A/N: A HUGE thank you to anybody who reviewed! It was fantastic to get a little feedback!

"We need to talk..."

The words set the young man's heart crossways. How could Bruce possibly know he was in hospital? World's greatest detective, flashed in giant, patronizing neon before his eyes but still, all did not add up.

Yes, Bruce was his next of kin and should rightly be his emergency contact.

Should being the pivotal word in that statement.

He had recently removed Bruce's name from the emergency contact slot. It now remained blank. The man himself was unaware and Dick knew that though the subject would inevitably arise one day. He would happily delay such a chat. Not because he did not have an argument to give, if he didn't what need would there be to do something so drastic?

His point was simple. Bruce was possessive, was so out of good will but it was that same suffocating behaviour which drove him out of Gotham to begin with. Now, whenever a tough patrol landed him in A&E and a call went out to Bruce, the both the Bat's physical and metaphorical grip would drag him back.

He'd made the call in a flush of anger, not with such much needed foresight.

"Mmhmm..." Dick mused softly, waiting on bated breath.

Bruce spoke to him in brief, clipped tones. "I know for a fact that a notorious hustler known as Jack Flash is hiding out in Blüdhaven. He's hiding from the Joker and his goons-I won't go into it but he has something of...a certain wealth to the Joker. It's important I get to him before anyone else does-"

Dick's relief was tangible. His whole body relaxed and he released that tense, laboured breath in relief. It came out as a sigh, one which caused the billionaire to pause.

"What?"

"Oh", Dick replied quickly, "nothing. Go on. I'm just stuck in traffic".

Bruce passed no further regards and continued to explain the necessity of this Jack Flash to his case. Whenever Dick questioned the case itself however, he would be promptly deterred.

And there lay the reason for Dick's decision.

He was sick and tired of Bruce knowing every detail which went on in his life and yet he only got glimpses of his adoptive father's in return.

"So?" The gruff voice commanded. "What have you heard?"

Dick rubbed his opposite temple as he answered down the phone. "Honestly, this is the first I've ever heard of "Jack"?" As he had for their entire conversation, any question's he asked were fairly non-place. After all he wasn't within the secure confines of his car. He was in a public place with potentially prying ears.

"Jack about Jack", he added with a small smirk, though Bruce did not care for his humour. "Well get on it, I can't afford to leave Gotham right now".

Dick began to question why but Bruce had already hung up.

He really must be stressed out with this case, Dick thought sombrely.

He tossed the phone down onto his lap and felt a wave of exhaustion overcome him. Still mulling over Bruce's mood, he sank into the comfort of sleep.

He left Blüdhaven General the next day with a new conspiracy in mind.

Hospitals were designed to make you sleep. The fluffy pillows, unparalleled stuffiness, all they were short of was handing him a glass of warm milk.

Didn't work though, he thought smugly as he wheeled himself rather haphazardly across the hospital courtyard. He'd made his great escape and the cool air of day had rid him of his haze.

Cautiously he experimented with steering the wheelchair. He'd received a crash course in how to earlier, unneeded really, there had been occasion where he'd stolen Barbra's. But there was a reason she would laugh from the couch when tried to do so because he'd crash within the first minute.

Just take it slow, Dick reminded himself.

He managed to find his way back to his apartment easily enough. He got a taxi from the hospital and finally made us of the building's elevator system. He was, pardon the pun, on a roll as he reached his front door safe and sound.

He quickly realised however that getting to his apartment really was the easy part. Making his way about the apartment was another story.

First of all, it required better steering. Second it meant little was at perfect arms reach. Of course he could push himself up and out of the chair if needs be to reach for the coffee tin or make his way to and fro from the bathroom or his bedroom.

The sheer pain and complexity of being out of the chair for more than a minute or two however had him near to collapse. So despite how frustrating he was finding the confines placed on him, he could not say it was unneeded.

He received another call from Bruce, waffling away at how he was still tracking down leads to do with the aloof Jack Flash. Bruce was displeased at the lack of progress his eldest was making but granted him another day.

How about another week at least, Dick thought tiredly. It would take him that length of time just to wrap his head around changing in and out of his clothes. And how would he manage to shower? Get groceries? These were his greatest concerns. Not the mission, not the Joker's latest go-to man.

He could not remember falling asleep, however he awoke to crick in his neck and realised he had done so in front of the television. A late night classic horror movie marathon, if he remembered correctly.

He'd compared many of the monsters, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, to some of Gotham's baddies, primarily Killer Croc.

He couldn't help but wonder that if met with the creature, would be able to take him? In a sudden burst of confidence since been struck by the car, he believed that yes, he could easily send the creature crying all the way home to Aquaman. He presumed, after all, that he, she, whatever it was, had to be a distant cousin of the Atlantean.

He could not daydream for long however. The real world called sharply and in the form of his growling stomach, that and an empty fridge.

