It had been over a year since they had thawed the boy from the ice. It seemed so long ago now, so much had happened, so much had changed. They had celebrated Dicks 'birthday' with a small gathering at the manor; too many people-tired Dick out so they kept it small and the sick Talon seemed to enjoy himself. Until it had suddenly gone very wrong. With the excitement of the evening, the time had gotten away from them and the time for Dick's treatment came and went. If Dick had felt discomfort before he collapsed, he hadn't shown it. One moment he was thanking Bruce for throwing him the party, the next his eyes were rolling into the back of his head and he was limp in the old man's arms. It took them several hours to get him stable again. Wally said Dick had suffered from a mini seizure. From that moment, the already strict routine they had held over Dick became stricter and the little freedom the bird had had was locked away. He was no longer allowed to leave the mountain, and he was to either be monitored or supervised at all times. It took Dick a week to grow tired of his new rules, after a month he was at breaking point.
'I want to go out.'
'No.'
Dick glared at Jason as the other took a sample of his blood.
'Why not?'
Jason put the cap on the blood sample and stuck some gauze to Dick's arm.
'Because, Dick.'
'Don't start that again.' Said Dick, annoyed that Jason always thought that would be enough of an answer.
'I'm sorry Dick, I'm not risking it.'
'But I miss my friends.' Terry still came to see him, but he missed hanging out with him, Max and Dana. He never thought he would say this, but he missed being able to go to school. Bruce had released a statement that Dick was suffering from a rare blood disease and was too sick to return. At first, Terry had come to see him, bringing get well wishes and news from the school. But after a while it stopped, his classmates were moving on with their lives. Forgetting about the boy who had sat among them for a while.
Jason sighed and put the sample down on the small metal table at his side.
'Dick, we are all trying as hard as we can to make you better. You just have to be patient.'
'But what if you can't make me better.' said Dick, his tone deadly serious. 'What if I die having seen nothing but this room for months.'
'You're not going to die…' Jason's tone held less certainty.
'I'm a prisoner to this machine.' He held up his arm that still had the tubes attached to his flesh. 'I am as trapped here, as I was in the chamber.'
Jason shook his head. 'Just give me some more time.'
'I've had enough of time! Time has been tormenting me since I woke up a year ago.' Dick shouted.
'Watch your tone.' Said Jason.
Dick's jaw tightened, he lay down on the bed and turned his body away from the other man.
'Dick, don't be like that.' Jason received no response. Sighing again he stood, knowing when Dick wanted to be alone. 'Wally will be around in a few hours.'
Dick made no move as his adopted father left the room, but a silent tear ran down his cheek.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Annie sat on the toilet seat, rocking slightly as she waited. The small room that was attached hto her bedroom had never seemed so small and never before had she really noticed how loud the extractor fan whirled.
She looked at the watch that she had balanced precariously over the side of the sink.
20 more seconds.
How had life brought her here? She had been with Darren for nearly four years and had never been in this situation before. She and Jason had been dating a few months.
10 more seconds.
What the hell was she going to do? She wasn't even sure how she felt about this? She was freaking out, that much was evident but somewhere, deep down through the panic, there was a glimmer of happiness. Apart from the Batboys, she had no family. The thought of a family made her heart warm slightly. But it was soon drowned out again by panic as the final seconds ticked by.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…. She looked down at the object in her hands.
'Shit.'
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
It had been several days since Terry had been to the mountain. When Dick had first had his mini seizure, he had been going in every day to sit with the little bird. However, with exams coming up Terry was getting home after school and either sitting down to study or simply falling asleep from exhaustion, before doing his nightly patrol as Batman.
When he arrived at Dick's room, Jason was just leaving. The older man had a scowl on his face.
'Hey Jay, what's wrong?' asked Terry.
'Dick's not talking to me.' Said Jason, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. 'He'll barely look at me.'
'What happened?'
'We had a fight.' Jason confessed.
'When?'
'Monday morning.'
Terry's eyes widened – it was Friday! Turns out Dick could hold a grudge for quite a while.
'What was the fight about?'
Jason explained how frustrated Dick was becoming after his birthday party and had been asking to go and see his school friends. When Terry raised his eyebrow, Jason went on to explain his fear of Dick pushing his body and risking further complications. Since his seizure at the party, Wally had noticed that the dialysis wasn't working as effectively. They had started taking samples of Dick's blood at the beginning and end of each of his treatments to keep an eye on the virus and electrum count.
