Disclaimer – I own nothing.
To Isa Wilson – Thank you so much for the review! So glad you liked the first chapter! Hope you like this one as well!
To Trenda Rocks – Thank you so much for your review! I love the family and fatherly dynamic that the writers are going with when it comes to Dick, Gar, and Rachel, and I can't wait for more. The rest of this story won't show much about Dick and Kory's relationship as the focus is more on Dick and Bruce, but I am planning on writing another Titans story which is how I think Bruce is going to come onto the scene that is somewhat connected to these one-shots which well have a lot more Dick and Kory as well as fatherly Dick and son Gar (or at least, I will do my best to attempt to). Hope you like this chapter!
To Guest – Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you liked it and I hope you like this chapter too!
AN – First off, I'm so sorry it took so long for me to upload this chapter. I had been working on it as best as I could, but it got to the point where I realized that it was going to be way too long and I feel bad for making you guys wait so long for the next update, so I'm making it a two-parter. Also, can I just say how excited I am that not only is Slade Wilson confirmed for season 2, but Bruce Wayne/Batman is as well!? I can't wait!
Another AN – So, the show never explicitly says what season of the year it is, when exactly Dick left Bruce and Gotham and when Jason joined up. So in this story, Dick left Gotham before Christmas, Bruce found Jason about a month after and season one of Titans started around October. Also, I know that in the comics, or at least, some of them, Bruce never actually adopted Dick, but in this story he did. I hope you all like this chapter!
Enjoy!
Rachel didn't really know what to expect for the holidays when December rolled around. She, Gar, Dick, Kory, and Donna had only been together for only about two months and this was going to be their first Christmas together. Back when she was living with Melissa, they didn't really celebrate Christmas that much compared to other families. They would get a small tree that just went up to her shoulders even though they didn't have many ornaments to put on it, and they baked cookies and exchanged a few gifts. Three at the most, but that was about it. It wasn't much, but is was still special to her.
When Rachel asked Gar what he did for Christmas, he told her about how Larry would cook a giant feast and how they exchanged gifts that they either made by themselves or they would order them online and have Chief pick them up as he didn't want them to go out in public. It was Gar who was the most excited about Christmas coming up, but Rachel wasn't sure if they would be celebrating at all. Dick had become their legal guardian after the defeat of Trigon and Donna did move in with them to help out, and Dawn and Hank moved into the apartment just below theirs, but they weren't technically a family, even though that was what she considered them to be.
She wanted to, but she never asked any of the adults if they were going to celebrate or not. It wasn't until she and Gar came home from school one day and found boxes of Christmas decorations out. It was then that Dick, Kory, Donna, Hank, and Dawn told them that of course they would be celebrating. Apparently they didn't realize the teenagers thought that they wouldn't. What made Gar and Rachel even happier and more excited was that all of the adults, particularly Dick, got Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day off and would be home to celebrate with them. Dick had been working a lot with the San Francisco police department as their lead detective the last few months so they were all happy that he would be home for Christmas.
As Rachel ran through the hospital hallway with Donna, Gar, Dawn, and Hank though, she knew that that might not be the case anymore. Only 20 minutes earlier, they got the phone call that could change their plans, that could change their entire lives. The call from the police department that informed them that Dick had been shot on duty and was now in the hospital.
After the initial shock and passing the information to Hank and Dawn, who weren't with them when they found out, they all rushed to the hospital, breaking several speeding laws as they did so.
Upon reaching the desk, Donna immediately said, "We're looking for a detective, Dick Grayson. He was shot and was brought here."
"And you are?" The nurse asked, looking up from her computer screen to give them her attention.
"We're his friends, and these two," Donna gestured to Gar and Rachel, "are his wards. He's their legal guardian."
"Okay. Just give me one moment please." The nurse said before looking back at the computer screen. Kory looked like she was about to start yelling at the lady and burn the computer that was taking her attention off the matter at hand, but luckily the nurse turned back to them and said, "He's in surgery at the moment. I will make sure that the doctors know that you are here. Do either of you have the authority to make medical decisions regarding your friend?"
"Um, no, not that we're aware of." Donna admitted after glancing at Dawn, Hank, and Kory. The two adult humans had shaken their heads when the nurse asked that while Kory just looked confused.
The nurse quickly glanced back at the screen and informed them, "Unfortunately, according to our records Mr. Grayson does not have anyone written down for us to contact to make any medical decisions if he can't for himself. Does he have any family? Parents, siblings?"
