After Jason helps Tim through a horrifying nightmare, he makes a discovery that changes his view of who Tim is to him.

Baby of the Family

By

Part 10: More Than Just Food Poisoning

"Someone got in here," Dick said. "I'm tossing all of that food out." Dick went into the kitchen and started tossing everything in the trash that they hadn't brought with them, including the chocolate pie. All of this had to have been put in the fridge over the past couple of days. While Dick was in the kitchen, Sasha was asking Tim some questions.

"Does Alfred come over here?" Sasha asked with suspicion.

"Yeah, Alfred comes over once in a while to clean the place, but wouldn't do something like that," Tim answered Sasha's question.

"Who else could have gotten in here? Have any of the windows such as on the balcony been tampered with?"

"I don't know," Tim yawned.

Tim's head was starting to hurt. After effects of the antidote? He still didn't feel good. 'Poison is probably still in my system. Antidote still hasn't cleared it out completely and I'm tired, too.'

"Tim, do you want me to pull the rest of the poison out?" Samantha asked. She was getting worried. The antidote was going through his system but it wasn't working fast enough.

"Yeah," Tim said, his voice sounding shaky. He was starting to feel like he needed to throw up, again.

Samantha pulled Tim closer to her. Placing her hand at his core, she let her healing hands do the work.

"Why don't you go and investigate the terrace, and let Tim rest," Samantha stated. Samantha was being diplomatic. The thought of even suspecting Alfred was ridiculous.

Sasha left Tim's bedroom and moved over to the sliding glass door leading out to the terrace. She examined the metal framework around the door as well as the lock. There were clean scratches where a lock pick had been employed. She then examined the terrace, but found little evidence there. The Wayne Towers apartments were twenty stories. To drop down twelve of them someone would have noticed, unless it was done late at night when everyone was asleep. And climbing up was also a challenge, but there were no rope fibers to suggest someone had. 'Why go to all that trouble? Why not simply break into the apartment?' Sasha was answering her own questions as soon as she asked it. The person couldn't guarantee that someone might be inside. 'I found the entry point, but no other evidence as to how they got onto the terrace. This Ra's al Ghul is getting bold.'

"Dick, Jason, I found out how the person responsible got into the apartment," Sasha stated. "The balcony door was tampered with, but no evidence on how they even got up to this level."

"Let's head back down to Tim's nest and check the security cameras," Dick suggested. Dick led Sasha and Jason back to the second elevator. He opened the doors one more time and led them down to the nest far below the building.

"Ra's really wants to get rid of Tim," Jason scoffed. "It's getting petty. So, this is Red Robin's nest. Nice set up," Jason said as he examined the area. A small part of Jason wished he hadn't been so stubborn and allowed Bruce to assist him in setting up his own headquarters like this one. His wasn't state of the art, but it was all his.

"Yep. I think Alfred set this up for hm. I don't even think Bruce has been in here."

Jason was surprised at that. "That must have been some trick, getting that elevator core in here."

"The elevator shaft existed, all ready to use," Dick stated. "It was a private elevator. Tim bought the place from one of the millionaires who owned it. Guy wanted to leave Gotham permanently. Alfred must have had a friend of ours reroute it further below grade."

Sasha and Jason wondered who that could have been. In the mean time, Tm was still having troubles of his own.

"Sammie, I don't think that antidote is working," Tim observed. "Something about the poison isn't right. Cramping again." Tim turned over. He reached for something on the night stand, a small device that could be stuck in the ear. "Communication device. Connects to the nest below. Tell Dick. Just press the button."

Samantha did as Tim instructed, pressing the button then speaking into the device. "Uh...Dick?"

Dick heard Sam's voice through a speaker on the computer. Pressing a button, he answered back. "Yes?

"That antidote isn't working. I've removed as much of the poison as I could, but there's just too much. It's like it keeps spreading or reproducing."

"Damn it. Okay, I'll try to work on a second one."

"Did you hear?" Samantha asked. "He said he'll work on a second one."

Tim nodded, but he doubted if it would do any good. His breathing was becoming labored. "Damian knows about what kinds of poisons the League uses. Could have resistance to known antidotes. Could mutate."

"Dick?" Samantha called on the com link a second time.

"Yes? Did he get worse?" Dick was having a hard time keeping the panic out of his voice.

"No," Samantha lied. She could tell if they didn't act soon, Tim wasn't going to make it. She didn't want their children to grow up without their father. "We need Damian."

"Alright. I need to call Bruce, he's with him." Dick took out his cell and dialed Bruce's number. Tim thought of everything within the nest. He must have had a boosted cell connection, despite being far underground.

Bruce glanced at his phone on his desk then picked it up. "Dick what's up? I thought you were spending the day with Tim."

"I need Damian."

"Why do you need Damian?

"We're pretty sure Tim's been poisoned by the League. Damian knows about the League's poisons and he might know of an antidote."

"Tim's been poisoned how?"

"It's kind of an embarrassing story. Someone poisoned a can of whip cream that he was . . . uh . . . using. We thought the whip cream came from Alfred."

Bruce smirked on the other side of the phone, but didn't ask Dick to go into details. He could well imagine what they were using the whip cream for. "Okay, I'll send Damian with Alfred. Do you need me?"

"Just be on standby." Dick turned toward Jason and Sasha to confirm if they needed Bruce. Both shook their heads.

"Dick?"

"Sorry, I was checking something. We're okay, just send Damian. I'll call you if things changes." Dick hung up the phone and the three of them headed back up to Tim's apartment. He just hoped he wouldn't be calling Bruce to begin funeral arrangements.

Tim scramble out of bed and return to the bathroom, no longer being able to hold down what was in his stomach. He vomited again. He didn't like how he was feeling. 'This poison must be designed to make the person suffer first, but for how long?' Tim thought as he emptied his stomach. 'And boy am I suffering. I'm going to be dehydrated at this point.'

Samantha rubbed Tim's back as he continued to vomit. She could tell he was in a great deal of pain. The best she could do was to try and ease some of the discomfort.

Tim was breathing hard and sweating. He reached another stage. 'I'm pissed. If I survive this, Ra's you are dead meat. I know we don't kill, but I am so tempted right now.'

Samantha could sense Tim's anger. His aura was flaring angrily. "Don't get worked up, Tim. It might make things worse."

"This is . . . Why I . . . Have to go after . . . Ra's organization," Tim explained. "Have to cripple him . . . So he can't harm . . . Anyone." Tim vomited again."

"You're not doing it by yourself," Samantha said. "Have your brother's help you."

At this point Tim nodded in agreement. He hoped Damian got to the apartment to help with the poison in time, because privately, he didn't know if he was going to make it.

Continues with Part 11