AN:

Hey guys! Sorry for the rather long wait for this chapter! Like I've stressed before, I am no good at medical chapters :/ They're just don't whelm me, not at all. Sooo…I kinda weaseled out of writing it: I just investigate the team's feelings more, and Bruce's too. For those who asked for a complete medical chap, I'm so, so sorry! I just can't do 'em without having them sound cheesy and unreal; I might attempt them in a different story. For now, you guys get this ;)

Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. I think that there might be just one more for this story and then I can go back to writing the third chapter of the Tenacious Trio, which, if you haven't read, you should *hint hint* ;)

Sooooo…Performance. Performance, Performance, Performance, Performance, Performance. I don't even know what to say. I loved it. I wanted to snuggle Robin. He's just-gah, I don't even know! I can't believe how strong the show portrayed him to be; a 13 year old kid going to the place where his family died, nearly dying the same way, and all the while, keeping a cool-head and leading a mission, on top of being sick and weak? I was like o.O Still, hands down, my favorite ep. He looked so cuteeee when he was all sweaty…I mean he looked cuter. Duh. And loved the Artemis/Roy interaction. I think they'd have an adorable sis/bro relationship.

Superboy's shield problems had me lookin' like :o NO, SUPEY, DRUGS IS VERY BAD!

Sorry, but you guys must have known that was coming. I've only been counting down the days till Performance in, like, every one of my AN's.

Lol, enjoy!

~Zara

Warnings: my stupidness? This took me forever to come up with, I just didn't know what to write.


The metal doors of the infirmary shut silently.

Batman turned to the Martian and blonde woman in front of him.

"Let's begin."

The teens walked quietly out of the cave's infirmary with Flash beside them. M'gann was still bawling, the sound of Robin screaming echoing in her mind. Conner wrapped an arm around her waist, wiping away his own tears. Kaldur walked along silently, his silver eyes glistening. Artemis had quieted down some, her fist clenching her bow; she had not even realized that Kaldur had retrieved it from the garage and had given it to her on the journey home. Wally walked beside his uncle, green eyes wide and staring ahead blankly. Tears poured down his face but he did not even notice. His whole body was shaking slightly and he numbly registered that he was hungry; it had been a while since he had last eaten.

The team made their way into the recreation room, the lights automatically turning on when they entered.

Conner led M'gann over to the loveseat, holding her as her cries continued. Aqualad sat in the lone armchair, closing his eyes as he too allowed his tears to flow. Artemis sat next to Wally on sofa, letting her bow fall to the ground. Flash stood in front of the five terror-stricken teens, his usual smile replaced with a somber, concerned look.

"I-I know that you guys probably don't want to talk about it right now, but- what happened, exactly? What was the mission's objective?" he asked, looking from one face to another.

There was silence, other than Miss Martian's gasps. Then Kaldur spoke, looking up at the senior here.

"We were sent to stop a drug deal in Gotham. We were under the impression that the drugs were vials of Venom and that the whole ordeal was staged by Bane. B-but it was a set up. We took out those who were involved and then were exposed to some form of knock-out gas. When we awoke, we were bound, our powers suppressed. And then-then we saw him," he said, his eyes full of anger. Flash did not need to ask who "him" was.

"He told us he wanted R-Rob back," Wally added, his voice cracking when he spoke his best friend's name. "He said he wanted him back in Gotham and that it was our fault that he wasn't around as much anymore. He-he was gonna hurt us but Robin-Robin-" Wally's voice gave out and he could not continue.

"Robin sacrificed himself-for us," Artemis finished for the redhead. "He-he told us to-to promise that we wouldn't give ourselves up… said that the Joker would kill-kill us if we did." Her voice too broke and more tears fell forth from her eyes.

"It is my fault." Kaldur spoke again, his voice wavering. "I was the leader and yet I accepted Robin's request and now-now he is injured."

"No," said Flash. "It's no one's fault, Aqualad. Robin's a brave kid, and he was right: the Joker certainly would have killed all of you, that's how he operates."

"But it was my responsibility. I failed him as a leader and-" Kaldur broke off, his shoulders shaking slightly.

"He's going to be okay though, right? I mean, he's-he's Robin," Superboy said from his spot on the loveseat.

