Dick had been spying on the drug lords for weeks. He had tracked them to the docks and was just about to take them down and stop their shipments into Gotham harbor. Just when he thought that he had them and everything was going smoothly he had to show up and ruin everything. The conversation went something like this:
"What are you doing here Jason?" he hissed as quietly as he could so that the drug lords wouldn't hear him.
"I'm here to kill the drug lords. What are you doing here?" He asked a little too loudly for Dick's taste
"Shhhh! Will you be quiet they are going to hear us!"
"Who cares if they do? I'd rather take them all on at once then any of this sneaking around shit."
"Yah well I personally would rather not die today in a mass gun shoot out so would you please shut up!"
"Fine, fine" he said. And squatted down next to Dick to observe what was going on.
"You know I am not going to let you kill them."
Jason smiled a sly smile. "Try and stop me. Why are you defending them? they are drug lords! They are scum!"
"That doesn't mean they deserve to die!"
Jason started to laugh hysterically.
"Shhh! Will you shut up they are going to hear us!"
But Jason couldn't stop laughing. He was almost cackling now. "You are so brainwashed by the bat it is hysterical. Did you ever think about thinking for yourself for a change? Oh I forgot you are too much of the good soldier boy type to do that. It is sad really that you need the bat's approval that bad that you will just say how hi when he says jump. Jason just sat there for a few minutes shaking his head saying over and over again: "Yup it is sad, very sad"
Dick had become so infuriated by Jason's words at this point that he had completely forgotten about the drug lords unloading their cargo no more than `10 feet away. He became so infuriated that he just stopped thinking and acted. He slugged Jason in the face.
Jason was so stunned that he just lay on the ground for a second not moving. Then he came back to his senses and responded in kind by slugging Dick. They tussled on the ground for a few minutes. They were so involved in their struggle that they didn't even notice that they had rolled right in front of the drug lords.
"Well well well what do we have here?" One of them said as he gazed upon the pair on the ground.
Suddenly they both realized that they were both lying on the ground surrounded by men with big guns.
They exchanged a glance and then they sprung into action taking down as many men as they could. Then they started running, running as fast as they could away from the drug lords who were running after them. They ran and ran side by side until Jason heard a scream and saw that Dick had fallen and was no longer running beside him. He stopped, turned back and without a moment's hesitation picked Dick up and started running again.
He ran to an abandoned warehouse broke down the door and ran inside. In fact it was a warehouse he used often when he needed a place to get away or just a place to sleep. There was an army cot in the corner and Jason laid Dick down on it to examine his injuries further.
"Uhuhhhhhh…" Dick groaned he had been shot and was only semi-conscious.
Jason pulled up Dick's shirt to see where the bullet had impacted. It looked as though it had entered between the third and fourth intercostals space. Damn it! Jason thought. That meant there was probably internal damage. He needed to get Dick some medical attention and soon. However, he couldn't risk going back outside with those drug lords still looking for him. All he could do for right now was try and stop the bleeding and wait for an opportunity to get Dick some help. The only place he could think of to take Dick was the last place on earth he wanted to go. The batcave. The place itself wasn't so bad it was the fact that he was there. And he really didn't want to have to deal with him. But he supposed he would have to. I mean after all he needed to get Dick some help and that was the only place he could go.
Just then he heard a small, weak voice speaking to him.
"Jason?"
"Yah it's me Grayson, I'm here."
"Where? Where are we?"
"A small warehouse I use sometimes when I need a little place to hang out."
He tried to get up but Jason pushed him back down.
"You need to lie down and rest Grayson. You've been shot and you've lost a lot of blood."
"Oh is that what happened? All I remember is feeling this sharp pain and then everything gets hazy." '
"Yah that's what happened. I brought you here so you need to lie still and rest while I try and stop this bleeding. Oh and try and be quiet about it alright? We are still trying to hide from those drug lord guys."
Dick nodded and did as he was told. Jason pressed on the wound and Dick almost lost it but he tried not to scream.
"Sorry I'm just trying to stop the bleeding."
Dick nodded. Then he looked right at Jason and asked the question that was bugging him.
"Why are you doing this Jason? Why are you helping me?"
"I don't know. I just hated to see you die Grayson. Especially if it was going to be at the hand of some scum like those drug lords. Plus I figured the bat would be mighty upset with me if I let you die.
"Oh ok." Dick said and continued to lie still while Jason treated his wound.
"Alright that is good I think. The bleeding has stopped. I have bandages around here I am going to use to bind this up and then I am going to check and see if the coast is clear and then I will try and get you out of here and back home to the cave.