It was time to face the unknown.

He managed to throw himself under the shower for a few minutes and carefully slip into a fresh set of clothes. Progress was slow but eventually, and he did so with quite the feeling of accomplishment, he made his way through the automatic doors of the nearest supermarket. It was a Polish food store located just around the corner from his building and though he would not be able to name half of what he would throw into his basket, perched precariously on his lap, all he needed to know was that it was edible. It certainly wasn't worth wheeling his way through the crowded streets for another fifteen minutes for another store.

The aisles were exceptionally narrow and though the wheel chair did fit, it took a little extra focus not to go careering into a shelf of tinned goods. He could hear another customer bustling impatiently behind him so he wheeled forward with a little extra vigour. The end of the aisle meant a sharp turn for him. He struggled twice to get in line before the snarky voice piped up from behind hurriedly. "Come on buddy, shift your ass already!"

His words had the desired effect. They brought Dick to a complete pause entirely. He craned his neck back and around hesitantly, his eyes widening.

"Jason?"

Whatever shock he felt was being equally reflected in his younger brothers. "Dick?" He exclaimed, only taking a short moment to look over his shoulder before shooting back to Dick. "What the hell-"

Again he checked over his shoulder and roughly grabbing the handles of the chair, he spun his older brother around to face him, sparing him no mercy for the injured apparently as he almost knocked Dick from the chair in the process. "Jeez Jason, take it easy", he barked.

Jason still stared at him with mouth agape, "is this...permanent?" He ventured lowly with his eyes narrowed and Dick could not tell if was cursing the "golden child's" own stupidity or the anger was directed elsewhere.

"No", Dick replied firmly, "and the sooner I can get out of it, the better!"

At this, Jason visibly relaxed but for the third time, he found the scene behind him utterly drawing.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Dick questioned suspiciously and Jason merely flashed him a large grin.

"What have you done?"

"Oh take a chill pill, Goldie", Jason steered Dick in a new direction, just as reckless with its passenger as he'd been before and quickly darted towards the back exit.

"What did you do?" Dick repeated. Gripping onto the armrest for dear life.

They met the alleyway with a clatter and it was then Jason let go of one of the handles to reach into his pocket and dangle packet of cigarettes in front of the older man's face. He also padded his pockets, informing of more stolen goods. "It's been a rough week", he justified his actions, "I thought I'd treat myself".

"At the owner's expense?"

Jason said nothing, merely letting out a throaty chuckle as he suddenly paused, jerking the chair to an abrupt halt. Was he purposely trying to unseat Dick? Maybe so, however the wince he caught, which marred acrobats face, erased the idea from his mind completely.

"I'm surprised the old man isn't making you rest your old bones back at the manor", sniggered Jason, "where are the readily fluffed pillows for the Golden boy?"

"Listen Jason", Dick scowled, "Bruce doesn't know, so don't go running back to him about this, alright?"

Jason cackled. "Who do you think I am? The replacement? When have I ever gone running to Daddybats?"

Dick's eyes were cool with resolve and he parted with Jason a short nod. He then turned the chair around and began in the opposite direction. However Jason swiftly blocked his exit.

"Whoa, so down there Hot-Wheels", he cautioned the first Robin and gestured towards infamous chair. "Explain this to me".

"There's nothing to explain", Dick snapped, "it was just a dumb mistake, I'm fine, alright?"

"I never asked", Jason replied curtly. "And if you ask me, it sounds like a pretty costly mistake too. So who was it?"

"It wasn't a who".

"What does that suppose to mean?" Jason exclaimed.

"Look Jason, I don't..." Dick tried to wheel around him but he did not get far, not with Jason's grip squarely on the eldest's forearm.

The man's head cocked slightly to the side curiously. "Tell me what's got you all in a twist, Dickiebird", he murmured.

Dick wasn't going anywhere until he relented. "It's Bruce..."

"Surprise, Surprise", chided Jason.

"Shut up", hissed Dick before composing himself. "He wants me to work a case for him and obviously I can't. So as nice as this little chit-chat is, I have just a few other things on my mind".

"Come clean?"

"I can't do that", Dick divulged but refused to admit to anymore when Jason questioned why.

Jason leant against the adjacent mood, reaching for his pocket for a cigarette he then lit and enjoyed a long drag of. "Well then, it's a shame you don't have another, non bat-brainwashed brother to do a little bidding for you".

Dick leaned back into his chair, almost business like in stature. His eye brows rose, "yeah, a true tragedy...because I could really use somebody like that right now..."

"Well aren't you lucky then Cinderella. You got yourself a fairy god mother", he sauntered over to tap the nearest wheel with his toe. "And a perdy carriage".

That's all for now, but there is more to come! :D

Once again a huge thank you for anyone who has enjoyed this so far and decided to follow it! Like last time, feedback would be most welcomed! :D