Hospitals always made Ethan feel uneasy; the lingering atmosphere of misery in the air, clinical smells and desperate looking patients combined to make it an awful place to be. It was something Ethan could never force himself to get used to, no matter how many times he came here.
It wasn't like this normally but tonight seemed to be turning out to be one of those nights.
The usually docile waiting room was full of tired people crowded together in uncomfortable silence; some held loved ones close whispering to one another, others sat heads resting in the palm of their hands silently mourning while the rest nervously watched the staff members come and go.
Ethan stood far away from everyone else leaning against the wall near the nurses office, he hated crowds preferring to be in his own secluded space.
A stretcher wheeled past the teenager an unconscious man atop of it, Ethan could see blood soaking through the guy's shirt and he looked away clenching his jaw.
There had been a mass shooting in bar not two blocks from here, if the whispers going round were to be believed it had something to do with Two-Face but nobody was willing to speak about it openly, too fearful of being over heard by the wrong person.
It made Ethan angry.
He didn't think anyone should be afraid to speak their mind.
If he tilted his head just right Ethan swore he could hear the sirens wailing away in the streets outside, although Ethan struggled to remember a time he couldn't hear sirens in Gotham, if anyone else in the room could hear them they made sure to pretend they didn't.
It left a sour taste on Ethan's tongue watching these people, he thought about what some of them might have witnessed tonight.
Had they seen people die? People they know? People they love?
Had they discovered how quickly their situation can change in this city.
Ethan hoped not, he hoped they weren't experiencing what he had all those years ago. One night was all it had taken to turn his entire world upside-down...
All of the seriously injured patients were immediately wheeled past Ethan further into the hospital, only a few in the waiting room were hurt nothing life threatening mainly scrapes and bruises, the more serious damage was in their hearts and minds.
But the image of their suffering burned itself into Ethan's mind bringing up memories of a boy sitting in this exact room, with the exact same expression, trying to hold together a life that was crumbling away.
Ethan clenched his fists tightly. He pushed away those thoughts, he had only come to check on his mother, she hadn't been a victim of this latest outburst of gun violence but she was still a victim of the endless turf wars that ran in Gotham's underbelly.
It had been Black Mask back then now it was Two-Face, different villains same affect, innocent people die.
Sick bastards the lot of them. Ethan thought spitefully.
Ethan noticed a young girl clutched tightly in her mother's arms watching his hands with wide eyes, realization dawned on him as he looked down at his clenched fists inwardly cursing at himself for his lack of control. He had turned his fists to crystal again.
As he relaxed his muscles the crystal turned back to flesh which made the girl gasp, Ethan made a quick exit not giving anyone else time to notice or question him.
Fear made people do dumb things and he didn't need them turning into an angry mob because he was pissed at the world and couldn't control his powers.
Ethan rounded the corner honing in on the nearest unoccupied nurse he could see, the man he walked up to was scribbling away on a notepad but looked up when he approached. If Ethan had taken the scowl off his face in time the man might have been more welcoming to him instead the nurse tensed warily watching the teen get closer.
Ethan stood tall, wide shouldered and muscular. His Mother had always said that he took after his Dad although Ethan was more slight than he had been.
"Can I help you?" The nurse spoke with a guarded tone.
"I need to see my Mom"
The male nurse sighed.
"I'm sorry kid, but if she's in surgery you are going to have to wait, we're-"
"Busy. I know. Any idiot can see that. And she's not in surgery, she's a long time patient over in the B wing, Mary...Mary Tucker , I've got ID if you need it, all I need to do is check up on her"
Again the nurse sighed this one heavier and weighed with stress.
"With everything going on today we can't afford to turn our focus elsewhere"
Ethan felt himself grow desperate.
"Please, I can't...I can't wait in that room anymore, I just need to make sure she's okay then I can go home"
The nurses eyes were sympathetic knowing how awful it was to see all those people forced here by the actions of one mad man.
Ethan also suspected that the nurse recognized him, he was a regular visitor to the hospital after-all and if he knew who he was then he probably knew about the sad story attached to the name Tucker.
He didn't say anything more instead he nodded ushering Ethan down the corridor buzzing him through the security doors into B wing and quickly escorting him towards his Mother's room.
Despite all the chaos going on this hospital was one of the best there was, it wasn't anything like Gotham Central but for those with strained health care costs it was practical.
