(Thank-you to Zales who is absolutely amazing and encouraging. The fact that she reads these motivates me to be better and update quicker)
Cough...cough...cough. Pain… pain everywhere, aching and constant. Throbbing each time I draw breath. Smoke...so much smoke, rising in the air and attacking my lungs. I have to...got to get up and crawl (in a fire it is always best to stay low). The building is unstable, I have to get up! I get up on my hands and knees but my body protests every movement. Come on Bruce, crawl! Cough...cough... Sucking in more smoke then oxygen now, I have to move.
"Batman! Batman are you there?" No! Jim Gordon should not be here!
I grit my teeth and I stand, stumbling but refusing to fall.
"Jim...," I cough out his name and he hastens toward me, full riot gear still on from the hell that was earlier tonight.
"Come on big guy, let's get out of here," he coughs out and moves an arm around me. He supports some of my weight as we move, hunched over and as low as possible toward the fire escape. A part of the building falls, blocking our exit. We move around desks and get to the next window of the office and he shoots the glass so we can get out. My knees buckle but he grabs me and pushes me out of the window. I'm barely conscious, working on instinct and training alone.
"Batman (cough) get your backside up, this isn't (cough) over!" Pain shoots up my side from where he viscously grabs me and pulls me down the stairs of the fire escape. He coughs a few times but doesn't seem to have inhaled much smoke (which I am very grateful for). I somehow make my legs work again but my head feels like it's about to crack open and I can't stop coughing. "Just a bit more, you'll be fine in just a second, we can get you to a-," I cut in, stopping any of that kind of thinking.
"No...(cough cough)...no hospital," I ground out as we finally make it near the bottom. Just another set of steps to go...
"Batman you need medical attention, and badly! What am I supposed to do?" I can't answer him, my lungs like the oxygen they are forcing in too much to be able to reply and the coughing isn't going away either. We descend the last few steps and he lowers me to the ground, forcing me to lay back and puts two fingers to my neck. I close my eyes as my body tries to expel the last of the smoke out of my lungs through hacking violently. My lungs and throat are burning, begging me to stop; the rest of my body doesn't listen, knowing I have to get the chemicals I had breathed through the air out of my lungs.
I try and breathe deeply now that we are in cleaner air after the coughing seems to settle, however this triggers another fit and before I know it I'm coughing and gasping again. There's nothing to do but wait until it stops.
"Thanks...(cough)...thanks Jim," I break out into another coughing fit.
"Shut up and focus on breathing for a while, talking can come later. I assume your suit doesn't affect your airways? I need to know, even if it's just a little bit," I shake my head, I had to account for every possibility in this line of work, so no, my suit does not make it difficult to breathe. He nods and checks his watch; he's monitoring my heartbeat and respiratory rate. I close my eyes and focus on breathing, the adrenaline slows and now I feel...
"Oh no you don't!" Someone slaps my face and I reluctantly open my eyes. "Hey you can't fall asleep on me, I know you're exhausted but you inhaled a lot of smoke and I don't know the extent of your injuries tonight," my eyes flutter closed. "No! What did I just say?!" He pulls me into a sitting position and I wince as it aggravates my injuries.
I have a concussion, a very sore throat from smoke inhalation and possible lung damage (I will have to get that checked out). I also have a headache from smoke inhalation, 1st degree burns where my glove tore on my right hand (could have been much worse) and I am suffering from blood loss from the deep knife wound on my side where the Kevlar didn't protect. I also have bruised ribs and I ache everywhere.
I press a button to call the Bat-Mobile and lay back down. His fingers go back to my neck, something I find mildly irritating.
"Hey talk to me! What is your resting heart rate, I need to know?"
"Thirty-nine BPM but the injuries I sustained such as the bruised ribs and knife wound are making breathing problematic. My breathing rate is much faster and too unpredictable to get a good reading right now," I tell him.
"Knife wound?" He whispers and checks my side; failing to find it he checks the other side and gasps. He grabs some on my cape and puts pressure on it and I bite back a groan of pain. "This really isn't looking good Bruce, you're losing too much blood," my head snaps toward his and I look at him with a frown. He's never admitted to knowing who I am; we usually have a don't ask, don't tell policy. I'm not surprised that he knows who I am, I know he knew. I'm startled because he admitted to knowing he knew who I am.
"I will take care of it. I'm glad my friend insisted I take thermal tonight, it's the only thing between me and going into shock," I tell him with a smile but his face becomes even more concerned. He feels my face just to be sure and nods in relief when he feels warm skin. Despite the raging fire he pulled me out of, he's right, I have lost too much blood and my body temperature would have dropped had it not been for Alfred's insistence for thermal wear before putting on the suit.
"Hey, hey wake up," someone slaps my face, I had not even realised I had closed my eyes again. "Okay what day is it?" I sigh at him; he's going to do the first aid routine.
"Tuesday the twenty-fourth of October 2015, approximately ten pm or slightly later, I was in a fire after battling firefly. Previously I had defeated Bane and poison Ivy, my name is Batman and due to us not being in a safe zone, I will say nothing more on the subject. As for location- we are near the courthouse, two blocks away on Triangle Street," I tell him and he nods, of course I am correct in everything I have said.
The Bat-Mobile arrives so I get to my feet but Jim walks in front of me, holding out a hand in a stopping motion.
"Jim I have to get home, a friend will be very worried if I do not." I tell him straight.
"That's why I'm going with you," he tells me and I frown for the second time tonight.