"No, he doesn't. He's an only child and his parents died when he was a kid." Donna replied before asking, "Is he that badly injured that he needs someone like that here?"
"So far the only information that I have is that there was more than one wound and he was rushed into emergency surgery. His condition is listed as critical. So, it would probably be good to have someone who can make medical decisions for him here."
"But, he doesn't have any family. Just us." The nurse paused when Donna said that, her voice filled with desperation and fear throwing her a little. A sympathetic look came across her face as the nurse looked over the group who had come with Donna, specifically at the two teenagers.
After a minute of doing that, she looked back at the computer screen the back and them and said, "If one of you were put on his chart then you could, but there's no name there whatsoever."
Donna silently cursed Dick in her head before she said, "Okay. Just, let us know if anything changes?"
"I will. The waiting room is just over there." The nurse responded and pointed to the left where there was a set of doors, one of which was opened, revealing a row of empty chairs.
"Thank you." Donna told the nurse, then turned around to face the group, her hand going to her jacket pocket to grab her phone.
"You guys go to the waiting room." The former Wonder Girl ordered the two teens and three adults as she pulled her phone out and started pulling up her contact list.
"What are you going to do?" Kory asked, effectively getting everyone's attention. It was the first time she had spoken since they got the news.
When she heard that Dick was in the hospital, she had fallen into a stunned silence, which didn't really surprise anyone. Even though Dick and Kory had decided to put their 'relationship' on hold while they both figured out who they were, Kory with her real identity and Dick with who he was without being Robin, it didn't take long for them to get back together. Within a few months they were back together and closer than ever. It did weird out Rachel and Gar a little bit at the beginning due to an awkward incident that they refused to talk about, but it soon seemed to make their family complete. They were like the Mom and Dad of their makeshift family.
"I got a phone call I need to make." Donna answered without giving any details and started walking away from them. Kori gently ushered Rachel and Gar towards the waiting room with Hank following them, but Dawn stared at the former Wonder Girl for a moment, then walked over to her.
"Donna." The dark haired young woman looked up from her phone as the blonde came to stand in front of her and asked, "Are you calling who I think you're calling?"
"He's Dick's adoptive father Dawn. If anything happens, we need him here to help us. He's the only one who can." Donna replied, knowing exactly who Dawn was talking about.
"But Dick wouldn't want us to." Dawn objected. While Dick still hasn't said anything about what all happened between him and Bruce, they had been doing their best to keep away from that topic and respect his privacy. Calling Bruce and having him coming to the hospital was the opposite of that. Dawn knew that if Dick found out that they called him, that if they met face to face, it would most likely not end well, at all.
"Do you have any better ideas in case something does go wrong? If something does happen to Dick?" Donna asked. She wasn't stupid, she knew how getting Bruce involved could really backfire on them, but if anything happened to Dick because they were too afraid to call his adoptive father, she'd never forgive herself. Dawn, clearly not having any idea what else they could do, shook her head. With a resigned sigh, the blonde turned and walked away.
Donna then looked back down at the contact list she had pulled up on her phone and as she pressed the call button and lifted it to her ear, she muttered, "Bruce you better pick up."
2018TITANS2018
With a sigh/groan, Bruce Wayne walked into the Manor, rubbing his temples with the thumb and first finger on his right hand. It had been a long and frustrating week with both his job as CEO of Wayne Enterprises and his job as Batman. There was a massive deal that he was trying to get with another company and there was another breakout in Arkham Asylum. He didn't have time to rest, even though he'd like to.
"Welcome home Master Bruce. I trust your day was productive." Alfred greeted him as he walked towards Bruce.
"Not as much as I would've liked." Bruce answered. Taking off his coat and handing it to his butler, he asked, "Where's Jason?"
"In the game room sir. He retired there once he returned from school." Alfred informed him, hanging the coat on the coat rack. Bruce raised an eyebrow when he heard that.
"You mean he hasn't done his homework?" Bruce wasn't surprised that Jason would wait until the last minute to finish his schoolwork, but both he and Alfred did their best to make sure that the teenager did as soon as possible. And Jason knew that he had to keep his grades up if he wanted to go out on patrol.
"Today was the last day of school before Christmas break Master Bruce." Alfred reminded him.
"Right, right." Bruce mumbled, having forgotten that the winter holiday was only a week away. Looking around the foyer and seeing the lack of decorations and remembering now that none of the other rooms were decorated, he made a mental note to have Alfred bring out the boxes of Christmas decorations tomorrow. Maybe he should take part of the day off tomorrow to help Alfred and Jason decorate, maybe pick up a tree. This would be Jason's first Christmas with them, they should try to make it special for him.