He was surprised when Terry's eyebrow did not lower.
'I agree with Dick.' The younger man said.
'What?'
"You've said so yourself, his condition is getting worse.' He hated to be so blunt, but sometimes Jason needed just that. 'There is a chance, and it kills me to say it too Jay, but there is a chance he won't make it. Do you really want his last memories of this earth to be fighting with you and being locked in his room?'
Jason sighed and shook his head.
'Why don't I take him out?' Terry suggested. 'Nothing too strenuous, just a couple of hours in the coffee shop with the girls?'
Jason bit his lip as he considered this.
'Just a couple of hours.'
Terry nodded. 'I know you're worried Jay, but there is such a thing as too overprotective.'
His comment hit home. He was doing it again. It was Bruce's overprotective nature that had caused Dick to run away, leaving him vulnerable to the Owls and ultimately leading to this mess. And here he was, making the same mistakes.
'You're right. Take him out tomorrow, give him a few hours of freedom. Hopefully, he'll be having a better day than today.'
'What happened today?'
'He won't admit it, but he has been feeling dizzy most of the day. He keeps swaying on the spot and closing his eyes when he thinks no one is looking.' In the month since Dick's seizure, they had all learnt that some days were better than others.
'We'll take it steady. Anything happens I have the whole gang on speed dial.' Terry slapped Jason's arm.
Jason nodded. 'Well, that's one unhappy Bat dealt with, on to the next.'
'Who else is unhappy?' Terry gave him a look that said, "who else have you pissed off?"
'Annie has been avoiding me all week.' Jason admitted. 'I don't know what I've done!'
'Do we ever?' Terry shrugged, there were often times Dana was mad at him and he had no idea what he had done to upset her.
'Na, Annie isn't normally like that. She isn't one for dramatics. If I'd really upset her, she would just come out and tell me.'
'I'm sure she will tell you when she's ready.' Said Terry, he nodded towards the door. 'Is it alright if I go and see Dick?'
Jason nodded. 'You can try, he's ignoring Wally and I. But he might talk to you, especially if you tell him about tomorrow.'
They parted ways and Jason headed towards the zeta beam. He was tired and the cheap coffee they stocked at the mountain just wasn't going to cut it today. As he entered the kitchen, he saw Annie sipping water at the sink, she looked a little grey.
'Are you ok?' asked Jason, 'Are you sick?'
'No. I think the milk is off, it didn't agree with me.' She said, taking another sip of water.
Jason opened the fridge and sniffed the carton of milk. 'Smells ok to me.'
Annie shrugged and threw the rest of her water down the sink along with her unfinished tea, she washed the glass and mug then put them on the draining board. She looked as exhausted as he felt.
'Why don't you go to bed if you're feeling sick, I'll bring you some dinner a bit later.' He suggested. She nodded, let him kiss her forehead as she passed and headed up to her room. When he went to check on her an hour later, she was asleep.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
They say there is always a last good day. A day before everything falls apart. Most people only know when their last good day was after the event. But when Dick woke up that Saturday morning, he felt it. Somewhere in his mind, he knew, today was his last good day.
Wally came to remove the tubes and for the first time in a week Dick answered his questions and interacted with the redhead. He was too tired to be angry at them anymore.
He dressed slowly, taking time to appreciate every little movement. What if this was the last time he wore a jacket? Wore shoes?
By the time Terry came to get him, he was ready, and his pensive mood was replaced by the excitement of going outside.
'Feeling alright?' asked Terry, mindful of what Jason had told him the day before about Dick's dizzy spells.
'As well as I can.' Said Dick, dodging a direct answer.
'The girls are excited to see you.' Said Terry, as they walked towards the beams.
'I'm looking forward to seeing them as well.' Dick smiled. He hadn't seen either of the girls since his birthday and that had not ended well. When they stepped out of the beam, Dick stumbled.
'Woah!' said Terry, holding him up.
'Just a little dizzy.' Said Dick. 'I'll be ok.' He straightened himself and seemed to be alright again.
'Ok, but if you feel at all unwell, you have to let me know. Promise?'
'Promise.'
Terry looked into his friends' eyes, he could already see the gold bleeding in through the green.
