CHAPTER 6

Seeing Dick's life threatened like that...it hit me hard. Instantly, I was back in Crime Alley next to my murdered parents, helpless. I felt the rage of all those years, building to a crescendo inside me as Zucco smirked at me, holding the blade against Dick's throat. Oddly enough, Dick didn't look terrified. He looked like he was thinking hard.

Before either Zucco or I could make a move, Dick turned his head and bit Zucco's wrist. hanging on like a terrier. Zucco yelped and shook his bitten arm, trying to shake the boy off, stabbing at Dick with his knife hand. Zucco finally managed to throw Dick off. My boy hit hard against a metal table and slumped to the floor, a crimson stain spreading over his left side.

A red haze dropped over my vision as I went for Zucco. I didn't think or plan, I reacted. I took Zucco's knife from him and tossed it away; I heard a dim clatter as it bounced against the wall. I advanced on this would-be murderer of children and rained blows down on him powered by my mindless rage. I heard someone shouting behind me and a hand grabbed my right arm, stopping my attempt to pound Zucco into a pulp.

"Sir! Sir! He has been subdued, sir! Stop! You must stop this immediately! The boy is alive! Stop!" Alfred's voice penetrated the fury clouding my mind. I looked at the man I had beaten into unconsciousness and beyond, my fist stopping above his battered face. I took a breath and shook the tears out of my eyes.

"Dick?" I rasped. I could see him still huddled next to the table, white shirt stained with blood.

"I checked him, sir. I believe that he's struck his head on the table and has some relatively shallow stab wounds. You would be doing Mister Wayne a service if you could take young Master Grayson for medical care while I wait for the police. I have restrained the...er...hoods...with some of Mister Wayne's fishing twine so I believe I will be safe enough."

By repeating "Mister Wayne", Alfred reminded me that I was Batman, not this child's guardian. I pulled my bloody fist away and stood up unsteadily.

"I'll take him, Mr. Pennyworth. Please inform Mr. Wayne when you speak with him. I'll telephone when I've dropped the boy off at a hospital," I said and handed Alfred the card I usually leave with an untraceable phone number. "He can call me if he has any questions." I noted that my gauntlet had stained the card with Zucco's blood where I touched it.

Alfred pocketed the card. "Thank you, sir. If necessary, I believe that the Gotham Free Clinic is open. Dr. Thompkins is well known to Mister Wayne."

I nodded. Alfred was reminding me to take Dick there if he needed anything more than the rough medical care he administered to me in the batcave. I went to where Dick lay, bent and picked him up, cradling him in my arms. I didn't look back as I went down the stairs. There were no more hoods in the manor that I could see, so we went through the clock doorway and down the stairs into the batcave.

I can't say how terrified I was to see the blood seeping through Dick's clothing. I put him down on the medical bed we keep there, tucking a blanket around him in case of shock. I removed my gauntlets and scrubbed Zucco's blood from my arms. After donning rubber gloves, I cut away Dick's shirt and got a good look at what Zucco had done. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that Alfred was right. The cuts were shallow and probably wouldn't even require stitches. Even so, I cleaned each one carefully and wrapped his ribs and arm with layers of gauze. As a precaution, I gave him a tetanus shot. When I took up the vigilante lifestyle, I realized early that I needed to keep up on my immunizations, so we have a good supply.

Now to check the head injury. He had a good bump on the side of his head, but his pupils looked good, of uniform size and reacted to light. Mild concussion was my opinion. I put an extra blanket on him and sank into the armchair next to the bed, my head in my hands. A slow, very slow realization began to dawn.

I've been an idiot all these years.

As I sit and watch him sleep, I feel a mix of great terror and terrible joy. As a child, I had an uncommonly close relationship with my parents. I was their world and I knew it. Then, they were taken from me. From that day, I closed down inside. I trusted no one. I loved no one. No one got close to me except for Alfred, and even he had trouble getting me to let him in. After years of this...this...brick wall inside, I had become convinced that I was incapable of loving anyone. My relationships were all cerebral ones, devoid of emotion unless it be the rage and determination that propels the Batman through the dark. I cared for humanity as a whole, but cared for no one human being. Loving anyone is dangerous if my enemies find out. I used this to rationalize my fear of losing anyone I loved ever again. The fear of that loss has kept me cold and alone all these years. All alone in the dark.

I felt my heart crack open when Zucco was about to take this child...my child...away from me. Dear God, I was mistaken. I can love after all.

I pulled my cowl back and sat by Dick's bed, my heart full and my mind churning with all the dangers that could take him. I know that I will spend my life standing between this boy and danger. I will protect him with my last breath and try to nurture him as I wasn't nurtured. I will try to prevent what happened to me. He will grow up joyful and free and as much unlike me as it's possible to make him. There's no question now whether Dick Grayson has a family. He has one...he has me.

Later-

Alfred came downstairs and double checked my work and pronounced it good. He agrees that Dick has a minor concussion and should wake shortly. The police have taken Zucco and his men away, to be charged with, among other things, the attempted murder of Dick Grayson, assault on Alfred Pennyworth and, for Zucco, the murder of the Graysons.

Alfred pulled up a chair and sat next to me. "Shouldn't we move young Master Dick back to his bedroom?"

I flashed a smile at Alfred. "I'll carry him upstairs. We'll have to decide how to deal with my evening activities; whether to tell Dick or not."

"You seem different, sir," Alfred said, studying my face. "Lighter, somehow..."

I smiled again, the joy clearly showing through. "I didn't think...I mean, Alfred...I've made a decision...Dick isn't going to leave us anytime soon. I'm calling Rae Green tomorrow morning and having her file papers for me to adopt Dick as my son."

Alfred's eyes widened. "Are you certain, sir? A child is a great responsibility."

"Yes, but I can't imagine life without Dick at the manor with us. Can you?" I turned to Alfred.

Alfred's lip twitched. "I must admit sir, that having the Young Master present has added a certain levity to the household. I, too, would miss him should he leave us." He looked at Dick and sighed. "You will need to discuss this with him, though. He may not want a new father so soon after losing his own."

I frowned. That thought hadn't occurred to me. What if Dick didn't want to be adopted? What if he preferred an orphanage with other kids over a huge empty house with two grown men? And the problem of Batman remained. Tell him the secret? Leave him in the dark? How to protect him from my enemies. He might be...no, he would probably be safer somewhere far from me... But I couldn't let him go.

I carried Dick up the stairs to his room and sat with him. I had changed clothing back to Bruce Wayne's khaki pants and blue long-sleeved shirt. Soon after I sat down by his bedside, he began to wake, looking frightened until he saw me.

"Bruce...what happened? Where's Zucco?" His blue eyes darted around the room.

I put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Dick. He and his men are in jail. Batman caught them."

Dick gave me a long, considering look, then grinned. "I won't tell anybody, Bruce."

I started. "Tell anybody what?"

He rolled his eyes. "That you're Batman! I may be a little kid, but I'm not that dumb."

I leaned back in my chair, broadsided by this. "How long have you known?" I whispered.

"When I saw you fight. You've been teaching me to fight and I've been watching you close, so I can learn. Batman moves like you do. When I saw you come into the room, I knew everything would be okay," he said. His eyes gave a long, slow blink and he yawned. "My head hurts. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

I stifled a smile. "Fine, we'll have a long talk in the morning. You've got a concussion, so I'm going to stay here and wake you about every hour just to make sure you're doing okay. All right, chum?"

"Okay," he said and drifted off to sleep. I was left sitting and thinking, long and hard about the future.