"Has Jason eaten already?" Bruce wondered, knowing that it was almost 8 o'clock.
"Yes he has sir, and your dinner is currently in the dining room." The butler answered.
"I'll be right there. Just going to check on Jason first." Alfred nodded then headed towards the kitchen while the Dark Knight went over to the game room.
As Bruce entered the game room, he spotted Jason sitting on the couch playing a video game of some kind. It looked as though zombies were involved but he didn't know what game it was. He never was one for playing video games, even when he was a child. The last time he had, he had only done so because Dick talked him into it. It had been fun, spending time with the boy. He briefly wondered what Dick was doing right now. Probably Christmas decorating. It was his first partner's favourite season after all.
The billionaire quickly pushed the thought of his estranged ward out of his mind and approached the teenager, "How was school today?"
While anyone else would've jumped or flinched in surprise by the silent and sudden approach, Jason didn't. He had gotten used to it after living with Bruce for almost a complete year. Without pausing the game and still staring at the large TV screen, Jason answered, "Boring, as usual. We didn't even do anything today."
"Well, I might have some good news for you." That got Jason to quickly pause his game and turn his head to face his guardian. Bruce grinned slightly at Jason's eager yet suspicious expression before he continued, "I was thinking of coming home early from work tomorrow and having Alfred get out the Christmas decorations. We could also go pick out a tree and start decorating."
"Seriously? That'd be awesome!" Jason exclaimed with an excited smile, making Bruce's own grin widen a little.
"Alright then. I'll tell Alfred and cancel my afternoon for tomorrow." Bruce responded. He started walking towards the door but then stopped and added, "You should get some rest. We're going on patrol in about two hours and it's always busier right before Christmas."
"You got it boss man." Jason agreed, then started to save the game he had paused so could pick up right where he left off the next time he played his video game.
Bruce again turned to walk out of the room but only made it three steps before his cell phone started ringing. He sighed, this time out loud, and pulled the device from his pocket. The dark-haired man's brows furrowed in confusion and a little concern when he saw Donna Troy's name flashing on his screen. After several missions and meetings, especially between Wonder Girl and Robin, he allowed her to be made aware of his secret identity and even gave her his number in case of an emergency, but she never needed to. And considering that she had quit being Wonder Girl a while ago he wasn't expecting her to use it now.
Pressing the accept button, he put the phone to his ear and said, "This is Bruce."
"It's Donna. I need you to come to the hospital in San Francisco as fast as you can. Dick's been shot." It only took her four seconds to say that and only another two for Bruce to register the words as his stomach dropped down to his feet.
"I'm on my way." Bruce replied, then hung up and rushed down to the library to head down to the Batcave where the Batplane was. It was one of the fastest planes in the world and he needed to get to Dick as quick as possible. He could only hope that his ward, his son, was okay.
2018TITANS2018
Rachel leaned against Kory, who was sitting in the chair right beside her with her arm around the girl's shoulders. Sitting on Rachel's other side was Gar, who was as still and silent as a statue, looking like a lost child. Dawn was next to him, her hand rubbing his back comfortingly but Gar didn't even seem aware of it. Hank was beside Dawn, doing his best to remain still and patient when all he really wanted to do was storm over to any nurse or doctor that he could find and demand some answers. Donna, after making her phone call, came to sit beside Kory and joined in the silence. That was almost three hours ago.
"Do you think Dick's going to be okay?" Gar's voice was extremely quiet but it sounded like yelling in the silent waiting room.
"He's a lot tougher than he looks. I'm sure he'll be just fine Gar." Dawn answered him with a reassuring tone.
"Yeah, he will. I'll make sure of it." Rachel spoke up, her voice barely audible. It took a minute for everyone to understand what she was talking about, but once they did, they all looked over at her.
"Rachel, you can't." Donna told her.
"Sure I can. I just need to get into his room, and then I can,"
"No you can't Rachel." Dawn cut her off. Once the black and purple haired teenager turned to look at her, the blonde continued, "We're in a hospital. If you heal Dick of whatever injuries he has, the doctors will get suspicious."
"Not to mention there are security cameras. If one of them picked up you using your powers, it will not end well." Hank chimed in. Rachel stared at them for a minute, then nodded, knowing that they were right even though she didn't want them to be.
"It'll be okay Rachel. You've got to believe that." Dawn said. Before Rachel could respond to that, Hank gently elbowed Dawn and said, "Guys, look."
