Thanks for all the reviews. I put this up quickly because it's short and gives you an answer to the horrible cliff hanger I left you on.
Bruce leapt round and looked at his sons. Tim, Jason and Dick were all lying on the floor unconscious. He picked up Amelia and rushed towards his sons. He looked at Jason and checked the boy's pulse. He then took Dick's and Tim's pulses. All his sons were alive. Dick stirred. He and Jason had clearly been thrown back in the explosion. Tim was lying near the controls. Bruce put Amelia down and nodded.
"Amelia, look after your brothers. I'm going to get our butler." Bruce said.
Amelia looked at her brothers and smiled. She moved over to Jason and began to wiggle his fingers because it made her happy. Bruce pulled at part of the machine. His hands burnt at the touch of the metal but he smiled as he found Alfred. The butler seemed to be okay. Bruce helped Alfred up. The butler had no marks or injuries. He seemed to be in perfect shape.
"We need to get the boys to a hospital. They are all out."
"Did we take the limo, Master Bruce?"
"No, Dick took his sports car with Jason. The rest of us took the four seater. Someone will need to drive the sports car."
"I can do it, Master Bruce. I will take Master Tim. The sports car will get the youngest to hospital fastest." Alfred pointed out.
"Okay. Lets get them in." Bruce said, picking up Tim and handing Alfred Amelia.
Bruce had Jason strapped into the seat next to him and Dick strapped into the back with Amelia was was cooing from her car seat.
"How are you doing, Amelia? Is Dick okay?"
Amelia might have replied but Bruce was distracted by Jason stirring a bit to his side.
"Wha...? Tim? Dick? No, please, I'm really worried. Bruce, where are they? Why can't I see?"
"What?" Bruce gasped.
"I can't see." Jason replied. "Have I gone blind?"
"Jason!" Dick called from the back.
It was clear he had stirred too. He could hear Amelia giggle from the side but he couldn't see.
"Bruce, if you're there, I think me and Jason have gone blind."
Bruce checked the boys into the hospital. The doctors had understood his rush. Both of the boys had head injuries and both of them couldn't see anything apart from a blinding white light. It was very worrying for Bruce as both of the boys had been lead away. He had followed but when Dick had been taking into one room and Jason into the other he had been told by Dick to follow the youngest. Bruce watched as the doctors ran tests. Jason was not announced as Bruce's son, as Jason Todd, because Jason Todd was dead. He was said to be a boy Dick had been friends with who had fallen on hard times and Bruce had taken a liking to him. Parts of it had been true. Dick and Jason were friends but that had come after Jason had fallen on hard times and found Bruce. A kindly nurse had played with Amelia a bit, listening to her heart and letting her look at some of the tools that the doctors uses regularly. It had kept Amelia from crying because she clearly didn't like hospitals.
When the doctors had finished all their tests, they walked over to Bruce. Jason took Amelia because he couldn't see and he wanted to know someone was with him. He didn't actually say that but Bruce knew it was true.
"He is fine. His blindness is temporary and is a combination of the bright light from the explosion and concussion he received. He's going to have a limp for a few days and a headache for a bit longer but he's lucky. That explosion could have done some real damage."
Bruce looked at another nurse who was approaching.
"Your son has temporary blindness and a broken rib. He's not going to be much use around the house for a few days. You're only lucky that something like this didn't happen to your baby. She could be in real danger."
"What about Tim, my other son?" Bruce asked.
"Tim?"
"Tim Drake? He was meant to be admitted for being in the same explosion. My butler was meant to be driving him here." Bruce said.
"I can check the records but I'm pretty sure a Tim Drake hasn't been brought in with similar injuries as your son." the nurse said and moved away.
Bruce was beginning to worry.
Tim was woken up by the sound of his phone going off into his pocket. Without even opening his eyes, he produced the phone and pressed it to his ear.
"Tim? Where are you?"
"Bruce? What happened?"
"The explosion... You and your brothers were knocked out and..."
Tim opened his eyes. He couldn't see.
"Bruce! I've gone blind!"
"Your brothers both have the same symptoms. Get Alfred to drive you to the hospital quickly so..."
"Alfred?" Tim called.
He hadn't heard any movement since he had woken up. He reached forwards and felt the front panels of the car. It was Dick's sports car. He nodded and smiled, recognising the feel. Two seater and he was in the passenger seat. He reached across and felt the seat next to him.
"Alfred?" he called again.
He put the phone to his ear.
"I can't find Alfred. I think I'm alone. I'm in Dick's sports car and..."
Tim stopped. He could hear something outside.
"Bruce, there's someone outside." Tim murmured.
