There was no sound where she was. Blinding white walls seemed to stretch on for eternity in all directions. She called out to ask if anyone was around but no sound escaped her throat, no matter how hard she tried to speak. Tears leaked from her eyes and she moved to wipe them away but when she touched her cheek, she found no water there. In fact, it almost felt as though someone were cradling her face in their hands. A building pressure behind her eyes forced her to close them with a groan. From the silence came a murmur before sounds rushed back to her like a torrent and built until she could hear nothing but an unintelligible din. The headache subsided and the noise died back down until all that was left was a quiet sobbing. Just as Barbara had resigned herself to not quite understanding what was going on, something in her mind clicked.

With a gasp, she violently threw herself from the bed she had lain on for months, as her last memories came back to her. She remembered glass breaking around her, her world turning sideways, and a fall that lasted forever. She remembered the sickening crunch as she made contact with the grimy concrete outside GCPD headquarters. And finally, she remembered vaguely hearing a commotion echoing down to her from her father's office before the darkness consumed her.

A hand grasped at her shoulder and she violently shrugged it off as she turned around with wild eyes. Nothing made sense. She couldn't breathe. What was happening? Why couldn't she breathe?! Her eyes rolled to take in her surroundings and she could feel the darkness coming to take her once more.

Crack!

In one moment, most everything stopped, the exception being the pain starting to flair up in her cheek. Noise came back as the perpetrator was socked across the face by a woman in black pants, a brown leather jacket, and black gloves. Barbara's eyes widened as she continued to gaze at the other woman. She'd recognize that auburn hair anywhere, even if it had been cut into a bob.

"Alex?"

The woman turned and Barbara could tell that some time had passed since she had been hurt. The girl she had feelings for had matured into a woman, her face losing its roundness in favor of prominent cheekbones and a jaw that could cut diamonds. How much time had passed since that day in her father's office?

Alex was quick to sit by Barbara's side, "How are you feeling? I can't believe you finally woke up. Can you move any? Are you in any pain?" The questions were rapid fire and Barbara couldn't help but smile at the worry in her friend's voice.

She squeezed Alex's hand before attempting to speak, "I'm…" Her voice was rusty from disuse. She shook her head before continuing, "Water?"

Alex's eyes widened as she frantically looked around, "Of course, let me just get you…" There was a burst of wind and suddenly, a cup and pitcher of water was placed on the bedside table. Alex looked to the side and murmured a quick thank you. It was then that Barbara noticed the other people in the room. In the corner away from the bed and partially hidden in shadows were a pair. One had shaggy black hair and was clad in jeans and a graphic tee. The other had blonde hair that was cropped close on the sides and long on the top and was wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants. They were talking amongst themselves in low voices. Barbara was pretty positive that these people were Dick and Kara, though she couldn't be absolutely sure. They had aged as well and obviously something serious had happened as there was a long whitened scar stretching the length on Kara's right arm.

Finished with her water, Barbara turned her attention back to Alex. "How much time has passed? You're obviously older."

A sad look entered Alex's eyes and she almost looked hesitant to answer, "Three years. You've been in this bed for three years, Barbara. I thought you were never going to wake up. Not after what happened and not after what the doctors told us."

Barbara swallowed thickly, "And what did they tell you, Alex?"

"It doesn't matter. Not right now, at least. You need to focus on resting."

The blonde in the corner spoke up and no there was no mistake. This was Kara, though her voice had become colder and harder since last they spoke. "Alex. She needs to know." Alex's mouth opened as if to argue but her shoulders slumped and Barbara knew that she wouldn't like what was coming next.

"There was a lot of damage after what he did. We all changed in some way but you… you fell two stories. The doctors said there was no way you were ever going to wake up. They said you weren't showing any signs of recovery and that you were a lost cause. They told us your legs were completely fucking shattered and there was no way to fix it. So we told them to stuff it where the sun doesn't shine and brought you back here. We tried so many different things to try and get you to wake up, but the only positive reaction was when some Thanagarian nanites were brought over by Kara's beau. The nanites had previously been in a state of dormancy, but as soon as they got close to you, they became active. On contact, they were absorbed into your skin and set out repairing the damage. They took a while to fix everything, but obviously they got the job done since you're awake. I just realized that I'm ranting and I am so sorry but I'm just so happy to see you awake."

Kara walked over to side beside Alex, "I know it's been a while, but would you like to try standing up, Barbara? This way we can see just how well those tiny bots did."

Barbara rushed to get out of the hospital bed, tripping over her own in the process. She was caught by Alex who smiled gently, "Careful please. Don't want you to wind up back in that bed." The redhead nodded slowly, noticing on the side just how long her hair had grown in three years. She took a few tentative steps forward, much like a baby foal standing on its own for the first time.

Finally her legs felt sturdy and she straightened her back to stand at her full height. She noted with a frown that she was still a few inches shorter than Alex, but brushed it off as Alex's height helped cut quite a handsome picture in her outfit. She turned to face both her crush and the super, "Tell me everything that happened."