Once at the hospital, Dick got Gabriel checked in and took the small boy to his room following a nurse the entire way. Damian was silent the entire time. Once the nurse got them all settled in Dick asked her.

"What time is his surgery?"

Looking at her clipboard she told him. "Around 7am, remember, he is NPO (nothing by mouth) after midnight."

"Yes, ma'am," Dick told her.

Gabe was in a metal crib that was over three feet off the ground with two and a half to 3-foot metal rails that looked like shiny jail cell bars. Dick lowered the rails so that he could reach Gabe if he needed to, the small boy looked around his bed and asked Dick.

"Dicky, is I gonna be in pain after dis?"

Dick told him softly. "Probably, but just remember it's necessary. You will be alright in a matter of weeks and I will be at home with you the entire time."

"You no go to work?" Gabe asked curiously.

Shaking his head he told him. "No, I might pick up a couple shifts next week but I won't make them long and Bruce can look after you while I'm gone."

Damian sat quietly staring out the window of the hospital's third floor. He looked over at Dick and asked in a calm voice. "Why am I a target now Grayson?"

Dick looked up and saw the green eyes of his brother looking back at him. "I really don't know. It's like I said to Bruce… It could be Talia. She or her father that is doing this, she could be behind it all and is using my connections with the circus as a distraction to get to Bruce. She's had almost a year and a half to come up with a plan."

Looking back out the window Damian let out a sigh. "I just don't understand Grayson… I thought parents cared for their children?"

Dick got out a few toy blocks for Gabe to play with he handed those to him.

Seeing as Gabe was content with playing with blocks in his bed Dick walked around it to Damian. "Most do buddy, your mom is evil and manipulative. I know she keeps calling Bruce her beloved but I hardly believe he would love someone like her… She's evil. He's not, plain and simple. He can have an arrogant side but it's rarely seen. He loves you, Damian, if he didn't he would not have taken you in."

Damian looked out the window and asked. "What if she comes here after me? Was it such a good idea that Father sent me with you? I mean, Baby Grayson and I are targets, you're a target… the way I see it we are all three screwed."

Dick chuckled and told him. "Do you really think that Bruce wouldn't ask 'Batman' guard us while we are here. I mean Batman frequents this part of town anyway..."

Gabe had gotten out of his bed on his own and stumbled over to the diaper bag. Unzipping it without the other two noticing he took out his plush toy Batman and walked back to his bed. Climbing the rails he got back in without any trouble. Standing up to the bars facing his cousin and Damian he said.

"Batman watch over us Dicky! See!" Gabe told them with a wide toothy grin on his face.

Dick chuckled and told him. "You got out of that bed by yourself didn't you?"

"Yep, aw by myself. I a monkey like daddy used call me!" Gabe told them.

Damian shook his head and whispered very low for only Dick's ears. "Screw calling him Robin, maybe he should be Monkey boy."

Dick frowned and told him back just as quietly. "I'll give it some thought."

Clearing his throat he said to Gabe. "Now after they do surgery you can not be climbing in and out of bed by yourself like that. You will hurt yourself badly and have to come back here."

"I be good Dicky, I pwomise," Gabe said honestly.

A woman stood in the hall, she had been looking for several moments for the room of Gabriel Grayson, she knew where ever he was Richard would be. And she also knew Bruce Wayne well enough to know that he would send the boy here as well… thinking he will be safe. Adjusting her fake glasses and her scrubs she pushed open the door with a smile on her face and tried to sound convincing.

"Hello, there boys, and how are we this evening."

The younger boy frowned at her but the eldest one, Richard smiled.

"We are doing fine miss," Richard said politely.

She looked at Gabe's chart and gave a fake smile. She felt the 10-year-old boy's gaze on her and she asked. "And what might your name be dear?"

The frown deepened and he replied back. "Damian… Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Shutting the file she put it away and told him. "No, you don't. Well, it was nice meeting you, boys."

