"Alfred, has Bruce called?" Martha asked after Bruce didn't come home.
She hoped that he hadn't done something crazy.
"No Ms. Wayne." Alfred passed her with his hat and his coat. "I was just on my way out to search for him."
"He's just blowing off steam, he'll come home when he's ready." Thomas put a reassuring arm around his wife but his voice made it all the more clear that his words were an effort to convince himself as well. "It's a Wayne characteristic to overreact."
"Well I have not seen my son in three months so forgive me if I do not share your view on the subject." She pulled away sharply, furious at her husband for chasing Bruce away.
Thomas was about to react when he heard a large crash in the hall. Both he and Martha hurried in to see Alfred on the phone, his hands shaking to the point where he knocked a vase from the table.
"Alfred?" Martha touched the man's shoulder in concern as he hung up the phone.
"That was County Hospital. Master Bruce was brought in a few moments ago with a gunshot wound."
Martha's eyes opened wide with horror. "He was shot? How?" She began shakily.
"The nurse did not say. We should head there immediately."
Martha nodded slowly as if in shock. Thomas was already a step ahead of Alfred. He had grabbed his medical bag and Martha's wrap and ushered them to the car, heading automatically to the driver's side.
"Sir?" Alfred said as Thomas rarely drove the Rolls.
"Hop in Alfred, keep Martha calm." Thomas ordered sternly. He floored the acceleration and roared out of the driveway. Alfred's task of keeping Martha calm was hampered by the fact that Thomas' driving was scaring them both to death.
With hands firmly clenched all through the long ride, they finally made it to the hospital in one piece when the car screeched to a halt in front of the emergency room.
"Hey, you can't park here!" A guard yelled to the Rolls Royce's fleeing passengers.
"Tow it!" Thomas answered sternly as he wrapped his arm around Martha supportively and headed into the hospital.
Bruce drifted in and out of consciousness, hearing only snippets of what the doctors were saying about internal bleeding and broken ribs. He was too weak to open his eyes when a new but familiar voice demanded answers about his condition. He felt another voice close to his ear, a hand caressing his cheek gently.
"Bruce.Bruce you're going to get through this." Martha soothed shakily to her unconscious boy. "Come on honey, just wake up so I can see those beautiful blue eyes."
Bruce wished he could; that he could sit up and give his mother a hug but he was so tired and with that his brain slipped further into unconsciousness.
"He's seizing!" One of the nurses yelled sharply, causing a barrage of doctors to come flying into the room, pushing Martha further out of the way. When Thomas tried to join the fold, Martha pulled him back sharply.
"He's my son!" Wayne snapped, looking at his only boy attached to dozen of machines, fighting for his life.
"Let your colleagues save him." She answered before breaking down and sobbing against his chest. "Please, Thomas, don't leave me."
Thomas finally allowed his wife to lead him out of the room and they waited in the overcrowded ER with dozens of other families worried and frantic about their own loved ones. Martha leaned her head against Thomas' chest, staring distantly at the wall. Bruce was her life; the only child she and Thomas were able to have. She couldn't lose him.
"He's strong Martha.like you." Thomas said softly, running his fingers through her hair. When he looked up from his distraught wife he noticed Alfred speaking with a couple of police officers, hopefully finding out how Bruce ended up getting shot. He waited patiently, rocking his wife in his arms, watching them speak. After several minutes, Alfred shook the man's hand and headed back to where the Wayne's were seated.
He recounted the tale he had just heard, how Bruce saved a woman from a savage mugging. Thomas tried to remain calm, for the sake of his wife, while Alfred told them the rest.
"He chased an armed robber through and alley?" Thomas asked slowly after hearing the shocking story.
"The officers call him a hero, misguided but a hero all the same. The woman could have been hurt a lot worse than she was and they also recovered her purse."
"What about the person who did this?" Martha asked wearily.
Alfred smiled softly, "The police say that the man turned himself in almost right after it happened. He was just a kid. He had never shot anyone before."
Thomas, Martha, and Alfred waited in the chairs for what seemed like forever. It was well after dark before the doctor came out to talk to them. Bruce was alive, his condition stabilized.
"We thought we had lost him a couple of times but he hung in there. Your son is a fighter."
The family finally relaxed a little, smiling for the first time in hours. Barbara had made it to the hospital just in time to hear the good news. She sighed in relief, wiping her tear-stained eyes. Martha stood up and gave her son's best friend a big hug.
"Can we see him?" Barbara asked.
"He's pretty weak but once we have him situated he can see one person at a time."
Broke awoke to see his mother sitting beside him, pushing some hair out of his face. She smiled warmly.
"Mom." Bruce tried to speak but could only manage a hoarse whisper. She held him steady to keeping him from trying to get up.
"Shh." She soothed. "You gave us quite a scare. I hope taking a bullet wasn't one of your creative ways of keeping from seeing your own mother."
"Never." He answered softly, staring gratefully into her eyes.
"Good. I'm proud of you Bruce. You're my little hero." She smiled, a tear running down her cheek from hours of anxiety.
"Not so little." He reminded her.
"Yes yes, my all grown up hero then." She hugged him gently careful of all the tubes machines he was hooked up to. She stayed by his side until he drifted off to sleep, wondering why the Wayne men had to be heroic all the time: first Thomas and his inner city clinic and now Bruce chasing purse- snatchers.
