Chapter Seven
Dick Grayson gunned the engines of his motorcycle as hard as he could, pushing his vehicle to its limits, he dodged in and out of traffic, weaving his way quickly passed cars and vans catching the occasionally shocked stares of drivers. He headed downtown, towards Leslie Tompkins' free clinic. She was the only one he could turn to in times like this, Alfred was at Wayne Manor, but Dick feared that she would be dead by the time they got her to the Batcave.
Turning the corner, he rushed down an empty alley, pulling to a sudden stop at a back door. Scooping Starfire up in one arm, he carefully opened the back door and ducked inside. Closing the door, he noticed Dr. Tompkins was visiting a patient; he slipped quietly over to the other side, letting his shadow inform her that he was there.
She looked up with her eyes; then turned her attention back to her visitor. He had gotten her attention; that was good. She smiled. "Now, don't you worry, you just have a high fever, that's all. Take these antibiotics and come back in a week. If you'll excuse me, I have another patient to attend to."
"Thank you doctor, the woman said, "I'll be back in a week." She turned and walked away. Dr. Tompkins waited for the door to close.
When it was shut, she walked back farther into the room where he was. "What is it? Bruce is that you?" She looked at the caped figure in shock. "It can't be you; you're still in the hospital!"
"No, Dr. Tompkins, it's me, Dick Grayson," Dick said in his normal voice.
"I should have figured, it was all over the news about your return, I should have put two and two together. What is it? Are you hurt?" she asked.
"No, not me doctor, he walked into the light, carrying Starfire's limp body.
"Oh, my!" Leslie Tompkins exclaimed. "What happened to her?"
"A fight with the Penguin and the Kabuki Twins," Dick explained. "Can you help her? She's lost a lot of blood."
"I'll try, but I'm not sure if I can do this alone, it's too risky to go to the hospital."
"I'll call Alfred and have him come," Dick said, pulling out the Batwave. "Alfred, are you there?"
"Indeed, Sir," replied Alfred.
"I need you to come down to Dr. Tompkins' clinic, it's an emergency. Bring the hospital bed and the oxygen mask and anything that might be used for surgery."
"I don't think surgery will be necessary, Alfred," Dr. Tompkins said. "Just bring an extra oxygen mask and medicine."
"I will, Dr. Tompkins, I'm on my way, Master Dick," Alfred finished and shut it off.
Dr. Tompkins began cleaning Starfire's wounds carefully disinfecting them and bandaging them. Dr. Tompkins placed an oxygen mask over Starfire's mouth and nose. She was about to place an IV into her blood stream, when she turned to Dick. "What's her blood type?"
"I'm not sure, she's not human, she's an alien from the planet of Tamaran," he replied.
"Are you O positive or O negative?" she asked.
"O positive, why?"
"The O blood type is a universal donor. At least, with humans, it is, never done it on an alien before. How old are you, Mr. Grayson?"
"Seventeen and a half," he replied.
"Good, then you're old enough to donate blood; I wouldn't want to do something that could be dangerous to your health."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't either." He rolled up his sleeve and she stopped, she looked at him.
"Do you want me to tell her it was you? Normally, Doctor/patient confidentiality applies, but I could make an exception."
"No, Dr. Tompkins, Starfire doesn't know my secret identity. I never told her."
"Why?"
"Didn't think I'd ever need to, besides, she wouldn't understand why I haven't made contact with them as Robin since they came here."
"And why haven't you?" she asked as she inserted the needle. He winced at the pain but put it out of his mind. This wasn't about him, it was about saving Starfire. Soon, the blood transfusion was finished. Dick Grayson was weak, but satisfied. Starfire would live, and that was all that mattered, he never wanted anything bad to happen to his friends, and he would have never forgiven himself if she had died.
"I didn't want to put them in danger," Dick replied.
"It seems your friends have done that already, Dick, they followed you here after all." He nodded, looking at Starfire.
"I thought that if I didn't tell them, they would be safer."
"You have to tell them sooner or later, they're still looking for you."
"Don't worry; Dr. Tompkins, I will." Dick punched in the signal for the Titans' communicators. "Titans, it's Batman, Starfire is…safe for the moment."
"Where are you?" Cyborg asked.
"At Dr. Leslie Tompkins' clinic, she's received a blood transfusion. I'll send you the coordinates."
"We're on our way," Cyborg said.
Raven stared at the blank space where the Batman had once stood. "He's gone!" Raven said. "He just vanished with her!"
"What are we supposed to do now?" Beast Boy asked.
"I suppose we should get the Penguin and these Kabuki Twins or whoever they are, to the police," Cyborg said.
"But what about Starfire?" Beast Boy asked. "Will she be okay?"
