After watching the car speed off into the distance, Tim and Dick raced back to the location of Tim's Redbird.
The brisk ride back to the cave was spent in silence, Dick in the driver's seat for a change, Tim too distraught to be behind the wheel as he sat curled in upon himself.
Returning to the cave with no Alfred to welcome them upon arrival only made things all the more real.
The two showered as quickly as possible and changed into proper civilian attire before heading off to the garage. The Batmobile had arrived un-manned sometime between their arrival and them tidying up, and they shared a grim look as the flung themselves into one of Bruce's many cars.
Tim sat curled in the seat next to Dick, knees pulled up to his chest, and face buried within them the entirety of the nerve wracking ride to the hospital.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Alfred brought the car to a stop directly in front of the emergency doors, and Bruce was out his door in the blink of an eye, pulling Jason's limp form from the back seat with equal speed, and rushing him through the double doors.
The emergency staff was on him at once, lifting Jason from his arms and onto a stretcher as Bruce followed close behind, filling out forms with what little information he could.
They began working on the teen almost immediately, checking his vitals over as Bruce stood by idly.
It was several minutes of chaos before he was approached properly, a young nurse with a concerned look upon her face.
"I hate to bother you Mr. Wayne, but I am afraid that you have left a good portion of the paperwork blank?" She stated nervously, holding the papers out before her.
And Bruce sighed, shaking his head.
"Unfortunately, that is a problem. You see, I haven't really got the answers that you are seeking. I know very little about this boy. He is an acquaintance of Tim, an… unofficial son of mine, perhaps you've seen him with me on television?" He prompted, tilting is head.
"I'm afraid not, Sir…"She admitted awkwardly, with a blush.
"No matter… anyway, he and my son Richard are on their way as we speak. I'm sure that they will be able to shed some more light on the present situation, and fill in some, if not all of those blanks."
"But Mr. Wayne there is a matter of-"
"I will pay the bill; I assure you that it will not be an issue. So please, just concentrate on getting the boy in stable condition, and when he is ready to be moved, please place him in a private room. I wouldn't want him waking up with strangers, nor anyone to walk in and pester him simply because it was I who brought him here."
"Very well. In light of your… notability, that should not be an issue. I do not foresee you skipping out on the bill, nor causing problems for this hospital, or yourself, so rest easy Mr. Wayne. We will do what need be done."
At this the man managed a weary smile.
"That's all I ask."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
It had not taken long for Jason to be settled within his own room, hooked up to various drips and monitors, the doctor fussing over him as Alfred and Bruce sat outside the room, waiting for the boys to arrive.
When Dick and Tim did finally come walking up the hall, Bruce breathed a sigh of relief and summoned the nurse from earlier. Something Tim had not quite yet been prepared for as he was bombarded with questions, questions he was not too keen on answering in front of Bruce before having had a chance to speak with him privately.
He could feel the eyes boring into the back of his head as he filled in the gaps of the paperwork, and explained Jason's situation as vaguely as he could while still letting what was necessary be known.
He avoided both Dick and Bruce's gaze as the nurse finished with him and made the move to return to the doctor. He swallowed the lump in his throat shakily as Bruce pulled the woman aside as she passed, and despite his nerves and reluctance, he followed the brief conversation by merely reading their lips.
Dick on the other hand was close enough to hear for himself, and could not help but feel worse about the whole situation as the man asked her to be sure to check for any substance abuse and STDs, on top of the already obvious ailments.
Tim only looked mortified, hanging his head in shame, his fists clenched at his sides.
Dick watched with a lump in his throat as Bruce stepped away from the departing nurse and approached Tim, an unreadable look planted across his face.
Tim barely managed to look up in time to see the man before him, and the look upon the boy's face tugged at Dick's heartstrings.
"Tim… we must talk. Please step into the restroom with me where we may talk privately..."
It took everything in Dick's power to not follow after them as Tim trailed behind the man and reluctantly followed him into the john.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Bruce was silent as they stepped into the stall filled room and the door swung shut behind them.
