Hahaha! I'm back! So how are your grandchildren doing, eh? –stand up comedy drum roll thingy- Um…yeah. Thank you for your –twitches- patience –twitches some more-. Well, that's not fair, most of you were patient…-followed by more twitching- coughrobins#1fancough. I had a severe case of writer's block for this story, the kind where you know where you've been, and you know where you're going, but you have no clue how to get from here to there. Hopefully things will go better for me now. Be patient with this chapter…it is important, but I mostly wrote it because I darn well wanted to. –sticks out tongue- So, if you'd just step into my handy-dandy time machine, we'll take a trip back to the beginning…


Richard refused to sit and wait patiently, as several nurses had desperately tried to get him to. Instead, he took up a rapid pacing that spanned the large waiting room and cut a path directly in front of the television. Apparently oblivious to the venomous gazes and crude phrases he was attracting, Richard stared blankly ahead, his large hands balled into fists, one thought running through his mind.

Please be ok. Please let them be ok.

"Mr. Grayson?"

Richard froze, twin lumps of dread lodged in his throat and stomach as he turned to face the nurse and her clipboard. It was the same one that had forced him out of Raven's room.

Taking the tiny woman by the shoulders, he let out a stream of long-repressed questions. "Where is she? How is she? Is she fine? Is she ok? Is the baby all right? Is—"

The nurse covered his mouth with her hand, smiling reassuringly. Knowing that men are all about getting to the point and worrying about details later, she said, "Your wife is just fine, Mr. Grayson."

He was silent for a moment, the stomach lump migrating upwards to join its twin in his throat. Fighting back tears of relief, he cleared his throat and hastily released the nurse. "Oh."

Swallowing hard and unclenching his fists, he politely asked, "Can I see her?"

The nurse nodded and led him through the automated doors. As though knowing he needed a little guidance at the moment, she kept her hand firmly around his wrist as she took the many twists and turns with ease. "Before you see her, there are a few things I need to explain."

Richard tensed with dread. "Ok…"

"Mrs. Grayson had some trouble delivering her baby. When it became a serious risk to the baby's and her own health, we made the decision to operate and remove the baby that way, rather than putting further stress on either of them."

Richard got the impression that she was using the simplest terms possible, yet he found himself confused and more than a little afraid. "But—you said she was fine!"

"She is, she is," the nurse said hastily, "but she's very tired. Your wife isn't herself right now, so be prepared for that."

Richard swallowed and nodded, attempting to silence his panicked thoughts. Neither spoke as the nursed pulled him onto an elevator and pressed the button labeled 4. It was then that it struck him how odd it was that the nurse had yet to mention the baby. "Um…miss? Is the baby alright?"

The nurse's face grew solemn as she turned to face him. "I'm afraid he's very small. His vital organs, like his lungs, haven't fully developed. We're doing all we can, but at this point…we just don't know."

The elevator dinged cheerfully as the metal panel slid open, and the nurse led him out and down the hallway at a brisk pace, as though she had said nothing out of the ordinary.

Richard's eyes widened as the twin lumps doubled in size. "W-what do you mean, you don't know?" he choked, his voice shaking though he fought to steady it.

The nurse kept walking and, coincidentally, so did he. "Sir, we're doing the best we ca—"

"Why don't you know?" he yelled, tears escaping his bloodshot eyes as he pulled the nurse to a stop and made her look at him.

She bit her lip, her small green eyes studying his face analytically. After a pause, she said firmly, "We're doing the best we can to take care of your son, Mr. Grayson. Right now, your wife is the one that needs you."

The words hit him in the face like cold water, waking him just as effectively. She was right. Jerking his hands across his eyes and clenching them to stop the shaking, he nodded once and allowed her to lead him on down the white hallway……

-Dream-

The room was quite small, having space only for the bed, a sink, and a small chair. Raven's eyes opened sleepily as the door clicked shut. "Hi," she croaked, waving her hand as though it weighed five pounds.

Seeing Raven in this vulnerable state made Richard instantly forget his own fears. He needed to be strong for her. Smiling encouragingly, he approached her bed. "Hello, beautiful."

She scoffed at that, rolling her half-mast eyes. "You shameless liar. How do you live with yourself?"

Richard laughed quietly, sitting down and holding her hand in both of his. "It was tricky at first, but I think I'm getting the hang of it." The smile washed off his face as he stroked her hand with a thumb. "Are you ok?"

She grimaced, then smiled. "Well, I've definitely been better, but yeah. I'm ok." She stifled a yawn with difficulty, then cast a piercing eye over her husband's face. "So, how are you holding up?" It was meant to be sarcastic, but came out genuine as her tired eyes grew sad.