"I'm sure the Batman will contact us soon. Let's get these guys to where they need to go."
They began hulling the three criminals away to the Gotham Police Department. They arrived with the criminals in tow, greeted by the shocked gazes of onlookers. Detective Yin was among the bystanders. She rushed forward. "Where's the Batman? And what happened to your red haired friend?"
"She's been hurt, the Batman is getting her medical attention," Cyborg replied.
"I see. You guys nabbed the Penguin," Detective Yin had three officers cuff them. "Thanks for your help. It's off to the Gotham Penitentiary for these three."
"You're welcome, now all we need to know is what happened to Starfire," Cyborg said. "Has the Batman called us yet?" Detective Yin and the other officers led them away.
"Not yet, dude," Beast Boy replied. "Where is he?" Suddenly, Cyborg's communicator blared to life. He picked up. It was the Batman.
"Titans, it's Batman, Starfire is…safe for the moment."
"Where are you?" Cyborg asked.
"At Dr. Leslie Tompkins' clinic, she's received a blood transfusion. I'll send you the coordinates."
"We're on our way," Cyborg said.
"I'll be waiting for you," he said. "I'll send it to the G.P.S. unit on your car." He ended the transmission.
"Wait just a second," Cyborg said suspiciously. "How does he know we have a G.P.S. unit on my baby?"
"He's Batman; doesn't he know this stuff already?" Beast Boy asked.
"But why would someone like Batman know about that? The Justice League doesn't pay any attention to our activities," Raven said.
"How do you know that?" Beast Boy looked at her.
"Long story," Raven said. The three Titans climbed into the T Car. I have the coordinates, guys.
"Let's go see how our girl is doing." They began to driving towards the place where Starfire was.
"I'm starting to wonder if the Batman we've fought alongside for the past few nights is really the real Batman," Cyborg said.
"Dude, speak English please, you're not making sense," Beast Boy said.
"I'm saying this might not be the real Batman."
"Why wouldn't he be?" Raven asked.
"People have been known to impersonate the Batman before," Cyborg replied.
"That's true, but why would it be now when we've just arrived?" Raven asked. "Why would someone impersonate the Batman right when we get here? If what you're saying is true and this person, whoever they are, is not the true Batman, wouldn't this person have been doing this longer than just recently? And wouldn't someone have figured it out by now?"
"You make a good point, Rae, but I just have a feeling that this person knows way too much about us for being someone we've never met before," Cyborg said thoughtfully. "It seems too coincidental."
"It does, but we don't have time to worry about who the Batman really is," Raven said. "We have to get to Starfire. Are we there yet?"
"Almost," Cyborg said as he turned a corner. He pulled the T Car to a dead halt in front of an empty alley. They scrambled out. Cyborg swept the area for any sign of Batman. He saw nothing. Not even a shadow.
Suddenly, a door opened and there stood the Dark Knight, waiting for them. "Come inside," he said in a low voice. "She's waiting."
"Is she awake?" Cyborg asked.
"No, but she's in stable condition. She's stopped bleeding but she's still unconscious." The Batman ushered the Titans into the clinic. Cyborg stared at Starfire in shock. He had never seen her in such bad shape before. Her normally vibrant orange skin was a ghastly pale color. The wounds left hideous scars on her body, deep piercing cuts that slanted horizontally down the side of her stomach. Five other stab wounds left small holes in her midsection.
"Are you sure she'll be alright?" Cyborg asked. "I've never seen her this bad before."
"I wouldn't know the answer to that; you shouldn't ask me, you should ask Dr. Leslie Tompkins."
"Where is she?" Raven asked.
Just then a lady opened the door on the opposite side of the room and walked in. The Batman looked up. "Dr. Tompkins, you're just in time. The Teen Titans want to know how she is. Dr. Tompkins, these are the Teen Titans, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, this is Dr. Leslie Tompkins. If you ever need medical attention, she'll be able to help you."
"Thank you for your help, Doctor," Cyborg said. "How is she?"
"You're alien friend?" she asked. "She's in stable condition. She's suffered a lot of internal bleeding, but her body is stabilizing."
"That's nice to know," Cyborg said. "Batman, thanks for—" he stopped in mid sentence as he turned to look towards where the Batman had been standing; he had once again disappeared into thin air. He turned his attention back to Dr. Tompkins.
"Wait a second, Dr. Tompkins. Who told you she was an alien?"
"A friend," she said simply. She remembered Dick Grayson hadn't told his friends who he was. She didn't want to tell them herself. That was Dick's responsibility and she felt it would be against her conscience to say anything without asking his permission.
"Was it the Batman who told you?" Raven asked.
