They stood outside the door to the free clinic. Batman couldn't believe that O'Brian had gotten his way, yet again. Perhaps he was smarter than he let on. At this point, he wouldn't put anything past him.

"So… Bats. I, um, this is awkward." The voice shook him from his reverie.

"I thought you wanted me to see you off."

"Oh, I did! It's just, now that we're here… it's a little weird, ya know?"

He couldn't help it; he chuckled. He looked over at O'Brian, who seemed visibly relieved by his show of good humor.

"O'Brian?"

"Yeah, Bats?"

"Do you realize that none of this would have happened if we hadn't stopped you from stealing?"

"Yeah, that's right… but it does sound kind of weird now that you mention it."

Struck by a sudden thought, Batman stared at hi intently for a moment.

"O'Brian, why do you steal?"

He jumped a little at that, then rubbed his head nervously. "Well, to be honest, Bats, I'm not really sure. I mean, I used to steal a lot before I was arrested. I mean, more than I had to." A patient nod encouraged him to continue. "It got worse after prison, but I… I don't know. If I had to guess, I'd say that it's because I've never been much good at anything, but I was- I was good at that." He wasn't meeting Batman's eyes, instead shifting his eyes from the ground to the surrounding landscape and back.

"Besides, I… I haven't been entirely honest with you about- about other things. Things that made me feel… hurt. Weak. And you know what they say: 'Money is power.' I guess that having it around just made me feel…" He gestured uselessly.

"Powerful?"

"Yeah." He grinned, remembering old exploits. "Powerful."

There was a sound from inside, turning the attention of both men back to the building. Plastic Man looked up, his tone businesslike.

"Well, I suppose I'd better get going, then?"

"Right. A couple of the other heroes and I will be in next Saturday to visit you."

"Sure."

Batman held out his hand and Plastic Man shook it, smiling broadly. There was a momentary pause, then Batman pulled his friend into a tight embrace. They stood there for a moment, Batman clapping O'Brian on the back gently. Then they pulled apart and Plastic Man walked into the hospital alone.

Batman watched him leave. He'll be all right, he thought. The doctors there know what they're doing, and he's strong enough to recover.

He heard a loud beeping and looked down at his wrist. There was a break-in at the First National Bank of Gotham. He whipped out his grappling hook, shot it at the nearest building, and shot off into the midmorning sky.