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Whale Song
A Justice League Unlimited Story
by BillA1
Copyright November 2006
Rating: (PG)
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Disclaimer: Disclaimer: The characters Batman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Superman & Flash and their respective secret identities are all owned by DC Comics. This story is intended for my own pleasure and is not for profit. It has been posted to this site for others to read. Places and characters not own by DC are my own creation. This story is based on characters from the animated Justice League series episode: In Blackest Night written Stan Berkowitz. A huge shout out of thanks to Merlin Missy for her beta on this story.

Synopsis: Sea mammals & Superheroes have much in common.

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Note: Spoilers up through "Destroyer." A sequel to Secrets.

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At first glance, volunteering at the Veteran's Hospital seemed like one of those things a young woman like Danielle Warden would do to get a prospective college to notice her. And Danielle wouldn't deny that such reasoning played a large part in her initial decision to be a "candy striper," although they didn't wear the red and white striped pinafores any more at the VA Medical Center in Detroit. But the fact was, it would look good on her college application and might be the separator between her and the thousands of others applying for college admission.

She spent a couple of hours a week at the Center, reading to the patients, assisting the nurses and doing anything else the staff asked. When she started volunteering, she'd been cautioned to remain emotionally detached from the patients because so many of them were older veterans with no families, and had come to the Center, literally, to die.

One such patient was eighty year old Anthony Smith. Before becoming terminally ill, Anthony (everyone called him Anthony) had been a successful barber. Years earlier, he'd suffered a stroke, but he'd continued to cut hair in his one chair barbershop until his recently diagnosed and aggressive pancreatic cancer made it impossible for him to work anymore.

Anthony had told Danielle during her many visits that he'd sold his business to some kid straight out of a Barber College. "Then, I made sure I came to the shop every day for two whole weeks just to make sure my customers knew the new owner would take care of them the way I did," he'd told her with pride in his voice.

Danielle didn't mind spending time with Anthony, but it was clear that the Anthony's illness had taken its toll on him and his life expectancy could now be measured in days, perhaps hours. She wasn't sure if it was his illness or his prior stroke, but Anthony had spent a lot of time when he first arrived at the hospital telling everyone who would listen that he knew important people and was sure they'd visit him if they weren't busy saving the world.

Of course, no one really believed him, but Danielle told him that she did. She rationalized that it was such a small lie and it made Anthony happy.

Tonight would probably be the last time she'd see Anthony. His face was gaunt and his brown skin was gray and waxen. Salt and pepper beard stubble projected from his face like tiny little spikes. He was deteriorating quickly and the staff wouldn't want her to be in the room when he died.

She entered his room. He was awake and his face brightened a little when he saw her. She smiled and said, "Hi."

"Did you know that the blue whale is the largest animal to ever exist on the planet?" Anthony suddenly blurted out to her. "And every other sea animal goes out of its way to avoid getting in the way of one. Now some people think that's out of respect, but I know it's out of fear. Nothing gets in the way of a blue whale."

She smiled, sat down in the chair next to his bed and nodded at him acknowledging that she knew whales were big.

"And," he continued, "because of that there's no place whales can go that they won't be seen by another animal. If a whale wants to have sex, everyone in the ocean knows it because a mating call can travel hundreds of miles underwater. So whales don't try to hide when they mate like people do because whales don't expect privacy. They do it out in the open, most of the time with other sea life watching, because whales have long lives, but they can't keep secrets."

Danielle was about to ask him what he really meant by all of that when she realized he'd closed his eyes and suddenly seemed to be sleeping. She smiled tightly trying to keep her emotions in check and stood.

She turned to leave and was at the door when she heard him whisper behind her, "Where you going, Queenie? Aren't you going to read the comics to me?"

She stopped, wiped the tears from her eyes and turned around to face him. "You couldn't stop me," she said brightly. She cleared her throat and added, "I'll go to the nurse's station and get my newspaper. Be right back."

"Promise I won't go anywhere 'til you get back," the old man answered. Danielle flashed another smile at Anthony and hurried down the hall to get her newspaper.

It had started innocently enough. She'd been making small talk with Anthony when he first arrived at the hospital and he mentioned how much he missed keeping up with his favorite newspaper comic strips. So she went downstairs to the cafeteria and bought a newspaper and read his favorite comics to him that day and everyday she worked the Center.

"Just going to read to Mister Smith and then I'll go home," she said to the head nurse as she retrieved her paper. The nurse nodded and Danielle raced back to Anthony's room.

His eyes were closed when she entered his room and she stood in the doorway for a moment to make sure he was still breathing. He was and she let out a sigh of relief. She quickly opened the paper to the comic section, stood next to his bed and started reading aloud to him. Every now and then, he'd open his eyes, look at her, nod and then close his eyes again.

After about fifteen minutes, she'd finished reading the last comic strip from the paper to him. He lay quietly in the bed with his eyes closed and the gentle smile on his face that Danielle knew the undertaker would ensure was there permanently. In a few minutes, he'd go back to sleep and Danielle realized she'd never see him alive again after tonight. Tears again formed in her eyes.

Suddenly, from behind her she heard a high pitched whine as the room brightened and then a man's deep voice said, "Excuse me." Danielle turned around and her jaw dropped as she stood face to face with the Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. She stepped aside as the pair walked over to Anthony's bed.

The Green Lantern gently tapped Anthony on the shoulder and said, "Hey, old man. How are you doing?"

