Four days later and Dick's luck had taken a turn for the worst. He had gotten through the first month of basic training, completed his college finals within two days as well as fought the Joker and Bane, led the team through a two part mission that was more or less smooth sailing, and most recently done a three hour stake out in the rain on a hunch that had fallen through and ended with him having to stitch up his leg were a knife had left a 6 inch long gash that was fairly deep.
That morning had proven to be no better. His leg throbbed with pain and the stitches had started to itch. His head pounded with sinus pressure and his chest hurt from deep coughs that irritated his cracked ribs. He shivered and curled under his pile of blankets, intent on staying in bed to sleep most of the day. Fate however, decided that was a stupid plan. His com unit chirped to life. He groaned and thought "Why me?" before placing it in her ear.
"Nightwing, go ahead."
"Hey NW," came the cheerful voice of Bart. The speedster started on a ramble the Dick caught every fifth word of. It was too early to try to understand speed talk.
"Bart stop, slow down."
"Oh, sorry. Well um funny thing happened, see we uh all wanted to try and make breakfast ourselves today and uh, you're totally gonna laugh, hehe, but we sorta blew up the kitchen in the process."
"YOU WHAT?" Dick shot up in bed, grimacing at the fast movement of his sore ribs and the wave of dizziness in his head.
"Dude, dude don't be mad we just wanted to try and do it for ourselves for once." Dick could feel his head pound even harder as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'll be there in five, don't touch anything." Ending the transmission, he threw the covers off, took another painkiller and pulled on his suit, the fabric uncomfortable over the stitches. He could feel the suit's biometric system trying to regulate is body temperature. With a sigh, he left his apartment though a secret passage way.
Recognized Nightwing B-01
When Nightwing stepped into the warehouse, he had to suppress a cough at the smell of smoke. He walked briskly towards the kitchen, his injured leg protesting at the rushed movement. M'Gann floated near the ceiling wiping off what appeared to have been pancake mix. Beast Boy stood on top of the fridge, cleaning what was once eggs off the cabinets while Impulse washed the dishes at a normal pace rather than with his super speed. Conner and La'Gann noticed him first.
"Uh, hey Nightwing," said the Atlantian sheepishly from where he was scrubbing the floor. He was met with a batglare.
"Whose idea was it?"
"Well, you see, we wanted to do something nice for M'Gann since she usually makes breakfast and well, I'm not sure what happened. One minute everything was fine and the next, stuff just started exploding." Dick glanced at Conner.
"Can you check for hidden heat areas," he asked. The clone nodded and blinked, turning on his heat vision. He slowly turned his head around the room until his gaze landed back on Nightwing. His friend was the hottest object in the room.
"Whoa," he said blinking back to normal vision.
"What is it?" asked Miss Martian.
"The only thing that is giving off a lot of heat is you Wing," the others looked at their leader who frowned.
"Huh?" he said as Megan flew down beside him. She reached up and touched his forehead.
"Holy crap Nightwing! You're burning up," she exclaimed as he brushed her hand away.
"I'm fine M'Gann," he insisted, stepping to the side. He was so focused on stepping out of her reach, that he knocked his injured thigh into the corner of an open cabinet. He stumbled, letting out a grunt of pain. His hands reflexively touched the injury as he doubled over. Conner caught him before he could fall.
"Oh my gosh! Boss, are you okay?" asked a frantic Garfield as he jumped over to the masked man who was trying to catch his breath.
"No he's not," replied the clone, "I smell blood."
"Let's get him to the Medlab," ordered M'Gann. Nightwing didn't protest as the dark haired teen wrapped his arm gently around his friend's waist and draped his arm over his shoulders. A painful sounding cough burst from Dick's throat, startling the others. Conner and M'Gann exchanged a look.
"Alright, Superboy and I will take care of Nightwing. You boys need to finish cleaning." The trio left without staying for protests from the boys. Nightwing stopped coughing as they reached the doors to the Medlab, his chest aching. Conner gently lowered his friend onto one of the beds. M'Gann went to grab a pair of shorts, sunglasses, and t-shirt for Dick to change into as Conner helped Dick remove his uniform. The younger ebony gritted his teeth as they pulled off his pants, revealing blood that ran down his leg where the stitches had broken open. M'Gann knocked on the door, handing Conner the clothes and informing his that she had called Wally and Artemis. Once Dick was changed and mask less, she entered and gathered the medical supplies. Taking a wet rag, she gently began to wash away the blood. She could feel him tense at her touch.
"Sorry," she murmured, taking a pair of tweezers to remove the broken treads. Conner opened the door before Wally and Artemis could knock. Both were dressed in civilian garb and frowning when they saw their friend on the bed, gripping the sheets in pain.
"What the hell were you thinking?" asked Wally as he walked over to his friend's side, "Are you trying to work yourself to death? It's been four days and you are supposed to be RELAXING!"
"Nice to see you too," grunted his best friend. Artemis placed her hand on his forehead.
"Shit Dick, how did you even get out of bed this morning?"
"With a call, ah, saying that the kitchen had been, ouch, blown up," he replied as M'Gann pressed a piece of gauze to the wound.
"And you didn't think that if you were sick and injured, we could handle it?" asked Superboy, clearly not impressed with the answer. Artemis went over to the medical cabinet and removed a thermometer. She shoved it into Dick's mouth, ignoring his glare as Wally gathered some painkillers.
"103.2!" she exclaimed when it went off. Wally glanced at his friend.
"Have you taken anything for the pain?"
"Yes," he hissed as M'Gann numbed the area with a shot.
"Sorry," she said once more. He began to cough again. Wally helped hold him steady as his body shook from the force of the coughs. Conner brought over a glass of water and handed it to him when he finished. His hands shook from the force of his coughs and Wally steadied it. Once he finished, Dick collapsed back into the pillows on the bed.
"Alright, hold still," ordered M'Gann after she had opened a fresh suture kit. Nightwing's face paled in discomfort at the needle pulling through his skin. Artemis reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"How did this one happen," asked Wally, trying to distract his best friend.
"Miscalculated and the guy got lucky with his knife," came the hissed reply. Conner brought a cold washrag over to the blond girl. She took it from him and gently wiped the sweat off of Dick's face.
"Shh," she cooed, "almost done and then you need to rest. You can't keep doing this to yourself."
"She's right man. It's not healthy." The ebony ignored them as Miss Martian wrapped a bandage around his wound.
"Rest Dick," she instructed as Artemis folded the newly wetted cloth over his forehead. Darkness crept into his vision and he drifted off before he could protest.