"He has to! He has to be okay!" M'gann shrieked, crying louder. "He can't-he can't-"

"He will," Wally said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. The junior speedster was sitting up straight, his fists clenched. "He will get better-Dick always bounces back, no matter what happens."

Barry's mouth fell open as Wally spoke Robin's true name. "Uh-Wally, you-" he stuttered, but Artemis interrupted.

"It's alright, we know who he is. I-I go to school with him," she finished in a whisper.

"What's his full name?" M'gann asked quietly, her sobs finally slowing.

Wally shot his uncle a quick glance. He waited until the older man nodded before speaking. "Richard-Dick-Grayson," he said. There was silence for a moment.

"Grayson- I have heard of that surname," Kaldur said, looking up again. "Shortly after I came to the surface world- I heard that name."

"Yeah, he's pretty famous," Wally said, laughing lightly. "He's Bruce Wayne's adopted son."

"So-so does that make...?" Conner trailed off.

Barry nodded. "Bruce Wayne is Batman," he said. "He adopted Dick when he was nine, after-"

"After his parents, aunt, and cousin were murdered. Right in front of him," Wally finished in a whisper, closing his eyes tightly.

The other four teens let the information sink in. M'gann started sobbing for the umpteenth time and the others found new tears making their way down their faces as well.

"M-murdered?" Kaldur breathed, looking at Wally. "H-how-"

"Not my story to tell," Wally said, remembering when Robin had revealed his past to him for the first time. The Boy Wonder had cried for what seemed like hours while Wally held him.

Wally was lulled out of his stupor when the Flash spoke.

"You all need to rest," he said firmly. "I know you don't want to, but you've all been through a lot tonight and sleep will do you all some good."

Wally opened his mouth to argue but was suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of exhaustion. Instead, he nodded but made no move to get off of the couch. He leaned back into the green cushions and shut his eyes. Beside him, Artemis did the same, wiping her tears away. M'gann laid her head against Conner's shoulder, shutting her amber eyes. Only Kaldur remained sitting up, his eyes full of grief.

"Hey now. Go to sleep. I promise to wake you all when I have news," Barry said, his voice softening.

After a moment, Kaldur nodded and relaxed. "Thank you," he muttered, closing his eyes.

Barry looked at the sleeping teens with pity, sighing. Then, he ran back to the medical wing in a whoosh of red.


Batman watched as Leslie washed her hands quickly and thoroughly, replacing her surgical gloves with new ones. J'onn was floating around the room, readying multiple surgical instruments.

Batman pulled his cowl down, running a hand through his dark hair as he watched his protégé-his son- moan on the bed in front of him. Oh god, Dick. What did you get yourself into? he thought, shutting his eyes.

Robin gave a particularly loud moan and Bruce opened his eyes. He kneeled next to Robin. He stroked his hair, feeling the heat radiating off of Robin's body. "Hush. You'll be alright. You're safe now," he whispered.

Bruce stayed like that until he heard the infirmary doors open. He felt a hand on his shoulder but didn't speak.

"C'mon, Bruce. Let's let J'onn and Leslie work," Barry said quietly.

Bruce nodded numbly, letting his hand pass through Robin's hair one more time.

"He is going to be alright now, Bruce," Leslie said gently.

"Do not worry, my friend," J'onn said in his deep voice.

Bruce nodded again and let the speedster guide him out of the white-walled room. He looked back at his son as he walked through the doors. Leslie was removing Dick's oxygen mask and replacing it with one that was connected to the anesthetic machine. The last thing he saw was J'onn bringing a scalpel down to Robin's gut as the doors slid shut.

Bruce walked over to one of the many chairs lined against the wall outside of the medical room and sat down in it, his eyes far away. The image of Robin lying, bloody and burning with fever, on the medical bed was burned into the forefront of his mind. He swallowed but did not cry: he was the Batman. Batman did not cry. He was not allowed to cry.

But Bruce Wayne was.

A single tear made its way down Bruce's usually stoic face.

"H-he's going to be okay, Bruce," Barry said shakily, sitting in the chair next to his friend. "He's going t-to make it." Bruce did not need to look up to know that Barry was crying heavily: most of the League's founding members had known Robin for as long as he had. They all loved him like a nephew of sorts.