The nurse lead Ethan down familiar hallways buzzing open another set of security doors then stopping outside of a single red door, again he didn't speak instead he gave Ethan a gentle pat on the back then turned on his heel leaving the teenager to see himself in.
Ethan had been here a few days ago, following the exact same routine he always had; check up on her, stare at her till his eyes burned, get himself upset about how unfair the world was then leave before his powers started acting up.
As much as it pained him to see her like this Ethan kept coming back, he had to, he needed to see her so he knew why he kept trying.
Mary Tucker lay as she had for years brown hair gathered around her head like a halo steady pulse and the ghost of a smile on her lips.
Ethan immediately snapped up the clipboard at the end of her bed as he entered sitting down next to her. He couldn't make much from the information on it but reading seemed to calm him down a little.
After failing to understand any of the medical jargon he put the clipboard back watching his Mom rest.
"Hey Mom"
He waited hopefully, praying that today might be the day she spoke back.
But there was no response.
Ethan swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He knew she could pull through no matter how long it would take, she was strong, she'd survive this. But he missed her terribly, these last few years had been hard.
His parents had moved to Gotham freshly wed each filled with the dream of helping to change a city drowning in its own shadow. Naturally they joined the GCPD, working long hours while juggling a toddler, they gave it their all both at work and at home, Ethan always remembered seeing them smile, they were good people, too good for Gotham.
But nothing lasts forever. Ethan thought miserably.
A few years ago Black Mask had tried to over-throw the Falcone family turning entire neighborhoods into war zones as he men warred with the Mafia. The GCPD scrambled to get a hold of the situation trying to protect Gotham's citizens.
His parents were caught in the crossfire.
Ethan blinked at the moisture welling up in his eyes gently grasping her hand, adding great care to watch his super-strength.
His family had never been thinkers they were people of action, living in the here and now, they had never planned for the 'what ifs' and so they hadn't saved money to fall back on in hard times.
Ethan quickly learnt that Gotham's people were unsympathetic when payments were due.
They were going to lose the apartment, their home, he couldn't just sit by and do nothing, there was only so many times he could deal with their landlord angrily banging on their door. So Ethan did what he could. He left school before finishing hounding job after job, walking the streets for hours just looking for something, anything, to get by only to be turned away.
And in the end he had to brake the one rule that his parents had made him live by.
Never use your powers for personal gain.
In hindsight Ethan could see no other choice. Nobody would employ a kid, too much of a liability they said, get lost they said. So he took matters into his own hands.
Dad was gone and Mom was in a coma what else could he do...?
He started to commit small harmless crimes in the night, stealing mostly, taking just enough to keep the wolves at bay never anything more. Shops; cash registers, bank machines anything that was easy for him to get his hands onto and rip open.
Ethan justified it to himself by following a set of rules. He only took what he needed; he never hurt anyone, he kept out of gangs and their constant in-fighting knowing that he could do all kinds of damage if he got involved with them and he made sure to maintain a low-profile both from the GCPD and Gotham's underbelly.
His parents had paid for ultimate price because of gang violence. There was no way Ethan could do that to someone else, he didn't have the stomach for it no matter how well the criminal world might pay.
Ethan's parents always said that the fight wasn't worth it if you sacrificed your soul to win.
The teen didn't think he had lost his soul yet. He wasn't stupid he knew sooner or later someone would catch onto a meta-human thief, he'd even had a few close calls with the GCPD. He spaced out his crimes, going further and further out to avoid hitting the same places too often, he kept his thievery quick and clean leaving no traces behind him. He needed to be careful because there was one person in Gotham he did not want to draw attention from.
The Batman.
People were scared to talk about Two-face and his thugs, but they were down right petrified of even mentioning him, the gangs feared him, the GCPD avoided talking about him publicly declaring him a vigilante terrorist, but secretly praised him for making their lives easier.
Some of the things Ethan had heard were scary.
Entire criminal organisations crippled over night, the most fearsome villains alive brought down with one strike, there was no mistaking it, Ethan wouldn't stand a chance versus the Batman if he were discovered.
But despite this risk he knew he had to keep going.
Ethan had to keep his Mom's treatment progressing. He had to save her.
He just needed to get enough money, enough to get her back on her feet and for everything to go back to the way it was. Then when she was fit and healthy again they could work something better out, they could be a family again.
Ethan squeezed his Mother's hand just a bit tighter.
"I love you...I'll get you out of here, I promise"
And with that final declaration Ethan left feeling the weight settle on his shoulders.