A/N—Thanks to Ares-81 for the beta, his encouragement and knowledge of the main characters. Please read and review.
Spoilers—Batman and Robin #16
Disclaimer—All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
If everything we've got is blowing away
We've got a rock and a rock till our dying day
I'm holding on to you, holding on to me
Maybe it's all we got but it's all I need
You're all I need
And if all we've got, is what no one can break,
I know I love you, if that's all we can take,
The tears are coming down, they're mixing with the rain,
I know I love you, if that's all we can take—All I Need by Matt Kearney
Chapter 4—You're All I Need
Donna didn't even notice the tear that ran down her cheek as she saw Dick's pale face as he lay in the hospital bed. She had been in shock since Tim's phone call.
"What in the name of Hades did you just say?" Donna yelled into her communicator.
"Dick's been shot in the head by an impact bullet. It cracked his skull and caused a hematoma. He's in surgery right now to drain the blood and relieve the pressure on his brain," Tim explained.
"How did it happen?" Donna said as she grabbed the one pair of jeans she had in her room and pulled them on.
"Dr. Simon Hurt, who it turns out is a semi immortal evil ancestor of Bruce, shot him. But Bruce was able to take him out and Dick and Damian stopped a bomb before Damian got him to the hospital. A nurse just came out and informed us that the surgery is going well and the surgeon should be finished soon. Looks like Dick will be sedated for a while though," he explained.
"I can be there in an hour. Which hospital?" she asked
"Gotham Memorial. I figured Dick would want me to call you. See you in a bit," Tim said before ending the communication.
Donna didn't bother to analyze why Tim would think Dick would want her to be called. He was one of her best friends and they'd always been there for the other when they could be. She grabbed a black hoodie and zipped it over the tank she'd worn to bed, ran a brush through her sleep-tussled hair and pulled it into a ponytail. A pair of gym shoes later and she was flying toward Gotham.
Now seeing him, the dam on her emotions seemed to burst. She sat next to his bed as she held his hand and the tears just started to fall. So much bad had happened this year and so many friends had gone away that even though Dick was going to be just fine, she was crying anyway. He was her rock steady friend that was always there when she needed him and just the thought that he might have died tonight put her over the edge.
She laid her head on the edge of the bed and just cried. She cried for Bobby and she cried at the memory of crushing his zombie skull. She cried out all the hate and rage she'd felt as a Black Lantern. She cried for Terry and Garth. Sweet wonderful Garth, who was one of her oldest friends, and whom she'd watched grow from a boy to a man. And she cried for Roy and Lian. Lian, a girl she had loved like a daughter, had died a senseless death. Lian, who like Bobby, would never grow up, never fall in love and never get to experience all the wonderful things life had to offer such a wonderful girl. Roy, probably her first crush and love, lost without his child and messed up on drugs. Roy, now a man who had killed for revenge. Donna's body was shaking with pain as she sobbed. Sometimes it was just too much.
"He is going to be fine you know. There's no reason to cry like that," said an imperious voice from behind her.
Donna lifted her head off the bed and turned to see Damian Wayne staring and her. She could feel her cheeks flaming red at being caught crying like a baby. She was a tough Amazon warrior and it was completely embarrassing to be told by a child to settle down.
Donna quickly wiped her face with her free hand a said, "Yes, I know. I guess I've always been the worrier among the Titans and now the Justice League." She just hoped he would buy that explanation. Donna wasn't usually one to cry but she usually was the one to sit by bedsides when one of her friends were hurt.
Damian just raised a skeptical eyebrow at her statement and said, "Maybe you shouldn't get so emotionally attached to your teammates."
Donna just stared at him for a moment as she processed his statement. Her "teammates" had always been her family. Maybe not so much lately, but the thought of not building close friendships with her colleagues was just alien to her. She felt irritated by his judgment and the superior tone in his voice. Then she noticed how Damian kept glancing at Dick and she noticed brief flashes of worry he was trying to hide. She finally saw the scared little boy hiding behind an arrogant attitude. In that moment, she knew one thing for sure, that Damian loved Dick Grayson.
Dick had told her much about Damian. Assassins had raised the boy and his mother, Talia, wouldn't be winning any mother of the year awards any time soon. Apparently though, Dick had won him over and given him the love that he had so desperately needed. She smiled thinking about how caring Dick was and how he was able to get through to even the worst demon child.
