A thick fog covered the city as Jason jumped from rooftop to rooftop. The night had set in many hours ago, and as he stopped crime in its path, Jason's only goal was to make sure no one died on his watch.
Hearing a commotion over the comms, Jason could just make out Stephanie asking for backup. Leaving the channel open, he began to head towards her, stopping for a moment as a piercing scream and the sounds of things breaking and cracking echoed through his helmet.
Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, Jason doubled his efforts and ran as fast as he could, ignoring everything else around him. He had to get to Steph, he had to make sure she was okay, he had to see her with her own two eyes. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach that she was not okay and he could feel the panic begin to set in.
Shooting out his grapple, Jason swung through the night sky, from building to building, just like he was taught when he was Robin. He was getting close; he could see the building Stephanie was last on. Jumping down to the ground, Jason quickly looked around and found Stephanie slumped up against the wall of the alleyway, holding her right arm close to her chest.
"Steph, what hurts?" Jason asked, bending down in front of her, gently cupping her face and wiping away the lone tear.
"My entire right side," Steph replied, resting her head on the wall behind her. "I think my arm is broken, but my leg I'm not sure about."
"It's going to be okay, my love. I'm going to get you out of here. Do you think you can walk?"
"I don't think so," Steph said, grunting as she tried to move, pain shooting through her body.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't try to move. Here, I've got you," Jason replied, gently scooping Steph into his arms in one swift movement.
Hissing as the pain ran through the side of her body, Steph felt Jason hold her closer to his body. Jason was supportive on her injured side, and she took a second to close her eyes and take a deep, steady breath.
The streets were empty and the fog was getting thicker, light rain felt like it was hovering in the thickness, not moving or falling. Stephanie could just make out the bleak lighting in the twenty-four-hour convenience stores, and the random porch lights that were left on, quite a few of them flickering. Resting her head against Jason's chest, Steph tried to ignore the pain shooting through her body. She knew her right wrist was broken – it was swollen, bruised, and her fingers had begun tingling shortly after her fall. Her right everything was injured in some way, and she was sure something in her lower right leg was broken.
She didn't exactly plan to get thrown off a rooftop by a low-level criminal, and when she did, she knew that once she healed, she wasn't going to be hearing the end of it any time soon.
"Did you hit your head when you fell?" Jason asked, only now realising that she may have a head injury.
"Luckily no. The fire escape, wood pallets, and tarps mostly broke my fall," Stephanie replied, wrapping her good arm around Jason's front. "Where are we going?"
"We're two blocks from Leslie's surgery, we're heading there. Shouldn't be too much longer before we get you fixed up," Jason said. He needed Stephanie to be okay, and knowing she was with him helped to ease the panic in his chest. She was alive, conscious, and talking to him.
"Okay, good plan."
The walk to the surgery felt like it took forever, it dragged on, the pain wouldn't subside, and Jason kept checking on her, making sure she was alright the entire way. Steph knew he was worried about her, but the pain was starting to get a little too much.
Arriving at the surgery, Jason went to the back door. It was thick and covered in various graffiti tags. Knocking on it with his foot, Jason waited impatiently.
"What happened?" Leslie asked, opening the door and standing aside to allow them to enter.
"I got kicked off a rooftop," Steph replied, moving so she could see the doctor.
"Stephanie! I've told you all, multiple times, to be more careful! Jesus Christ in heaven! Follow me."
Following Leslie down the empty corridor, Jason could smell the faint scent of bleach in the air. The corridor was white, there were no hangings anywhere, nothing to give away what was being carried out inside the building. Jason could feel the vinyl flooring under his feet, he could see where it was beginning to lift against the walls.
Entering a large room, Jason stopped for a moment and looked around. There was an X-ray machine in one corner, an ECG machine pressed against the wall, and there were stations set up to treat different injuries. There was a large metal tub along one wall, and large, thick, white sheets covering what Jason assumed was more medical equipment.
Going over to the bed in the middle of the room, Jason carefully placed Stephanie on it and gently pulled down her mask and pulled back the purple hood covering her hair before taking his helmet off.
"Hood and cape off," Leslie said, already wheeling over the portable X-ray machine.
"Can you help?" Steph asked, turning to Jason.
"Of course," Jason replied, getting to work.
Unclasping the purple cape, Jason carefully removed it and folded it up, placing it on one of the empty counters. Going back over to Steph, he stood on her left side as Leslie examined Steph's right arm.
"In which way did you fall and hit the ground?" Leslie asked, trying to feel Steph's arm through the Kevlar of her suit.
"I fell on my right wrist first, and then my hip and leg. My leg hit the fire escape multiple times as I fell. I was able to grab hold of the fire escape on the second floor for a few seconds but I lost my grip and well, this happened," Steph explained, watching as Leslie nodded along.
"Okay. I'll check over everything that hurts. I will confidently say you've broken something in your right arm, but I need the suit off to do any X-rays. If I remember correctly, you have a change of clothing here in your staff locker. I'll go get it, stay here and don't move."