Bruce still did not speak. Instead, he chose to nod once silently, still staring at the ground, his mind racing. I should probably call Alfred, he'd want to be here, he thought, bringing a hand up to activate his own com link.

"Alfred," he said, making Barry jump. "It's Bruce. Are you there?"

"Yes, Master Bruce." Alfred Pennyworth's voice came in from the Batcave. "May I ask why you are at Mount Justice? I was under the impression that you were to be at the Watchtower today."

Bruce took in a deep breath. "Something came up," he said, and he heard Alfred inhale sharply.

"Is everything alright?"

"No," Bruce said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Dick's hurt, Alfred. Badly. Leslie and J'onn are performing surgery as we speak."

There was no response for a moment. Then-

"I-I am on my way, Master Bruce. I shall arrive shortly." Alfred disconnected.

Bruce exhaled slowly, standing up as Barry slumped down in his chair, hands covering his face.

"Where is the team?" Bruce asked.

"I told them to rest. They're all in the rec room," Barry mumbled through his hands.

Bruce nodded slowly and sat back down next to Barry. And he waited.

Bruce didn't know how long he and Barry sat there, waiting for his butler to arrive. Thoughts drifted in and out of his mind.

This is my fault. How did I not confirm that the drugs were Bane's before sending the team? What was I thinking?

He swallowed the lump in his throat. And Dickie…What- what if he does slip into a coma? His injuries were bad, even for him. He could-

Bruce cut himself off, shaking his head. Don't think like that. He's strong, you know that…

He sighed again. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. He looked up to see Alfred walking towards him briskly. He was wearing his usual black suit and his elderly face held an expression of deep worry.

"Master Bruce. How is he?" he asked in his English accent.

Bruce swallowed again, feeling slightly more relaxed in the presence of his faithful butler. "He's been in surgery for the past hour," Bruce said, his voice shaking slightly. He shut his eyes tightly, keeping them shut until Alfred cleared his throat.

"And- what injuries did Master Dick sustain, exactly?" he asked hesitantly.

Bruce did not reply immediately.

"Sir?"

Bruce exhaled. "It's bad, Alfred. Really bad. Joker cut his chest and rubbed salt on it; the cuts are infected and causing a fever. He-he was electrocuted. And stabbed, twice…his left leg and forearm. And then, the clown beat him- with a crowbar," Bruce hissed. "He shattered Dick's knee and ruptured his appendix, and I could see that there was damage to his ribs as well. And there were deep cuts all over his arms and legs. And that's not even all of it! The team said that he shot Dick as he left- in his stomach. Good god, Alfred, I honestly don't know how the team kept him alive…he's lost so much blood, the fever was almost hot enough to cause his body to start denaturing* and he was internally bleeding."

Alfred stiffened at the end of Bruce's explanation and Bruce clenched his fists so tightly that, had he not been wearing Kevlar gloves, his nails would have drawn blood.

Slowly, Alfred sat down next to Bruce. He gripped his elder charge's arm tightly. "He will make it, Master Bruce. You must stay strong for him," he whispered.

"I know…I know," Bruce whispered back.

Bruce lost track of time, feeling as though days had passed.

They must have sat there for at least three hours**, but Bruce wouldn't know. He did know that with the amount of surgery Robin needed, the two surgeons probably would not have news for a while.

At around four o'clock in the morning, the doors of the infirmary opened and Bruce was on his feet in a second, standing up so fast that he knocked his chair over. Barry, who had been dozing since before Alfred had arrived, jerked awake as Leslie came out of the medical room. Strands of blonde hair were falling out of her ponytail and her white coat was stained scarlet in some places. She looked absolutely exhausted but pleased nonetheless.

"How is he?" Bruce asked immediately.

Leslie smiled tiredly. "He is stable. His spleen was not ruptured, but his appendix was. We removed it successfully. Under closer examination, we saw that he had four cracked ribs, and we've wrapped them. We've stitched up his stab wounds, which, thankfully, were not infected. The burns on his thigh were not too severe; we just have to continue applying ointment. The knee operation was successful as well.