The group turned their heads to see a man dressed in a dark trench coat and a wrinkled suit walking straight towards the desk. His black hair had clearly been styled at some point but was messy now. That was about all they could see of him as only one of the doors to the waiting room was open. He looked vaguely familiar to Rachel, but she couldn't remember where from and why. Hank, Dawn, and Donna seemed to recognize him though because they all stared at him while Donna stood up and called out, "Bruce?"
The man, Bruce, snapped his head in their direction, his blue eyes locking on their presence instantly. That's when Rachel realized who he is. It was Bruce Wayne, owner and CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Gotham's billionaire and playboy. And, the person who took guardianship over one Dick Grayson after his parents died. She waz stunned that he was here as Dick has not once mentioned the man to her, but considering the circumstances, what the nurse had said and the mysterious phone call Donna had made, it all started to make sense to her. After all, who better to get answers from a doctor about a patient than the patient's legal guardian who also just happened to be rich enough to buy the entire hospital?
"Donna." Bruce faltered slightly at the sight of the entire group, clearly not having expected them but quickly recovered himself, "How's Dick? What did the doctor say?"
"We don't know yet. I think he's still in surgery. The nurse only told us that there was more than one wound, that he was rushed to emergency surgery and is in critical condition, but that was three hours ago." Donna filled him in as everyone else got to their feet and walked up behind the photographer. As they did so, Bruce and Donna looked over at them.
"Bruce, you remember Hank and Dawn." Donna reintroduced the two vigilantes before she moved onto the others, "And this is Dick's girlfriend Kory, and this is Gar and,"
"Rachel." The youngest member of their 'family' cut Donna off as she took a step forward and held out her hand. Instinctively, Bruce raised his one hand and grabbed hers and shook it.
The second there was physical contact, Rachel was hit with a myriad of emotions coming from the older man. Fear, anger, worry, guilt, regret all washed over her which surprised the teenager given Bruce's seemingly calm exterior. Within those emotions, images also flashed across her eyes. She saw his figure drape his large coat over a boy's shoulders, a bot she that she knew to be Dick when he was younger. Then, she saw Bruce sitting in a chair beside what looked like a hospital bed, though she was certain that it wasn't an actual hospital, and lying on the bed, attached to several machines and an oxygen mask, was Dick, when he was younger. The image also quickly faded and was replaced by another. Dick was an adult in this one, and an angry one at that. It looked like he and Bruce were arguing loudly, and then Dick walked away.
Rachel was pulled back to reality when Bruce pulled his hand away, and she quickly dropped her own so he wouldn't get suspicious. From the look on his face though, he hadn't noticed. His attention was back on Donna as he said, "I'm going to find the doctor, or a nurse and get some answers."
Before anyone could respond, he turned and walked away, leaving the group standing there to watch. As he walked away, Gar went over to Rachel and asked, "Rachel, what did you see?"
"Fear, guilt, and a lot of regret." Rachel quietly admitted, her dark eyes remaining on the retreating figure of Dick's guardian, left with more questions than she had before he had arrived.
2018TITANS2018
"Excuse me." Bruce said as he walked back over to the desk as a nurse also approached the desk, "My name's Bruce Wayne. I'm Dick Grayson's legal guardian. I heard that he was here."
"Oh, hello. I'm Sandra." The nurse introduced herself with a smile.
"Nice to meet you. Can you tell me anything about Dick?" Bruce quickly put the attention back on his ward, not having the patience to deal with the possibility of someone trying to flirt with him when his son had been shot.
"Let me check." Sandra told him, then went over to the computer and started typing. After a minute, she looked back up at him and said, "It appears he's still in surgery. There's no other information."
"Can you go find a doctor or something and ask? Please?" Bruce pleaded, needing to know Dick's condition after spending three hours wondering if Dick was okay.
"I'll see what I can find out, but no guarantees Mr. Wayne." Sandra said with a smile, then turned around and walked away. While Bruce didn't like his public persona of being a charming, rich, playboy, he couldn't deny that it was handy on some occasions.
Apparently, very handy as only two minutes after she had left, she returned with a man, also dressed in scrubs, but wearing a white doctor's coat.
"Hello Mr. Wayne. I'm Dr. Miller. I did the operation on Richard Grayson." The doctor said as he approached him and held his hand out.
"How is my son?" Bruce immediately asked while he shook the man's hand.
"He is stable, but still fairly pretty critical condition. He is being transported to the ICU right now." Dr. Miller answered.
"How badly was he hurt?" Bruce questioned, struggling to keep himself from using his 'Batman' voice and glare on the doctor for more answers because not knowing what all was going on was beginning to drive him nuts.
