Chapter 5
Romani
9-10 June 2013
Dick was unsure if he wanted to admit it, but he was scared. No, not just scared, terrified. He was back in the blank expanse for the first time he could remember since the colors had been absorbed into his skin. All he wanted to do was curl into a ball and forget any danger that could come his way here. No walking towards color, just sit and wait to wake up. It shouldn't take too long, right? He was probably sleeping way too peacefully, and Thomas would want to make sure he was breathing properly or something and wake him up.
Then again, the suffocating lights weren't the only occurrence he'd had in this whiteout. They were just the most frequent and recent. He'd had that weird dream with Artemis in the white expanse. Maybe he could do that again. With Artemis in mind, Dick clambered to his feet and started walking, before stopping. Last time, Artemis found him. What if he was walking away from Artemis? That would be counterproductive. He plopped down to wait. If Artemis was coming, she'd have to find him. Otherwise, he could just wait until he woke up. It was bound to happen eventually.
His decision paid off. A good half an hour of boredom passed, during which he had taken to doing handstands and cartwheels. Hey, might as well keep his mental self in good shape, even if his physical self was weak as all get out. Anyhow, Artemis wandered over after half an hour.
"Artemis!" He crowed gleefully, tackling her in a hug. Well, half tackling her… Apparently some of his physical weakness had carried over because she barely moved and easily corrected her balance before setting him down on his feet. "Hey Arty."
"Hello Dick." She gave him a sad smile.
"Welcome to the afterlife!" He joked, but immediately regretted it as her smile slid away. "Sorry." He said.
"It's… How is the afterlife, birdbrain?"
"Wellllll, I'm not actually sure I'm dead, so that's something. My grandfather, Bruce's father, has been taking care of me and Damian. He died long before we were born, so we're probably dead."
"That's cool. Getting to know your grandfather."
"Yeah. I've been really out of it lately, just got out of a coma."
"Seriously?"
He tilted his head. "Yeah. Apparently, you can die in the land of the dead."
"What happens after that? Do you get reincarnated?"
Dick laughed. "You wish. You want to get a smart ass infant babbling about your secret identity?" He teased.
"I'd be honored. You'd give away mine before Batman's?" She snorted. "No one would believe the baby. The parents would just coo over how adorable you are and move on."
"How right you are. What's going on in the land of the living?"
"Well, we've been working to get all the kids we managed to save home to families or into new, better homes, while mourning you."
"That's good. Not the mourning part, you could do without that, but the returning kids to families."
"Wally's starting summer school. He took off the rest of the semester to try to find you."
"He did? His parents let him?" Dick asked.
"Yeah. Surprised me too." Artemis answered with a laugh. "Apparently they yelled at Batman about it, guts there, but they couldn't argue it was a bad idea and gave permission. He was skipping school a bunch already and his grades were dropping."
"But… It's just me. He didn't… He didn't need to focus that much. I mean, I appreciate it, but I didn't want him to throw his life aside for me. He's needs to focus on school so he can become a world famous forensic scientist."
"That's why Batman suggested it. On his transcript, it says he took a leave of absence, so he basically lost the semester, but this summer will make up most of them. Some of them are dual enrolled, actually, so it will look even better on his transcript. I believe his parents made him switch at least one of his classes to online to finish so that he wouldn't have to make all of them up."
"Good. He can get into a good college that way."
"I don't think that's his focus. He's basically benched too. I overheard Batman talking with Kaldur about only bringing him onto missions when absolutely necessary." Artemis paused. "You know, Dick, there's no "just" about you to any of us. Especially not to Wally or me. You mean… meant a lot more than that."
"Sure." Dick said, disbelief coloring his voice.
"No, really. There's a certain lack of butchered words and laughter. No one else will make fun of Kid Mouth with me! M'gann and Kaldur are too nice and Conner doesn't talk enough."
"You'll just need to come up with more insults then. I recommend Kid Klutz. It's fairly accurate." Dick smiled timidly. "Better not to let him get a big head."
"I don't think there's too much danger of that. He's got me, after all." Artemis puffed out her chest.
"Good. A you is good." Dick gave a firm nod. There was a second of silence and then Artemis burst into laughter. Dick's smile grew.
"So, what about you? How are you doing?" He asked.