Watching as Leslie exited the room, Steph loudly sighed. Feeling Jason's hand on her back, she leaned into his touch and smiled when a gentle kiss was pressed against her head.
"I'm going to need you to undress me," Steph said, looking up at Jason.
"Nothing I haven't done before," Jason replied with a wink.
"Oh, shut up." Lightly whacking Jason with her good arm, he laughed softly.
"Come on, let's get you out of this."
Moving Steph's hair to the side, Jason unzipped her suit and pushed it forward. Moving to Steph's side he carefully lowered it and held it so Steph could pull out her good arm.
"This part is going to hurt. I apologise in advance." Rolling the suit down over Steph's right arm, Jason did his best to keep her arm stable. Hearing Steph hiss, Jason pursed his lips together and pulled it off, needing to tug it slightly to get it over her wrist.
Taking a sharp breath in, Steph blinked away the tears in her eyes. That hurt more than she expected it to.
"Are you okay?" Jason asked, gently cupping her face in his hand and wiping away the stray tear that rolled down her cheek.
"I am." Sitting there in just her sports bra, Steph could feel the cool air of the room against her skin.
Looking at Stephanie's arm, Jason's eyes went wide. Her wrist was swollen and bruised purple and black. The bruise went halfway up her arm, and Jason had a feeling that more than her wrist was broken.
"That doesn't look good, does it?" Steph commented, finally able to see the damage.
"Yeah, it doesn't," Jason agreed. "Can you stand on your left leg by any chance?"
"I can, my left leg is one thing that doesn't hurt, believe it or not."
"Boots off first though," Jason said, quickly pulling them off and setting them aside.
Allowing Jason to help her off the bed, Steph leaned against the side for support. The floor was cold under her feet, her socks only providing minimal warmth. Pursing her lips together, Steph winced as Jason pulled her outfit off her right leg.
"Okay, back on the bed," Jason said, easily picking Steph up and sitting her on the edge so he could finish removing her uniform.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Jason quickly got the rest of Steph's suit off and placed it with her cape.
Sitting in just her sports bra and underwear, Steph looked at her leg and sighed. It was also covered in bruises but they weren't as bad as her wrist. Seeing Leslie enter the room, she accepted the clothing from her and looked at Jason. It was only a pair of bike shorts and a shirt, but it was better than nothing.
"From what I can see so far, you did a job on your arm and leg. It looks like you got into a fight with Deathstroke," Leslie commented, setting the X-ray machine up over Steph's leg.
Hissing as her arm moved, Steph adjusted her shirt with her good hand once it was on her. With the way Leslie was going, she didn't have time to put her shorts on.
"The radiation is minimal, it won't hurt you," Leslie said, moving Steph's right leg so she could X-ray it.
Wincing as Leslie moved her leg into different positions as she X-rayed it, Stephanie saw the X-rays appear on the computer screen on the desk near the door.
"We need to X-ray your arm now, it will hurt a little, I'm sorry," Leslie said, sliding the X-ray board under Steph's arm and positioning it.
Biting her bottom lip, Steph hoped it would be over soon. The pain was getting worse and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and have a cry. The pain was now throbbing since her uniform had been removed.
"I'm going to check the images, and we'll see how much damage has been done," Leslie said, wheeling the X-ray machine back to its spot against the wall.
Watching as Leslie sat at the desk and examined the X-rays, Steph pursed her lips together and waited.
"Your wrist is broken, you have a fracture in your lunate and ulna, and there's also a fracture in your radius. About halfway up your arm. We need to put a cast on it to stabilise the bones, and in about a week when the swelling goes down, we'll need to remove it and recast it. There's also a fracture in your fibula, a moon boot should work for that. I'll get the moon boot and equipment ready for a cast."
"Can you help put my shorts on?" Steph asked Jason, trying not to let the pain show on her face.
"Sure," Jason replied, picking them up from the end of the bed.
Sliding her legs into the holes while she was on the bed, she held onto Jason with her good arm and balanced her weight on her left leg while he pulled them up.
"I have two moon boots to try, if you want to sit on the side of the bed, I'll see which one fits," Leslie said, pulling the first moon boot out of the box it was in.
Feeling Leslie slide a protective sleeve over her leg, Steph hissed in pain as the moon boot straightened her foot. Taking a few deep and slow breaths until the pain faded, Steph watched as Leslie fixed the straps and made sure it was on securely.
"I think this one fits well, try standing," Leslie said.
Exhaling and biting her bottom lip, Steph slid off the bed with some help and gingerly put a little weight on her foot. "This doesn't hurt half as bad as I thought it would," she said, putting a little more weight on it before holding onto Jason and taking a few steps.
"We're good so far, now let's fix that arm of yours," Leslie commented, sliding a wheeled tray over to the bed.
Feeling Leslie move her injured arm, Steph sucked in a sharp breath and felt Jason's hand on her back, comforting her. A soft material was placed over her hand and arm like a sleeve. It stopped just below her elbow, and Steph knew it was going to be a half-arm cast that would keep her out of action for at least six to eight weeks. Sighing, she watched as Leslie wet the cast material and started the first layer of plaster.
