"He's stable and calm. Peacefully sleeping. When he wakes again, the anesthesia should be completely out of his system, so he should be completely aware and alert again. We should leave to let him rest in peace until his family returns."
Wally bit his lip and stood up, keeping his gaze locked on Dick.
"Yeah... then I've gotta have a talk with him when he gets up."
_______________________________________
So, this chapter. Umm... not how I originally planned it.
I had the original draft halfway done and then I was like "ya know what? There was barely any angst between Wally and Dick and that's my specialty! Let's fix that! 😈
So, he was originally supposed to wake up for real, with Babs, Tim, and Jay around.
And I still kinda did that. Sooo yeah.
Really would like to know what everyone thinks!