She turned and left the room quickly and shut the door. She knew it had been a horrible idea to go into a room with the Bat's kids. But she had to be sure that they were in there. She had to make her plan work…

Damian watched the woman leave and he looked up at Dick. "Grayson, uh… Do you have your phone on you?"

Dick checked his pocket. "Yeah, why?"

Not taking his eyes off the door Damian replied back. "Keep it on you, I have a feeling the walls have ears tonight."

"What do you mean? Did you recognize that nurse?" Dick asked curiously.

"You could say that..." Damian replied softly.

"Hey, Dicky?" Gabe asked from his hospital bed.

Going over to Gabe's bed he replied. "What's up little man?"

"Is Robin ever scared?" Gabe whispered softly.

Frowning at the question Dick asked him. "Are you scared little man?"

Damian walked over to the two and listened.

"A wittle bit… I no wanna be hurt but it's so I can be Robin right?" Still in a hushed tone.

Damian looked up at his oldest brother and then back to the toddler. "Sometimes, but just remember that you don't have to be him. You can choose who you wanna be, you don't have to be Robin."

Thinking this over Gabe announced in a loud whisper. "I wanna be a monkey!"

Startled by the answer Dick chuckled and asked. "Why on earth would you want to be that?"

Grinning from ear to ear Gabe told him. "We was the 'Flying Grayson's' right."

"Well, yeah but I don't see how that's..." Dick started to say. "Well, we know in the circus no more but monkeys can fly too!"

Damian thought about what Gabe had said earlier down in the Batcave. "Baby Grayson, you remember what you said down in…. Uh… at home earlier?"

Sitting up straighter the small boy said happily. "Yes, not my circus not my monkeys."

Getting to his feet he leaned closer to Damian. "May not be my circus but my monkeys can fly!"

This got both boys cracking up laughing. Gabe got them rolling laughing by jumping from one end of the bed to the other saying. "Monkey's fly!"

The sound of the mattress crackling below his bare feet as he jumped from one end of the crib to the other, the structure of the bed moved with him. Damian rolled his eyes and chuckled a little, a different nurse came in along with the surgeon moments later.

"I see we are full of energy this evening." The surgeon shook Dick's hand and said. "Good evening, I am Eric I will be performing the surgery on your son in the morning."

"I not his son! He my cousin!" Gabe told him matter of factually.

"It's nice to meet you, Eric," Dick told him as he gave him a firm shake of his hand.

Eric gave a nervous chuckle and continued. "I need to draw an outline on his fingers as a pre-op measure so we know where we will be cutting."

"Ok sounds good," Dick told him, he took now how nervous the man seemed to be and wondered why. Gabe held his hands out between the metal bars. He giggled when the marker traced along his conjoined fingers on his right hand. Then he moved to the left where the fingers were not conjoined but separated by a thin layer of skin.

"It's odd that his fingers are conjoined on one side and not on the other, but I have read of cases such as this," Eric told Dick.

"You can still do the surgery right?" Concern in Dick's voice.

"Oh yes, it's not hard to do. Does he have any allergies?" The nurse beside him asked. Damian noticed that it was the same woman as before, only now she seemed to have a different hair color.

Dick shook his head and told her. "Not that I am aware of, I have only had him for a matter of months. I don't have his medical records prior to him coming into my custody."

Nodding the nurse wrote that down and smiled. Eric was finished with Gabe's hands and told Dick. "Alright, that should just about do it. I will send for him first thing in the morning, I would say around 7ish."

"Sounds good," Dick told him as they left. Frowning Dick looked down at Damian. "That wasn't the same nurse as before…"

"I told you, Grayson, somethings not right here," Damian told him.

They were both silent for a moment before Damian commented. "Wait a minute? Why would the surgeon say 7ish? wouldn't he give you a set time?"

Dick pulled out his cell phone without a second thought, after a few rings Alfred picked up. "Yes, Master Dick?"

"Alfred, could you have Bruce come to the hospital along with Tim. I think something is going on here, and I don't like it." Dick told the faithful butler as he looked over at Damian. He knew the kid was seldom wrong about bad feelings, he is the Dark Knights son after all.