"Well I've known Dick since I wasn't much older than you so I guess the not getting attached ship has sailed, but I'll keep your advice in mind for the future," she said with a rueful smile.
Damian sighed as he moved closer to the bed. "He's in a medically induced coma to give his brain time to heal. He won't be conscious for a few hours at least."
"That's okay I don't mind waiting," Donna replied. "But I guess I could use a trip to the rest room. Why don't you sit with him while I'm gone?" Donna sensed his desire to be alone with his mentor and left the room to give them some time.
She splashed cold water on her face and held a cold, wet paper towel to her burning eyes to soothe them, then combed out her messy ponytail. After a few minutes she felt and looked much better. Donna honestly didn't know what to make of Damian. He certainly was arrogant but given how he was raised and how much Talia had messed him up in wasn't surprising. She figured that there was a scared little boy under the bravado. A little boy who was awake at four in the morning Donna suddenly realized. Tim had left when she arrived saying he had some business to take care of and neither Bruce nor Alfred had been here when she arrived. Tim said there were some problems in Gotham that Bruce needed to handle. So no one was here for Damian at the moment.
She headed back to Dick's room and heard Damian talking to the comatose man in the bed.
"Father is back so I guess you will be returning to being Nightwing. I don't know where that will leave me, as Father may not want me for a partner. But if I can't be Robin I don't know what I will do," Damian said softly and Donna saw a tear run down his cheek.
She pulled back and away from the door as sympathy for the obnoxious brat grew in her heart. She realized that Dick was the one person that Damian felt truly loved him. Dick had taken the time to try to understand him and to mentor him. Dick was probably the reason he wasn't the homicidal monster he was when he first came to Gotham.
Donna grimaced as she thought about how his family was neglecting him now. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and made a phone call before noisily entering Dick's room giving Damian time wipe any tears from his face.
"You really don't need to stay. Like I said before, he won't be awake for hours and I doubt he would even care that you were here," Damian said while giving Donna a cold and dismissive glance.
Donna was not about to be put off by his attitude again. "When was the last time you ate or slept?"
"What does it matter to you? You are not my mother or any female of importance in my life," he replied coldly.
"Come on, there is a twenty-four hour cafeteria in the lobby. I'll buy you breakfast then maybe you can get some rest," Donna stated.
"My father can go for days on nothing but coffee and a few hours of sleep, so there is no reason I can't do the same," Damian replied.
"Your father is a grown man and you are a child who needs sleep and nutrients to grow. You wouldn't want to stunt you growth and be forever shorter than Tim now would you?" Donna said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
Damian gave her a hateful look before saying, "Fine," and storming out of the room. Donna couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she followed him.
They filled their trays with scrambled eggs, toast and fruit. Donna vetoed Damian's request for coffee and grabbed two milks instead. They ate in silence and Donna had to swallow her laughter a few times as Damian continued to give her petulant looks but had no problem scarfing down all the food on his tray. They were just finishing up when the person that Donna had called arrived.
"Master Damian you are supposed to be home in bed and not sneaking out in the middle of the night for no reason," Alfred stated.
"Pennyworth, do not presume that you have the authority to tell me what to do," Damian stated.
Alfred, not one to stand much nonsense, grabbed Damian by the ear and led him not so gently towards the door while ignoring Damian's protests. "Thank you, Ms. Troy for watching out for him. We are most grateful."
"No problem Alfred, I'll see you later. Bye Damian," Donna said in a friendly voice.
"Piss off," Damian said as Alfred dragged him out. Well I guess I won't be on his Christmas card list anytime soon, Donna mused with a smile.
She returned to Dick's room and wrapped her hand around his limp one. She smiled as she stared at his sleeping face and her heart filled with the love that had always been between them. No matter what she knew that wouldn't change but death would take him away. She was just going to have to be more vigilant in protecting the people she loved.
Dick felt as though his head was stuffed with cotton as he slowly returned to consciousness. His mouth was dry and there was a dull ache in his head but he also became aware of a warmth surrounding his right hand and a weight resting against his thigh.