Richard took a long breath and did his best to retrieve the smile. "Oh…I'm good. Though I think I pulled a muscle while pacing in the waiting room." Raven batted his arm reproachfully, letting out a small, wheezy laugh. Silence followed.

Raven yawned again, her eyes drooping with pure exhaustion. "Robin…" she said, voice groggy, "you should go see him…he's beautiful…"

Richard gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I will."

Brushing the sweat-drenched purple locks from her forehead, he kissed it softly. "Get some rest now, ok? I'll be back soon."

Raven nodded her consent, heavy eyelids closing gratefully as Richard shut the door behind him……

-Dream-

The room was huge compared to Raven's accommodations. Rows upon rows of little glass chambers covered most of the space, each with a tiny baby inside, various tubes and machines hooked up to its small body. Some could have fit easily in the palm of his hand; others seemed fairly normal. The aura of sadness, pain, and death lingering over the place made him want to turn and run as far away from it as he could…but he didn't. He had promised Raven.

Very close to the long window behind which he stood, a tiny baby with enough wild black hair for all the babies in the room blinked up at the ceiling. Richard didn't have to see the form at the foot of the bed to know this was his little guy.

He was so fragile. His little chest rose and fell so slightly that Richard could hardly tell if he was breathing. He could have easily fit in his papa's cupped hands, and his fist was about the size of the tip of Richard's thumb. As he watched his little baby struggle for each breath, a suffocating horror seized him.

"And now, The Flying Graysons!"

"We're doing all we can, but at this point…we just don't know."

"Don't you die," he whispered, eyes glazed with unshed tears. "Don't you die too."

Robin placed a hand on the glass, eyes fixed on the beautiful life he had helped to bring into this world. The thought of losing him now was driving a knife through his heart.

"Please don't die."

—wires were cut, sending Mary and Jonathon Grayson plummeting to their deaths—

"I…I can't—"

The baby moved weakly, one tiny fist clenching as his brow wrinkled. A silent wail escaped his mouth, all sound blocked out by the glass.

"I can't…can't do this—"

The crying grew stronger as a nurse rushed towards the tiny baby. His clenched fist shook as the nurse shot some clear liquid into his IV. He could be dying…he's dying…

Richard stumbled away from the glass, racing down the hall and as far away from the baby as possible. Never…never again……

-Dream-

"Do you want to hold him, Richard?" Raven offered, stroking the baby's soft hair and smiling gently.

He shook his head, shrugged his shoulders. "No, that's ok. You go ahead."

Raven's brow furrowed as concern crept into her eyes. "Are you sure? You haven't held him at all yet. I really don't mind; he just ate anyway."

Richard stood up from the couch hastily, walking towards the door and out into the hallway. "No. I should be getting ready."

Raven's eyes widened, her voice soft and somewhat stricken. "You're going back to work already?"

"Someone has to. Don't worry, though, you'll have plenty of help. Kori's flyingout tonight; she'll be staying for the next few weeks."

"That's not what I meant," she called after him, but Richard just kept walking……

-Dream-

"He has a name you know."

Raven's tone was biting as she lugged the baby chair into the kitchen and set it down on the tiled floor. She hastily scooped the baby up and rocked him gently to stop the crying.

"No, really?" Richard grunted, reaching for his coffee mug and putting the keys on the hook.

"Well, I was just starting to wonder if you were aware, since you never use it," droned Raven, her voice a dangerous monotone.

"So? Do I have to say his name every five seconds to make you happy?" he growled, refusing to meet her eye and instead looking through the cupboards for some unknown item.

"What is your problem?" she demanded, frustration beginning to leak into her voice. "He's your son—"

Richard whirled around, his fists clenched and shaking as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I don't want a son!" he yelled, his voice breaking and choked with emotion.

Ignoring the look of shock and horror on her face, he sidestepped Raven and pushed his way through the door……

-Dream-

Richard sobbed even harder, his eyes screwed up against the memories. He could see now, he could see how wrong he had been, he could see the mistakes he had made. Now that it was too late.

"I love you, Timmy. I love you…I'm sorry."

"Well, this explains a lot."

Richard looked up, eyes wide in shock. "Raven?"


Bwahaha! Cliffhanger! Ok, to clarify, all that occurred in Robin's mind, much like how Chapter 9 happened. Don't write this chap off as superfluous, because it actually explains a lot of the reasons why Robin acts like he does towards his son. The end bit will make more sense in chap 12, which should be coming soon. Review please! -Dusty