Bruce was horrified. His youngest son was sitting in alone in an expensive sports car in the middle of Gotham. He told Tim to stay calm and that he would find out where he was. Then he hung up. He was standing outside the hospital and didn't want to leave his other sons as the hospital while he went in search of Tim. He decided to call Alfred. Alfred didn't pick up and Bruce was getting desperate. He disappeared inside the hospital.
"Dick, are you sure you will be okay?"
"Bruce, we're in the hospital where there are fully trained health professionals to look after me, Jason and Amelia. I don't know why you're worried." Dick said.
"Someone could have taken Alfred."
"And left Tim?" Dick asked.
Bruce looked at his oldest son and the far away look in the boy's blue eyes.
"If anything happens. If Amelia coughs or Jason sneezes in a strange way I want you safe. Get the doctors to call Leslie and get her to take you to the manor." Bruce instructed.
Then he left to go and find his youngest son.
Tim could hear someone moving outside. He could hear the sound of talking and the sound of people trying the doors.
"Isn't that the Wayne kid?" one of the men asked.
"Which one?" another man asked.
"The clever one." a female replied. "Unlike you."
"We should take the boy and sell him to one of Wayne's enemies."
"How are we meant to get to him?"
Tim knew the doors were locked. He had locked them himself. Yet these people wanted to kidnap him. He doubted locked doors would do hold them back for long.
"Smash the windows."
Bruce, get your butt down here, right now.
Bruce kept secrets from his sons all the time. One of his biggest secrets was that every vehicle they had, from bicycles to jet planes, contained tracking devices. Dick's sports car was no different. In fact, Dick's cars all had several tracking devices because he was so likely to destroy them he could be with any part of them. Bruce got into the family car and brought up the tracker screen.
Come on, show me where Tim is.
The screen began to close in on the map of the world, zooming in until it reached Gotham and then it closed in on a street.
"Oh no." Bruce grimaced.
Bruce raced down the road in the car. He had to hope that his other sons would be alright while he was gone. He didn't want to go to where Tim was but he knew he had to. He had to so he could get his son to hospital and find Alfred.
Tim knew that as soon as one of the people got into the car he would have to fight to stay there. He couldn't see the people but he was pretty sure there were only three of them. He doubted he would be able to fight the three of them when he was blind. He needed help. He grabbed his phone and called Dick. He didn't answer. He called Jason. He didn't answer. Tim was beginning to get desperate. He called Alfred and when he didn't get an answer that time, he rung the only number he knew would pick up.
"Stephanie, just tell me about your day."
"Why?"
"Because I want to talk to you."
"Tim, tell me what's wrong."
"Stephanie, you do you know we're dating, right?"
"Yes. I know we're dating." Stephanie replied down the phone.
"If anything happens, if anything changes then we'll still be dating won't we."
"Unless you become an evil super villain, Timmy."
"What happens if I end up looking like Two-Face?" Tim asked.
"I will still date you." Stephanie said.
Tim smiled.
"Pizza on Saturday, okay?"
"Okay, Timmy, say hi to Bruce for me."
Then the phone was hung up. Tim sighed at the phone and held it to his chest. He managed a weak smile and tried to call his father.
Bruce realised that his phone was ringing. He looked at his phone and saw that it was Tim. He picked up the phone and placed it in the handset so he could talk to his son.
"Hi, Timmy. I know where you are."
"Really. I just called Stephanie and she says whatever happens to me we'll still be dating."
"That's nice. You're in crime alley. How is the person outside?"
"It's three people and I think they are all armed but I'm not sure. None of them are Alfred. Where is he? Do you think he's already been taken?"
"Tim, just tell me what you think is happening."
"I think that I'm terrified, Bruce. I hate not being able to see. You know what we need to do..." Tim said.
Bruce could hear the panic in his voice. He wanted to calm his son down. He was willing to do anything in return for his son to calm down and feel safe.
"Tell me about Dick, Jay and Amelia. How are they?"
"Your brothers have both been blinded but they're fine. Amelia is fine. She's okay. You saved her. If you had told me to move her a couple of seconds later then she would probably be dead."
"That's great." Tim said. "How closer are you to crime alley?"
"Really close." Bruce replied.
He swung the car into crime alley.
Tim heard the blows on a horn and the revving of an engine. He wasn't sure what was happening.
"Run!" one of the men shouted.
"What's happening?" Tim screamed.
"He's going to kill us!" one of the other man roared.
"Bruce, if you have ever even considered me as your son, please save me." Tim whispered.
