The Last Talon

Chapter Twenty-Six

Dick wasn't sure what had awoken him. He lay on his side, his arm snaked under the pillow and his legs curled up almost to his chest. The room was still dark, giving no indication as to the time. He had no idea whether he had been asleep for hours or just minutes. He lay there, only half pondering what had woken him as he drifted back into sleep. But then it was there again. The pain. It was sharp, surging through his body as he drew in a breath.

He held the breath, not daring to take more oxygen into his lungs or expel the gas that was already there. Slowly, the pain faded to a dull ache and then disappeared. He released the breath slowly.

Curiously he sat up, his blanket pooling around his hips. He took slow deliberate breaths, measuring the pain when it returned. It radiated from his back just under his ribs, the stabbing sensation building with each breath that he took. He winced as the pain spiked.

He sat for a while in the darkness, letting the pain wash over him. Pain was not a foreign concept to him. He had dealt with it much in his life. But he was not used to waking in the middle of the night with pain that was not caused by an injury. This experience was definitely new.

Deciding he was not going to be able to go back to sleep, Dick gingerly slipped his legs off the bed and stood. As he rose to his feet the room shifted around him and the pain was suddenly mixed with insistent nausea that made him pad quietly to his bathroom. He threw on the light before doubling over above the toilet, his stomach relinquishing last night's dinner. Dick groaned, wiping his hand across his mouth and he sank to his knees. The cold tiles felt cool against his flesh but for once he welcomed the sensation. He lay down on the floor, pressing his cheek to the shining white surface. He didn't bother to question his new tolerance for the cold, instead, he took advantage of the fact it was numbing him to the pain and drifted back into sleep.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

In the few weeks that had followed their discovery, Jason and Annie had grown more open about their relationship. Where they had thought there would be judgement from the others, they were met with only happiness. The last few weeks had been perfect, not white picket fence perfect, but at times they had felt like they were a proper family. There had been one day, in particular, they had been out at the park in Gotham. Dick had wanted to test out his new ability to control his heightened hearing, so the three of them had gone together. Jason and Annie sat on a bench, quietly talking while Dick sat cross-legged in the grass with his eyes closed.

They had probably been there for around 30 minutes when a small child came and sat next to Dick. She stared at him and sensing her close to him, Dick opened his eyes and looked at her. She blanched slightly at the sight of his yellow eyes but recovered quickly.

'What are you doing?' she asked.

'Listening.' Said Dick.

'To what?'

'Everything.'

'Why?' she cocked her small head to the side and regarded him curiously.

'Why not?'

The child, remarkably, seemed happy with the answer and instead looked around.

'Are you on your own?'

'No.' He turned and looked over to Annie and Jason, aware that they too were watching him. The girl looked over as well.

'Is that your Mommy and Daddy?'

Dick did not confirm this, neither did he deny it. He simply smiled at the child. But that smile had warmed both of the adult's hearts.

They watched as Dick talked a little more with the child until finally, the girl's parents called her back over. She waved at her new friend as she departed. Jason watched Dick pinch the bridge of his nose as he put the sound filters back in his ears. He had a headache, it was time to leave.