"Well, I'm on summer vacation now, believe it or not."
"Sum-mer va-ca-tion. Doesn't ring a bell."
"Sure. Of course it doesn't."
Dick just beamed up at the older teen.
"You know, we haven't found your bodies yet."
"I don't think you will."
"What makes you say that?"
"I was trying to get us out when the bombs exploded. You know about the bombs, right? We should have been out before they went out, but I tried to take Damian through an early version Zeta Tube."
"A Zeta Tube?"
"Yeah. Well, that's what I thought it was. I either incinerated us or we're in a different dimension."
Artemis blinked, and Dick shifted awkwardly.
"It's nice here. I can't do much because I'm incredibly weak from everything, but we have clean clothes and plenty of food and Thomas has been taking really good care of us, as far as I've been aware. We're in Wayne Manor in a room set up near the stairs, and it's nothing like where the bluemen were keeping us, but not like my room at home either. I like the difference. It's nice.
"I feel… safe."
10 June 2013
Richard squirmed uncomfortably as Thomas carried him down the stairs. While he was getting used to the need to be carried whenever he tried to leave the room, it wasn't any easier. As he grew more aware of his surroundings, he wanted freedom of movement more and more. He really wanted to walk, but he knew he didn't have the strength and would probably just end up tumbling down the stairs and breaking his wrist or something. He morbidly hoped it would be the left one so he could cover it up for a few months.
Thomas brought him into the Foyer, which seemed to have been recently cleaned, although the air still smelled a bit musty. There were two people in there, Leslie Thompkins, who looked a bit different from the one he was familiar with, and some lady he didn't know. Leslie had been by a few days ago to look him over. Thomas had woken him up for the examination, but he had still been pretty drowsy, so he didn't remember it too well. She had prescribed some meds, he knew because he had started taking them the next time he woke up.
The two women were sitting in chairs facing the couch, where a bunch of pillows had been piled up to provide support. This is where Thomas set Richard down. He shifted into a more comfortable position as Thomas tucked a blanket around him, and quietly studied the two women in front of him, not meeting their eyes. Thomas sat down on the couch as well, leaving a small space between him and Richard to allow his grandson room to stretch out.
"Richard, this is Mrs. Blakeley. She's a speech therapist who speaks several languages. She's going to help you start talking again, okay?"
Dick nodded nervously. "D'accord." (Okay) He said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Richard." Mrs. Blakeley said, reaching a hand forward to shake, before pausing and hesitating. Dick blushed. He was completely wrapped up in the blanket. With some effort, he extracted a hand and shook hands with her. Thomas grabbed his hand and kept it out when Dick tried to retreat back into his blanket. The man looked down at Dick and gave him a smile and his hand a squeeze.
"If it's alright with you, Richard, we'd like to stay for the first session, at a minimum." Leslie said. Dick nodded, looking up at Thomas pleadingly.
"Excellent. Then, let's get started. I feel the best place to start would be to establish which languages you know, so that we can figure out what you're trying to get across." Mrs. Blakely said.
Dick nodded again, unsurely.
"What's your first language?"
"Romani."
"Alright," she noted it down. "Do you think you can name the other languages you speak? If not, I can list languages and you can tell me if you speak it or not." Dick hesitated. He didn't think he could name all the languages he spoke. Too much talking. He hesitated to give all the languages he knew, but a nudge from Thomas got him to see the advantages. The therapist went down a list of languages and checked off English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, German, Swahili, Mandarin, and Cantonese, along with Romani. He also spoke Atlantian, but it seemed prudent not to tell her that.
Mrs. Blakeley looked impressed with the sheer number of languages. "Well unfortunately, I don't speak nearly this many, but I hope we can at least start with the ones I do know. I speak English, French, Japanese, and Cantonese. Most people with language confusion revert to their first language the most, so that's something to keep in mind. Mr. Wayne, I recommend that you learn Romani, at a minimum."
Thomas nodded. "Where can I get the resources to learn it?"
"Well, Romani is a spoken language, so it's pretty difficult to learn on your own. You might be able to find some resources online, and Romanian and Hindi are somewhat similar. It might be better to have Richard teach you though. Just go around and point at stuff and ask for the word. If that is okay with you, Richard? It will help you start talking again."
