A/N: With Samantha now part of the family, and Tim determined to marry her, Jason and Dick have taken it upon themselves to teach Tim how to please a woman without Bruce knowing about it. Something powerful happened and two brothers are in hot water with their father. Dick and Jason decide they had better keep out of Bruce's way for a while by taking a case that leads them out of Gotham. The case however has to be interrupted when word reaches them that Tim has a life threatening illness or is it? And has that case actually come to Gotham?
New Life, Death, and Soul Easters
by
AJRedRobin and JasonToddLover
Part 9: Correcting a Wrong
When Samantha left, Tim turned on his side to rest. His eyes focused on something new in the room. Alfred had placed an old rocking chair near his bed.
'Probably for me for my joints,' Tim thought. He was feeling old despite being only 15. He wondered if he was even going to survive to his 16th birthday. It wasn't fair. Tim started to cry, again.
Dick could hear his brother's cries as he approached his room. He opened the door and peeked in. "Baby Bird?"
Tim turned at the sound of Dick's voice, tears streaming down his face. He held out his arms like a little kid and Dick rushed in and gathered Tim into his embrace. Tim clung onto Dick as tight as he could. Tim felt bad for him as much as for himself.
'I don't want to be sick. I want to be out there on patrol with my big brother. I want him to teach me the trapeze. Now all that wasn't going to happen, all because of my stupid blood not working right.'
Dick rocked Tim back and forth, his own thoughts questioning. 'How did this happen?' He hugged Tim tighter. "Baby bird you can't leave me, not after we found each other. We're about to start families. It won't be complete with out you." This sickness was tearing Dick's heart apart.
"IT'S NOT FAIR!"
"I know baby. I know. If I could do anything to help you, give you anything I would. We need to find a solution, a cure for you."
Dick had been there since the beginning, since Tim told him that he knew Dick was Robin turned Nightwing. Sitting on his big brother's lap reminded Tim of that first time he sat in Dick's lap, and that was to have a picture taken.
'He treated me like a brother then.' Tim said to himself. "Dick, I love you. Wait, you're wishing for a cure? There is one, but it will take six months to get here." In his own private thoughts Tim didn't know whether he could last that long.
"I love you too Baby Bird. How is there a cure? Tell me."
"Samantha, she said one of my son's bone marrow is a perfect match, but . . ."
"But what Baby Bird? You seem unsure about something."
"Six months for the bone marrow," Tim compared. "Six months of life . . . What if I can't make it? I'm scared."
"You're going to make it," Dick reissued Tim.
"You're a fighter Tim. It's in your blood. This sickness is not going to keep you down."
'Dick's right. I am a fighter. I've fought the likes of Two-Face, the Joker, Ra's al Ghul, but I have never been so scared in my life until right now,' Tim thought. "Will you help me?"
"Of course, Baby Bird. What kind of brother would I be if I told you no?"
"Can you do something for me? Can you get me my laptop. I need to do some writing. I promised Sasha I'd help look for her parents."
"Yes," Dick placed Tim back on the bed and got up and grabbed his lap top off the desk and brought it to him. "Here you are."
"Thanks." Tim opened his laptop and logged onto the internet. He then opened Sasha's folder. "Jason said she found a diary right?"
Tim recalled when Jason told him about going to Sasha's old house where she lived before Professor Pyg had gotten involved in her life and kidnapped her as a child. Her memories of her old life had been sketchy because of the drugs and the torture that Professor Pyg had done to her. Most of the time she tried to put those memories behind her, but the house she did remember. Her and Jason had gone there to see if her mother was still there, but she wasn't. All they found was an empty house a diary lying on the floor.
"Yeah," Dick replied. What are we looking for?"
"Evidence that she may still be in Gotham. Or if not, she might have mentioned about moving. I can check if there's an address change." Tim yawned. 'No I don't want to sleep. I can't sleep.'
Tim started typing in his security code for the computer in the cave. He wanted to check obits for any names, plus cross-reference the incident in question with the police reports. He yawned again
'No,' he said, shaking off sleep.
"Hey," Dick placed his hand on Tim's shoulder and slowly closed the laptop lid. He moved the laptop off to the side. "Sleep a little. I'll come and wake you up in an hour."
Tim sighed. "If you can get me that diary, maybe Sasha's mother's name is written inside the cover." He yawned again, this time not trying to fight his body betraying him.
"Okay." Tim's eyes closed as Dick helped him to lie down. "I will. Just for you. Sleep Baby Bird," Dick coaxed then kissing his forehead. After he checked to see that Tim's laptop was properly shut down he quietly exited the room.