Tim stood by idly as Bruce scanned the compartments, checking for any signs of life, and he wasn't sure whether to be relieved or ill when they had to play at mindless actions until the lone man using a stall vacated the premises.
Bruce locked the door behind the man shortly after his leave, and Tim did all he could to prepare himself as he leaned back against the sinks, waiting for the man to round himself.
It happened as abruptly as he had expected.
"Tim, what were you thinking?"
The sharp words echoed through the room and Tim was unable to suppress the flinch that resulted from the barking voice.
"I-…"
"You weren't thinking, that's what." Bruce sighed, rubbing at the vein protruding at his temple. "How do you know this boy?"
Tim swallowed roughly and gripped at the sink beneath his fingers as he reluctantly met the man's gaze.
"I- I just… do?"
"Tim."
"It's not really something I can explain! It just sort of…happened." He murmured, head hanging towards the floor once more.
"How much interaction have you two had?"
"Just…" Tim drew in a deep breath, released shakily. "Mostly, I've just been leaving him food. Sometimes clothes. Sometimes I stuck around and ate with him. I… I gave him a jacket so he wouldn't freeze. Heated…"
"Heated? As in, the lining Lucius developed for us six months ago?"
He winced, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Yessir."
"And you just gave away that technology. Technology only recently released, technology currently only traceable to Wayne Enterprises at this time."
"I… yes." And Tim had honestly not thought about that at the time…
"Furthermore, given the similarities with the boy's situation, am I correct in my assumption that this Jason is the 'working girl' that presented you with the recent Degan case?"
All he could manage was a quick, short nod.
"Tim… how involved in this case was he?"
"He- he talked to some of the other girls…"
"Is that all?"
"Yes…. No. I'm sorry, I just…"
"Tim…"
"He was there… the night Dick brought Degan in. He went in on his own and when I went to pull him out everything was there. He was there, and then everything just kind blew up in our faces. Literally."
"You involved a civilian in a case." Bruce stated bluntly.
"Yessir…"
"You could have gotten one of you, if not both of you, seriously injured or god forbid killed!"
"Bruce, I'm-"
"Sorry cannot erase what has already been done Tim. How much does this boy know exactly? What have you told him?"
Tim blanched.
"I-I haven't told him anything, honest! I've never been anything but Robin to him. We don't even talk about anything 'us' related… just… stuff."
"You'll have to forgive me if I don't take your word for that Tim. You willingly put us all in very grave danger, and lied about it. Repeatedly. For god only knows how long."
Tim could only nod and hunch in on himself.
"Let's go."
With a scowl, Bruce crossed the expanse of restroom and unlatched the lock, wrenching the door open in one smooth movement. He stepped through the doorway and held the swinging door ajar for Tim to follow behind.
The teen did so hesitantly refusing to meet Dick's gaze as they reapproached the man.
Bruce stood before Dick, a stern expression planted firmly on his face as he crossed his arms.
"You and Tim are taking my place tonight. Head out."
"But, but we haven't even heard back-" Tim protested at once, only for Bruce to raise a hand to silence him.
"Tim is not to leave your sight. I will be here keeping an eye on things as I am now currently responsible for the boy and cannot possibly go out myself."
Tim bit his lip clenching at his shirt hem.
"Sure thing Bruce… leave the city to us nothing we can't handle for one night." Dick managed a weak smile as he clasped a hand around Tim's shoulder in what was likely intended to be a comforting manner. "Come on Tim. Sooner we go, the sooner it'll seem like we're back, 'kay?"
"…sure." The teen murmured, reluctantly following Dick, looking back warily as he went.
With a sigh, Bruce returned to sit with Alfred, slumped back against the far from comfortable hall chair.
"This too shall pass Master Bruce. Whatever may come from this we will undoubtedly make it through."
As the doctors passed by, entering the room to retrieve Jason to cart him off for chest x-rays, Bruce was not so sure…
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
It was well over an hour before anything changed, the time spent in silence, Bruce on edge, brow creased with worry, and Alfred at his side calm as ever.
