The Last Talon

Chapter Twenty One

With Annie in the hospital, Bruce handling Wayne Tech and Damian handling the police, Dick was pretty much left to his own devices over the course of the next week.

Once he knew Annie was going to be ok, he had turned his focus onto the turmoil in his mind. He felt different, hyper-aware of his body. He healed faster and could control his heightened senses more easily, turning them in and out when needed. He was stronger, but also more controlled. But that was what had scared him the most, he had been perfectly aware of what he was doing to the man who had shot Annie, he knew that he was squeezing the life out of him. But he hadn't cared. Terry said to him it looked like he had lost control. But he hadn't, at that moment he had forgone the rules of the Bat, the morals that he had been taught growing up. He had been the Talon, he had been prepared to kill, to complete the mission.

Dick gripped his hands into fists. The mission had been to protect Annie or avenge her. Even now, as he thought about Annie lying so still on the floor covered in her own blood, Dick knew he would do it again.

'You alright Buddy?'

'I'm fine.'

Jason stood awkwardly in the door to his room then went to leave.

'Jay?' Dick called, when the man came back, he bowed his head. 'I'm sorry.'

'For what?'

'Being a brat.'

Jason chuckled and came and sat on the window seat next to him.

'Dick, if anyone deserves a free pass for being a brat occasionally, it's you.' Jason's face turned serious and he began kneading his hands in his lap. 'But I think you need to make a decision.'

Dick raised an eyebrow, what decision did he need to make?

'You need to decide which life you are going to hang on to. This life, as Richard Todd, with me as your father, going to school, making friends, being a normal 18-year-old for as long as you can. Or,' he turned to face him. 'You can hang on to your old life, as Richard Grayson (Dick flinched), accept what has happened to you and pull away from the world and hide.'

Dick frowned, what kind of a choice was that?

'Those are your options, Dick. At the moment you are trying to hang on to both and I can see it's dragging you down.'

'You're talking about Nelson.'

'I'm talking about you acting as though neither Richard Todd or Richard Grayson is you.' Said Jason. 'Dick you act like you are a ghost. Neither one or the other. Decide on your life and commit to it.'

Dick shook his head. If only it were that easy.

'There's the little problem of my ageing.' He said.

'We're working on it.' Said Jason, 'We have all the tech from the Justice League at our disposal. We'll find a way to reverse it, or at least speed it up a bit.'

'And what if you can't?'

'We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.' Jason reached forward and placed his hand on Dick's shoulder, squeezing it. 'It's up to you Dick, I'm just happy I've got you back in my life. Whether that's as your brother or as your father.'

Dick noticed the bags that were starting to crawl under Jason's eyes. The man was working so hard, he looked so stressed and Dick had to wonder if the man was sleeping. The few nights he slept in Jason's bed, the older man had tossed and turned the whole night. Dick had to wonder if it was worrying about him that was causing Jason so much stress.

'Do you want to go and see Annie?' Jason almost laughed at how fast Dick reacted, the kid was up from his seat and grabbing his coat in seconds. In the last week, Annie had been in the ICU and they hadn't let many people visit so Bruce had gone in every day. Dick hadn't been able to see her since she was bleeding out on the floor.