TDTDTDTDTD
Bruce came up the stairs to see Dick coming out of Tim's room. "Dick . . . "
"Bruce . . . " Dick was trying to keep his composure. He turned away from his father to hide the tears that threatened to fall.
"We need to talk," Bruce announced. He led Dick into his room and sat down at the small cafe table by the window.
Dick leaned against the wall, expecting another lecture.
"Dick, please sit," Bruce pointed to the seat opposite of him. "What I have to say has a bearing on you as well."
Dick walked over and sat down in the chair opposite his father. He continued not to look at Bruce in the face. His thoughts were more about Tim.
"Dick, look at me. I can no longer be angry over you and Tim fathering children. It seems less important when one of my sons' lives hangs by a thread."
Dick looked up at Bruce. "You're not up set any more?" Dick wouldn't be able to bear his anger and Tim's sickness. It would tear him apart.
"No matter how much I would have wanted Tim to wait, with the circumstances the way they are, I am finding that perhaps this happened for this very reason. I am reminded why I have you and your brothers. You are my legacy. And it is only fitting that you continue that legacy."
Dick nodded as he listened to his father. It was nice to have Bruce's . . . no . . . his father's blessings, especially with the children.
"We must face the reality that we could lose Tim." Bruce could see that Dick's eyes were tearing up. He moved to stand in front of him and Dick grabbed his waist just as Dick had done when he was eight years old at his parents' funeral.
'I had lost a son before, but it did not make it hurt any less. And Dick has lost a brother as well,' Bruce thought. "It's all right Dick. Don't hold it in. Let it out."
Bruce brushed a hand through Dick's hair.
Dick cried, holding onto his dad. 'I don't know what to do. Tim's sickness is going to drive me crazy. I can't lose a brother. I just can't.'
'I remember when we lost Jason, how he blamed me, and the angry words we said to each other. Here there was no one to blame. No villain to fight. Only a life, a very important life.' Bruce thought. Then he pursed his lips. "I will do . . . No . . . WE will do whatever it takes to keep Tim with us."
Bruce stroked Dick's hair as he continued to cry, trying to comfort him.
"Why...why...I can't lose another brother, Bruce. I promised him so many things we would do things and now... Now I won't be able to."
"Then you keep those promises for his child, and yours, but let's not write him off just yet. There has to be someone out there who has a match for his bone marrow."
Dick pulled away from Bruce to wipe at his eyes. "Sammie . . . Sammie and Sasha said there might be a way, but we have to wait 6 months."
"Wait six months, that could be too late. Why does Sammie think we have to wait six months?"
"Well...one of the babies could be a match," Dick explained.
"Are you sure?" Bruce questioned. "She's barely been pregnant for a day or two. How can she . . . "
Bruce found it very odd how Samantha became pregnant just as Tim was getting sick. It was almost as if they were related, as if Tim knew something was wrong and he was determined to make certain a piece of him survived.
"Bruce, if I knew the answer to what Tim knew I would tell you," Dick was surprised that he could sense his father's thoughts. He kept that to himself. Bruce did not bat an eye when Dick spoke. They've been able to some extend read each other's thoughts or feelings for years without some kind if psychic connection.
"Don't you see, it's the only thing that does make sense. Why would Tim rush into marriage, let alone into having children? He might not have known consciously, but instincts would tell him not to wait."
"So you mean to tell me that Tim could feel deep down inside that something was going to happen?"
"I'm saying that instincts told him not to wait. And if he used his aura, for the moment, I'm trying to understand. A powerful enough blast might cause Samantha to become pregnant even if she wasn't able to become pregnant at that time. Do you remember Tim sending out such a blast of energy?"
"Yes...I do," Dick blushed.
"Then that is when Samantha got pregnant. He used the last of his energy to get her pregnant because he was still recovering from Devlin messing with his wound, the blood loss, and from that Succubus coming back. Deep down, he knew something wasn't right, but he had to do something to ensure a part of him survived."
"Uh huh," Dick found himself agreeing with his father.
"No one wants to die, Dick, especially Tim, but if he does he has what all of us want, a child that will be just like us and carry on.
" Dick gave a slight smile. "He has two and thanks to Tim, I'm going to have one of my own. I just want him to pull through this Bruce."
