Chapter Two: Leader Fallen

When Robin opened his eyes again he was lying in a sun-filled hospital room. He wanted to rub his eyes, but he found he couldn't move his arms. He looked down at himself. One arm was in a cast, the other attached to an IV. One leg was also wrapped in a cast, and there were bandages covering his body, and he could feel them on his face...

That's when Robin realized he wasn't wearing his mask. He was exposed, everyone could see him...but there was no one else in the room. He sighed. He had to get up, go find someone to explain this all to him...

But he couldn't get up. He tried to move and an immense pain overwhelmed him. He moaned a little, slowly lying back down. He couldn't move. He was stuck in a hospital somewhere and he couldn't move to contact anyone.

As if on cue, the door burst open and Starfire came soaring in frantically.

"Friend Robin, you are all right!"she squealed happily. She made a move to hug him, but Robin pulled back, wincing, afraid of more pain.

"Far from, actually..."he replied. Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy had all followed Starfire into the room. Starfire quickly lowered herself back onto the ground, standing at the side of Robin's bed. Cyborg grinned over at him.

"Hey man. We missed you. How've you been?"he asked.

"I honestly don't know. I just woke up about two minutes ago...but what happened?" Robin asked.

"Well, when we realized you had gone off the other night, and never came home, we tried contacting you. But we didn't get any answer on your communicator. So we went out to find you..."Cyborg began.

"We found you lying in the middle of the road, nearly beaten to death in downtown Jump City,"Raven continued.

"Yeah, so we called an ambulance and they took you to the Jump City Hospital. You've been totally comatose for three days,"Beast Boy finished. Robin's jaw dropped(also causing pain)

"Three days!"he cried. "Who knows how far Jericho could have gotten by now!"

"Who?"Cyborg asked.

"Jericho. He's Slade's son. He's the one I was fighting the other night...he said he was here to avenge his father, and that he had to 'break the robin's wings',"Robin explained.

"We haven't heard anything about him,"Raven said.

"He must have gotten away after he left me. You guys can start researching him, and once I get out of here in a few days I can go after him-"Robin was saying. The others all stopped, staring at him grimly.

"Friend Robin...we fear you shall not be home in 'a few days',"Starfire said sadly.

"Sure I will, I heal pretty quickly,"Robin insisted.

"Man, you're seriously hurt,"Cyborg said. Robin stopped.

"Well, how bad? I have some broken bones and something's killing my back, but what's so awful?"he asked.

"Robin, you're spine is damaged,"Raven said. Robin froze.

"Whoa...you mean, my back is broken?"he asked. Raven nodded solemnly.

"You were really banged up when he found you, man,"Cyborg recalled.

"Wait...I'm not going to be...paralyzed, am I?"Robin asked. The room went dead silent.

"The doctor's aren't sure. You're going to need a lot of care and medical treatment. It could take almost a year for you to completely heal...if you do heal,"Raven explained. Suddenly it was as if Robin's entire world was falling apart around him. He might be wheelchair bound. He might never move again, never run, never fight. And if he did, it could take at least two years to bring him back to the status he was at. He stared at the others, a look of horror on his face.

"No...no, this can't be happening! What am I supposed to do? What are you supposed to do? The Teen Titans need a leader. Jericho has to be stopped. We can't put everything on hold like this, we need to take action!"Robin shouted hysterically.

"Robin, relax! We'll figure something out,"Beast Boy assured him.

"I can't let Jericho hurt any of you! There has to be something you can do, something I can do..."Robin pondered.

"Robin, please,"Starfire said suddenly, kneeling down at his bedside. Small tears were welling in her eyes."You must rest. We do not wish for you to remain injured for your entire life. We have missed you very much. Please, promise you will stop the working, and try to get better!"Robin looked down at Starfire. She meant it. He looked around at the others. They all looked very pleading and desperate. They needed a leader. They needed him to get better. He sighed, slumping back in his bed.

"I'll do everything I can to heal,"he assured them. They all smiled at him.

"Thank you, friend Robin,"Starfire said in relief.

"But the Teen Titans will need a leader while I'm recuperating. You need someone strong, someone who will take you after Jericho,"Robin insisted.

