Jason took a steadying breath as he leaned against the arm of the easy chair in the living room of the Manor. His stump was irritated after re-breaking the skin and his therapist, Gale, was not too happy about the situation. Jason just wanted to give up and even considered just using his wheel chair than deal with all this. He groaned as Gale's voice rang through the room, stern and compassionate. "Come on Jason, you just need to work your way around the room one more time and we can call it a day."
Gale had come highly recommended from Dr. Thompson and Bruce had contacted her the moment that Jason's condition had started to improve the slightest. With Jason's wide range of injuries the doctors had put him in a medically induced coma which had lasted days longer than expected. By the time he was even conscious to the world, Jason's muscle tone had nearly vanished, turning from a well muscled athlete to a sickly looking patient. The lost of his leg had made any recovery therapy harder as he had to adjust to the lose and make up for it. Gale and her team were there from the beginning and she was becoming like a rock for the hurting teenager. Not that he would tell her that, after all of Dick's teasing about his crush on the older woman.
"I already made three trips around. Why do I have to do anymore." Jason complained, pushing off the chair and walking to Gale and his new favorite chair. It was big enough for him to curl up on, and with a blanket, he could forget about his missing limb.
Gale put her hands on her hips and followed Jason with her eyes. "We've been working on this for over a month now Jason since you got out of the hospital. Your recovery was amazing, but you still have much to do. How do you plan on being independent when you can't even walk around for more than 20 minutes."
Jason sat in the chair next to Gale as he finally finished his work out. He grabbed his water bottle and drank from it greedily. "I try, it just doesn't seem to be getting any easier." He looked at the crutch leaning against the back of his chair, not for the first time cursing his body's current weakened state.
"Nothing worth having is easy." Gale replied, dropping down to be even with the seated teen. Her face was kind and caring seemed to radiate from her eyes as she asked. "Have you been eating regularly. I know you said you have but you barely seem to be gaining weight and...?"
Jason's face turned from shame and then anger. Eating large quantities since he had been allowed to eat solid foods was something that Jason struggled with, even with the protein and supplemental shakes that were stocked in his room for such reasons. Jason, not being one to complain, was not planning to talk to anyone about his. Jason was the one adamant about not seeing a psychologist, in that he had Bruce, Alfred, and Dick for such reasons. He also wondered how he could even go about having a shrink without revealing his past and the others' current night time activities.
"I'm eating just fine." Jason finally says after a moment, trying to convey a sense of finality in his statement.
Gale just stands as the doors to the room open and Dick walks in, smile on his face. "Already done, Jaybird?" Standing behind Jason's chair, he gently musses up Jason's short hair.
"Obviously, Dickie. I mean, unless therapy is as easy as sitting on my ass." Jason replies, a genuine smile on his face if only because Dick brings in happiness with him.
Gale takes a step back from the boys and smiles to herself. She was worried when Bruce Wayne had come to her small office with Leslie's referral. The man was a mystery to the world, and at the time a media sensation following the fact that his foster child was in critical condition. Her first impression of Mr. Wayne was that he was aloof, going over all of Jason's case like it was a textbook example. She was not even convinced she would take the case until she came to the hospital a few days later to talk to Jason's primary doctor and saw Bruce with the boy, the broken expression his face he wore until he noticed he was not alone. That was the moment she decided to take Jason as her primary patient.
While Mr. Wayne had been a mystery, Gale was probably more surprised by Dick Grayson. A former ward of Bruce Wayne, their fallout had been a media frenzy within Gotham's gossip circuit for months. From scandal to rebellion, no one was able to pinpoint what had caused Gotham Academy's resident 'Golden Boy' to drop out of Gotham State and move halfway across the country to become a cop in Bludhaven. The more surprising thing was his recent relocation back to Wayne Manor in the last six months. With the media silence from the Wayne Estate, gossip circles seemed to rotate on the Wayne 'family'. From tales of sex and abuse scandals to assassination attempts, the name of Wayne in Gotham was either pitied or spat on.
Gale however could see the truth in the days that she spent with her patient. While Bruce was largely absent save for weekly updates in his study, Dick was with Jason every step of the way. Maybe it was protectiveness, or maybe it was something else, but Gale never asked because she could see it was good for Jason. Jason was able to open up to Dick and, with something that could not really be pinpointed to a single emotion, she could see that he wanted to impress the older man. Dick had become Jason's center, and as long as that could hold maybe Jason had a chance.
Watching her patient and his foster-brother, Gale just hoped that maybe the both were enough to work out any problems that will occur before things could possibly shatter.
