Chapter Text
Stephanie Brown is too afraid to look in the mirror.
She wouldn't consider herself someone who really cares about their appearance, but right now she couldn't bring herself to turn her head.
She's woken up to the sound of her mother trying to to cry and failing miserably, arguing slightly with Tim and Cass, trying to get them to leave. Why was she doing that? Steph wanted to see them, and say good night.
"Mom?" she says. Everyone shuts up and looks at her. "What's going on?" Steph asks. No one replies. "Where's Batman?" she tries.
Her mother speaks first. "It's alright." Crystal tells her, smoothing back her hair. "You're fine now."
What? That explains nothing. She isn't fine, everything still hurts. That means they didn't give her any painkillers, which is good, but seriously, what the hell is going on?
"What's alright?" Steph asks in her weird, shaky voice. She thinks she might be slurring a little. Maybe they did give her painkillers. "This isn't the Batcave." she informs her. "Why are you yelling at Tim and Cass?" she asks.
Tim replies this time. "You had surgery." he tells her. Well that isn't a good reason to yell at Tim and Cass. "You've been asleep for 16 hours." he says.
Oh.
"Leslie thought... you in coma." Cass adds, staring at the floor. Steph's mom doesn't seem too happy about that.
"Well, I don't think I'm in a coma." Steph says cheerfully. Or, as cheerful as someone who just had brain surgery can sound.
Tim smiles sadly. It seems she wasn't cheerful enough.
The heart monitor beeps a little quicker. She hadn't even noticed it was there.
Mom's starting to look a little nervous. "You two should leave." she says to Tim and Cass. "I think your being here is stressing her." she tells them.
They look at her for a moment before going to leave. Why are they leaving? Steph doesn't want them to leave.
"I don't want them to leave." she says, craning her neck to look at her mom. It doesn't work, she just had brain surgery, why would she be able to move her neck? But they don't leave, and Cass takes her hand, and Tim sits down.
Maybe they don't hate her.
The beeping slows again.
Crystal looks conflicted. She nods slightly and gets up. "I'm going to go get Dr. Thompkins." she tells her. "I'll be right back. I love you." she says.
Steph tries to nod, but once again, she simply can't move her head, and mom's already left.
Tim and Cass seem unsure what to say. Or maybe they just don't want to talk to her, because they hate her, and are only here because they thought she was dying and wanted her to die thinking she was loved , because they're good people. She really wouldn't want that, to be lied to, but maybe she deserves it. She probably does.
Or maybe they're just being their respectively socially awkward and partially mute selves. It could be either. They're good liars too.
She really hopes that don't hate her.
She's just about to say something when Crystal comes back in with Leslie right behind her.
"How are you feeling?" Leslie asks sympathetically.
"Pretty okay." Steph says.
"Do you want to know what procedures we did?" Leslie asks her.
So many questions!
"Yes." Steph replies.
"Alright, I won't go too into detail, but we gave you a bood transfusion, a craniotomy, and some stitches. Your nose was broken really badly, your mom was worried that wouldn't like it, so she gave her permission for plastic surgery. You have your original nose, from before you ever broke it now." Leslie says. "Do you want to know anything more?" she asks.
"No." Steph says.
She hadn't realised how little her mother knew her. A nose job? Seriously? It would be fine if this was the only time she'd ever broken her nose, but she's broken her nose so many times! She can't even remember what her actual nose looks like anymore. No one she knows now except for her mother has seen her original nose, that's how many times she's broken her nose.
"Steph? You okay?" Tim asks, concerned.
"I'm fine!" she says. "Just a little tired."
"We'll let you get some rest." Leslie says, smiling reassuringly. She starts ushering everyone out of the room, even her mom. Good.
"Good night." Steph says.
"Good night." Tim and Cass say back. They look troubled. They sound the way they look. Good night was probably the wrong thing to say. She's sorry. She'd apologise, but they've already left.
She didn't really want a nose job. She remembers that her original nose was nice, as nice as a nose can be. She isn't sure how nice a nose can be, though.
She didn't really want to change her face though. But the people who died because of her probably didn't really want to die either.
Maybe she deserves it.