Secrets Aren't Meant to be Kept

New Changes

New Changes

Dick was pacing. He thought and talk better when he paced. He only did this when he was uncomfortable.

Talking with a psychiatrist made him feel that way, not because of their job title, but because it meant opening up and becoming vulnerable to a stranger.

This was difficult for him to do. He was the leader of the Titans; people came to him for help. Rarely did he go to people. So, knowing that this hour and half session for him made him feel awkward.

Being a superhero made it difficult as well. He had to be careful to mix lies with truth. He couldn't have the doctor finding out that he was Nightwing. It would put too many people at risk.

It also didn't help that he could list the names of villains who had been a psychiatrist or had some type of psychology background, such as Harley Quinn, Hugo Strange, Scarecrow.

So, talking with a therapist or a psychiatrist was never on his list of things to do, but it was something that he needed to do. Although, it did help that he came to this psychiatrist before, and he liked the result of their sessions. Furthermore, the intense background search at he did on him came up clean.

Dr. Niu Latu, was a Tongan psychiatrist, who had studied in the UK for his master degree and USA for his Ph.D. He was younger than most of his colleagues due to attending university at the age of fifteen. He was a great guy with an easy-going personality, who got along with his family. Majority of his family members lived in the Polynesian kingdom that he was born in.

"Do you remember my girlfriend?"

His voice was neutral when he said, "Yes, the one has a culture that's vast different than yours, and the one that you cheated on."

Dick doubted that he did. After all, he hadn't seen Dr. Latu in four years. But it helped that Dr. Latu had taken good notes and reviewed them before his session. He didn't want to have to go through a background story again.

"Yes," he said while nodding. "She had my child while she was married to her first husband."

"That must had been a shocker for you when she told you."

"She didn't tell me," he growled lowly. "Her betroth told me. Well, by now, they probably are married. So, her current husband informed me."

"A new child and your girlfriend's marriage to someone else are both life changing events. Which one would you like to talk about first?"

"My daughter Mary." He sat down on the couched. "She's dead."

They spent most of the session unpacking his feelings about Mary, Starfire's marriage and departure from the team, and his aggressive behavior as of lately. And briefly they spoke about his medical leave from work due to him being shot. They also worked together to determine healthy methods to handle his emotions. They discussed him writing letters to Mary to cope with her death and the loss of their father-daughter relationship due to situations beyond his control.

"Maybe you should think about taking a break from your football team for a while." The doctor suggested. "Being around things related to Yori may not be healthy especially with your aggressive behavior." Yori and the football team were the codenames for Starfire and the Titans.

He signed. "Apparently, the coach banned me from the team, although I am the captain, until I deal with my situation."

"How did that conversation go? I know that you're very attach to the team. Football was a way for you and your adopted father to connect. It must have been hard hearing that you were being suspended from the team."