***Five Months Ago, Gotham Memorial***
Dick was asleep at Jason's bedside, a book on the ground and his head near Jason's shoulder. Jason was supposed to have had woken up two days before, and though the doctors' prognosis was positive, Dick had not left Jason's side for more than a few minutes. Bruce had stopped coming after Jason's initial prognosis had changed. After that Batman was seen more in Gotham than ever before, coming out at all hours. Bruce hardly slept, even more so than usual, and Dick wanted nothing more than to knock him out.
Following that first day in Gotham, the first Dynamic Duo hardly spoke a word to the other. The only space they shared was Jason's room, but they were world's apart. Dick took up a seat by Jason's bed, talking to him about nonsensical things from what the weather was like to some new heroes Dick had just met. Bruce on the other hand was silent and distant. He sat in a chair, contemplating with a blank face.
A hand on his shoulder woke Dick up and he turned to see Alfred with a small sad smile on his face. "Master Richard, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment."
Rubbing his neck as he tried to work out the knot that had formed from his awkward sleeping position, Dick nodded and stood. "What can I do for you Alfie?"
Alfred was a Godsend, something that Dick had wholehearted agreed on since the day he had met him. From being a caregiver and council to Dick since the moment he stepped foot in Wayne Manor, Dick was willing to do just about anything for the older gentleman. He however would rather not do what Alfred was about to ask him to do. "This may sound improper, but I need you to bring Master Bruce home. He has been out on the streets for over four days now and is ignoring my calls. I would do this myself if I could, but with circumstances being what they are, I cannot do so."
Dick looked at Jason and then Alfred. "He's being a stubborn ass about this, don't even try reprimand me on this Alfred." Dick narrowed his eyes. "I'll go talk to him. Don't know if he'd listen, but I'll try."
"That's all I can ask, Master Dick." Alfred paused, and picked up the book on the floor and set it on the side table. "I'll of course stay with young Master Jason."
"Thank you Alfred. I'll be back soon." With that Dick left the room with a backpack over his shoulder. For once he was glad that Bruce had taught him to always carry a spare suit.
Nightwing found Batman in an alley, punching the face of some low-level thug. The face of the man was already starting to swell, letting Dick know that Bruce was taking his time with this man's beating. Jumping down and grabbing Batman's arm, Dick was instantly thrown to the other side of the alley.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Batman said as he turned around after knocking out the thug.
Dick dusted off his shoulder as he stood up. "Our mutual friend was concerned. Said you haven't been home in a few days."
There was a look of anger as Bruce stepped closer to Dick, but Dick continued to talk. "Makes sense though. You can't be in control of Robin's condition so of course you have to come out here and beat the shit out of low lifes."
There was an instant change in Batman's glower, from annoyed to furious. Launching himself at Nightwing, he pinned him to the wall. "Once again you have no idea what you are talking about." He snarled. The only difference in this time from the first night at the hospital was that Bruce's first found its way across Dick's face, sending him again to the alley's floor.
"Could fool me, you know." Dick responded as he wiped a bit of blood from his lip. "As this protesting could get one to think you no longer want the burden. So what is it?" Dick rushed to Batman, swiping Bruce's legs from under him, "Do you just don't want to be Bruce Wayne anymore, or do you want to go on like this solo?" Nightwing pinned Batman to the ground, a feat that would no be possible without Bruce's current four days without sleep.
Batman thrashed at Nightwing's hold, eventually throwing the smaller man off. "This isn't about either of those things. Robin knew what he was getting into when this all started..."
"Neither of us knew what we were getting into with this, Bruce!" Nightwing yelled as he charged at Batman, tackling him to the ground. "I was a child, and he still is." He started to punch Bruce in the face, a punch accenting every other syllable. "Looking for something to be part of. Lost. Broken. And you took us in, gave us something to hold onto. We never asked for you to care, God only knows if Jason would even know what being cared about feels like if not for Alfred. But you can't just take that away from him. He's going to wake up and be even more lost and broken. He'd find out what he is losing..."
Dick stopped mid punch and got off of Bruce. There was obvious distress in Bruce's face, some emotions that Dick never thought he would see in his former guardian's face. But he was not going to let it deter him, there was too much that could happen with or without this conversation. "I'm not going to leave this time Bruce. Someone will have to be there for him, and obviously you can't be." Jumping up to grab the ladder of the fire escape, he added, "He'll still need you, just not this side of you." With that he left, leaving Batman to pick himself up and return to the cave. No one saw Batman for a week after this, and Bruce Wayne was only seen at Gotham Memorial when Dick left for the night.