The doctors returned Jason to his room half way through the wait, but left immediately after the drop-off, only the nurse lingering behind to set the boy back up.
Bruce waited patiently for her retreat, not wanting to disturb her work, and stopped her once the door was shut behind her.
"Miss, have you received the results of the x-rays?"
The woman paused and turned her head back towards him.
"I am not permitted to release the boy's information at this time Mr. Wayne. I'm sure you understand-"
"He does not have next of kin for you to report to. I am the best that you are going to get in this situation. So please Miss, let me know what we are dealing with here." Bruce interrupted, half pleading, half demanding.
The nurse sighed, squeezing the bridge of her nose as she dealt with an internal argument, before slumping her shoulders in silent defeat.
"Mr. Todd has pneumonia. Left untreated, and living in less than habitable conditions, it has advanced and the infection spread from the left lung to the right as well. What started off as a common cold rapidly morphed into something far more extreme. Being underweight was no help either. We initially x-rayed to see how badly the infection had advanced, but after the initial views we moved him to a CT scan when the film revealed internal injuries that we had not been made aware of."
"Injuries?" He asked. "Recent?"
"Some more so than others Mr. Wayne. Most have a good deal of remodeling, others are only weeks old, with the most recent being a minor distal radius fracture. Several ribs fractures, none all too recent. Fingers broken in multiple places at different periods of time. Pelvic fracture few years old. Clavicle, left side, 2 different locations, different times. Mandible. Nose looks to have been broken some point along the line as well, perhaps more than once. Charts catalogue the full extent of his prior injuries, but I'm sure you get the idea Mr. Wayne. These findings suggest a long history of abuse."
"And the other tests?" Bruce prompted.
"They are still processing sir. His fever is down, and he has been started on antibiotics. We will be draining some fluid from his lungs shortly. He'll be started on an I.V. afterwards to keep him hydrated. At this point sir, all you can do is wait for him to come out of it I'm afraid. He will need to spend some time here to recover while being monitored."
"Thank you Ms."
"You are welcome Mr. Wayne…" And with that she made her way down the hall.
Alfred sighed, and stood at his side, a had clasped on is shoulder.
"What do you plan to do Master Bruce?"
The man sucked in a sharp breath, hand upon the door knob as he turned towards him.
"At this point Alfred, I don't know… I really don't know."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Patrol was a nightmare.
Focus was impossible, and Tim's nerves had him fumbling constantly, and his stomach flipping at each sharp movement.
Dick could not bring himself to scold the boy.
"Don't worry Robin, he's in good hands now. B might be pissy, but the guy's in good hands with him there."
Tim sighed, leaning back against the cool brick of the building.
"I know…but that doesn't make me feel any better, any less worried, less stressed… and B-"
Dick winced, and managed a week smile for the young Robin.
"I know… man do I know…but, he'll forgive you. He always did me."
"And that last time?" Tim snorted, purposely avoiding Nightwing's lensed gaze.
"That- well, that was different…"
"So is this…"
And Dick could find no argument for that.
The rest of patrol was spent in silence…
When the boys did eventually return back to the cave, Alfred was there to meet them, confirming their suspicions that they would not be returning to the hospital until long after the sun had risen.
"Master Bruce sent me home to tend to you boys. He is staying overnight to keep an eye on things. They are in good hands, the hospital is secure, and Master Bruce will do everything in his power to keep the boy stable."
"But-!" Tim's protests fell on deaf ears as Alfred stared him down.
"No 'buts' Master Tim. I am under strict orders to keep you in until tomorrow. Now, wash up, and eat something before bed. You as well Master Dick."
Tim was solemn as he stripped free of his suit and entered the showers. Dick could not comfort him when they finally made their way upstairs.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Bruce sat stationary in the chair across from the hospital bed, scowling at the paperwork in hand as he read through the charts and reports.
They were…depressing, to say the least. They told a long, painful, story of neglect and abuse. He had known it would be bad, but he hadn't expected it to be well beyond his expectations… not at all.
It was not long after Bruce had finally set the papers down that a groan sounded from across from him, and he looked up to see Jason, face screwed up in discomfort, before the bedridden teen erupted into a fit of hacking.