When they entered the coffee shop the girls were on him in moments.
Dana hugged him close and then guided him to one of their usual comfy sofas by the window.
Max held back, turning to whisper to Terry.
'He doesn't look well.' She said quietly.
Terry nodded, already Dick was looking tired and the shadows under his eyes were becoming more pronounced, showing the weight he had lost.
'We won't stay long.' He said, he was worried about Dick, but he didn't want to upset his friend by making him go home. An hour or so wouldn't hurt.
They chatted for a while. Terry sat opposite Dick, so he could keep an eye on him, Dana sat beside Terry and Max sat with Dick. The pink hair teen kept glancing to her side whenever Dick rubbed a hand over his eyes or moved to make himself more comfortable. Dick was far from comfortable; the pain was already returning, and he had an odd feeling that he couldn't quite place. But he pushed it from his mind as best he could, he hadn't been this happy in weeks.
That is until Chelsea and Nelson walked in.
'Hi Dana!' the blonde cried, coming over. Nelson slowly walking behind her. 'Oh my God, Dick! How are you!?'
'Hanging in there.' Dick said. He'd resisted the urge to say, "not dead yet". It was too soon for morbid humour.
Despite Nelson's obvious discomfort, Chelsea perched on the arm of the sofa and chatted away with her friend. Dick tried to follow the conversation, but the strange feeling was rising again, it felt like he was coming down from a great height. It was a weird feeling and not pleasant.
Terry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. These two could win a competition for their gossiping. He looked over at Nelson, who was frowning.
'What's up, Nash?' Terry asked, trying to sound casual.
Nelson didn't answer. Instead, he stood and walked closer, passing him and walking towards Dick.
'Get him up.' He said.
'What?'
'Get him up, we need to get him to the bathroom.' He brought one of his hands under Dick's elbow and the other to the small of his back. 'Todd, can you stand?' Dick didn't answer or even react to him.
'Nelson? What's wrong?' asked Chelsea. He ignored her too, turning back to Terry.
'Now!'
Terry followed his instruction, helping Dick to his feet and heading towards the bathroom. He threw his phone to Max.
'Call Jason.'
When they entered the bathroom, they lowered Dick onto the floor by the sinks. Nelson grabbed paper towels and held them under the cold tap before dabbing Dick's face with them.
'Nash, what the hell is going on?' said Terry, he'd never seen Nelson behave like this, especially not towards Dick.
'Todd.' Nelson turned Dick's head to face him. 'Richard, I think you're about to have a seizure.' Dick's eyes widened. 'You need to remember that you are safe, and we are going to look after you.'
For the first time, Terry saw the glazed look in Dick's eyes. He was barely blinking and didn't seem to be completely in the room. How hadn't he noticed?
Nelson took off his jacket and rolled it into a ball. He remained knelt next to Dick, as though waiting for something.
Dick stared ahead, not really caring why Nelson was helping him. He was more focused on that feeling; the feeling of falling was building, it felt so strange. Then it happened.
'I feel weird.' Dick's eyes rolled into the back of his head, just like they had at the party. But Dick didn't just fall limp this time, his whole body began to spasm. Nelson caught him and guided him onto his side, placing his jacket under his head.
Panic flooded Terry as he watched his friend seize on the floor, he wanted to hold him, to stop him from hurting himself. As though seeing what was going through the others mind, Nelson shook his head.
'Don't touch him, he just needs to ride this out.' He looked at his watch, timing the fit.
'It's alright, Richard. Relax. You're safe.' Said Nelson in an almost brotherly tone.
Finally, the spasms stopped, and Dick's body relaxed but he breathed in pants. He tried to get up, but Nelson told him to stay still for a few minutes.
'How did you know?' Terry asked gently.
'My brother has suffered from seizures for as long as I can remember.' Said Nelson, shrugging. 'You learn to spot them pretty early on.'
'Thank you.' Came a whispered gasp from the floor.
'You're welcome.' They stayed in awkward silence for a few more minutes, then when Dick tried to sit back up, Nelson didn't stop him. Instead, he helped him lean against the wall.
The door opened in a burst, sending it crashing against the wall. Damian ran in, eyes wide and his car keys dangling in his hand. Once he saw Dick, he turned his head back.
'Annie, in here!' He then made his way over to Dick. Nelson stood, moving out of the way.