"I will inform him, sir, is there anything else you may require?"

"Yes, call Leslie and have her get over here," Dick added.

"Very well sir."

They hung up and Dick walked over to Damian. "Bruce, Tim and Leslie are on their way."

She was furious, they only had one job, and that was to lure Dick Grayson to the hall. Instead, they stayed in there and talked to him. She also knew he was now suspicious because of that damn surgeon that had a big mouth and told Dick the wrong thing. She could hear from outside the door Dick calling his surrogate father and surrogate brother along with the family doctor. She started to rethink her plans about attacking the boy at the hospital, there were just too many incompetent people.

The mysterious woman knew she would just have to wait for her opportune moment to strike, that boy would be hers again. And Bruce Wayne was NOT going to stop her.

Bruce walked with Tim right behind him going through the hospital corridors, he bumped into a dark haired nurse on Gabriel's floor. He recognized her eyes and hair immediately picking up the pace he walked faster to Gabe's room. Opening the door he saw Damian, much to his relief, Dick sitting with Gabriel.

They both looked up when he walked in. "Is everything alright?"

"Father, I have this horrible feeling that Mother is going to try and get me back! And I think she's here at the hospital." Damian told him walking quickly to stand before him.

It took Bruce by surprise a little that Damian was so quick to sound worried about this. But then again, the boy had been better as of lately than he was the previous year.

"I bumped into her in the hall..." He began to say.

"What! You knew that nurse?" Tim asked shock lacing his words. Looking over at his middle son Bruce told him.

"Yes, I recognized her."

Dick looked worriedly at his surrogate father and commented. "Why can't she just go to court like everyone else when it comes to custody?"

Bruce chuckled and told him. "Because she knows I would win."

"Because you're rich? And can send him to the best schools?" Tim asked.

"There's that, but also I have evidence that he was abused while in her care and she knows it. If a judge thinks he will be in danger by going back with her then he will leave Damian with me. But, there's also the downside to this too. If it were to go to court, and for some god forsaken reason the judge thinks that I was a threat then I would be the one to loose him. Neither of us would win..." Bruce said trailing off.

"He would go to foster care..." Dick finished. Bruce nodded and told him. "Yes, essentially he would. So to avoid all of that she is going to try and take him by force."

Dick remembered his days when the CPS department was in charge of his welfare… those were not good times and the social worker he was assigned to could have cared less what happened to him. "Like hell, they will take him."

Alfred walked in and said. "How is Master Gabe doing this evening?"

Gabe had been sitting down playing with his Batman doll. He smiled and stood up when he saw Alfred and said. "Not my circus not my monkeys!"

Dick chuckled and looked over at Bruce. "And he says that at random… this should be very interesting."

Alfred walked over to the crib and asked with some amusement. "And where did you learn that Master Gabriel?"

Gabe stood at the foot of the bed and jumped to the middle saying. "Monkeys fly! I hear it from that tape!"

Dick came over quickly as the door opened. "Shh. Stop jumping on the bed."

A young woman wearing pink scrubs came in carrying a tray. "I brought you something to eat Gabriel. Are you hungry?"

The name badge on her uniform had her photo on it confirming she was a server from the kitchen there at the hospital. She grinned when she had heard him say monkey's fly.

"Oh, do they now? How about you be a good boy and eat your supper alright?" The young woman said.

Gabe sat down on the bed and told her. "I be good boy."

Bruce dropped the rail down as she put the tray on the bed for the boy to start eating. She lifted the lid and set it aside.

Gabe picked up one of the jello chunks and said. "I like this." As he proceeded to get Jello all over himself as well as the bed. Dick tried to help him but he refused help.

He picked up his cup and tried drinking out of the straw, but since he had jello all over his hands he almost dropped it. Dick had forgotten about the food Alfred had sent with them, but he figured that the hospital had a policy they had to go by so he just had Damian put the bags of food aside for now.

Bruce motioned for Dick to come to the hall for a moment and allowed Damian to watch Gabe. Tim followed behind his brother and father with Alfred right behind him.

