Garfield glanced around the crowded waiting room, less so without six wailing children, though a forlorn and resigned Mrs. Roth stared vacantly into space through a black eye. She refused to speak, however, leaving him to exchange worried stares with Robin and Victor while Kori leaned against a wall, hiding under her head wrap. In one corner, Mr. Wayne, Dr. Stone, Kori's uncle, and Garfield's mom discussed something in sharp, harsh tones. Eventually, a new doctor and a very stern man entered, called for Mrs. Roth, and left again.

"That's not good, is it?" Garfield asked softly.

"Nothing about this is good," said Robin.

"Don't worry," Victor assured Garfield. "The adults are taking care of it now. It'll be fine."

"It won't be how it was, though," countered Robin.

"What does that mean? What happened?" asked Garfield, his voice and pitch rising.

His mom quickly pressed on his shoulders, calming him with the weight. She spoke very gently, saying "Rachel was hurt. The doctors are helping her now."

"But what happened?"

"She… Gar, I- Bruce, could you?" she said. "No details, just… just what's necessary."

"Of course," Mr. Wayne said, pulling a chair to sit in front of the child. "Garfield, your mom is great, right? She takes care of you and keeps you safe, right?"

"Duh. That's what parents do."

"Not Rachel's." Garfield's eyes widened, and he continued, "Her dad didn't care about her as a person so much as controlling her."

"Cult leader," Kori cut in sharply, and Wayne nodded.

"What did he do?" asked Garfield.

"Nothing good," said Dr. Stone.

Wayne nodded again. "You saw Mrs. Roth's eye. He hit Rachel like that. A lot. And today, he got really violent. Rachel was done with it, so she hit him back."

"Is she in trouble?"

"She was acting in self-defense," Wayne said calmly. "Once the doctor is sure she isn't a danger to herself, she'll be free to go."

"And Mrs. Roth?" Kori said quietly. The rest of her question was in Arabic. Anders shook his head and replied in the same language.

"There's no reason to think Angela was part of what happened today, but," Wayne paused, trying to phrase it correctly, perhaps, "there's no possible way she wasn't aware of the prior abuse. All of the kids need new homes until she proves she can protect them."

Robin growled. "Dammit. You called it, Kori. I was going to tell you, sir… We were watching a movie, all of us. She made a comment that felt wrong. About how we were like the characters."

"She said she was like Bender," Kori said, nodding. "Robin and I thought maybe it was a hint."

Robin hid his face in his hands, muttering, "I should have told you. This wouldn't have happened."

Wayne put a hand on Robin's shoulder and assured him it wasn't his fault, that no one could have known the risk.

"But she'll be okay, right?" Garfield asked. "She'll be back in school Monday?"

Again, Wayne looked to Dr. Stone and Miss Logan. When neither spoke, Wayne said, "Physically, she's going to be fine. Mentally and emotionally… she was attacked by someone she was supposed to trust. She might never be the person she was this morning."

"Who even does that?" Garfield hissed. "And this guy's supposed to run a church? A church where this shit happened? He's supposed to be the good guy!"

His mother draped her body over his, applying more pressure and muttering over and over to take soothing breaths, that he wouldn't help Rachel by getting angry.

"It's not fair," he said, more calmly but still frustrated. "It's not right."

"So what happens to Rachel, then?" asked Victor. "If she can't stay with her mom, where does she go?"

Wayne sighed and leaned back. "My legalese in this area is rusty, but if I remember correctly, the courts will look for her extended family. If no one can be found, they'll open it to her personal and family friends. If she chooses, she may be staying with one of us. That's what we were discussing: where she might be most comfortable going forward."

"Kori," Robin and Victor said simultaneously.

"Definitely Kori," Robin added. "She let Kori see more of her than we ever did."

"Excuse me?"

A nurse leaned in the doorway. She scanned the crowd with a soft smile.

"Miss Roth can see visitors now, but we don't want to overwhelm her. If a few of you want to come with me, I'll take you to her room," she said. "Who's first?"

"I need to speak to her. And Kori, it seems?" Wayne asked Robin.

He nodded. "Yeah, Kori should go first."

Kori didn't hesitate to follow the nurse, practically chasing her out of the room. Garfield sank into his chair.

"This is dumb," he said. "We're not gonna overwhelm her. We're her friends."

"Hush, Gar," she said, stroking his hair. "Rachel's father is getting what he deserves. Now we need to make sure she gets what she needs. A quiet, happy home with lots of love and support."

She pulled a tablet from her purse and handed it to him. He fiddled with it a minute before turning on a livestream of BattleCasters. He leaned into Robin's side to share the screen with the boys.

"Wake up, Gar."

Garfield jolted upright. Robin grabbed his shoulder to keep him from falling. Kori stood in front of him as he stretched.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked.

"No," he admitted. "But it's better than nothing. How is she?"

"Hurt. But Rae is strong," said Kori. "She wishes to see you next."

"Me?"

"And your mother," Wayne said from behind him. "If you're ready."

"Yeah, totally," Garfield said as he pushed out of his seat. "But she asked for me? Not Robin?"

Kori only shrugged and sat down, tucking her feet beneath her in the seat. Garfield's mom put an arm around him and walked with him towards Rachel's room. It took all his resolve not to cringe.

Scratches covered Rachel's throat, punctuated with a deep purple bruise on her right. The pressure popped a blood vessel in her eye as well, flooding the white on that side. Her usually pale skin was red and puffy around her eyes, too, as was her nose. A pale blue hospital gown replaced the black leather and navy she left Wayne Manor in. She scratched absent-mindedly at her raw wrists.

"Hey, Rae," Garfield cooed as he sat down next to her. "Holding up okay?"

"They won't let me smoke," she rasped.

"Those assholes," said Garfield. To his relief, Rachel chuckled weakly.

"Thanks, Gar."

"For what?"

"Being you," she said. "It felt like Kori was trying to distract me, and… I dunno. It just made it more obvious."

"Lucky for you, I've perfected the art of distraction."

"I know. It's part of your charm. I make fun of you, but I could honestly listen to your bad puns and animal facts all day. It's natural for you." Rachel started coughing, and Miss Logan handed her water. "Thanks."

"Of course, Rae. Anything," she replied.

Rachel stared at her cup. "Can I stay with you?"

"Us?" Garfield repeated.

"Are you sure?"

Rachel nodded. "I trust you guys. All of you. But… He…"

"You're not ready to be around older men," said Miss Logan. Rachel teared up and nodded curtly. "If you can eat vegetarian food-."

"Done."

"Oh. Okay, I'll clear out my office to make room for you."

Garfield smirked. "At least you don't have to deal with whiny little brothers anymore."

"Oh, are you moving out?" Rachel asked.

"Hey! I am not whiny," whined Garfield.

Rachel laughed again until it warped into a fit of coughing and Miss Logan forced her to take another drink. She leaned back against her pillows with a sigh.

"I want a cigarette so bad," she muttered.

"Absolutely not," Logan said. "You're not smoking in my house."

Rachel pressed her lips together. "Then I want new clothes."

"That can be arranged."

"And I want to design my room."

"Within reason, sure."

"And I want to be called Raven."