Batman and Red Arrow

Batman & Red Arrow #7

Aromatic

Roy slowly and anxiously stepped into the doorway. From here he was able to see the foot of a hospital bed just barely. He looked down tightening his fists trying to collect his focus and emotions.

He continued into the room one hesitant step after the other. The clock ticking on the wall had to have been the loudest clock Roy had ever heard. Finally he rounded the curtain that was partially pulled to cover Bruce down to his waist from the viewpoint of the door.

"You didn't have to come here." Bruce spoke laboriously as he tried to avert his eyes from Roy.

"Bruce..." Roy muttered as he felt a swelling of regret.

"I'll be fine, there's still work for you to be doing." Bruce added coldly.

"I know you don't want me to see you like this, you think it makes you less to me. But you're not. This condition isn't something that can diminish who you are to me. You're the Father I never had." Roy admitted as he wiped his eyes.

"Are you done?" Bruce asked turning away again.

Roy looked down at his hands again, trying to maintain his composure.

"Smells like a hospital in here, funny how that can happen when we aren't even in one." Roy tried to jest as he looked around the room fighting the guilt of making jokes at a time like this.

"Most hospitals only have that smell due to sterilization chemicals, bodily fluids, and other chemicals used for surgery. All things present here as well. The smell isn't intrinsic to hospitals, but these things present at both locations." Bruce educated as he looked back to Roy.

"Really? A history lesson, even while you're stuck in a hospital bed." Roy chucked as he put his hands in his hoodie pockets.

"How's the mission going? Any leads?" Bruce ignored the rhetoric.

Roy's face went straight as his brows slightly furrowed.

"How about this, you take a little time to really unwind. All the bat-stress isn't going to help you heal any faster. We're making some good progress, but I know if I tell you anything then you're just going to get out of that bed sooner than you need to." Roy spoke obstinately.

"Roy." Bruce looked at him with annoyance.

"That's the name. Don't worry, we have things under control." Roy added as he began for the door.

Bruce tried to shuffle in his bed but was restricted by physical limitations as he winced.

"Roy!" Bruce shouted wanting the sidekick to return.

Roy continued out the door as his face grew more serious the farther he stepped.

Stepping back down the stairs into the Batcave, Roy looked out at all the memorabilia Bruce kept around. He passed by a group of glass suit containers, one of which had the Batman suit in it.

"The Batman. A symbol of both hope and fear." Roy turned away and continued down to the computer.

"Maybe not enough fear." Roy said to himself as he approached Alfred and the computer.

"Did you say something, Master Roy?" Alfred turned to him.

"Ahh it's nothing, just thinking out loud." Roy answered as he sat back down with a sigh.

"You cannot blame yourself, Master Roy. These sort of things are inevitable when it comes to work like this." Alfred spoke with an understanding tone.

"How can you say that? It was my lead that led us to the docks that night. If it weren't for me, Bruce never would have gotten hurt." Roy spelled.

"You think you could have prevented Batman from ever scraping with Bane again? Believe me, even this won't be the last time they do battle." Alfred stated truthfully.

Roy hung his head in thought, maybe Alfred was right. Their meeting again was inevitable with this duty.

"It appears the tracker has stopped at a junkyard in Star City." Alfred pointed at the screen as he looked over his glasses at Roy.

"Star City, that's odd. Even odder to stop at a junkyard when you have an arrow through your leg." Roy squinted at the screen.

"Is that's how you were able to get a tracer on Sportsmaster?" Alfred asked with concern.

"I get it, hurting people is bad. But they were shooting at me...with real guns." Roy defended himself.

"And what did Master Wayne have to say about this?" Alfred asked.

"I didn't tell him, you know how he is. If he can give himself a reason to worry he won't stay in that bed." Roy answered as he looked away shamefully.

"So you're just postponing that lecture, and for what purpose? That way he can't prevent you from continuing these sort of actions on your missions in his absence?" Alfred asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Roy looked almost caught off guard by the question.

"No...I-" Roy tried to explain.

"I think you prefer to be as reckless as you'd like to get the job done. That kind of thinking can be dangerous, Master Roy. Please be careful." Alfred mentioned before he got up and started walking away with his empty tray tucked under his left arm.

Roy watched him walk away in thought as the hum of light from the computer shone on him alone in the darkness of the Batcave.