"When Dick was shot, the bullet seemed to have passed through cleanly, so there was no need to worry about fragments remaining in the wound. We have stitched and sanitized that up as well. It didn't hit any major organs, thank god. He has obviously lost quite a bit of blood, but he's on a blood transfusion right now. As you know, the cuts on his chest were infected, but J'onn and I have cleaned them. They weren't deep enough to require stitching. They shouldn't leave permanent scarring, thankfully. Right now, our main concern is the fever. It's at 104° right now, but going down slowly. The fever-reducing medicine would have made him drowsy, adding to the risk of making him comatose. So we couldn't give him a lot of it. Same with the morphine. Too much would have been overwhelming for Dick in his current state. He'll be back in shape in about three months, but his knee will take longer to heal up," she finished.

Bruce let out a sigh of relief as Barry whooped. Alfred looked as relieved as Bruce.

Leslie smiled again. "He's sleeping right now, but I imagine you want to see him?" she asked softly.

Bruce nodded and looked over at Alfred and Barry.

"We shall wait here, Master Bruce," Alfred said, and Barry nodded.

Bruce followed Leslie into the medical room. J'onn was hooking Dick up to a ventilator. He smiled reassuringly as Bruce entered. "He is alright, my friend."

Bruce nodded again as he looked at his son.

Robin was lying on the same hospital bed. His leggings had been removed, along with his boots. They had been replaced with a pair of black basketball shorts and ankle socks (Dick absolutely loathed hospital scrubs: he kept pairs of normal sweatpants and shorts in both the mountain and Batcave's infirmary).

Bruce moved his eyes slowly up Dick's form, taking in every detail. Most of his left leg was encased in a black brace that ran from his knee to his hip. The bottom of it, where he had been stabbed, was bandaged. His other leg was wrapped at the thigh, indicating where he had been burned. Dick's chest was still bare, his torso wrapped in fresh gauze. Most of the boy's chest was wrapped as well, covering the cuts on his chest and the place where Leslie and J'onn had to remove his appendix from. The gauze was wrapped tighter around his rib cage. His left upper arm was also bandaged. The smaller cuts from the crowbar had been cleaned and were no longer bleeding. There were electrodes attached to his chest, connecting to different machines: one was reading his heart rate, another his brain activity. An IV was attached to his right arm, feeding his body a small dose of painkillers and fever-reducers. Another small tube was connected to a large bag of dark blood that was being transported into Dick's body, replacing the scarlet fluid that he had lost.

Finally, Bruce looked at his son's face. The boy's eyes were closed, his eyelashes practically touching his cheeks. An oxygen mask rested over his mouth as he breathed slowly. His face, oddly enough, had not been marred by the Joker. Robin's soft black hair was tousled. Sweat glistened on his forehead and shoulders and his cheeks were flushed a light pink color.

Bruce slowly sat down in the chair beside Dick's bed, his eyes never leaving the Boy Wonder's body. He had not felt this level of worry since Dick had nearly died at Two-Face's hands***. Though he knew his son was going to recover, every cut, every scratch, every bandage on his body pained Bruce.

"He is going to be alright, Bruce," Leslie said again, coming up behind Bruce, who did not respond. He only took Dick's hand in his own, stroking the back of it absentmindedly. He barely registered Alfred and Barry walking in behind Leslie.

The redheaded man stood on the other side of Robin's bed, his eyes wide as he took in the boy's condition. Alfred came over to stand next to Bruce, his expression saddening as he looked at his surrogate grandson.

"When should he be waking up?" Bruce asked finally, addressing Leslie and J'onn.

"He should be regaining consciousness in the next hour or so," J'onn replied as he put medical supply away.

"Like I said, we didn't give him a lot of painkillers. Otherwise, he would be out of it much longer," Leslie elaborated. No one spoke for a moment.

"I have to get going," Leslie said, shedding her gloves and coat. She washed her hands again as she spoke. "Keep an eye on his fever, make sure it doesn't rise. If his condition changes, call me. When he wakes, make sure he doesn't move his left leg too much. And the bandages on his stab wounds need to be changed every three hours, and the wounds themselves need to be cleaned. Also, Dick seems to have caught a small cold when his system was fighting the infection in his cuts, so don't be surprised if he's congested and coughing when he wakes. I…think that's it," Leslie said, drying her hands.

