How Much I Care

Kee was fast asleep, curled up in the chair beside Hal's bed in Med Bay.

Clark had placed a woolen blanket over her, his sympathy for her tainting the very air. The poor girl, her father didn't know her! She adored him, it was clear to see, and he obviously adored her back. And yet at this very moment he had no clue who she was.

" He'll be okay Kee, it'll all be okay soon," Clark murmured, easing a pillow under her small head.


The man was obviously curious as to why this girl was constantly staying with him. She just sat there watching him, she slept beside him too! Who was she? Better yet, who were these people he was with? He didn't even know why he was wounded?! Who was he?

She was sleeping at the moment, tucked in by some loving person, probably the guy called Clark. He seemed to be fond of the girl, was she Clark's daughter?

" Who are you?" He murmured curiously, talking aloud to himself.

The child didn't stir, he hadn't yet seen her sleep and yet he assumed she slept beside him. However, by the black circles under her eyes she obviously hadn't been sleeping a lot. For some reason, he had this protective urge to readjust her blanket over her, it was falling off her bare shoulders. She might get cold! Her hair was messy, her clothes rumpled, and her expression grim, but she seemed nice enough.

" Good morning Hal," A smooth voice stated.

There he was, that strange green man who insisted he was called Hal. J'onn, Hal remembered the man was called, if he could count him as a man. Surely he wasn't an alien, aliens didn't exist! 

The strange man approached him, making barely a sound as he moved, as per usual.

" Good morning," Hal greeted back, albeit a bit cautiously.

The man seemed satisfied by his answer, and his gaze travelled over the sleeping child in the chair beside him. Hal noticed where his gaze was looking and smirked.

" Kid's been there for days now. Don't know why," Hal stated simply, smirking as the child unconscious clutched the blanket closer to herself.

J'onns mouth turned down in a frown at Hal's statement.

" I believe she is worried about you," J'onn answered calmly.

Of course she was worried about him, her anguish and emotional pain at seeing her father oblivious of her identity was so wrong it crashed over him like a tidal wave. Even in sleep her face was creased in a slight frown.

" Worried about me? Why in the world would she be worried about me?" Hal snorted derisively.

J'onn almost winced, he definitely understood why Kee was so upset. 

He had come for a reason though, and it was time to do his duty. He delved in to Hal's fragile mind, making sure the man had no clue that he was doing this. Hal's mind was very fragile right now, what with no memories to fill it. And the presence of Amnesiac had been strong in his mind after returning from the doomed patrol. However, it was weakening now, and with a smile, J'onn realized that it would soon be gone, Hal would remember everything soon, just a day or two left to wait! 

" Does the child's presence bother you?" J'onn inquired.

Hal paused before replying, a thoughtful look flashing across his face for a moment.

" No, it's kind of sweet that she wants to stay, and besides, she cooks me great meals so I guess I owe her," Hal answered slowly, giving a thoughtful glance towards Kee.

J'onn nodded approvingly, before exiting the room. After watching the girl sleeping, Hal figured he may as well sleep too.


Kee woke up with a stiff neck. Usually her pillow was so soft, why was her neck all sore? When she figured out where she was sleeping, she realized the answer to that question. No wonder her neck hurt from sleeping in the awful plastic chair. 

She blinked open her eyes, her gaze sweeping across the room, and lightening up when she saw Artemis over in the corner, sitting beside a sleeping Oliver Queen.

With a pop, she cracked her stiff neck and wandered over to Artemis, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

" Hey Kee, how's Hal?" Artemis inquired, already knowing the owner of the hand.

' Good, but he still does not remember ' Kee signed dejectedly.

" I know Ollie doesn't remember yet either. I haven't been sleeping well, been too busy worrying about him," Artemis murmured with a dry laugh.

Kee could relate. For four days she'd sat at her father's side, and for four nights she'd stayed as awake as she could, stealing half an hour naps every now and again. Up until last night, when she'd obviously fallen fast asleep. She'd sat  there staring at him, unable to pour out her feelings verbally. If only he knew how much she cared.

She made the league tell her about every single thing being done to help her father, and she had been ready to go and beat up Amnesiac, before reminding herself that she had to be there for her dad, what if he suddenly remembered everything and she was't there?! And she was sick of the looks the league gave her, they were acting as though the patrol's memories would never return!

' We'll just have to wait ' Kee signed with a small sigh.