Little do they know that the youngest bird is being down right ornry while they are talking in the hall with the doctors.

Damian walks over to Gabe and watches him eat. "Baby Grayson, you need to eat with a spoon. You are not an animal."

Gabe had Jello all over his clothes, hands, face, and bed. Damian picked up the spoon and placed it in his left and said. "Here, this will make less of a mess."

Giggling the toddler began to eat like a normal person. Damian got an evil grin on his face and said. "Want to learn something new, Grayson?"

Taking a bite of his Jello Gabe nodded his head. Damian let out a small burp and told Gabe. "See it's easy to do. Just swallow air and then try and burp it out."

Gabe tilted his head then took in a breath and let out a belch. "Good one Grayson."

The boys did this for several moments before Bruce and Dick came in. Damian jumped a little and walked easily over to his backpack and got out his MP3 player. He remained in the corner of the room as the two adults walked over to Gabe who let out several small burps just as Dick got close.

"Gabe, that's not polite," Bruce said gently. Dick snickered a little trying not to laugh as his cousin kept it up.

"Damian has he been doing this the entire time?" Bruce asked his son who was sitting in the corner trying not to laugh.

Not trusting himself to not laugh he just shook his head. Damian tried hard not to laugh as he listened to Gabe giving out small burps. Dick went to the bathroom while Bruce went to find Tim who had taken off after one of the nurses in the hall.

Alfred knew visiting hours were about over so he had left some time before to get the car. Damian noticed it was just him and Gabe again, at least until his brother got out of the bathroom. Damian pulled a small can of Shasta Cola out of his pocket, he had grabbed it from the kitchen earlier when they walked through. He popped it open and hoped Dick hadn't heard him.

"Here take a sip of this," Damian whispered to Gabe. Smiling wide Gabe took a big drink of it. When he was finished Damian through the can away and raced back to the window and sat in the chair there.

Dick came out of the bathroom just as Bruce and Tim reentered the room. Gabe smiled wide and let out the world's largest burp. Damian put his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud, Dick couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing. Bruce laughed as well and Tim asked.

"Gabe, who taught you how to burp on command?"

He was shaking his head laughing at the prospect that the boy knew about that skill by himself. Gabe looked at Dick, Bruce then at Tim and said. "I done no… I learn myself!"

He let out another burp that was nearly as loud as the last one.

"Ok Gabe that's enough now," Dick told his cousin still trying not to laugh.

A sly grin spread across the toddler's face and he took in a drink of his milk with some air as well. He let out a pretty good belch.

Bruce couldn't help but laugh, along with Tim. Damian couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed silently. Dick laughed again but was quickly getting annoyed.

"Ok, Gabe that is enough. You need to finish your dinner." Dick told him firmly.

There was a knock on the door then and Dr. Leslie came in. She smiled at the group and greeted them. "Hello, guys. How is everyone this evening?"

"I burp loud!" Gabe announced and let out another one. Dick shook his head and groaned in annoyance.

Leslie let out a chuckle and said to the small boy. "And who taught you how to do that?"

"DD did." Leslie looked over at Bruce for confirmation.

"He can't pronounce Damian's name so he calls him DD. He used to call Dick D but now calls him Dicky." He explained to her.

"Right, gotcha. So is my brave boy ready for tomorrow?" Leslie asked turning back to Gabe who was eating a slice of apple.

"Yes, ma'am." In a low whisper, he added. "I ready to be Robin."

Bruce looked just as shocked as the boys when Gabe said that, he was just thanking the stars that it was just Leslie and no one else in the room.

Leslie got closer to the boy and told him firmly. "Gabriel, you really shouldn't say things like that. You don't really know me, and just because Dick and Bruce know me doesn't mean I know their secret. Had I been a stranger to them you would have just told their identities to someone."

"Yous was there the night that Nightwing saved me wasn't you?" Gabe asked.

"No, I didn't see you until a few days later."

"I know you know Dickie is Nightwing," Gabe whispered softly with a proud look on his face.

