Will have a little Dick and Tim fluff this chapter.
At breakfast, Tim was able to get some answers. Bruce had snuck into his room to check on Tim, just like he had hypothesized. Apparently, Tim woke up in a daze after a peculiar dream about being covered in pollen and chased by bunnies. The epitome of a fever dream if there ever was one. Not that Tim really recalled having that dream in the first place. After Bruce was able to calm him down and get Tim back to sleep, he claimed that was tired and too lazy to go back to his own room for the night and crashed in Tim's room. Plus, Bruce wanted to be there incase Tim needed him, confirming another of Tim's theories.
It didn't bother Tim that Bruce did this. He even admitted that he appreciated the gesture. He just wished he was a little more lucid when it happened, regretting that he couldn't enjoy it. Thankfully, however, it appeared that Tim's fever broke during the night. That was a victory in its own right.
Bruce's phone went off, forcing him to excuse himself. He didn't go far, just to the kitchen's doorway. It wasn't a bad call from what everyone could tell. The conversation seemed pleasant enough. Once he got off the phone, Bruce returned to the table.
"Leslie wants to see you." Bruce stated. "She wants to give you a check up and see how you are."
"Okay." Tim accepted.
"Can I take him?" Dick asked.
They both looked at Dick puzzled. Dick seemed a little too eager about his request. Something about it didn't seem right.
"You've been hogging him." Dick accused. "I just want to spend a little time with him. Even if it is for a doctor's appointment."
"I agree." Damian chimed in. "No offense to Grayson, but I'd like to spend time with you father."
Bruce first thought was to look at Tim. He could see their argument, not that he gave it much thought before that point. Bruce also was curious about Tim's thoughts about it. It wasn't like Tim was opposed to the attention.
"Are you okay with that?" Bruce asked. "I don't want to make a decision without your opinion."
"Sure." Tim accepted. "I wouldn't mind Dick taking me. After all, who am I to want to deprive your little demon out of some father son bonding?"
"Alright." Bruce turned his attention back to Dick. "His appointment is at noon."
Dick and Tim got to Leslie Thompkins' office building on time and with no issue. The nurse brought them to her office and they patiently waited for her. Tim was required to stay on one chair, while Dick was sitting in another. Tim was eying the door intently. He was kind of dreading the encounter, but he knew it was a necessary one. Dick was a little nervous too. He hadn't been there for the previous appointments, Bruce being the sole handler of them. He wasn't sure what to expect.
The door creaked open as Leslie entered the room. She was studying her chart before she looked at them. She was a little surprised to see Dick, but didn't want to be rude.
"Hey." Leslie greeted.
"Hey Leslie." Dick replied, approaching her for a brief hug. "How are you?"
"Good. Surprised that Bruce isn't here though."
"I thought I'd bring him today. Plus, our little gremlin wanted to spend some time with daddy dearest."
Leslie nodded before turning her attention to Tim. She adjusted her stethoscope so that they covered her ear. She delicately held the other end.
"I need you to take your shirt off so we can get this physical started." Leslie stated.
Tim listened, sliding his shirt off in silence. She placed the end of the stethoscope on his chest to get his heart rate. She than shifted to his back to hear his lungs.
Dick let Leslie do her job as he inspected his room. His attention fell onto Tim's back. His eyes traced along the lettering on his back. The thought of Ra's burning that onto Tim's back was painful. He doubted that it would ever go away. It would always be a physical, and by extent a psychological, scar. Not that anyone wanted him to dwell on it.
Dick wasn't able to stare at it for long as Leslie allowed him to put his shirt back on. She moved onto getting Tim's blood pressure. Thankfully it was normal. She then checked his eyes, ears and throat before taking his temperature. She took the thermometer out and carefully studied it.
"His temperature is a pinch higher than usual." Leslie noted.
"Yeah, he got a fever yesterday." Dick filled in. "It cleared up last night. Bruce made sure he got sleep and plenty of fluids. He believes it was from the stress Tim's had over the last few days."
"That's always a possibility. Especially with your line of work and Tim's overall recovery. I'll recommend that he keeps it simple today. Tim's fine, but I'd hate for his fever to return."
"I'll be sure that Bruce stays on top of that."
Leslie leaned against her desk and set her clipboard down. She eyed Tim with concerned curiosity.
"So, what would you like to talk about today?" Leslie asked. "Since we have Dick here, is there anything about him and his capture that you'd like to address?"
Tim shrugged. He looked at Dick nervously before turning it back to Leslie.
"No." Tim sighed. "I'd rather talk about my parents' deaths."
"Would it be better if I leave?" Dick asked, standing up. "I wouldn't want to be detrimental to your session."
"No." Leslie refused. "I've been trying to get him to open up about his capture. I've gotten grief for his parents. Self-inflicted hatred and disappointment. Even his fears. But one thing I haven't gotten him to open up about, is his response to juggling his capture with yours."
Dick slide back down. He gazed at Tim concerned. Dick knew he harbored some guilt from their capture. It didn't help that Dick knew that Tim had seen him battered and bruised. Neither Dick nor Leslie spoke, waiting for Tim to speak.
"I could have stopped all of this." Tim weakly admitted, leaning forward. "If I had just stood my ground, we wouldn't have gotten captured. I know Dick would have listened to me eventually. Heck, we might have even gotten Batman to help." Tim covered his eyes with his hand. "He wouldn't have been beaten to near death. I shouldn't care about what happened to me when I knew he was going through what he did and didn't do anything."
Tim started to falter. His breath became shaky and tears bleed down his face. Dick was hurt by Tim's admission. He thought that Tim had had let that go, or at least have lessened his regret towards it. Dick walked over to Tim, kneeling in front of the chair.
"Hey, it's okay." Dick whispered, gently hugging Tim.
"You don't understand." Tim argued. "I wasn't nearly as damaged as you were. I can't stand the fact that you can be so unfazed about this with everything that's happened."
"First off, this isn't solely for you to carry. In hindsight, I should have listened to you the first time you said something. Yes, there was no confirming that it was a setup with the evidence we were provided, but I should have listened to you." Dick let out a sigh. "And as far as my recovery, remember what I told you. I'm processing it my way. But let me tell you something." Dick cupped Tim's face making Tim look at him. "When I was captured, I was worried about you. Yes, I was dealing with my own trauma, but I couldn't ignore your pain. You were emotionally manipulated. Forced to see what happened to your parents. Left with Ra's, a man who, may I remind you, would do anything to get under your skin and convert you over to his side. How could that not be horrific?" Dick was concerned, and his stare showed it. "You need to stop worrying about me. I'm the oldest, so if anything. I should be the one worrying about you. You need to focus on yourself this time and worry about your recovery."
Tim slide off of the chair, embracing Dick. He buried his head in Dick's shoulder, soaking it with tears. Dick ran a hand through Tim's hair, resting it on the back of Tim's head.
Leslie believed that this was a sign of progress. She hoped that this was a sign that he was starting to let go of his regret. If he could do that, maybe he could begin the transition back to his normal, happier self.
This kind of ties up something from Prison Sentence, where Tim would have the regret of being able to stop either of their captures. Mostly because I see him blaming himself for it instead of looking at the whole picture.