Bruce nodded. "Thank you, Leslie, J'onn."

Leslie smiled and exited the room with a wave.

"No need, my friend," J'onn said. "But I must also take my leave. The League has already heard of Robin's encounter with the Joker and is anxious for news. Good night to you all." The Martian nodded to the three men as he too left.

The remaining people in the room looked at the sleeping boy. No one spoke.

Barry broke the silence, as expected.

"Should- should I wake the team? Let them know Robin's okay?" he asked, looking at the Dark Knight.

Bruce shook his head slowly. "Don't...not yet…Wait until he wakes up," he said, still holding Dick's hand.

Barry nodded, stifling a yawn. Alfred spoke then.

"Master Barry," he said kindly. "Why don't you rest for the time being? We'll have someone inform you when Master Dick awakens."

Barry nodded again, hesitantly. "Alright…'night." The speedster exited the medical room, yawning again.

Finally, it was just Dick's surrogate grandfather and father in the room. The beeping of the heart monitor sounded eerie, yet reassuring.

Bruce allowed one more tear to fall from his eyes as Alfred shifted. He moved forward, setting a Tupperware container down on the small table resting beside Dick's bed. Bruce had not even noticed that Alfred had been holding it.

"Cookies," Alfred said, answering Bruce's unasked question. "For the young master and his friends."

Bruce gave a small chuckle, but it was mirthless. He kept his eyes on Robin's serene face.

Alfred spoke again. "Master Bruce, if I do recall correctly…You have an interview with Miss Vale in a few hours today…About your latest Wayne Tech inventions?" he said, casting a questioning look down on his older charge.

Bruce sighed. Alfred was correct. "That's right…Alfred, could you…could you-?"

"Consider it done, Master Bruce," Alfred said, already heading for the doors. "I shall tell her that you are unavailable. I must prepare Master Dick's bed in the cave's infirmary as it is. For when he returns home."

Bruce gave his butler a thankful smile. "I'll contact you when he wakes," he promised.

"Yes, you had better," Alfred said, his expression turning sterner. He nodded and left.

Bruce dozed lightly in his chair, not letting go of Dick's hand. He was, of course, used to late nights, but the stress about Dick's condition had worn him down further.

He napped for about forty minutes, jerking awake occasionally.

Then, Robin's heart rate increased and Bruce heard a soft groan. He jumped to his feet. Dick was stirring, his head turning to the side.

"Dick? Come on now, Dickie…Wake up," he said, stroking Dick's cheek.

Sapphire eyes, tired and still pain-filled, fluttered open to meet Bruce's navy ones.


Yup, that's chapter 4! I really hope you guys liked this and I'm so sorry for the month-long wait :O

Oh, and a note to one of the anon reviews, like 2 chaps ago: I know you can't be knocked over by the force of a bullet. But Robin was already lying on his side, and he fell to his back in pain. Lol, just so that's cleared. I don't wanna sound all 'Don't tell me I'm wrong'-ish.

*For those who don't know, when your fever gets too high, your enzymes start to literally melt. The process of melting is called denaturing. That's why high fevers are deadly. Lol, I learned it in AP bio this year, so I thought I'd add that in

**This is totally unrealistic. The surgery should have been waaaaayyyyy longer, but I couldn't have the team sleep for 18 hours or somethin'!

***Some might not know this, but in the comics (Robin: Year One), Dick was nearly beaten to death by Two-Face, and Bruce fired him from his role as Robin for a while. :O I haven't read the actual comic, but I saw a few panels of it: in one of 'em, Batman is cradling Robin and says "I'm here, partner…I'm here." It's soooo darn cute and tear-jerking!

If anyone knows where I can read it online (without downloading it), please tell me!

There'll be one more chapter, full of Dick-Bruce fluff and Robin-team fluff, and then maybe an epilogue.

For my next series, I'm thinking of starting a Slade/Robin apprentice fic, based on the Teen Titans arc, only with all YJ characters. I know that there are most likely a lot of those out there, but I want to give it a try ;)

Please review!

~Zara