Bruce's stay at the hospital wasn't that bad as far as hospital visits go.
He received daily visits from Alfred, who was able to sneak in brownies for
him, and Barbara who wouldn't stop kissing him. Martha was also there a
lot of the time, even threatening to make her husband buy the hospital and
fire everyone if they didn't let her stay past visiting hours.
Thomas visited regularly and remained stoically calm. He didn't even lecture Bruce on his heroics and listened as the boy explained his reasons behind not becoming a doctor. He didn't much agree with the boy's reasoning but decided that Bruce needed to find his own path and chose for himself. He needed to give Bruce the chance that his father gave him.
Criminology, however, was an entirely different matter.
"Insane." Thomas said one afternoon after hearing about Bruce's work at the criminology school.
"Dad." Bruce rolled his eyes. "I would still be helping people and using my intelligence you keep going on about, just in a different way."
Thomas sighed dramatically but then looked at his son, lying in a hospital bed, his chest wrapped up like a mummy. He remembered well what brought Bruce to this state and needed to be more open to his son's ideas, as asinine as they were.
"Would." He began slowly. "Would detective school or whatever it is you call it, keep you from getting shot by teenaged purse snatchers?"
Bruce grinned. "It might not prevent it completely but it still could help."
"Ok." Thomas sighed. "You can get a criminology degree."
"Really?" Bruce's eyes lit up.
"But no changing you mind in three months and not telling me!" Thomas said sternly but his eyes showed his affection.
"Deal." Bruce laughed.
Bruce got out of the hospital after three weeks. He would have to take it easy until his ribs healed but all out insisted he walk out of the hospital on his own two feet.
"Stubborn boy." Thomas shook his head, watching as Barbara helped Bruce hobble along in front of them.
"Yeah." Martha sighed peacefully. "He gets that from you."
In the car Thomas leafed through a brochure Bruce had handed him. "So this school in New York has a criminology program?"
"The best." Bruce answered
"Good." Martha nodded. "That means you can come home and visit more than once a year."
"Well, I do plan to come back to Gotham when I finish. Lieutenant Gordon says he'll have a job waiting at the GCPD."
"Hey" Thomas' eyes lit up. "Maybe you could put in some hours at Wayne Enterprises, whip those guys into shape."
Bruce snorted. "What do you want me to do dad, work at WE all day and fight crime at night? I'm not a machine."
Thomas just shook his head, keeping his comments to himself. Bruce may have won this battle, but the war was far from over.
THE END (finally)
Sorry guys, no Batman in this story but I'd like to think his spirit was still there.
Thomas visited regularly and remained stoically calm. He didn't even lecture Bruce on his heroics and listened as the boy explained his reasons behind not becoming a doctor. He didn't much agree with the boy's reasoning but decided that Bruce needed to find his own path and chose for himself. He needed to give Bruce the chance that his father gave him.
Criminology, however, was an entirely different matter.
"Insane." Thomas said one afternoon after hearing about Bruce's work at the criminology school.
"Dad." Bruce rolled his eyes. "I would still be helping people and using my intelligence you keep going on about, just in a different way."
Thomas sighed dramatically but then looked at his son, lying in a hospital bed, his chest wrapped up like a mummy. He remembered well what brought Bruce to this state and needed to be more open to his son's ideas, as asinine as they were.
"Would." He began slowly. "Would detective school or whatever it is you call it, keep you from getting shot by teenaged purse snatchers?"
Bruce grinned. "It might not prevent it completely but it still could help."
"Ok." Thomas sighed. "You can get a criminology degree."
"Really?" Bruce's eyes lit up.
"But no changing you mind in three months and not telling me!" Thomas said sternly but his eyes showed his affection.
"Deal." Bruce laughed.
Bruce got out of the hospital after three weeks. He would have to take it easy until his ribs healed but all out insisted he walk out of the hospital on his own two feet.
"Stubborn boy." Thomas shook his head, watching as Barbara helped Bruce hobble along in front of them.
"Yeah." Martha sighed peacefully. "He gets that from you."
In the car Thomas leafed through a brochure Bruce had handed him. "So this school in New York has a criminology program?"
"The best." Bruce answered
"Good." Martha nodded. "That means you can come home and visit more than once a year."
"Well, I do plan to come back to Gotham when I finish. Lieutenant Gordon says he'll have a job waiting at the GCPD."
"Hey" Thomas' eyes lit up. "Maybe you could put in some hours at Wayne Enterprises, whip those guys into shape."
Bruce snorted. "What do you want me to do dad, work at WE all day and fight crime at night? I'm not a machine."
Thomas just shook his head, keeping his comments to himself. Bruce may have won this battle, but the war was far from over.
THE END (finally)
Sorry guys, no Batman in this story but I'd like to think his spirit was still there.