Leslie didn't know how to respond to that, she looked over at Dick who just shrugged and told her. "The kid has a great grasp on common sense, he's very smart and quick to figure things out. In one day he had the advantage to give us all away and he never took it. He explained to us that if we had wanted people to know that we would have told them ourselves."

"This boy has potential that's for sure," Leslie told them. She looked down at Gabriel again and then up to the clock on the wall. "Well Gabriel, you should probably get some sleep, we will be taking you back to surgery around 7 in the morning."

"How long's surgery?" Gabe asked.

"At least a couple of hours, you will be asleep," Leslie informed him.

"Can Batman come with me?" Gabe asked.

Looking at him stunned then back at Bruce, he just chuckled and told her. "It's the plush doll he likes to sleep with. The day we were at the store getting toys for him he found it. There wasn't a Nightwing doll or Robin so he chose Batman."

"Oh, ok. Well, Gabe, I don't see why not, but he will need to be cleaned before going into the operating room. May I have him for a little while? So that I can get him ready for tomorrow."

Gabe looked up at Dick with tears in his eyes. "Aw Gabe don't look like that, Dami and I will be right here. Dr. Leslie will have him back in no time."

Leslie told him softly. "Gabriel, I will have him back before midnight ok? Will that help you sleep better?"

He nodded slowly and looked up at Dick. "I done with my tway now."

Picking the tray up he laid it on the counter and turned back to Leslie. "Did you talk to the surgeon?"

"Yes, and he confirmed that some woman matching Damian's description fitting his mother had influenced how he spoke to you earlier. He is sorry for that, there is going to be extra security posted outside as well as inside the OR during surgery. You did the right thing by calling me in, I will be there overlooking the procedure." Leslie told them.

Damian asked her. "Dr. Thompkins, may I be present in the operating room?"

"No you may not young man, you will stay with your brother in the waiting room."

"He's not my brother..." Damian told her firmly.

Bruce was getting ready to respond when Leslie beat him to it. "Now young man you listen here, Dick was adopted years ago before you came along. In all senses he is your brother whether you like it or not. You had better start getting used to the idea or you will find yourself in a world of trouble."

Bruce knew his father's old friend could be blunt, but he liked her style when it came to creating order. He couldn't have said that better himself.

"How dare you speak to me in such a way." Damian fired back.

Bruce knew this wasn't going to end well but he knew Leslie well enough to know she could handle the situation with the stubborn boy.

"You know what young man, your paternal Grandfather would not want you to speak to anyone like you are right now," Leslie told him back, keeping her voice even.

Damian stood his ground and told her. "I don't know him, so how do I know what he would want?"

Tim had to put his two cents in. "Because his son can put you over his knee again in a heartbeat if you don't shut up, and start talking to his life long friend with respect."

Damian closed his mouth quickly when he saw the look on Bruce's face.

A short time later Leslie left with the Batman toy to get it washed properly for it to go back to surgery with Gabe.

When visiting hours were over Bruce and Tim left with the promise they would be back by morning to support Gabe on the next chapter of his life. He would be free from having his fingers conjoined together forever.

Dick had little to no trouble at getting the toddler to go to sleep without his security toy. When Gabe woke up around midnight he had the toy tucked safely under his arm.

Smiling tiredly at his little cousin Dick told him softly. "Told you she would keep her promise."

Gabe smiled and went back to sleep.

Around 2 Dick woke up to the sound of tapping on the window. He went over and opened it up and said. "Little late for a social call isn't it?"

Batman looked in the room and said. "I have been on guard duty out here most of the night. I am just going on and heading home so I am not overly tired in the morning. Just thought you should know."

"Thanks, see you in the morning," Dick told him.

Going back to his chair he went back to sleep and woke to the doctors coming in to get Gabe a little before 7.

Standing with his family Dick knew Gabe was in good hands and that he would be ready to start a new chapter with Gabe in just a matter of weeks when he would begin the boy's training.

A/N: Reactions? Good, Bad? Love? Hate? Let me know please. :)