"Come on, man, I think we can handle this guy ourselves,"Cyborg said. Robin shook his head.

"No...no, you need someone else,"he continued.

"Don't you trust us?"Cyborg asked.

"I do, it's just-"

"Oh, you don't think any of us are capable of filling your shoes, huh?"Cyborg snapped.

"No, it's not that-"

"You need control over everything, don't you?"Cyborg ranted.

"I can't lose anyone else!"Robin cried suddenly. Cyborg stopped. Robin sighed. "Jericho is dangerous. He has a killer instinct. He's relentless, he won't stop if you can't fight back, he'll take advantage of that. I tried to fight him. He's strong and he's violent. I can't put my team up against that without a strong enough leader to help and guide you."Cyborg hung his head a little, obviously embarrassed at his rash outburst.

"Who do you have in mind?"Raven asked cautiously.

"I have a few people, but I'll have to narrow it down,"Robin admitted.

"We may discuss all of this later. Now, Robin must rest,"Starfire insisted, getting up. She patted Robin's pillow gently, turning from the bed and heading towards the door.

"We'll be back tomorrow,"Cyborg said.

"Okay..."Robin watched each of them go, as he slowly closed his eyes again. What would happen if he never did recover? Who would take over the Teen Titans? Could the Titans continue? What would he do? Go back to school, get a real job? He sighed. He was tired now. He would think about all of this when he woke up...

The next morning, Robin awoke to see a doctor standing over him.

"Hello, Richard."She was a tall, slim, blonde woman, with deep blue eyes and a very kind, gentle smile. But Robin was paying more attention to what she had said. His eyes suddenly widened. She had used his real name. She grinned at him reassuringly.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me,"she said kindly. "My name is Dr. Sarah Whitmore. I've been the one taking care of you."

"Um, hi,"Robin replied awkwardly.

"How are you feeling this morning?"Dr. Whitmore asked.

"Painful,"Robin replied, as Dr. Whitmore jabbed a needle into his left arm. She nodded in understanding.

"I understand. You were injured very seriously. We weren't sure if you were going to pull through for a while there...luckily you're stronger than most boys, so you were able to stay with it,"Dr. Whitmore explained. She proceeded to poke and prod at Robin, checking him all over the place. Surprisingly enough, Robin didn't find it painful having this woman poke his usually extremely painful spots. Her touch was gentle.

"So, do you want the full prognosis here?"Dr. Whitmore asked when she was done.

"Sure,"Robin replied, ready to hear it all.

"All right then. You suffer from a broken right arm, a broken left leg, cracked rib cages, damaged jaw, broken nose, fractured right wrist, several deep cuts on your face, and a snapped spinal cord,"Dr. Whitmore listed. She looked over at Robin sympathetically.

"Wow...I'm in pretty bad shape, huh?"Robin asked.

"Actually, for someone who's been through that much, you're coping nicely,"Dr. Whitmore replied. "Most people would still be in the comatose stage right now, but you've already begun healing. Like I said before, you're stronger than most boys. So, do you have any questions?"Robin paused. Then he let out a deep breath.

"Um, Dr. Whitmore...am I going be paralyzed?"he asked nervously. Dr. Whitmore grinned kindly again...and shook her head.

"Not as long as you take good care of yourself. But you won't be doomed to life in a wheelchair just yet,"she said. Robin sighed in relief. Then another question struck him.

"Well, how long do you think it could take me to heal?"he asked.

"In your case, quicker than most. I would guess nine months at the best. That includes physical therapy, bed rest AND possible surgery,"Dr. Whitmore explained. Robin stared at her.

"Nine months, huh?"he asked grimly. She nodded.

"As long as you follow all the instructions and care of the hospital, then we can have you back in tip top shape by about November,"she insisted. Robin sighed.

"Well, thank you doctor..."he said. Dr. Whitmore patted his shoulder, offering a sympathetic smile.

"You'll be fine, Richard,"she assured him. And she left. The minute she left Robin started thinking. The Teen Titans were going to need a replacement leader. Someone just as strong and agile as he was. Someone who could lead the Titans just as well as he could. Someone who could fight Jericho and win.

Robin had one person in mind.