Nightwing's distraction had bought Bruce enough time to don the Bat Armor and neutralize all of the intruding talon soldiers. Damien then returned to help run Talon out of the Manor for good. Damien saved an injured Batman from Talon's blade and chose his father's side over Talon's. But then, in a sick twist, the villain killed himself by forcing Damien's sai into his throat.
Damien fell to the ground in remorse, thinking that his attempt at justice had been in vain and worried that he had disappointed his father. But Bruce picked himself up off the floor of the Cave and then helped Damien to his feet.
After making sure Damien was alright, Bruce and Damien embraced. Damien was upset and knew that it was not yet his time to join his father in Gotham City.
Bruce watched Damien's cape billow out behind him as he strode away from his father, wiping his teary eyes with the back of his gauntlet and making his way to the lift to go pack his things. Bruce smiled with pride, still in raptures about his own young son's heart and abilities, and delighted with the moment of bonding they had just shared with each other.
He was then interrupted by the urgent and concerned voice of Alfred.
"Sir, come quickly!" he shouted to Bruce. "Master Dick needs help!"
Bruce gasped. "Dick!" How could he have forgotten? The last time he had seen his eldest son, Dick was bleeding and limping and charging back into to battle.
"Where?" he called jumping up and glancing around the cave nervously.
"Up here, sir" called Alfred from the level containing the glass capsules of old uniforms.
Ignoring his own many injuries, Bruce limped up the stairs and over to where Alfred was standing, concealing a horrific sight.
Dick was pinned cruelly into the glass capsule containing his very own old Robin suit by two of Talon's deadly blades in each of his shoulders. He was slumped and bleeding heavily from his multiple wounds and his breath was shallow and wheezing.
"I tried to get him down, sir, but I'm just not strong enough," Alfred reported sadly to Bruce.
"It's ok Alfred, I'll get him down," said Bruce approaching Dick and slipping slightly in the blood on the floor that he hadn't noticed. "Call Leslie," he ordered at once.
"Master Bruce!" said Alfred alarmed noticing Bruce's three stab wounds and multiple lacerations. "You're hurt badly as well!"
"Like I said," grunted Bruce as he pulled both blades out of Dick's shoulders at the same time. Dick stirred, groaned in pain and fell. Bruce caught him in a rough hug and lowered him to the ground. "Call Leslie," he repeated urgently.
He heard Alfred's footsteps trail away as the older gentleman ran toward the communications unit to summon the only civilian physician that was trusted in the Wayne household.
Bruce looked down at his eldest partner in dismay. Dick was pale, shaking slightly and covered in blood.
Reaching down around Dick's torso to hold him in a stronger grip, Bruce felt the hilt of a weapon. Horrified, Bruce turned Dick slightly to see that he still had one of the talon knives from the library embedded deeply in his side- much more deeply than it had been initially.
"Dammit, Dick," whispered Bruce sadly in concern. He reached and pulled out the offending blade and threw it away from the pair in disgust. Dick groaned when the blade came free.
Bruce put his own gloved and shaking palm on the wound that now bled freely, held him tightly and checked his pulse. It was weak but it was there. "I've got you son, hang on."
Bruce reached down and gently pushed a sweaty lock of black hair out of Dick's eyes and removed his mask. As expected, Dick's eyes were closed. But he was still with him slightly.
"Bruce," he coughed and choked, blood leaking out of his mouth, his blue eyes blinking rapidly and trying to open, but failing. "Bruce… are you alright? Where's … where's Damien?"
"Fine, partner," soothed Bruce. "We're all fine, just stay with me. Breathe, Richard, and stay with me."
"Master Bruce!" cried Alfred running back to the pair clutching a first aid kit. "She's on her way. ETA ten minutes."
"Good," acknowledged Bruce shifting Dick slightly so that Alfred could get a better look at him and administer some much-needed first aid. "You hear that, partner?" said Bruce gently to his eldest son. "Doc's on her way. Hang in there."
Dick made no response but a slight groan in acknowledgement before finally completely losing all consciousness.
"Can you lift him, sir?" asked Alfred worriedly.
No response.
"Sir?" asked Alfred again.
"What?" said Bruce startled. He was having tough time staying awake too. "Oh, yes. I think so."
Looking at the Dark Knight, Alfred frowned. The older man's body was slumped over the younger and blood ran red down his black cape from two puncture wounds in his back.
But after a few more moments, Bruce gathered his remaining strength and lifted Dick up off the ground and carried him to an examination chair in the Cave's triage section.
Bruce stood over Dick as Alfred reclined the chair into a prone position, laying the younger hero completely flat and exposing his many injuries.
"Sir, please lie down," begged Alfred eyeing that many injuries that the Dark Knight was also sporting.
Bruce ignored the request. "How much longer until Leslie gets here?"
"She's at the gate, sir, driving up now," replied Alfred driving a wheeled desk chair into the back of the Dark Knight's knees.
"What the hell!" yelped the Dark Knight crashing heavily down into the chair, but lacking the energy to pick himself up out of it.
"It's for your own good, sir. I just can't lift you like I used to."
Bruce scowled at the butler but turned his attention back to Dick.
A minute later, the Gotham City Free Clinic's doctor announced her presence and rushed over to the triage area- an area of the Bat Cave that she was all too familiar with.