Martha sighed. "My men."
"No Ms. Wayne." Alfred passed her with his hat and his coat. "I was just on my way out to search for him."
"He's just blowing off steam, he'll come home when he's ready." Thomas put a reassuring arm around his wife but his voice made it all the more clear that his words were an effort to convince himself as well. "It's a Wayne characteristic to overreact."
"Well I have not seen my son in three months so forgive me if I do not share your view on the subject." She pulled away sharply, furious at her husband for chasing Bruce away.
Thomas was about to react when he heard a large crash in the hall. Both he and Martha hurried in to see Alfred on the phone, his hands shaking to the point where he knocked a vase from the table.
"Alfred?" Martha touched the man's shoulder in concern as he hung up the phone.
"That was County Hospital. Master Bruce was brought in a few moments ago with a gunshot wound."
Martha's eyes opened wide with horror. "He was shot? How?" She began shakily.
"The nurse did not say. We should head there immediately."
Martha nodded slowly as if in shock. Thomas was already a step ahead of Alfred. He had grabbed his medical bag and Martha's wrap and ushered them to the car, heading automatically to the driver's side.
"Sir?" Alfred said as Thomas rarely drove the Rolls.
"Hop in Alfred, keep Martha calm." Thomas ordered sternly. He floored the acceleration and roared out of the driveway. Alfred's task of keeping Martha calm was hampered by the fact that Thomas' driving was scaring them both to death.
With hands firmly clenched all through the long ride, they finally made it to the hospital in one piece when the car screeched to a halt in front of the emergency room.
"Hey, you can't park here!" A guard yelled to the Rolls Royce's fleeing passengers.
"Tow it!" Thomas answered sternly as he wrapped his arm around Martha supportively and headed into the hospital.
Bruce drifted in and out of consciousness, hearing only snippets of what the doctors were saying about internal bleeding and broken ribs. He was too weak to open his eyes when a new but familiar voice demanded answers about his condition. He felt another voice close to his ear, a hand caressing his cheek gently.
"Bruce.Bruce you're going to get through this." Martha soothed shakily to her unconscious boy. "Come on honey, just wake up so I can see those beautiful blue eyes."
Bruce wished he could; that he could sit up and give his mother a hug but he was so tired and with that his brain slipped further into unconsciousness.
"He's seizing!" One of the nurses yelled sharply, causing a barrage of doctors to come flying into the room, pushing Martha further out of the way. When Thomas tried to join the fold, Martha pulled him back sharply.
"He's my son!" Wayne snapped, looking at his only boy attached to dozen of machines, fighting for his life.
"Let your colleagues save him." She answered before breaking down and sobbing against his chest. "Please, Thomas, don't leave me."
Thomas finally allowed his wife to lead him out of the room and they waited in the overcrowded ER with dozens of other families worried and frantic about their own loved ones. Martha leaned her head against Thomas' chest, staring distantly at the wall. Bruce was her life; the only child she and Thomas were able to have. She couldn't lose him.
"He's strong Martha.like you." Thomas said softly, running his fingers through her hair. When he looked up from his distraught wife he noticed Alfred speaking with a couple of police officers, hopefully finding out how Bruce ended up getting shot. He waited patiently, rocking his wife in his arms, watching them speak. After several minutes, Alfred shook the man's hand and headed back to where the Wayne's were seated.
He recounted the tale he had just heard, how Bruce saved a woman from a savage mugging. Thomas tried to remain calm, for the sake of his wife, while Alfred told them the rest.
"He chased an armed robber through and alley?" Thomas asked slowly after hearing the shocking story.
"The officers call him a hero, misguided but a hero all the same. The woman could have been hurt a lot worse than she was and they also recovered her purse."
"What about the person who did this?" Martha asked wearily.
Alfred smiled softly, "The police say that the man turned himself in almost right after it happened. He was just a kid. He had never shot anyone before."
Thomas, Martha, and Alfred waited in the chairs for what seemed like forever. It was well after dark before the doctor came out to talk to them. Bruce was alive, his condition stabilized.
"We thought we had lost him a couple of times but he hung in there. Your son is a fighter."
The family finally relaxed a little, smiling for the first time in hours. Barbara had made it to the hospital just in time to hear the good news. She sighed in relief, wiping her tear-stained eyes. Martha stood up and gave her son's best friend a big hug.
"Can we see him?" Barbara asked.
"He's pretty weak but once we have him situated he can see one person at a time."
Broke awoke to see his mother sitting beside him, pushing some hair out of his face. She smiled warmly.
"Mom." Bruce tried to speak but could only manage a hoarse whisper. She held him steady to keeping him from trying to get up.
"Shh." She soothed. "You gave us quite a scare. I hope taking a bullet wasn't one of your creative ways of keeping from seeing your own mother."
"Never." He answered softly, staring gratefully into her eyes.
"Good. I'm proud of you Bruce. You're my little hero." She smiled, a tear running down her cheek from hours of anxiety.
"Not so little." He reminded her.
"Yes yes, my all grown up hero then." She hugged him gently careful of all the tubes machines he was hooked up to. She stayed by his side until he drifted off to sleep, wondering why the Wayne men had to be heroic all the time: first Thomas and his inner city clinic and now Bruce chasing purse- snatchers.
Martha sighed. "My men."