He sat frozen, watching, ready to jump in if needed as the boy wheezed and his eyes fluttered open.
He was dazed for a brief moment, eyes glassy as they scanned the pristine white ceiling, all until he realized there was a mask upon his face and everything changed.
The teen stiffened, realization developing in his eyes, and he shifted taking in his surroundings. It was a downward spiral from there… Jason wrenched his arm up, clawing the mask from his face, and his gaze settled on his wrist, the tube and tape, and all at once he was flailing.
Bruce was launching himself at the boy in an instant, preventing him from ripping the I.V. from his arm, something which only seemed to make him more distressed, his heart rate skyrocketing mere seconds before the screams began.
"Get the hell off me! G-get away, let go!" The teen screeched as Bruce held his arms in an iron grip and attempted to get him to calm, with no avail.
Unsurprisingly, the nurse was not far behind, and she came skidding in through the door with a panic stricken face and stormed towards them. Once Jason's eyes landed on her he stilled briefly, but never did de-tense nor stop in his efforts to pull away.
"What in God's name is going on in here!?" She demanded, out of breath, with her hands firmly planted upon her hips.
"Jason woke up disorientated and tried to rip his drip out. He's not familiar with me, just the boys, so he over reacted to my intrusion. I apologize for the misunderstanding, but in his state I thought it unwise to remover the I.V. in such a manner." He murmured apologetically, and slowly released his grip, backing away cautiously.
Jason stopped his thrashing, but stayed stiff and on edge as the nurse approached him in his leave and began to thoroughly check him over. Bruce returned to his seat with a weary sigh, noting that the teen never once pulled his eyes off his form, not even as the nurse checked his pupils.
It was a hard feat to stay seated when another coughing fit arose, wracking the boy's body so hard that he swerved, and collapsed against the sturdy woman wheezing whilst she attempted to slip him back into bed. The fight left him quickly, and the wheezing only got worse as he slumped back against the pillows in defeat.
Bruce watched as she sat on the edge of the bed beside him, a hand clasped atop his, and explained what had occurred, lacking important details they had kept from the staff for obvious reasons.
"Mr. Todd… Jason? You are in Gotham General Hospital. You are very ill, pneumonia, among other things, and you were brought in by Mr. Wayne after his boys found you unconscious and unresponsive…"
Bruce was unsure that the teen believed much that was said after that, as Jason eyed him silently, never breaking his gaze from there on out until the nurse finally left the two in peace again to run her rounds.
It did not take long for the interrogation to begin afterwards.
"Who the fuck are you?" Jason spat, eyes wary as he inhaled deeply, before prying the mask away again in agitation.
The man stared at him curiously, before sighing, and rubbing at a temple.
"Tim found you. Called my son who in turn called me. The lot of us took time out of our schedule to get you to a hospital where you could be treated. Had he not found you, you likely would not have made it much longer. Such hostility and language is not appreciated, Jason."
The teen only glared at him, lip curling upward as he sneered.
"Hate to break it to you, but I don't know any Tim, so try again old man, and this time make it believable or else I'll buzz that nurse back and have her remove your creeper ass!" He snarled.
Bruce eyed him carefully, judging his sincerity, before ultimately giving a small sigh of relief.
"Then at the very least he truly was discreet…" he murmured mostly to himself, watching Jason's eyes narrow further.
Bruce turned his gaze towards the door, weighing the pros and cons of locking it, before ultimately deciding that Jason would like judge that as a threatening action and cause a scene.
"I'm afraid that I've made some… assumptions about the situation." He sighed, leaning back within his chair.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The teen huffed, gripping the sheets, making a point of having his hand mere inches from the buzzer he had threatened to use if need be.
Bruce gave another heavy, frustrated sigh, and seeing no other way around things given the situation at hand…
"Tim- Robin, is responsible for you being here tonight Jason. Despite what involving me revealed about his recent lies, he is the reason you are here, alive, and being treated instead of suffering out a less than pleasant end in some cold condemned building. You should thank him when you get the chance."