He thought he was going to die. In his mind, he could feel the car he could hear crashing into the car he was in. He was used to the danger so smiled. He had got everything in order and if he did survive he had a date with the girl of his dreams to look forwards to. He just thought that Dick was going to kill him for getting his car wrecked. He didn't need to close his eyes but he did. Then there was a knock on the window. Tim turned to look at the window but he couldn't see who it was.
"Timmy?"
"Bruce?"
"Yeah." Bruce replied. "Can you let me in?"
Tim unlocked the door and let Bruce open it. Bruce looked at Tim.
"Where's Alfred?"
"He was gone when I woke up." Tim said.
His blue eyes were focused just past Bruce. They clearly couldn't see him.
"Tim, lets leave. Lets get you into the other car and get you to the hospital. Then I'll find Alfred."
By some miracle, Dick was getting better at seeing by the time Bruce showed up. He could make out more objects clearer and was holding Amelia as Jason was getting tested again. He too was getting better at seeing and didn't need to be lead everywhere by a doctor. Bruce noted that both of the boys were limping and Dick had a fresh bruise on his forehead from walking into some sort of cupboard. Tim's voice cut through.
"That's Amelia? Where's Amelia? Did she get hurt?"
"Tim?" Dick and Jason both exclaimed.
"Amelia's fine." Bruce said. "Remember, I told you she was safe."
He looked at his other sons. Dick had got up and was moving towards Tim. He was holding Amelia. Dick still moved with grace despite the fact that he could barely see his brother. He could just see a blurred outline of light.
"Where's Alfred?" Jason asked, forcing his voice to found as if he didn't care.
He did.
"That's what I'm going to find out." Bruce said with surety. "Dick, look after your brother and sister and your friend."
Bruce didn't like referring to Jason as nothing more than his son's friend. He wanted to call Jason his son.
"Okay, Bruce." Dick said. "Just bring Alfie back safe."
Bruce had driven round Gotham all that afternoon and well into the evening. He had got a company to tow Dick's sports car back to the manor while he was on his travels and was trying to think of how he was going to get his children home while he was looking for their butler. He couldn't see Alfred in the streets. His butler wouldn't be hard to find. He had tried the tracker that Alfred always carried but it seemed to have stopped working. He swung into the hospital car park and decided he would have to call up Wally or someone to take Amelia and the boys home while he continued to search for Alfred.
The boys were in the waiting room. They had given Tim a pair of sunglasses as some sort of joke. Dick and Jason were talking to each other. Dick managed to recognise Bruce from the moment he walked in. His blue eyes seemed more focused and, on closer inspection, Jason's were too. They clearly would be able to see properly within the hour.
"I need to get back to the house. We'll find Alfred from there once you boys are better."
"You're taking the family car, right?" Tim said, looking in completely the wrong direction. "Five people in a four seater car."
"Yeah. I know." Dick agreed, helpfully turning his brother so he was facing the right way.
"I've called Wally. He's free so he's going to take Amelia home and stay with you lot until you can see see properly." Bruce said.
Suddenly Wally appeared, rushing in the waiting room.
"I came as quickly as I could." Wally gasped.
He had clearly just super-sped there in costume and then changed somewhere nearby.
"I'll drive the boys home if you run Amelia back." Bruce whispered. "Then you need to baby sit them all."
"Okay." Wally said and took Amelia from Dick.
Bruce looked at Dick and smiled. Dick had looked a bit defensive when his little sister had been taken from him.
"It's only Wally." Bruce pointed out.
"I can see that." Dick said.
He moved towards his close friend and offered him a weak smile.
"Keep my little sister safe, okay?" Dick asked.
Wally nodded and smiled. He walked out of the hospital. Dick watched him go and then Jason appeared by his side.
"He's your friend. He won't let anything happen to her."
"I know but..." Dick trailed off.
"Lets get all of you in the car and then I can search for Alfred."
Flash slowed down in the manor's hallway. He looked around and placed Amelia down on the side.
"Stay there, kiddo." he said.
He rushed upstairs and searched for the nursery. When he came back down, he had a book of Batman and Robin stories.
"Here you go, kiddo. How about I take you into the lounge and read you one of your daddy's stories?" Flash asked. "After I get changed."
Flash left Amelia on the table and flashed away to get changed. For anyone who knows anything about babies, a table is a bad place to leave a baby unattended for even a second. In Wayne manor, it's even worse. As Flash was getting changed into clothes that wouldn't incriminate the Wayne family as superheroes if he was watched, Amelia was picked up by a figure. Amelia wriggled in the figure's arms, clearly uncomfortable with the way they were holding her.
"What are you doing here?" Wally called, appearing on the doorway.
To be continued!