Mask of Glass

Ch 24

Batman rushed to Dick's side, grabbing his son and shaking him while calling his name, hoping with all he was worth that Dick wasn't already dead.

Dick's tired eyes opened a crack, his face clenched up in pain.

Batman breathed out a sigh of relief. "Stay with me bud, stay awake." Batman said to Dick, stroking his son's hair.

"H-hurts." Dick muttered, eyes drifting closed.

"Stay awake." Bruce called again, shaking Dick's shoulder.

Everyone else was standing at the edge of the hall, watching, not knowing what to do.

"We need to get him to Alfred!" Batman shouted, looking around wildly. "Superman! Can you carry us to the nearest zeta tube?"

Superman nodded, flying forward and scooping up both father and son before flying off at super-speed.

The rest of the heroes stood there, still not knowing what to do.

Tim was the first one to move, he pressed his comm and spoke to Alfred, telling him that he was needed at the watchtower medbay stat.

Everyone slowly filed out of the court's underground base, carrying with them any of the owls who hadn't used cyanide pills when the talons had died. Everyone had a pit of worry gnawing at them, and those who were the closest to the bat family immediately rushed to the nearest zeta tube and went to the watchtower.

At the watchtower Alfred frantically tried to do what he could for Dick. Bruce's cowl lay discarded and he rushed around, trying to help Alfred.

"I believe we will need to put him on hemodialysis to clean the poison from his blood." Alfred said to Bruce as he began to collect the needed supplies.

Bruce nodded and carried Dick over to a bed that had been set up next to the dialysis machine. "We just need you to stay awake for a bit longer Dick. Keep your eyes open." Bruce said when he noticed Dick's eyes slipping shut again.

"But m'tired." Dick slurred.

"I know bud, but you just need to stay awake for a bit longer. Alfred's going to help you feel better ok?" Bruce said, shaking Dick's shoulder lightly.

"M'kay." Dick said, trying with all his might to keep from passing out. His vision swam with black dots, and he barely reacted at all when Alfred tied a tourniquet around his arm and inserted a needle into both his radial artery and his cephalic vein, connecting them to the machine and starting the process of drawing out his blood and filtering it.

Bruce smiled down at Dick, running a hand through his son's dark tangled locks. "You can go to sleep now bud." He whispered, grabbing one of Dick's hands in his own.

Dick didn't need to be told twice. As soon as Bruce told him that he could sleep his eyes closed and he was out like a light.

Bruce filled Alfred in on everything that had happened while the older man hooked Dick up to a bag of fluids as well as various monitors.

"Do you think he'll live?" Bruce suddenly asked, sitting heavily in a chair that he had moved next to the hospital bed.

Alfred let out a sigh. These things were getting to be too stressful for him in his old age. "I believe the dialysis will help, but I honestly don't know if that will be the end of it. Poor Master Dick may have a longer road to recovery ahead of him." Alfred said, careful not to say anything that would give Bruce unfounded hope. If he was being honest with himself he had no idea whether Dick would live or not, but he certainly planned on doing everything in his power to help him make it through. "I recommend you get some sleep Master Bruce." Alfred said. "And as the resident physician that is more than just a suggestion."