"Doctor?" The blonde haired nurse inquired.
The middle aged man with greying hair and blue eyes lost in deep thought, reclining in his cushioned chair, so far oblivious to the presence of the nurse, sat up suddenly. For a moment he seemed to look at the nurse blankly, then recognition flared in his eyes and he recollected where he was.
"Leslie!" he exclaimed, a little sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I was...elsewhere."
"Wondering if it will be a boy or a girl?" the nurse teased.
"Indeed," the doctor chuckled, "How is Martha?"
"Dr. Kinsolving says the delivery will happen any time now. He asked me to send for you," Leslie said, "You'd better get there soon, sir."
Dr. Thomas Wayne was well loved by the hospital staff. The city had been through torrid times with the rising crime rates and subsequently high mortality figures. The doctor was a famous figure in the city, being one of its most prominent citizens and its best surgeon. The Waynes came from generations of old money. Money that had come from seemingly bottomless coffers and had been spent in the welfare of the city. When the crime rates had escalated, the doctor had donated large amounts to the families of the affected and had been responsible for saving countless lives in the operation theatre with nothing but his mind and his hands. As the times grew darker, Dr. Wayne remained one of the few honest men in the city, tirelessly working to restore equilibrium in the city that generations of his family had belonged to. His resources, however, could only do so much.
Crime was still increasing at an exponential rate in the city and the corruption running rampant through the police department and the law institutions had only worsened the situation. Just about every tramp in the city seemed to have a firearm with him. Every small argument in the street seemed to end with a stab wound or a gun shot. Prostitution and drugs ran rampant on the streets, hand in hand, roping in young innocents by the day. The police department observed from afar, incapable of enforcing any law. Then again, the rumours said they were involved in every vice operation themselves.
Sitting in the casualty ward, as Wayne had pondered over the new lows the city was sinking to, he had almost forgotten his wife was scheduled to deliver their first child today. 5 deaths today, unaccounted for, results of random muggings. 5 families broken, he couldn't help thinking. When would it stop?
"Yes doctor?" Leslie interrupted from somewhere.
"Pardon me?"
"You muttered something about wanting it to stop."
Wayne sighed.
"It's getting worse, Leslie. People are afraid of getting out of their houses after the sun goes down."
"Down where I live near the docks, people are afraid to get out even when the sun is up."
The doctor glanced sideways at Leslie, walking in the direction of Martha's room.
"How do you live in a place like that?"
"I got my old man to take care of, sir. Between us and the cat there's barely an extra cent to go around. Won't be any muggers coming after us."
"Poor girl. It will get better, I promise."
"Way I see it, doc, ain't much we can do for that. The whole city is turned rotten. Politicians won't step in, they're getting their share of the pie. And the mob keeps growing bigger."
Wayne was silent for a moment.
"5 dead today Leslie. 8 shot, 3 came in fast enough to be helped. The other five..."
"There's only so much even you can do, Doctor. And you've done a lot to make things better, but how much can one man do?"
"True. One man against this madness would never last. One man isn't enough. We need more. We need hope that things will get better. We need inspiration."
The doctor trailed off as the pair approached the final stairwell leading to the gynaecology ward. Leslie suddenly lit up with a bright smile.
"Enough of this depressing news. Thought of a name yet, Doctor?"
The doctor smirked.
"You and Martha would get along perfectly. She kept raving about the names before the baby was born. She had her heart set on Catherine if it was going to be a girl."
"I approve," Leslie said with a smile, "My mother's name. And if it's a boy?"
"We're not sure about this one yet. I chose this one..." the doctor trailed off hesitantly.
"Come on, I'd like to know. What if it's a boy?"
" Then we'll call him Bruce. Bruce Wayne."