"He had been shot three times, one in his right shoulder, one above his right hip, and one at the bottom of his ribs on the right side. The bullet that hit his shoulder went straight through, so it was a fairly easy fix. The one by his hip was still inside, but hadn't hit anything vital and was easy to remove. The one that his ribs however, caused some major problems." Dr. Miller started to explain, putting his hands in his pockets, "When it hit his lower rib, it shattered, to pieces.
Bruce felt like he had been punched in the gut when he heard that, his brain going into overdrive as all the worst possibilities that could happen with shattered bullets ran through his head, but did his best to ignore it and focus on everything else the doctor was saying.
"That's the reason the surgery took so long. It took us a while to make sure that we got all the fragments and repair the damage they had done. One piece had hit his liver, one had nicked his right kidney and the rest hit several veins and capillaries causing massive internal bleeding."
"But you were able to help him, right?" Bruce let the worry show even though it went against every instinct he had. He had always hid his emotions, knowing in his line of work as Batman it would be dangerous if you let the emotions get the best of you, if you let them blind you. When it came to being Bruce Wayne, or 'Brucie' as the media called him however, he was seen as the playboy, philanthropist and doting father of the circus boy he took in 15 years earlier. He could show emotion in a situation like this.
"We've done all we can, but there was a lot of damage. We will know more in the next several hours. He is in the ICU so we can keep a close eye on him. We will take him down for some more x-rays and other tests in about 12 hours to see how he's doing if he makes it as his condition is still extremely critical."
"Wait, 'if'?" Bruce felt his heart drop even more when Dr. Miller said that particular word.
Dr. Miller took a deep breath but didn't look he had made a mistake and furthered explained, "Due to the extent of his injuries, it doesn't look very good. I'd say at the moment, he has about 30% chance of survival. The longer he holds on, the higher his chances are."
For a moment, Bruce didn't say anything. It wasn't the first time that Dick had been gravely injured, the billionaire still had the occasion nightmare about the first time his son had almost died, but to hear that your child was injured and could possibly die was something that no one ever got used to. After another minute of trying to process everything he had just learned, Bruce looked back up at the doctor and asked, "Can I see him?"
"Of course." Dr. Miller quickly agreed, then paused and wondered, "Aren't there other family members here though? I had been told by a nurse earlier that there was a group waiting to hear about Detective Grayson."
Bruce looked back at the doors that led to the waiting room, wondering if he should go and tell the group of people who had been with Dick for the last several months what he had just been told. He quickly came up with a decision and turned back to the doctor, "I'll tell them. I just want to see my son alone for a minute."
"Alright, follow me." Dr. Miller told him, then turned to led him towards the ICU.
The two walked together in silence for most of the small trip before Bruce recalled that when a person was in the ICU, only family members were allowed. He knew that he was allowed because he was Dick's adoptive father, and that since Dick had become those kids', Rachel and Gar, legal guardian, they'd be allowed, but he had no idea if the others could see him.
"Dr. Miller, some of the people here for Dick aren't family, but they are close friends and are taking care of his charges. They can come see him, can't they?" Bruce asked, causing the doctor to look back at him.
"The rule is family members, blood-related or legally related only when the patient is in the ICU." Dr. Miller informed him,
"It's just, I won't be able to stay here for long, but I would like someone to be here for my son besides the teenagers he has taken guardianship over. His friends however are very trust worthy and I know Dick would be fine with them being allowed to visit him." Bruce told him then stopped in his tracks. He waited until the doctor turned to face him before he added, "Please?"
Dr. Miller thought for a moment, then said, "Either you, or his legal charges have to be in the room if they are going to be in there. And only two people max in the room."
"I will make sure they know that. Thank you so much." Bruce responded.
"You're welcome. Just don't let anyone know about it." Dr. Miller replied with a grin, then started walking again and Bruce followed right behind him.
After another few minutes, they both came to a stop in front of a closed door and Dr. Miller looked back over at Bruce as he said, "This is Richard Grayson's room. I will let the nurses know that there will be visitors."
"Thank you doctor." Bruce said, his eyes drifting from the man to the door which led to the room where his son was.
"My pleasure Mr. Wayne. If you need anything, just let one of the nurses know." Dr. Miller responded, then walked away to go back to work. After taking a quick but deep breath to brace himself, Bruce opened the door and entered the room.
AN – I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and again, I'm sorry for the long wait. I will be doing my best to finish part 2 of this chapter and get it up as soon as possible.