Feeling her arm begin to shoot pain from being kept in the one position, Steph raised her knee, and rested her elbow on it, trying to relieve some of the pain.
After what felt like forever, Leslie was finally happy with the cast and how it set.
"You two can head off now, but come back in a week and we'll swap the cast for a fibreglass one," Leslie said, gently patting Steph on the knee. "I'm going to go get you a bottle of painkillers. I want you to take one when you get home, and then take them as needed, but no more than four a day."
Waiting only a few moments for Leslie to return, Steph accepted the bottle of painkillers, and reached forward and placed them in one of Jason's many pockets.
"Thank you, Leslie," Steph said, sliding off the bed and putting a little weight on her broken leg.
"You're very welcome. Now, go home and get some rest," Leslie said, leading them out of the building.
Standing outside, Steph could feel the cold air against her bare skin. The fog was thick, and she wondered how they were getting home.
"Here," Jason said, taking off his jacket and helping Steph into it, hoping it would warm her up.
"Thank you," Steph replied, feeling the warmth begin to leach into her skin.
"Do you think you can walk a block? I have my car tonight," Jason said, wrapping an arm around Steph's waist as they slowly made their way down the street.
"Maybe," Steph replied, taking cautious steps.
Seeing a cab slowly creeping up the street, Jason hailed it down and helped Steph slide in before getting in himself.
"Here's a hundred, we need to only go up a block, straight line after the next left," Jason said, handing over the bill.
Directing the driver to where he wanted, Jason thanked him and helped Stephanie out of the cab. "Just around the corner," Jason said, making sure Steph was able to walk the short distance.
Making their way to the car, Jason unlocked it and helped Steph in, making sure she was buckled in securely. Starting the car, Jason pulled out and began to drive them home, glancing over at Steph every couple of minutes.
"Do you want to come back to my safehouse, or go to your apartment?" Jason asked.
"Can I stay with you? I don't think I can walk up three floors of stairs," Steph replied, offering him a small smile.
"Of course. How do you feel?"
"A bit shit," Steph replied, staring out of the window.
"You did get thrown off a rooftop. I'm glad you're alright," Jason said, keeping his eyes on the road as the smell of wood fireplaces drifted on the wind.
"I can't believe I let it happen. I had him, Jason. He was on the ground, I was tying his hands together, and out of nowhere he fucking flipped backwards and I went flying over the edge," Stephanie responded, sighing loudly. "I should've been ready for something like that."
"Steph, shit happens, and now you know for next time. When I was Robin, I got kicked off a rooftop. I wasn't watching my back and some petty drug dealer got the better hand," Jason replied, reaching over and resting a hand on Steph's thigh.
"I won't tell anyone if you won't," Steph grinned, feeling Jason pat her thigh before he put his hand back on the steering wheel.
"You've got yourself a deal," Jason laughed, glad her could help lift her mood a little.
The rest of the drive to the safehouse was silent. Steph felt like she was getting stuck in her head over what happened. She was sore, she was tired, and the fall literally broke her. Steph had no idea how she was going to manage for the next six weeks. Steph knew she had Jason – they had been dating for a while now and without a doubt, she knew he would drop everything for her.
Circling the block to make sure they weren't followed; Jason pressed a button on the dash and the wall in front of them opened up. Driving inside, the wall closed behind them, leaving them in darkness for a moment before the lights turned on. Putting the car in park and killing the engine, Jason got out and walked to the passenger side and helped Steph out.
Opening a thick metal door, Jason stood to the side and let Steph walk in before him. He had never had anyone here, but this was his safest place to stay. He didn't know if the criminal who injured Steph was out to get her or not.
"I'm going to do so much online shopping to spruce this place up," Steph commented, already thinking of artwork to hang on the walls.
Rolling his eyes, Jason knew not to say anything and just accept the changes. Stephanie needed something to do while she was out of action.
"Have it delivered to Wayne Manor, I'll give you Bruce's credit card details in the morning," Jason said, seeing the smile appear on Steph's face.
"And this is why we are so good together," Steph said, slowly walking over to Jason and facing him. "We are like the perfect two." Reaching out Steph put her hand on Jason's chest.
"We are," Jason agreed. Gently cupping Steph's face, he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
"I love you," Steph whispered, softly smiling.
"I love you too," Jason replied, tilting her chin up and softly kissing her. "Come on, let's go to bed, after today you're going to need a good night's sleep."
"Sleep does sound amazing," Steph agreed, rubbing her cast where her arm still hurt.
"A moment," Jason said, heading to the kitchen and pulling out a bottle of water. "Pain meds."
Opening the bottle, he handed it to Steph and shook one little pill out of the bottle and handed it to her.
Swallowing the pill, Steph handed the water back to Jason and thanked him. Intertwining the fingers on her good hand with Jason's, Steph followed him to the far end of the house and stared in awe at the size of the bedroom.
Encouraging Steph to go inside and get comfortable, Jason inwardly smiled to himself and closed the door behind them.