Dick swallowed and gave a slight nod.
"You said you had a younger grandson, too. Does he speak Romani?"
"Yes. Arabic as well." Thomas said gruffly.
"Smart kids. You can ask him to translate some phrases and such if Richard is having difficulty or is out of sorts. Would that work?"
"It's a start."
"The important thing here is to start speaking again. Practice is really the best way you can relearn to speak in a single language. I know this is rather elementary, but I'd like to start you on simple words and phrases. You can get the rest in later, but the basics should get your point across at a minimum."
Dick nodded his understanding.
"Good. So here's how the sessions will work. We'll go over some basic words and phrases until you can say them clearly and then move on to using them in sentences. I know you already know English, but this will be more about saying things correctly and focusing on saying them in the right language. The goal will be to detangle the language away from the other languages you know. Once you have a good grasp on English, we'll move on to the other languages you speak, starting with the ones I speak as well. I would also be happy to practice some Romani with you, but as I don't speak it, I'll have to take your word that it's correct."
"Okay."
"Mrs. Blakely, would you recommend that we go to a pediatric therapist?" Thomas asked.
"Well, I would recommend that you wait until he has a little better grasp on English before doing so. I imagine that it's frustrating to not be able to stick to one language at the moment, and that would most likely be complicated by seeing another therapist at the moment."
Dick breathed a sigh of relief.
"That being said. Richard, a therapist would help you work through your trauma. I know it's not what you want to hear, but seeing a therapist, in a couple weeks, could do you a lot of good."
The scowl that formed clearly broadcast Dick's opinion on the matter.
25 June 2013
THUD!
Thomas started, and looked down at his younger grandson and then over at Barry. If Damian and Barry were both here, then… Barry understood from the glance and sped off. Thomas picked up Damian and followed after at a hurried, but considerably slower pace. A second later, they heard Barry shout.
"It's okay! It's just Richard!"
In the kitchen, Dick was picking himself off the floor, holding onto the counter with a death grip as he tried to get his legs to hold him, when Barry sped in and looked around. The man quickly came over and helped him over to the square kitchen table and into a chair.
Dick gave a frustrated huff, glaring at the opened loaf of bread on the counter. He rubbed a bruise on his cheek from where he'd hit the edge of the counter. A container of peanut butter was on the ground, rolling away from the counter towards the island. Barry took it in and swooped around the room. He picked the peanut butter up and set it next to the bread. Then, he searched the kitchen for a bag, opening and closing drawers and cabinets keeping them from banging the best he could. Finding a bag, Barry shoved some ice in it before wrapping the ice bag in a paper towel and bringing it over to the teen. He gently handed it to Dick so that Dick could put it against his face. Dick sighed and accepted the bundle, pressing it under his right eye.
Dick frowned when Barry gave him a quick hair ruffle. Thomas entered just as Barry was putting a plate with two slices of bread and the jar of peanut butter, now opened, in front of Dick on the table. He handed Dick a dull butter knife. Thomas set Damian down on his booster seat to the right of Dick and sat to the left of the teenager.
"Does anyone want anything else while I'm up?" Barry asked.
"Can I have a sammitch, too?" Damian asked.
"Two cups of milk and a couple apples for these two to balance it out. One apple and some water for me. Can you cut the apples up?" Thom as said.
"Sure." Barry pulled the carton of milk and three apples from the fridge.
"Richard, would you like jelly?" He asked the scowling teenager who had shifted the jar to the left of his plate so that he could continue to hold the ice to his face while smearing peanut butter on the sandwich. Dick looked up. He shook his head. "Damian?"
"Tt."
Barry set down three plates in front of the small family. A large one with two pieces of bread and apples slices in front of Damian. And two smaller ones with just apple slices in front of Dick and Thomas. He brought the cups over a bit more slowly so that they didn't spill and took his spot in the remaining seat with some food for himself. There was quiet for a few minutes as Dick finished making his sandwich and shoved the peanut butter towards Barry who glazed all of his sandwiches and Damian's. Damian happily munched on apple slices while waiting.
Thomas sighed, when Dick missed his mouth with the sandwich due to a muscle spasm. "Richard, we talked about this."
Dick's scowl deepened, but there were tears of frustration in his eyes.