Bruce had not expected more than he received, and he waited patiently as Jason seemed only capable of gaping at him for a long drawn out moment, realization dawning on his face.
"Wait… Robin? But then- but that makes…." The teen stumbled on his words, face returning to the pale pallor it had been when he had first been admitted. "But… you're Wayne! Bruce fucking Wayne!" he squawked, inhaling awkwardly as his lungs protested.
"That I am. And I don't think I even need to bother warning you of the consequences to be had if word of this gets around lad. I am not threatening, just simply stating a fact."
"This- this is…shit…"
Bruce couldn't be sure if Jason was in awe, terrified, or just plain confused, perhaps all of the above, but he could worry about that at a later time.
"Language Jason…"
The boy only glared across at him, eyes wary, and body stiff as silence washed over them and Bruce merely watched.
After several long minutes, spent entirely in silence, Jason hesitantly shifted, curling beneath the blankets with the occasional cough, and slipped the oxygen mask back over his face.
Bruce stood, eyes never leaving the teen's form, and tentatively cleared his throat.
Jason barely stirred, but he knew he had his attention.
"I have to return home…things to do, people to see. I'm sure you understand. I will send the boys to keep an eye on you for now. You might find their company more… welcoming?"
Jason only snorted as the man turned on his heel and walked out the door.
It was only after Bruce had been gone several minutes that he finally closed his eyes, and willed himself to sleep despite the pressure in his lungs and the ache within his muscles.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Bruce had called Alfred not so very long ago, something Tim had desperately been waiting on since his forced departure, despite the dread that welled up in his chest at the thought of being in the man's presence again at the moment.
Bruce had asked Alfred to pick him up and to bring Dick and him with to stay with the teen whilst he showered and managed a bit of rest before patrol.
He had grimaced when Alfred had told him that Bruce would retrieve him later to accompany him on his rounds.
When they arrived out front of the hospital, Bruce met them at the car, already standing outside the double doors as Alfred pulled the vehicle into the drop off zone. The man watched silently as Dick exited the car and slowly but surely, Tim followed behind, head hanging limply from his shoulders as he avoided his gaze.
"He's awake, as of half an hour ago…" Bruce sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "He's in a foul mood and has quite the attitude despite his condition. You would think he would be the slightest bit grateful given that he's alive and well right now because of my intervention..."
Tim flinched, and folded in on himself tighter as he brushed past Dick, and bolted towards the hospital doors.
Bruce watched his retreating form, lips pressed into a thin line as he turned towards Dick, a ragged sigh breaking free as he met the younger man's gaze.
"You knew about all of this?" He questioned.
The raven haired man winced, but nodded all the same, moving to stand beside him.
"Only barely. Hadn't the slightest clue until the other night with Degan. Gave Tim a talking to, and told him to end things, break the friendship off." He murmured, shaking his head. "Have to give him credit Bruce… He followed my advice even though it upset him. Seemed to upset the other guy more. Almost broke my heart watching it."
"Dick…"
"Yeah… sorry, I know it's time to be serious." He laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair.
"You say he broke it off… and yet, here we are. Care to explain?"
"Tim must have gotten worried? Perhaps he hadn't seen him whilst passing by for a few days? You can't really blame him here Bruce… A life was at stake. Even if he should have left things alone afterwards, you know full well that you would have kept things under surveillance for a while. I could name dozens of examples, and you know it." Dick huffed giving the elder man an accusatory look.
"It doesn't change the fact that Tim started this- this partnership in the first place. You do not bring in a civilian on a case. It was an unnecessary risk that could have ended with the two of them losing their lives. It was careless… sloppy."
Dick sighed.
"Be that as it may Bruce… the kid did good. Degan is behind bars, no one was hurt, and in the end he's saved this kid's life. Granted, he did some things the wrong way, and got overly attached, but he's young. Cut him some slack. I was more of a nightmare than Tim will ever be." He chuckled.
Bruce could only manage to glare as walked off, more than ready to get the slightest bit of sleep before patrol.