Barbara had tried to push the sounds of steel slicing skin out of her mind, but it was more than a little distracting. She winced, swallowing hard, desperate to keep her attention on the young woman. The girl couldn’t have been more than fifteen – if that. Tentatively, Barbara had reached for her hand before the girl snapped it away, trembling, and as much as she understood, it still stung. It was beyond frustrating being unable to communicate with the girl, to tell her that she meant her no harm, she was just trying to help. So when Hood approached, Barbara was secretly relieved, even if her pride suffered.
Brows furrowed in astonishment as the girl easily let Hood cradle her in his arms, and had the situation been different she may have been resentful or bitter. Now wasn’t the time for egos, though, and Barbara nodded at the Red Hood’s request. She sprinted for the exit, eyes scanning the lot for the group of girls – spotting them all huddled together on the broken asphalt.
“There’s a place in midtown, a clinic. Anonymous, low profile. Should be safe.” Propping open the door, she waited for Hood and the girl to pass through before securing the area. Heading in the direction of the group, she swept the perimeter, ensuring they didn’t have any unexpected tails. Barbara crouched down, running a gentle hand over the shoulder of one of the sobbing young women. “You going to be able to take her with that injury?” Eyes flicked to the man’s side. “I can stay here with them, make sure they’re safe until the authorities arrive, if you can handle it.”
He didn’t catch the resentment in her pose, so occupied with his injuries and the girl. Shaking his head, he spoke just through the comms, not wanting to alarm the girl with more indecipherable language.
“They won’t trust me if I go alone. Someone needs to go with me, and it’s gotta be you. Otherwise…” He glanced down at the girl, frightened and clinging to his neck. “I don’t think she’ll make it. Is your clinic safe? Can I stay there with her, at least until she gets into surgery?”
He didn’t mention that he himself needed attention; it seemed obvious.
“Look. The cops can handle this, right? Case like this, Gordon or at least Chandler will be here. They can take care of it.” He paused, his next words bouncing around his skull before he spoke them.
“I need your help again, Batsie. Just drive the truck to your clinic, introduce me and her. Then you can ghost.”
and all of this will never be the same again 