"You're not going to get better overnight. It will be slow."
Dick almost fumbled his sandwich. "I can't even eat a sandoicchi (sandwich) without casi (almost) dropping it or making a chaos (mess). It's been semaines (weeks)."
Thomas took a brief pause to try to get the gist of that. Dick was frustrated with slow progress. He could work with that. "I know, buddy. But a coma is not something that's easy to recover from. What those monsters did to you is not something that's easy to recover from. Look at the bright side! You made it into the kitchen. While I would prefer you don't try to walk without me, you still made it. The muscle spasms will die down with time, and hopefully go away completely. You've already made lots of strides forward."
"Bien sȗr (Of course). Which is why I can't eat a fu- full sandwich." He spoke a bit slower and stopped himself before cursing with a brief glance at his brother. Thomas gave him a slight nod of approval. He slumped, and muttered something under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Je dit… I said I used to, used to flip all over. Y… And poke fun, gah! Poke. 话 (Hua)… words!"
Silence for a moment as they absorbed the messed up sentence.
"Well, you managed to get it all into English." Barry said when Dick started sulking. "I'm impressed." The teen huffed through his nose, setting Damian off into giggles.
The attention turned towards the littlest and saw that in the time the focus had been off Damian, the kid had managed to get peanut butter in his hair. Dick smiled slightly and shakily lifted a hand to get the peanut butter out.
"Richard, why didn't you call for me when you woke up and wanted to eat? I gave you a button for a reason. I'm proud of you for making it here from the living room, but I'd prefer to at least have been watching. How did you get here, anyways?
"Les murs." Dick said.
"The what?" Thomas asked.
"Walls." Barry answered. "He said the walls. Must have used them for support, right kiddo?" Dick nodded. "I'm guessing you used the counter for support when you got in here." Another nod. "That was smart. Good job, kiddo!" The praise made Dick blush. After so long being tormented at the prison, and, frankly, living with Bruce, he was still unused to the praise that Barry, and Thomas to a lesser degree, were adamant on giving to him when he did something right.
"Finish your sandwich." Thomas grunted. He had sneakily cut it into bite sized pieces when Dick wasn't looking. It got him a slight glare from the teenager, but Dick started eating nonetheless. "Mrs. Sherman will be here in a half hour."
"Who?"
"A pediatric therapist that I know and trust. Mrs. Blakely and Leslie recommended you see one now that you can talk a bit more clearly." Damian looked up curiously, peanut butter smeared on his cheek. Dick resisted the urge to face-palm. He knew Damian could eat neatly. The brat was clearly choosing not to.
"Now?" He asked Thomas with a slight whine.
"Yes. She'll be talking to both of you. I thought Damian should speak with someone as well. I assume it would be better if you go first, Richard." Dick ducked his head and studied his plate.
"Will you stay with me?
Thomas placed a hand on Dick's shoulder. "For now. I'll stay with Damian while she's talking to him as well. Eventually, I'll back off so that you can speak with her alone, but only when you're comfortable."
"Okay."
He gave the teen two pats, and then pulled his hand away and gestured to Dick's plate. "Don't forget to eat your apples."
A/N
I recently found out that Damian's "Tt" is a way to say 'no' in many Middle Eastern countries. It's not just him being all superior. :D
Please forgive any poor language translations. Everything except for English, French, some Spanish, and Romani (which is italicized) is from google translate, and I know that's not entirely accurate. Part of the reason I revert to French more than anything else. Does this format of the language confusion work? I tried a couple different ways.
Inky says "Romani's actually closer to a lot of Indian languages, like Hindi and Mawari, and has a fair amount of Greek influence. There's a fair amount of words borrowed from Romanian, but that's because Romania has one of the largest populations of Romani speakers because they used to be slaves there."
On another note, language confusion isn't really a thing, as far as I've found. It can be a side effect of several things that Dick does not have, like brain damage, but it mostly manifests as things like a delay or a stutter, not confusing multiple languages. Dick will have real (as in existing in real life) medical problems, but just pretend the language confusion is due to his connection with the universe barrier or the experiments or something.
Sorry for the huge delay between chapters. School started and then I got a terrible case of the flu and lots of other stuff. But, you got a nice long chapter for the wait.