When You're Given a Little Robin

Chapter 17: I Will Not Lose You Part 2

Two hours passed and still no word about Dick's condition had been released. Everyone waited in the waiting room outside anxiously, but none more than Bruce who sat with his heart threatening to pound out of his chest and crumble into dust. For another few minutes it was silent, only the sound of the hanging clock ticking filling the space, but then a doctor finally came out. Before anyone could even get out of their seat Bruce practically sprinted to the Doctor.

"Where is my son, what is going on?!" Bruce asked scarily, ironically even more so with his mask off since now all his fatherly rage was on display.

"Your son is in critical condition Batman, he has some very serious internal bleeding and his broken ribs aren't helping. His body, particularly his legs and arms, are covered in second degree burns. He's also lost a lot of blood from some severe wounds. We need an immediate blood transfusion, but we aren't sure what his blood type is." The doctor spit out quickly and fearfully.

"He's O negative, and so am I, now put the damn needle in me!" Bruce said as he practically ripped off his glove and then speedily rolled up his sleeve.

"Of course sir, right this way!" The doctor answered as he led Bruce through the doors.

Immediately several others tried to follow but were stopped by a nurse who told them the doctor needed absolute quiet to start on the several procedures that needed to happen in order to save Dick's life. Taking the nurses' words seriously they all sat back down now waiting for Bruce to return with hopefully good news. Another half hour passes by when Bruce returns, gauze wrapped around his right elbow, he looked angrier than ever.

"What's happening?"

"Is Dick ok?"

"How does he look?"

Suddenly Bruce was bombarded with questions which then made him yell.

"Enough questions, I don't know anymore than you do! They didn't even let me see my son!"

Immediately Bruce stormed off, unable to take another moment of the madness, chaos, and stress. From then on everyone took the hint, now was not the time to barade Batman and they needed to give the poor man some space.

Two hours later

Bruce laid in his private quarters only accompanied by Dick's stuffed Elephant and his Kevlar bat blanket. He had Alfred bring them up to the watchtower thinking Dick would want them when he woke, but he ended up just cuddling them himself. They gave him great comfort as they were covered in the sweet almost baby smell like scent of his son. They brought back many memories, one in particular, especially since he would give anything to hear his son say this word to know he was ok, the first time Dick had called him daddy.

Last August

It was late at night, almost midnight, and the barely five year old Dick Grayson tossed and turned in his bed. He'd been sprayed the other night by Scarecrow's fear gas, and despite being given the antidote it's residual effects were making his almost nightly nightmares worse. It had only been his fifth mission and Bruce had no plans of this happening but the supervillain had shown up unexpectedly. The little bird did his best to fight off the criminal and it was going well till the malicious psycho had pulled out a pumpkin bomb and gassed the poor protégé.

After this Scarecrow received the beating of a lifetime and wound up back in Arkham in a body cast, but that didn't help the effects of the gas on his poor little ward. Immediately the dark knight took Dick home and gave him the antidote, but being so small and so young he knew Dick would still suffer some affects.

Anyways as the minutes progressed Dick's tossing turning grew more violent, even more so than some of his worst nightmares. Eventually with a blood curdling scream and in a cold sweat Dick woke up panting and breathing heavily. Frantically the little boy looked around him ready to jump at the smallest noise. For a few minutes he did this and luckily saw nothing, making him start to calm down a little. But then just as he was about to settle a great wind blew and made one of his curtains blow out. As the little boy turned his head his eyes about popped out of his skull as his fear gas affected mind turned the mix of billowing curtains and shadows into his greatest fear Tony Zucco. Filled with a desperate desire to live and driven by fear the boy ran screaming out his room calling for the only man who could make him feel safe.