A single heart wrenching sob fell from the boys lips, as Alfred saw him look up and meet his gaze. Bruce was shaking ardently as Alfred scooted closer. Quickly, Alfred wrapped both hands around the boy and pulled him close.
Bruce didn't fight it as he felt Alfred place the fabric back under his nose. Soon, the gentle motion of being rocked began to soothe Bruce's nerves. Alfred winced every time he felt the boy jump at the sound of thunder.
Alfred jumped when he felt a cold hand push his own out of the way. Looking down, he saw Bruce was staring at the fabric. Leaning further in, he gasped as he saw the boys chin quiver.
"It's just...fabric...Master Bruce..." Alfred soothed.
The butler's breath caught when Bruce layed his head back, resting it against his chest. The boy began to breath loudly as visions from the trauma began to come to fruition. Alfred saw that Bruce's gaze was far off in the distance, but the moment he felt the boy's hands grab hold of his arm he felt his heart drop.
"Alfred?" Bruce asked, scant of breath.
"I'm here...I'm-" Alfred replied.
"ALFRED?" Bruce boomed, his voice laced with panic.
"Oi!" Alfred boomed. "I'm right here Bruce. I've got you."
"Help me..." Bruce pleaded, his voice wavering.
Alfred winced as he felt Bruce hold tighter to him. Grunting he maneuvered so that he was on his knee's, sitting behind the trembling boy. Gently, he placed his arms underneath Bruce's and pulled him up. He barely had time to stand before he caught Bruce as the boy began to sway unsteadily. Gingerly, he turned Bruce towards the bed. Bruce shook his head vehemently.
"I can't..."
"You have to res-" Alfred replied.
Before he could finish his sentence, Bruce burst into tears. Swallowing hard, Alfred moved next to Bruce and braced himself against the bed frame. His own eyes begin to pool with tears as he saw the distraught boy trying to calm himself. He nearly missed it when Bruce quickly placed both hands on the bed to catch himself. Looking down, Alfred gasped as he saw Bruce's legs where shaking horridly. Glancing up he saw Bruce's face was ashen.
"Bloody he-" Alfred stammered, standing suddenly.
With out a word, the butler scooped the trembling boy into his arms and placed him on the bed. Quickly, he pulled the covers out from underneath the boy and wrapped them around him tightly. Putting a hand to the boys head, Alfred hissed as he realized Bruce wasn't trembling. He was shivering. Inwardly, the butler chided himself as he realized Bruce was going into shock.