"You have never demanded such a thing before, what is different?"
"I know you. You used all medical supplies on families tonight, leaving none for yourself which is why you haven't patched yourself up. Do not think I will let you go back out there with an injury tonight," his face gets close to mine, stern and unwavering. I look him in the eye.
"I was not planning on going back out there, my friend is at home waiting for my return," I tell him, my face giving nothing away.
"So you won't mind if I go with you to see your friend," he tells me. I'm about to answer but I suddenly hear my pulse throbbing loudly throughout my body; I grab at my cape and staunch the bleeding on my side once again. I feel his fingers at my neck again.
"Your heartbeat is getting weaker and much faster, Bruce you're slipping into shock we have to go now!" He grabs my shoulder and forces me to look at him.
"I'll be fine, I don't need you with me," I shrug him off violently and actually find myself on the floor for my trouble.
"That's it! I'm calling our mutual friend," he grabs his phone out of his pocket and places it to his ear, presumably after speed dialling.
Someone slaps my face and tells me to get up quickly. A familiar voice... I open my eyes and realise who it is. A hand is thrust out so I grab it and I'm hoisted onto my feet. I don't protest as he once again carries some of my weight and puts me in the passenger's side of the car. He gets in the other side after I tell the car to allow him access (otherwise it would have given him an electric shock) and he turns to me after shutting the door.
"How the hell do you drive this thing?" He asks in exasperation and I smirk.
"Drive to the Cave," I order it and it speeds toward it. My body slides down in the seat belt and my head loll against the windshield.
"I don't think I've ever seen you like this, it's kind of frightening. Is this because of the concussion, knife wound or exhaustion?" I smile with my eyes closed.
"Mixture of all three," I say as I put pressure on the wound which is extremely painful! Gordon puts two fingers to my neck once again and judging by his angry sigh, he isn't happy with the results.
"Your heart is working too hard to compensate for the blood loss, I hope this car gets us there soon," he states worriedly. I nod my head and open my eyes, staring out at the buildings as they go by.
Time passes; Gordon checks my pulse and feels my face repeatedly throughout the time in the car, making sure I'm both conscious and warm. He tells me to turn on the heater (tell isn't a strong enough word) he orders me to turn on the heater and glares at me for the few seconds before I comply.
I keep conscious as we finally get there, Alfred waiting nearby. I get out without Gordon and use sheer willpower (Hal would be jealous) to get over to the medical part of the cave, both of them trailing behind. I lay on the bed and all willpower leaves me. I'm safe; Alfred will take care of me. I smile at that thought and help Alfred take off my suit, Gordon helps when necessary and refuses to leave. I shiver in the blankets Alfred piled onto me but the thermal had to go.
"It's really you," he whispers when the cowl comes off so I nod once.
"Mr. Gordon, please get me that heart monitor, he will need to be hooked up straight away," he explains, to which Gordon nods quickly grabs the machine. I want to protest but I know Alfred won't stand for it so I allow it to divulge just how much pain I'm in and how vulnerable I am at this moment.
Alfred mends my side, wraps my ribs and puts cream on my burnt hand designed to take the pain away and help it heal quickly. He then uses the X-ray technology in my cowl to determine that I do not have lung damage or any other internal damage. He hooks me up to blood and water then turns to me and finally lets himself feel. He grabs a chair and sits beside me, taking my hand. Gordon stands by my other side and swallows at the emotion the usually unflappable butler displays.
I look at him tiredly and sigh, wincing at the pain. He gets up and dares me to protest as hooks me up to pain medication. I allow it...the ramifications of protesting aren't worth it, he will win in the end. He grabs my hand again and I think I see a tear go down his cheek.
"Hey I'm alive, I'm okay," I reassure him. He nods but doesn't let go of my hand, which I squeeze gently.
"Thank you Mr Gordon, my son is stubborn but he respects you and your opinion. He listens to you, even if it doesn't seem like it. You brought him home when he wouldn't have lasted much longer, convinced him to come back when he could have collapsed in an alley somewhere which is something I fear every night he goes out there. My understanding of what you both do has always been clear; however I do not have to like it. Your assistance tonight is more than appreciated, I did not want to have to bury the last of the Wayne's," the last part is directed at me, a scolding. I grin at him knowing he is more or less back to normal.
"Would you like to stay here tonight Mr Gordon or would you like me to drive you back to your car?" I turn to look at Gordon's face. Judging by the way Alfred holds my hand, he does not want to move from my side anytime soon.
"I would like to stay if you would allow me to," he looks at me so I nod in acceptance.
"I will set up a room for you in a little while and get you both some food, which you both will eat," I laugh and the pain it causes has lessened to a considerable degree, the medication is working. Alfred gives me a small smile and after a while I don't feel any pain anymore.
"We almost lost you to stubbornness Bruce, you're too important to both Gotham and I. See that it doesn't happen again," Gordon orders me again tonight with a hand on my shoulder.
"Yes sir," I say sarcastically. "Whatever you say sir," he rolls his eyes and crosses his arms; Alfred gets him a chair when he requests to stay by my side as well.
All three of us talk, my responses getting slower as sleep creeps up. Alfred gives me a stern look. "Rest, when you wake up I'll get you food but for now I want you to sleep," Alfred whispers in my ear. How could I not obey that strong voice of safety that has always been by my side? I obey him, sliding into sleep with the reassuring warm hand in mine and another gently running through my hair.