Anthony slowly opened his eyes, coughed, looked at Danielle and smiled. "See? Told you I knew some important people." He looked at the Green Lantern and pointed at Danielle. "Queenie over there thought I was lying about knowing you." He coughed again. "Gonna dance at your wedding, son. But don't wait on me ... just in case … you know … I'm late."

Hawkgirl folded her arms across her chest and didn't smile. Danielle thought to herself that if there was anyone who ever gave off signals that she didn't like hospitals, it was her.

The Green Lantern smiled at Anthony's joke, cleared his throat and said, "Nah. You've got to get well. I mean, who'll cut my hair if you don't?"

Anthony shook his head. "I'm dying, boy, but I ain't brain-dead yet. A man with a shaved head don't need no barber." He turned to Hawkgirl, "If he didn't have that beard he'd have no use for me at all."

Danielle was surprised how easily Anthony seemed to be able to talk to those two. She knew if she had to speak more than two words to them, she'd babble like an idiot.

Hawkgirl smiled tightly as she replied, "Oh, I think he'd find another reason to visit you." Danielle reflected that Hawkgirl was pretty without her mask. She looked so non-threatening.

Anthony looked back at the Green Lantern and cocked his head toward Hawkgirl. "A smart girl, John. Glad you finally let me meet her after all this time." He paused and started coughing again. The coughing spell lasted a little longer this time. He was finally able to catch his breath and whispered, "I did tell you I wanted to meet her, right? Did I tell you I like her better than the other one?"

The Green Lantern patted the old man's hand. "Yes, you did, Anthony." He sighed and added, "Every time I saw you. Every time I sat in your chair."

Danielle noticed that Hawkgirl looked quickly at the Green Lantern and then back to Anthony before smiling. It was a real smile.

Anthony turned to Hawkgirl and said, "I've been telling John here to bring you by for months. The boy's been listening to me his whole life 'cept about you. He waits 'til I'm dying before he brings you by." He paused and then added, "Girl, you know you messed his head up pretty good, don't you?"

Hawkgirl's eyes widened and then she nodded. "It was mutual," she said. The Green Lantern shot Hawkgirl a look of surprise that even Danielle noticed.

Then Anthony smiled like Danielle had never seen him smile before. It was almost a laugh as he said, "Good. Then I was right."

The Green Lantern frowned. "Anthony! You've said too much." There was no anger in his voice, just sadness.

Anthony pressed his head back into his pillow. He had a hurt expression on his face that quickly faded as he said quietly, but firmly, "Boy, in a couple of hours I won't be able to say anything at all ... ever again. You need to humor me, son!"

He looked at Danielle, then back to the Green Lantern. "Them doctors don't think I know. They think they're keeping secrets. It's like a whale song to me. They think I don't hear them talking, think the drugs they give me to 'manage' the pain keeps me from knowing."

Anthony coughed again. "You know what 'manage the pain' means, boy? It means they can't do nothin' for you. They just want you to hurry up and die, but don't do it on their shift."

There was quiet in the room for a long moment before Hawkgirl asked, "Can John get you anything?" She was starting to look a little uncomfortable. The Green Lantern looked equally uneasy as he realized she'd just volunteered him.

Anthony's face immediately brightened. "No, unless he can get me about five more pain-free years." He paused and a sly smile came over face. Looking at Hawkgirl, he said, "Wait. There is something you can do for me. Will you answer a couple a questions for a dying old man?"

Hawkgirl looked at the Green Lantern with a look that said 'what did I just step in?' The Green Lantern shrugged his shoulders as if answering he didn't know.

"Okay," she answered hesitantly. She had a wary look on her face.

Anthony waved his hand toward her. "Bend down here so I can whisper the questions. John and Queenie don't need to hear this."

Hawkgirl smirked and bent over so that Anthony could whisper in her ear. Danielle noticed that the Green Lantern was frowning. A lot.

Hawkgirl's eyes widened and then she whispered something in Anthony ear. Then Anthony whispered in her ear again. Hawkgirl raised her head slightly and glanced quickly at the Green Lantern. Then she lowered her head to Anthony's ear and spread her wings around herself and Anthony so that they could not be seen. The whispering between the two continued hidden from view by Hawkgirl's wings and Danielle didn't have to be a psychic to see the Green Lantern was uncomfortable.

Finally, Hawkgirl refolded her wings and stood up, and Anthony, with a large grin on his face, said, "I knew it. I knew it."

Hawkgirl continued to smile as the Green Lantern said, "Anthony, we have to go." He paused, leaned over the bed and carefully hugged the man. "Goodbye, my friend," he said, "Thank you for everything. I'll never forget you."

Anthony coughed again and whispered, "Goodbye, boy. I'm happy to say I won't live long enough to forget you either." He leaned back in his bed. "Now get out there and save the world. You two take care of each other." At that instant, Hawkgirl and the Green Lantern looked at each other, then Hawkgirl stepped forward, grasped Anthony's hand and said, "Goodbye."

She stepped back and stood next to the Green Lantern, who then pressed his finger to his ear and said, "Watchtower, two to beam up."

Danielle watched the two disappear before her eyes and then turned her attention back to Anthony. The old man was grinning like a cat that had eaten the goldfish. He wiped his eyes and said to her, "Been guiding that boy his whole life. He never made a move without me. Even grew the beard when I told him to."

Danielle nodded in understanding. After what she had just seen, she was prepared to believe anything Anthony might say from this point on. He motioned for her to come closer.

When she did, he whispered, "Queenie, did I ever tell about the green changey guy?"

END