This was such freaking mess. He wasn't even sure how it had gone so wrong. He had no idea where Batman or Catwoman was. He was in a room full of the Joker's abandoned hostages with ten minutes until the building blew up. And of course one of the hostages just had to be pregnant.
There were ten hostages and two were injured. Dick was taking deep breaths, hoping to calm himself more.
Okay, okay. Calm down Robin, you got this. Batman and Catwoman will show up any minute now.
Dick began downloading blueprints of the two story warehouse on his wrist computer, then he knelt down and untied everyone. He wasn't sure how far the blast radius would impact so he instructed them to run across the street and behind the parked batmobile. All eight of the unharmed hostages quickly ran out of the building. They were on the ground floor and they could see the door easily.
The two injured people consisted of the pregnant woman, who had a deep and painful looking scratch on her leg, and a man with what looked like a broken leg.
He looked at the clock, eight minutes.
"I have to get her out first! I'll be back." The man nodded but looked incredibly freaked out. Dick bent and picked up the woman. He took a deep breath and started walking as quickly as he could. The only thing that allowed him to move so quickly was the adrenaline rush surging through his limbs. He got her outside and across the street in a minute and a half before sprinting back into the building.
He pulled the man up and helped him walk as quickly as possible to the batmobile. As he ran back to the building he scanned for heat signatures. There were two in a back room of the bottom floor. As he entered the building he looked back at the clock, only five minutes.
He sprinted to the back room and bursted in the door. Batman and Catwoman were laying on the ground not moving with their eyes open. Selina had a small trickle of blood running down her side.
He fell onto his knees and crawled over to them. He didn't have time to get both of them out. He felt for their pulses...thank god. He looked around the small room and found a chair, some rope, a dolly, and some broken beer bottles. He stood and pushed the dolly over to the two bodies in the room and pulled Batman onto it. He picked up Selina and put her on top of Bruce before using the rope to secure them to the dolly.
He pulled them as fast as he could manage which wasn't very fast considering the fact that he had just had to carry two other full grown people to safety. As he passed the clock he looked back at it, one minute, thirty seconds. No, no, no. Damn it!
He pulled faster and made it out of the building with one minute to spare. He pulled them back and behind the batmobile where the people were waiting. He dropped them off and ran around to the drivers side, he opened the door and pushed a button. Two metal anchors automatically slammed into the concrete and he closed the door. He moved to get behind the batmobile but...too late.
The building exploded. The force of it slammed him back into the batmobile and he sank to the floor with his ears ringing.
He heard people behind him screaming and he heard his own breathing. In and out. In and out. In and out. Why did that hurt so much? Breathing wasn't supposed to hurt.
He climbed to his feet using the support of the batmobile and stood there shakily as he stared at the burning building. He still heard people screaming and walked slowly around the batmobile and over to them. They were already starting to calm down, most of them had their hands covering their ears and some of them had tears leaking from their faces.
He heard his own shaky voice ask,
"Is everyone alright?"
There were a few murmurs and nods, but not much else. He stopped next to the pregnant woman and asked if she was feeling alright and she nodded hesitantly. Robin continued moving through the small crowd of people checking everyone over. When he was satisfied that everyone was alright he moved over to Batman and Catwoman. He had wanted to do this first but he knew Bruce would be pissed if he had.
Robin dropped onto his knees in front of them and clumsily untied them from the dolly.
"Sorry." he whispered so only they would hear, "I didn't know how else to get you both out of there a-alive." His voice broke at the end. Half because of how drained he was and half because he was just realizing how close he had been to losing another pair of parents.
He pulled the dolly out from under them and pushed it half-heartedly to the side. He checked both of their pulses again, they were strong. They must be paralyzed then? Jesus, what if it was permanent? No. He wasn't going to think like that. The Joker was responsible for this and he would miss Batman too much if he were to die or be paralyzed.
He moved closer to Catwoman's side and wiped the blood away, the wound was very small and just looked like a dot. Maybe that was where she had been injected. Upon closer inspection he found that Batman had a similar mark on his neck.
Robin sighed and his head dropped. He couldn't remember being so tired. It didn't help that the adrenalin was wearing off and a headache was kicking in. He looked back over to the former hostages and discovered that most of them were looking over at him. Some of them looked sad. He knew what they were thinking. How could Batman allow a child to be put in situations like this?
He glanced down at himself and found that his uniform was ripped at his side and stomach showing bare skin that was scratched and lightly burned. Not serious, nothing that would scar. It still hurt him to breath too, he probably had a broken rib or two. He was also bleeding from his shoulder. Oh, that's right, he had been grazed by a bullet in the fight earlier.