"Wait you are going to take me to the cave? But he is going to be there. You realize you are going to have to talk to him."
"I know but can you tell me that there is any other way?"
Dick shook his head.
"Exactly, don't worry I will survive five minutes of conversation with the big man."
"Alright if you say so."
"Let me check to see if the coast is clear and then we will get you out of here."
Jason went outside and checked the entire area around the warehouse to see if there was any sign of the drug lords but there was none.
"Alright the coast is clear let's go." He said and helped Dick to his feet. He could tell Dick was very weak and wasn't even sure if he would make it all the way to the cave on foot. He would have to hijack a car of some sort to get him there.
"It's alright Grayson, just lean on me and we will get you there alright?"
Dick nodded he was in tremendous pain and felt like he might pass out at any moment but he tried to stay strong.
Jason found a car not far from the warehouse and was able to hotwire it without much of a problem. Dick opened his mouth to say something but decided that since Jason was saving his life he had better shut up.
Bruce saw the car coming up the driveway about a mile before it was actually anywhere near the cave. He didn't recognize it but decided to let it come in anyway and not activate the security systems on it. He was curious to see who could possibly be driving the vehicle. Only a select group of people knew about the batcave and where it was. So he knew that only a select group of people could be in that car. He got into battle stance ready for anything. But he wasn't prepared for what he saw when the car pulled into the cave.
"Hey big man, Dickie-bird here is hurt and needs some assistance alright? I think he might have some internal injuries."
Bruce was so shocked at the sight of Jason that for a second he didn't respond.
"Ja-Jason?"
"Yeah…didn't you hear me? Dick is hurt!"
Bruce looked over and saw Dick sitting in the car next to him.
"Oh my God Dick! Are you alright? What happened?"
"It's a long story but basically Dick got shot and I took him here so he could get some help."
"You got shot? Oh my God let me see."
Jason helped Dick out of the car and put him on the medical table.
"Well we will need some kind of a scan or something to see exactly what happened and what kind of damage there is but I think you are going to be okay. The wound is deep but it looks like it hit mostly muscle. I don't think it is anything that Alfred can't fix."
"That's great" Dick said.
Alfred came down and put Dick under general anesthesia while he operated on him. Bruce was right there was no severe internal damage; nothing that Alfred couldn't fix anyway. Jason stayed for a while just to make sure Dick was alright. He and Bruce didn't talk though. They just sat in complete silence while Alfred worked. It seemed to Jason as though Bruce wanted to say something to him but just couldn't get it out. At least that's what it seemed like but maybe Jason was just crazy. He sure had some things he wanted to say to Bruce but… he just couldn't get them out. Also he wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to say them, wasn't sure of the reaction he would get so he just kept silent. After what seemed like an eternity Alfred came over and told them that he was all finished and that everything had gone smoothly and that Dick was going to be fine, though he would be out for several more hours. Jason was relieved and Bruce seemed relieved too though he didn't say anything just nodded in agreement.
"Well I think I am going to get going now that Grayson is alright."
Bruce just nodded and went back to his work.
Jason sighed and turned to leave. What was he expecting anyway? Bruce would never change and Jason would never get what he wanted out of him. He wanted so badly for him to come over and hug him and hold him. He just wanted him to say that he still loved him and thank you for saving Dick's life and would he please stay and hang out with him? But he knew that Bruce would never do anything of the sort he was too damn stubborn to ever admit any feeling or emotion. Just thinking about it made Jason so angry and sad that he almost cried out loud but he managed to remain strong and just kept moving to the exit.
Then suddenly something happened that shocked Jason to his core.
"You can come over whenever you want you know. The door is always open."
Jason turned and just stared at Bruce. He was still staring at his computer screen and wouldn't look at him but Jason knew that this was Bruce's way of letting him in and saying all those things that Jason had been dying for him to say without actually saying them.
"Thanks old man. I will definitely take you up on that."
Bruce nodded and although Jason couldn't see it he smiled a little bit. Maybe one day Jason would finally be able to come back to fold. Maybe this was the first step in the right direction. Maybe that was a completely vain and foolish hope. Bruce didn't know. All he could do was hope.
As Jason drove out of the cave he couldn't help but think about the events of the night. Although he and Bruce had completely different methods of doing things and probably always would he couldn't help but feel like the door between him and Bruce had been left open. Maybe at some point in the future they could be on good terms and at least be friends if nothing else. It was probably a completely vain and foolish hope but hey he could dream couldn't he?
