Christmas in Blüdhaven: Recrimination, Part One
by Smitty
"How many times has he been shot in that shoulder?"
"Twice," Alfred replied, his hands resting on the back of the chair. The Oracle symbol took up most of the enormous monitor. "But I have had to stitch this particular wound back together more than once. He has not been especially careful."
"What else is new?" Oracle asked distractedly. "You think it's nerve damage?"
"I fear so. I cannot imagine what else would cause the tingling sensation and numbness he is experiencing." Alfred paused, drawing a regretful breath. "I fear my inadequate medical training may have -- "
"Alfred. Don't." Oracle's voice was soft for the first time since he'd contacted her. "They do this...this thing to us. Where we think they're normal and we're at fault. And it's not true. It's them, Alfred, it's not us. We're just working with what we have."
Silence reigned in the Cave as Oracle worked and Alfred waited.
"How's his leg?" she asked finally.
"It seems to have healed fully," Alfred admitted. "He has gone to great lengths to prove so."
"Of course." Another long pause. "And Tim?"
Alfred's silence spoke more than his words. "Not well, I fear," he conceded at last.
Author's Note: Using Post-Crisis canon, Dick was shot in the shoulder by the Joker and fell of a roof. He saved himself but the incident caused Batman to "fire" him from his role as Robin. I don't actually know that both injuries were to the same shoulder, but I have a 50/50 chance of being right.
Christmas in Blüdhaven is written in the same general style as Jingle Bells, my attempt to write 24 200-word ficlets--one per day until Christmas, sort of like an Advent calendar--with characters from around the DCU. Christmas in Blüdhaven differs, however, by each of the ficlets being loosely linked and progressing toward a greater conclusion. The title was derived from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas in Sarajevo" because everything and everyone in Blüdhaven is currently something of a wreck.