She'd tried to force herself not to cry these past few days, but every time he denied knowing her, she felt like acting her age, and throwing out mature Kee. She was just a ten year old, a child who wanted her daddy to hug her and tell her it'd all be okay in the end, who wanted her daddy to laugh, joke, scream, cry, smile with me, and only her, because he was all hers. And she needed him.

" Waiting is starting to feel a little overrated," Artemis sighed grumpily.


The league had assembled for a meeting, and it had dragged on for hours. It was all about Amnesiac, and how to deal with the effects of his powers. They sat around the large conference table, some nursing coffee from the cafeteria to keep them awake.

" I'm also worried about the side effects on the team," Wonder Woman announced strongly.

Black Canary nodded her agreement, before speaking up herself.

" Kaldur seems to be taking it okay, but then again, Orin is his king and not blood related. Artemis is taking it a bit harder though, after all, she and Oliver have seen a lot together," Black Canary noted, she'd been watching them for signs of emotional distress.

It was quiet for a few moments, as the heroes assembled gauged that information. Everyone knew what was coming next, and yet it depended on who would say what was on everyone's minds first.

" Though the patrol seems to be recovering their memories, I'm most concerned about Kee," J'onn announced, speaking the opinion shared by everyone.

" I agree, the child refuses to leave his side for more than an hour at a time, and even then she returns straight back to him," Diana agreed, sympathy shining in her blue gaze.

It was silent for a few minutes. What could they say? There was no solution unless the patrol suddenly remembered! What could anyone do, she was miserable and unless Hal came to his senses she continue to be. The silence was broken by the one person no one expected.

" I will deal with Keelan, the rest of you deal with the wounded patrol," Batman stated.

All eyes turned to him ins surprise, not sure whether they could trust him to deal with the child. After all, she was emotional, and Batman certainly was not. But the Batglare sent their way stopped their staring.


Kee had her head laying on her arms in an effort to make the arm of her chair more comfortable. She watched her father as he read a book, not moving or speaking, just watching him read. He was used to her doing this, even if it did unnerve him slightly.

Kee had to try and forget the fact that he was pointedly ignoring her presence. It was either try and forget, or let her tears fall, and there was no way that was going to happen.

It is like I'm invisible, he doesn't see me! He sees me here every day, and yet never once does he ask me who I am, merely why I'm here. But how can I tell him I'm here because I love my father? I can't bare to see him like this, and yet I can't be to be apart from him! I don't know what I can do to help, all I can do is wait, and pray he sees me. Because I'm here, I'm always here, and yet to him I am as see through as glass. He's right, I am glass, and without my dad back I'll shatter.

No sound alerted her to Batman's presence before he shook her shoulder to gain her attention. She looked up at him, eyes glassy with unshed tears and utter exhaustion from lack of sleep. She didn't know how much longer she could keep back her tears, and it frustrated her that he obviously saw her moment of weakness. He was Batman, he wasn't weak.

But you aren't a bat, you're a lantern, and lanterns are allowed to cry.

This one won't, because she has Elemental blood.

" Kee, come with me," Batman ordered.

' I can't leave him ' Kee signed, a grim line forming from her mouth.

" I'm not asking, Kee, this is an intervention," Batman stated firmly.

Kee turned her gaze to her father.

Tell me not to leave, tell me you want me to stay! Come on dad, please, don't just keep reading and ignoring me like it doesn't matter if I leave! You know I obviously care, so why don't you? Surely there must be even some feeling inside you compelling you to want me here, to want me with you! Tell me to stay!

But he didn't, the rustle of his turning of the page was the only sound he made. Kee wanted nothing more than to cry at this moment, to pour her pain out in her tears. But he couldn't see her weak, couldn't see her cry, that meant she was weak. Batman wasn't weak, Green Lantern wasn't weak. So neither was she.

" Come, Kee, let's go," Batman prompted, his gaze leveled in a bat glare to Hal, who didn't even see it.

The girl had so much pain in those light brown eyes, and he could easily see the unshed tears, that look of determination. He'd shared that face for years.  

She stood, head bowed, hair hair covering the green lantern symbol on her shirt. She didn't react when he placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her along and keeping her walking. He noticed that she paused at the doorway, looking back at Hal with pleading eyes, begging for a reaction.

She got none.

With a small sigh, that he knew was truly a muffled sob, she followed him without complaint.

' Where are we going?' Kee signed, her hands shaking slightly.

" You'll stay with my sons and I, you can come back when he's cured," Batman answered quickly.

Together they stepped in to the Zeta beam, leaving a totally oblivious Hal to turn the next page in his book.

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top