A Savage Return

Chapter 10

Dick was sitting on the side of a hospital bed all bandaged up when there was a knock on the door. "Master Dick?" Alfred asked as he peeked in the room. Dick just signaled for Alfred to come in.

The door opened the rest of the way and Alfred stepped in followed by Barbra and Gordon. "Dick!" Barbra said as she rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around him carefully.

"Does it hurt to talk?" Gordon asked. Dick just nodded.

"The doctor informed me that his throat was bruised and there were signs of him being strangled," Alfred informed Gordon. Dick just nodded in agreement.

Barbra sat down next to Dick with a death-like grip on his hand. Dick just looked down at their hands ten up at her face. "I'm just glad you're ok, Dick. I was really worried about you," Barbra said. Dick just smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Excuse me, Commissioner?" a young nurse interrupted.

"Yes?" Gordon asked.

"The doctor wishes to speak with you," the nurse replied.

Gordon looked at the others. "I'll be right back." He then left with the nurse.

The room was silent for a while until Dick tried to talk. "What?" Barbra asked as she got closer to him.

"B-Bruce," Dick said in barely a whisper.

Barbra looked at Alfred. "He wants to know about Bruce.

"G-Gordon said... Batman..." Dick tried, but began to cough.

Barbra again looked to Alfred. "He said dad told him something about Batman. I do remember dad coming up to me asking if I was the person Batman sent."

Alfred sighed. "Allow me to explain. After I helped Miss Gordon with a suit and weapons, I called Commissioner Gordon with a device that allowed me to sound like Master Bruce and informed him of your whereabouts."

"Bruce," Dick said in a louder voice so Alfred could hear, but it hurt his throat and made him cough again.

Alfred looked away. "The doctor told me personally that Master Bruce didn't make it."

Dick closed his eyes and the tears started to flow down his cheeks. Barbra wrapped her arms around him ad laid her head on his shoulder, tears beginning to form in her own eyes. "I'm so sorry, Dick."

The room was silent except for Dick's sobs. It was breaking Alfred's heart to see yet another young boy lose his parent.

YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ

Dr. Stanburg stood at the end of a patient's bed reading their chart. "You wanted to see me?" Gordon asked as he walked in with the nurse.

Stanburg put the chart back on the end of the bed and looked up at the two. "Thank you, nurse." The nurse nodded then left. "Commissioner, I heard that you finally caught Steve?"

"Yes, he should be at a prison infirmary as we speak," Gordon replied.

"Good," Stanburg said then walked out of the room with Gordon following. "So what now?"

"Now, we at least tell Alfred and Dick," Gordon said.

"So you think if the media got a hold of this, that Steve will..."

"Yes," Gordon interrupted. "For now we stay quiet." They both stopped in front of a room with a name plate that read, "BRUCE WAYNE" "Has he woke up yet?"

"Not yet, but we finally isolated the drug that was keeping him in the coma," Stanburg said. "It's a very rare and uncommon drug, but we should have the cure for it soon."