He slowly opened his eyes to see a dark head lying on the bed. He blinked a few times to clear his vision and focused on Donna's sleeping face. He smiled at the childlike innocence her face wore in sleep. With her hair tied back into a ponytail she looked almost exactly like she did when he'd first met her all those years ago. Halcyon days when they believed they could take on the world and win. For a moment Dick relished those memories as he stared at her beautiful face.
Too bad the years had not coincided with all their childhood dreams of invincibility. They'd lost many friends in one way or another, but here was Donna, by his bedside like she had been countless times before. He'd sat with her too many times as one of their own lay injured. His mind moved to the last time when it had been Roy. Donna was so strong and fierce and she'd have done anything to help Roy, but he'd rejected and insulted her. While Dick loved Roy like a brother, part of him had always felt that Donna was too good for him. He had to admit that he was glad when they'd finally moved on from each other. He just hoped someday some guy would love her like she deserved. That thought though strangely made his chest hurt and it became even harder to swallow. He needed some water.
He squeezed Donna's hand and immediately she awakened. She stared at him for a moment with a confused expression.
"I need some water," he whispered in a scratchy voice.
Donna took a moment to process what he'd said before saying, "Oh, okay."
She rose from his bedside and went to the plastic pitcher and filled a small cup. She inserted and bent a straw before returning to his beside and putting it to his lips.
Dick slowly drank the water and enjoyed how the cool wetness soothed his dry mouth and throat. After a few seconds he moved his mouth away from the straw and laid back on the bed.
"Thanks," Dick said as he closed his eyes and cocked his neck, trying to work out the kinks. He was a little surprised when he felt a, thankfully less than full strength, Amazon punch in his ribs. "Ow! What was that for?"
"For getting yourself shot!" Donna scolded. "And for being dumb enough to go back out on the job rather than going straight to the hospital!"
"It's not my fault! Really!" Dick protested, putting up his hands in surrender. "Extra stubbornness is built right into the cowl."
"We'll see how stubborn you're feeling when I stick that cowl so far up your rear you'll be able to taste it!" she warned, her face taking on a fierce look that the smile in her eyes conflicted with.
"Hey now you're really scaring me with that kind of talk," Dick quipped. "With this hospital gown's lack of coverage, I'm afraid you might actually do it."
He received another shot to the ribs for his troubles before she took his hand again.
"I'm serious Dick," Donna said in an almost somber tone. "With everything that's happened lately, I'm not sure I could take losing another friend. Losing you…"
"Hey, Sweetheart," Dick answered her as he pulled her hand up to his face and kissed it. "I'm not going anywhere. You're going to have to put up with me for a long time yet. You'll be wiping the drool off my chin and reprimanding me for pinching the nurses' butts at the nursing home."
"That's good," Donna said with a smile. "Because if you think you're leaving me to lead the JLA on my own, you've got another thing coming. I'll drag you out of the underworld by the ears if I have to!"
"Oh great," Dick said with mock sarcasm. "I'll have the ears of Prince Charles and a cowl hanging out of my ass. That's going to make it real easy to strike fear in the hearts of criminals" Dick mocked, saying the cliché line in his best Saturday morning cartoon voice and earning a hearty laugh from Donna.
Whatever pain and discomfort Dick still felt from his surgery was forgotten as the two childhood friends took turns coming up with scenarios of criminal's reactions to the ridiculous image and laughing themselves to tears.
They were both practically in hysterics when Tim walked into the room. "Man, I think I need to get shot in the head if being in the hospital is as fun as you two seem to make it."
Dick smiled at his younger brother. "Hey, how are things?"
"Pretty good. Bruce is taking care of some business but he should be by later," Tim replied.
Dick noticed Donna looking at her cell phone before she said, "I'll leave you gents to discuss the "family business" then. I have to get going, I have a shoot this afternoon."
She leaned forward and kissed Dick on the forehead. Dick savored her soft lavender scent for a moment before he received another tap in the ribs. "Ow," he screeched.
"You better follow doctor's orders or so help me Zeus you'll be sorry," Donna said with a stern look before turning to Tim. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid before that thick skull of his heals, okay."
"Yes Ma'am," Tim replied earning him a sweet smile from Donna as she left the room.
"Jeez, she's bossier than Cassie," he joked.
"I heard that," came a voice from the hallway, which caused both of them to laugh.
