Controlled
Chapter 4: The Confession
Hours later, Jason Todd had woken up with Bruce and Alfred right at his bed side. Jason was stripped down of all his clothing and his mask and given a pair of Bruce's old pajamas.
"B-Bruce?" Jason yawned. Jason slowly picked up his head. "OW!" he cried. Bruce ran over and held his head to guide it back down to the pillow. Jason stared at Bruce wondering what was going on.
"W-When did I get here…WHY am I here?" Jason asked.
"Rest." Was all Bruce had said.
"Why don't you ever answer any of my questions?" Jason started to snap.
"It's good to have you back, Master Jason. I have brought you some dinner." Alfred said. He put a tray full of food on his lap as Bruce helped Jason sit up and put pillows behind his back. Jason looked at the food like he was a child getting a present. It seemed as if he didn't know what to stuff in his face first. He picked up the chicken leg and took a massive bite. Before he could swallow he was already picking u the fork to twirl his side of pasta.
"When was the last time you've eaten?" Bruce questioned in concern.
"I don't know…" Jason began with a mouth full of food. Alfred cringed when Jason started talking. Jason swallowed his food.
"Oops…sorry Alfred! I forgot about that little pet peeve of yours and talking with a full mouth." Jason apologized. Alfred brushed off his suit and nodded.
"It's alright, Master Jason. You must have forgotten since you have not been to the manor in so long." Alfred nodded and walked out of the room.
"You were saying…" Bruce went back to the subject.
"I don't know…I remember it was…Monday and I-"
"You haven't eaten in FIVE DAYS?" Bruce interrupted. Jason blinked twice.
"Let me finish!" he said as calm as he could. Bruce sat back and looked at Jason waiting for him to talk again.
"I remember it was Monday, and I had just finished eating before I headed out to…well, you know, Take out your trash. I put on my mask and jacket and BOOM! I don't remember anything until now."
"Hmm…I'll have a look at your Mask and jacket later." Bruce said as he was about to walk out of the door.
"Bruce?" Jason called to him. Bruce had stopped in his tracks.
"What happened?" Jason asked. Bruce turned to him. Tears had started to fall again.
"Madhatter has your older and younger brothers." Bruce said. Jason looked at him in disbelief.
"Is that it? WOW!" Jason said as if he wasn't impressed.
"You may not CARE about them, Jason, but know this. " Bruce started getting red in the face as he walked back towards the bed. "I loved them as much as I loved you!"
"So you WOULD leave them being beaten up by Joker and blown to bits in an abandoned building." Jason retorted.
"NO! You may not have KNOWN this, but I DID try to get to you! I DID try to save you! DON'T YOU GET IT? Alfred and I could not TAKE what had happened when it did! The fact that Ra's saved you will keep him forever in my debt!" Bruce put all his energy he had to say those words- the words he had never said to anyone before.
Jason was silent. His face was blank with realization with what had happened. Bruce began to walk back out of the room. He stopped.
"Oh. And even if you wouldn't do it for me…do it for the sake of your brothers." With that, the brooding billionaire walked out of the room hoping to set an example for his son as he slammed the door shut.
He had wished it would have never come to that conversation. Bruce's eyes started to burn with tears. He had kept so much bottled up since he was a boy, he could not take it anymore. He felt as if his world was about to fall apart. Two of his sons are missing, and his other son has no realization of what he meant to his own father. But, Jason was always like that-since the beginning. His memories had haunted him. The first time he met each of his sons had come across the billionaires mind and filled it with the happy times he had when he was with the three of them.
Why would it ever come to this? Bruce thought. He picked his head up and wiped the tears from his face as Alfred came back to check on the boy. Alfred put his hand on Bruce's shoulder the same way he had at Bruce's parents' funeral.
"Don't worry Master Bruce, young Jason always had his short tempers." Alfred tried to console his master.
"It's not just Jason, Alfred…it's the other two as well…"
"Well, knowing you, sir, you will find them, and bring them back to the way they were." With what Alfred had said, Bruce had felt compelled to give the old butler a massive bear hug. However, he had controlled himself and only patted the old man on his back. Bruce then headed to the hamper to find Jason's jacket and mask. He took them both and headed to the bat cave.
Author's note: I felt this chapter become very moving. I had watched Batman under The Red Hood recently and I noticed that batman had never told Jason that he tried his best to save him and Jason just assumed Batman was never coming to his rescue. So I made this chapter as emotional as I could to show that Jason would have come back to the subject sometimes! Now that I'm done my rambling, I hope you enjoyed this part of the story!