'What have you gotten yourself into now Richard.'
Dick smiled weakly, 'Just keeping you on your toes Dami.'
'Who's that?' Nelson whispered to Terry.
'That's Damian, Dick's…. uncle.'
'Is that his mom?' a woman ran in, her long brown hair loose around her shoulders and her arms reaching for the boy on the floor.
'Basically.' Terry shrugged, watching as Annie and Damian saw to Dick. 'He had a seizure.'
'Another one?' said Damian with a frown.
'Not like before.' Said Terry. 'A full-on seizure. It was lucky Nelson was here.'
Damian nodded his head towards Nash. 'You have my thanks.' He turned back to Dick, bringing his arms around him to lift him off the floor.
'I can stand.' Said Dick weakly.
'I don't' care.' Said Damian, lifting the teen into his arms.
'I'll go and bring the car around the back.' Said Terry and Dami threw him the keys awkwardly with Dick in his arms. While they waited Annie brushed a hand over Dick's face.
'He's very warm.' She muttered.
'We'll take him straight to Wally.'
'He is right here.' Dick muttered, his head resting against Damian's shoulder. He hated when they talked about him like he wasn't there. The Court had done that too. Spoke about him rather than to him.
'Sorry, Dickie.' She kissed his forehead and then walked over to Nelson who didn't know whether he should stay or leave. 'Thank you, for looking after him.'
Nelson nodded. 'Is he going to be alright?' he asked in a low tone.
Annie opened her mouth but didn't know exactly what to say. Luckily, Terry came back and saved her from needing to answer.
Terry gave Annie the keys and glance back at Dick. His friend was limp in Damian's arms. He looked so small, so broken. He had known Dick was sick for months, but it wasn't until that moment that it had really hit him. Dick was sick, really sick. He watched as they left through the back door. Once they were gone, Nelson went to leave but looked back when he realised Terry wasn't following.
'You coming or what McGinnis?' he said, his usual tone returned.
Terry clenched his hands into fists, trying to hold himself together.
'McGinnis?' Nash walked back over to him. 'You and Todd are pretty tight huh?' Terry nodded. 'Come on Terry, there is nothing more you can do. Let's go find the girls and get out of here. They will call you when they know more.' Terry nodded again and followed Nelson out.
Meanwhile, Damian was driving back towards the Manor with Dick and Annie in the back. Annie put her hand back on Dick's forehead and the young man leant into her touch. He was even hotter than before. His breathing was laboured, and he had a pained expression on his face.
'Annie…' He suddenly sobbed. He could feel that strange feeling building inside him again. He was afraid, he had hated how vulnerable he felt while seizing. 'It's happening again.'
In a moment, Annie had her seat belt off and was on her knees in the footwell of her seat. She undid Dick 's seat belt and lay him down.
'Relax,' she cooed, brushing his hair. 'I'm here, you're safe.' She continued brushing his hair until his body began to violently spasm. Once the seizure started, she removed her hands and shouted behind her.
'Damian, I don't care how many speeding tickets I have to deal with later, step on it. He needs Wally now!'
OOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
The five of them sat in the corner of the coffee shop, all of them holding mugs and none of them talking. It had been several hours since Dick had been rushed away, none of them wanted to leave until they knew if he was ok. To Max and Dana's surprise, Nelson had insisted he and Chelsea stay too.
When Terry's phone rang, he sprang up and went out onto the street, so he could hear the conversation better. The others sat on the edge of their seat until he came back inside. When he did so, Terry was white.
'Well?' said Nelson.
'He had another seizure in the car.' Terry said slowly, his mouth felt dry, so he wet his lip with his tongue. 'They've got him to his doctor, but they haven't got him stable yet.' Terry's voice broke a little and Dana jumped up and held him.
'It's ok Ter.' She said, rubbing her hands down his arms.
'He's really sick.' Terry said, as though this was the first time he had noticed. Dick was always so strong, he had always assumed that no matter what happened Dick was going to pull through. But that wasn't how Damian had sounded on the phone. Jason and Wally were doing everything they could, but Dick's body was no longer responding. 'Dana.' Terry choked. 'I don't think he's going to make it.'
A/N: You knew when you started reading there was going to be angst! I hope you are enjoying this story, we are getting pretty close to the end now so hang in there! Please review! - Karin x