Wait, he should be calling the police...wait, what? Sirens?
He looked out to where he could hear them, thats right. There was an explosion. The police probably already knew about it. Someone was bound to report it. He watched as the police cruisers, ambulances, and a small bus arrived on the scene.
Robin stood and slowly walked over to where Commissioner Gordon was climbing out of his cruiser.
"Robin, what happened? Where are the hostages?" He said seriously but he wasn't looking at Robin, he was staring at the building that was still burning.
"The hostages are behind the batmobile along with Batman and Catwoman. I think the Joker paralyzed them while I was fighting the rest of his men and trying to free the hostages." Robin explained.
"So...you got everyone out by yourself?" Gordon asked concerned.
Robin shrugged, "Eight of the ten hostages were unarmed and able to get out by themselves. I directed them to get behind the batmobile." Dick looked around as he spoke and discovered that paramedics and officers were bustling about and helping people into cars or ambulances.
"There was a pregnant woman with a leg injury who I had to carry out and a man with a broken leg I helped out of the building. Batman and Catwoman were still inside after i got everyone out so I used a dolly to get them both out. I need to get them back home so we can figure out what happened to them."
Gordon nodded slowly as he stared at Robin, "You look like you could use some medical attention yourself son."
Robin shook his head and turned away from Gordon. He walked over to where he had left batman and Catwoman and found a small crowd of paramedics standing around them. Panic jumped through him.
"Hey! Back off!" Robin yelled hoarsely.
The crowd immediately backed away and Robin relaxed a little as he saw that their masks were still on.
"Alright get back to work! You aren't here to mess around!" Gordon told the paramedics and they moved away.
Robin opened the passenger side door of the batmobile before walking back over to where his mentor and Catwoman were laying. He knelt down and slid his arms under her form he took a deep breath before heaving her up and he stood momentarily on shaky legs before he took a step and his legs just gave out. He fell back onto his knees and Gordon was at his side in an instant.
"Woah kid, come on. There isn't any shame in askin' for help." He picked Catwoman up and Robin didn't bother protesting as he watched Gordon put her in the batmobile. Gordon walked past him and hoisted Batman up with a grunt, he put the Dark knight in the batmobile next to Selina before turning to Robin.
"Please tell me that thing has an auto pilot." He sighed.
Dick shook his head slowly and stood up with some difficulty. He limped around the batmobile with Gordon following after he closed the passenger side door.
Robin opened the driver side door and climbed in before closing the door. Gordon couldn't see him through the tinted windows but he saw the commissioner shake his head before turning and directing everyone to get out of the way.
Robin allowed himself no time to rest because he knew if he did he would probably lose it. He had to be strong, he had to get them home.
He straightened and stepped lightly on the gas until he was clear of the area and the people and he punched it. Going as fast as he could go while still being safe. He wasn't exactly used to driving this thing. Bruce never let him do it, he was only thirteen after all.
They arrived at the batcave within twenty minutes and both Batman and Catwoman were very slowly regaining use of their limbs. They could move their hands and fingers now.
He parked the car in its usual spot and opened the door. He literally fell out of the car and he just laid there for a moment panting. He heard a small grunt from Batman and he pulled himself into a sitting position. He wasn't done doing his job yet. Stupidly he hadn't called Alfred on the way over. But honestly that might be good, he did not have the brain power needed for multitasking right now.
He used the batmobile as support as he walked to the other side and opened the passenger side door. He growled as he felt himself sinking back to floor. He did not have time for his body to be failing him. He was leaning heavily against the seat and Batman as he tried to get a good enough grip to pull the man out of the car and he felt Batman's hand drop onto his head. He was just barely able to move his fingers enough to massage Robin's head. Robin was breathing deeply as he tried to pull Batman out again. He hated that he couldn't do it. He hated how weak he was. He was going to have to call Alfred.
Batman was still lightly rubbing his head and Robin felt a few tears slip out from behind his mask. Why couldn't he do this? Robin pulled away and used the batmobile again to stand. He made a quick dash to the batcomputer and reached just as he fell over. He caught himself on the table and pushed the button that summoned Alfred to the cave. He turned and took exactly two steps before falling on his face and groaning. He honestly didn't have the strength to get up, he didn't even want to move.
He heard quick steps coming down the stairs and a wave of relief washed through his body. Alfred. The faithful butler would take care of everything.
"Master Robin? Good heavens...what on earth?" The voice grew louder as it drew near him and he soon felt his body being turned around. Now that he was laying on his back he shook his head and getured feebly to the batmobile.
"Batman an' Catwoman." He croaked.
Alfred looked up and nodded, "Alright young sir."