"I didn't understand at first, but if he is capable of doing that, then we have totally underestimated him. You better get tested. Even ask Samantha. I know her healing gifts are just developing, but if she can tell she's pregnant and tell that one of those two children are a match, she'll know if you're a match, too. You're aura may be different, but your bone marrow could still be a match and we won't have to wait six god forsaken months."
"Do you really think I might be a match?" Dick questioned.
You are Tim's brother. You could be a match. We need to be certain."
Bruce had to admit, the thought of becoming a grandfather had never occurred to him before. 'And the fact that I'll have five grandchildren in less than a year?' The thought boggled his mind.
"I don't want to wait to get tested, Bruce. I really don't."
"Then go ask Samantha. She was going to prepare some soup for Tim in the kitchen."
Dick stood up and went down the stairs, this time with hope in his steps. He made his way back down to see Sammie. She was standing near the stove cooking. One hand was placed on her belly. She was singing a song, probably from the islands. Memories came flooding back. It reminded him when his mother would sing to both him and Tim when he was a baby. "Sammie?"
"Yes Dick?" Samantha picked up the pot and poured some of it's content into a bowl and placed the bowl on a tray.
"Can you check and see if I could be a match for Tim?"
"The bone marrow?"
Dick nodded in reply.
"Okay. Follow me up stairs." Samantha grabbed the tray that contained the soup.
Dick followed Sammie up the stairs. He couldn't help notice how graceful she was in her strides. Tim was really lucky to find someone like her after that mess with Adriana. They entered into Tim's room. He was still sleeping but Samantha gently woke him up.
"Ugh," Tim rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He smelled something good, but my stomach wasn't hungry.
"Hey, love. Can you wake up? I made you some soup."
"Soup? . . . I'm . . . I'm not hungry."
Samantha's heart dropped. "Tim please, just eat a little. I need you to have energy for what I'm about to do."
"The soup does smelled good. Well . . Maybe I can eat a little."
Samantha waited for Tim to sit up so she could place the tray in his lap. Tim struggled to sit up. He was feeling weak, weaker than he felt earlier.
"Hey..do you got it?" It was killing Dick inside to see Tim struggle.
"Hand . . . " Tim reached up to grab Dick's hand. He appreciated the fact that Dick only helped him when he asked. He had a feeling he would be asking for help a lot. Dick held his hand out for Tim and braced so he could use it to pull himself up. With Dick's help Tim was able to sit up against the headboard so Sammie could set the tray in Tim's lap. With a shaky hand, Tim took a sip of soup and suddenly his appetite returned. What was going on? He wasn't hungry before. It was as if his body was starving, craving every morsel. He ate the soup in earnest, holding it down as if he had not eaten in days.
"Hey slow down," Dick insisted.
"I'm sorry," Tim apologized with a sheepish grin. "I don't know what got into me."
"I do," Dick said. "You got this ravenous look on your face."
"Would you like some more?" Samantha asked, pleased that Tim had actually eaten the whole bowl.
"Please," Tim replied. He watched as Samantha left the room. What had just happened? The soup had somehow revived him, but that was impossible. Simple soup can't cure leukemia.
"What are you thinking," Dick suddenly asked Tim, seeing the puzzled look on his brother's face. He could have just read his mind, but they were new to that form of communication.
"Did you ever get the feeling that you were wrong about something?"
"Sometimes," Dick replied. "What are you wrong about?"
"It's not me," Tim stated.
"I don't understand."
"The soup just now," Tim pointed out.
"What about it?"
"I don't know. It made me feel better, like that's what I needed."
"We all need to eat. Eating can make us feel better sometimes."
"It was more than that," Tim stated.
"I'm still not sure what you mean," Dick said, confused.
"I really feel better, Dick, stronger in fact. It's hard to explain."
"Tim, eating soup won't cure . . . "
" . . . I know," Tim interrupted.
"What are you saying?" Dick asked.
"Maybe this isn't leukemia."
Dick stared at his little brother. He hadn't seen Dr. Thompkin's report. He only had Bruce's word that Tim was seriously ill. "I don't know," Dick hesitated, not wanting to accept false hope or give it if they were mistaken and Tim really was sick with leukemia. Dick took a closer look at his brother. The soup had revived him. More color had returned to his cheeks. Could the soup have helped at least for a little while? Dick didn't want to speculate until he had more conclusive evidence. "Tim, are you saying that Dr. Thompkins report could be wrong?"
"I don't know," Tim replied. "I just know that whatever I was feeling earlier has subsided. It's as if eating that soup gave me back something that I lost."
"What did you lose?"
"That's just it, I don't know."
Continues with Part 10
