Harper stood outside of Dawn's room as she looked down at her friend, she pursed her lips solemnly as she shuddered at the pure white that surrounded every inch of the building.
She hated hospitals.
The fluorescent lights mixed with the smell of disinfectant burnt her nose and stung her eyes. Hank was slumped in the chair by Dawn’s bedside, he refused to leave her no matter how hard Harper had tried to pry him away from the comatose girl to freshen up. She folded her arms over her chest as she watched Dawn's EKG beep steadily.
She winced as she thought back to when she was in the same situation Dawn was in. When she had lost hope. When she thought she was going to die.
It was suppose to be a simple store robbery. Dick and Harper were alone in Wayne Manor when the Bat Computer started flashing.
" Hey come look at this" Dick called to the brunette who was lounging on the couch, a book hanging off her face as she had her eyes shut in boredom. " What is it?" She asked, standing behind his chair as they looked at the screen." Robbery" He replied zooming in on the location. " Gotham square. They're armed. Have seven hostages." He stated before standing up and grabbing his suit. " Let's go".
When they made it to the store, they saw four men armed with guns. One was screaming at the cashier, ushering her to place the money in the bag. The others were standing over the hostages who were cowering in the corner.
Dick threw a smoke bomb, causing the criminals to lose their vision for a few seconds. Dick stepped towards the man sending a punch to his face. Harper notched an arrow before sending it flying into one of the men’s leg. Bullets were flying around. The two sidekicks were swiftly fighting the men. Taking them down with ease.
They had done countless robberies before and this was no different. When the men were all on the floor Dick turned to Harper, the two oblivious to the one robber who managed to grab his gun.
A gunshot rang out. Robin turned to the man, kicking the side of his face, his head slammed to the ground as his vision grew dark.
" Robin?" Harper whimpered. Dick looked at his best friend, seeing her holding her stomach. Her hands slowly lifted revealing her blood stained torso and hands. Her eyes widened as she realised what had just happened. " Shit" she uttered before collapsing to the floor, her legs not being able to support her weight any longer.
" No no no dammit. Hey, hey you're going to be okay alright. Stay awake." Dick panicked as he saw her eyes flutter. " Call 911! " He yelled as his trembling hands quickly found her stomach. The cashier dialled the number, frantically explaining to them the situation and that they needed an ambulance ASAP.
" D-Dick" Harper croaked, her teeth stained with blood. " You're going to be okay Harper, you just need to stay awake. Please, I can't lose you too." He begged as he applied pressure to her wound. There was so much blood, so much of her blood. He couldn't focus on anything. His heart was beating right out of his chest as he watched Harper's skin pale. She was losing blood, and she was losing it fast. His voice shook as he tried forcing her to stay awake, that help was coming, and that she would be fine. Her hand was stained a crimson red as she raised her hand to his cheek, the other firmly holding his hand as his body quivered slightly. Blood smeared the side of his face but he gripped her hand tighter in place as their eyes met each others once more.
Harper winced at the searing white hot pain, her vision clouded. Dick panicked as her eyes shut briefly. He let go of her hand as he gently cupped her face, her head resting on his lap. " Harper" he croaked as he tried shaking her awake. His fearful eyes found the cashier who was aiding the customers, they all watched in sadness as the girl bled out in front of them.
When Dick heard the shrill wails of the ambulance his shoulders deflated slightly, he let out a relieved sigh, gently stroking her cheek. " You hear that Harp, you're going to be okay. You'll always be okay. I'm right here."
Harper heard someone approach her. Dick saw the pained expression on her face, immediately knowing what she was thinking. It was one of the most scariest moments of their lives. They both had feared that they were going to lose a loved one that night. That a mistake that they had made would have caused Harper to lose her life. Harper was just glad Dick was there.
" You alright?" He muttered concerned. Harper mustered up the best smile she could at the time.
" Yeah, just hate hospitals you know."
The two turned their attention to Hank who was making his way towards the pair. " Who were they? What the hell do they want with Rachel?"
" We don’t know" Harper sighed, wanting to give the man an answer he so desperately needed. Hank didn't say anything just pulling the brunette into a hug. " You stay safe okay, look after him". She could tell this was affecting him more than he was letting on. " I will. You look out for her alright. And do me a favour. Don't be an idiot." She said softly. Hank nodded giving her a small smile before going back into the room.
" Hey come on, we have a lead on where Rachel is" Dick commented before the two made their way to the car.