Robin watched as Alfred stood and moved over to the batmobile. He pulled Batman out of the batmobile and dragged him over to where Robin was laying. He then went back to pick up Selina and carry her over to one of the medical tables.
"Master Batman, I'm afraid I'll have to call someone to help me get you onto the table. Master Robin is in no shape to be doing anything at the moment."
Robin shook his head and tried to push himself up, he didn't get very far before a heavy gauntleted hand landed on his chest.
"No." Was the simple but very clear message from Batman.
Robin laid back down, he really wasn't in the mood to argue and he would probably just fall over if he tried to stand again.
Alfred moved over to the batcomputer and called the watchtower. Green Arrow and Black Canary were the ones who picked up and they said they would be down immediately. True to their word, they were at the cave in two minutes.
"What happened?" GA's normally sarcastic voice was serious now.
"I'm afraid I do not yet know. Mater Batman and Miss Catwoman seem to be parylized." Alfred explained.
"Then why isn't Dick moving?" Black Canary sounded concerned as she knelt next to the thirteen year old.
"I am not sure. He seems to just be exhausted." Alfred answered, "Mr Queen, if you will."
Alfred gestured to Bruce and GA hoisted the man up.
"Jesus Bruce, how much do you weigh, a million pounds?" Oliver growled as he set Batman heavily on the table.
Robin just watched barely aware of Black Canary weaving her hand through his hair soothingly. Green Arrow stooped to pick up the very small looking boy and set him on a third table in the middle of Batman and Catwoman.
He watched as Alfred checked over both Bruce and Selina. He was fighting to keep his eyes opened. He really just wanted to curl up and sleep but he had to make sure Bruce and Selina were okay. They had come too close. If there had been just one more injured hostageā¦.
He didn't even want to think about it. He felt a few more tears roll down his cheeks. Dinah was at his side in an instance.
"Hey little bird, it's okay, Why don't you go to sleep baby?" She cooed quietly.
He shook his head and looked over at Bruce. The man was staring at him, it looked like he was doing his best to look comforting but it didn't quite work on Bruce's normally harsh features. The man then attempted to sit up and would of managed it, if not for Alfred's stern reprimand.
It was Robin's turn to be examined and his mask was the first thing to go. Next was his shirt and he felt Alfred pressing lightly against his chest and ribs. Dick hisses as he reached the tender area.
"Well Master Richard, it looks like you have broken a rib. You also have some first degree burns along your side, as well as a few scratches. The burn and scratches shouldn't take too long to heal. The rib will take longer. I'll have to wrap it. You also have a light graze on your shoulder. You got lucky, it is not so deep that it needs stitches." The butler said quickly before leaving to fetch the correct supplies.
Dick was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. He kept drifting in and out of consciousness. He was utterly drained, so maybe this time when his eyes closed he let them. He couldn't fight it anymore. He was asleep before Alfred came back to wrap his ribs.
He woke up to darkness. He was laying on something soft and he was comfortable and warm. He say up slowly, minding his rib.
"Kitten?"
Dick felt a hand on his shoulder and he relaxed at the familiar voice.
"Lay back down chum, you need to sleep." Another deeper voice said quietly.
He laid back against the pillows and turned towards Selina. He curled into her and he felt her arms wrap around his small frame. He didn't want to think about what happened anymore. Why wouldn't it go away?
"Shh, kitten." Selina cooed as she rocked him. He felt Bruce draw closer too.
"I almost didn't get you out. I had thirty seconds to spare and if there had been just one more-"
"No. Stop doing that to yourself Dick. You did good. You did exactly what you were supposed to do, and you got everyone out." Bruce chidded gently.
Dick shook his head, "No, I could barely do it Bruce. I couldn't even get you to into the batmobile! Gordon had to do it! What if it had just been us? What if there had been more hostages? Or even a bigger blast range? I wasn't anywhere near as good or as strong as I needed to be-."
"You know playing what if games are useless if something has already past. You did everything you could and it was enough. You will grow and get better and stronger but stop worrying about this. You were exactly what you needed to be tonight." Bruce answered sternly, leaving no room to argue.
Dick nodded hesitantly and took a deep breath. He felt Selina brush a kiss onto his cheek and soothe his down hair.
"Go to sleep kitten. You need it." She whispered and he did. He fell into a peaceful sleep this time. He had saved them and that was enough for now.
A/N: Man, I can be so sappy! Okay I feel like most people take a few days editing and writing and then post but I literally started and finished this today. I always edit them but i'm a dork so I do it after I post. But whatever I guess. Okay, so I still have a pole out, please vote! And R&Rs would be great if you would like to! Thanks guys!