"I'll leave that up to you to decide," the elderly doctor replied quietly.
"If he did, then how did he know?" Cyborg asked.
"Maybe you should go ask him, I'm sure he'd tell you," Dr. Tompkins said as she replaced the bandages on Starfire's wounds.
"But Dude—er, Dr. Tompkins, Batman won't even stay in one room long enough to even talk to us let alone have a conversation with us. What's his deal? Why does he always disappear like that?" Beast Boy asked.
"That's just the way he is," Dr. Tompkins sighed. "Your friend is in stable condition. If she regains consciousness, it would be even better for her."
"Raven, can't you use your powers to heal her?" Cyborg asked, Raven could heal wounds using her soul self, he wondered if it could help Starfire.
"My powers can heal, but not anything that serious, I don't think it would be able to do nearly enough."
"But can't you try, Raven?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean, we've been through so much and all. Robin said that you were the most hopeful person he knew. Isn't there some hope for Star?"
"I'm sure there is, Beast Boy, and I'll do what I can for her," Raven sighed. "You're right; we have to keep hoping that she'll pull through. You all didn't give up on me, and I'm not about to give up on her."
She knelt down by Starfire's body and began to whisper softly, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" The black shape surrounded the Titan's wounds, creating a soft white glow.
"Is it working?" Beast Boy asked.
"I don't know," Raven answered.
"Just don't stop," Cyborg said.
"Don't worry, I don't intend to."
Dick Grayson had slipped silently out the door while his friends were speaking to Dr. Tompkins, he didn't leave because he wanted to; he left because he needed to make sure Alfred wouldn't be spotted by them when he arrived. He didn't want them to discover his butler lest they link the two together.
He saw Alfred arrive in his car. It was an average vehicle, nothing to draw suspicion; one would think that he had come for an appointment. He got out. "I came as soon as I could, Sir. Is she alright?"
"She's stable Alfred, but I can't let you go in, not yet."
"Why not, Sir?" Alfred asked.
"My friends are in there and I wouldn't want you to raise suspicion. They know about my life as Dick Grayson."
"But they don't know that Dick Grayson was and is still Robin," Alfred said.
"Bingo, but knowing them, they're probably still in there."
"Your friends must be undyingly loyal, Sir," Alfred commented.
"They are Alfred, they are," Dick said as he stared at the closed door.
"Since I can't go in there right now, Master Dick, would you like for me to fetch you some dinner, Sir?"
"Sure," he replied. "I'm worried sick so I don't know how I'll be able to eat anything, but go ahead and get me something." Removing his grapple gun from his belt, he shot it up onto the roof, hoisting himself up.
"How does Chinese sound Sir?"
"Great."
"Now how exactly am I supposed to get your dinner up there, Sir?" Alfred asked with a slightly amused tone filling his voice. He had an interesting sense of humor and it showed on a few occasions.
"Don't worry about that Alfred, I'll come down for it!" Dick shouted softly from the roof.
"I'm sure you will, Master Dick!" Alfred got into his car and drove off. Dick Grayson snuck over to the skylight and peered in. He checked his watch. It was 9:30 P.M., it was getting late and Dr. Tompkins was probably going to leave.
He saw Raven kneeling by Starfire, the muffled sound of "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos" caught his attention. He hoped it would work, she had healed Beast Boy's leg and his fractured arm, he wondered if she was pushing her limits, knowing her, she probably was.
He saw Dr. Tompkins walk into the room. "I'm sorry, but I'm about to close the clinic, so you'll have to leave."
"Who will watch Starfire?" Cyborg asked.
"I have someone coming. She'll be fine."
"Thank you so much Dr. Tompkins, this means a lot to all of us," Cyborg said.
"You're welcome." Dr. Tompkins turned and left.
"Come on guys, we need to get back to our hotel," Cyborg said, they turned and left, taking one last glance back at their friend. The Titans got in their car and drove off. Dick Grayson waited until they were gone. He spotted Alfred's car pull up again. He lowered himself to the ground by his grapple hook.
"Your Chinese food Sir," he said, handing Dick the carry out Chinese food.
"Thank you Alfred, I think you can come inside, the Titans are gone." They both stepped inside.
"Do you two think you can handle it from here?" Leslie Tompkins asked.
"Don't worry, Doctor, I'll do my best," Alfred assured her. "And Master Dick is here to help me if I need it."
"Good night, Alfred, Dick," Dr. Tompkins said as she shut the door behind her. The two men sat down, it was going to be a long night.
Meanwhile, The Penguin and the Kabuki Twins had been placed inside their cells in the Gotham Penitentiary. The Penguin sat in his cell grumbling angrily to himself.
"What's the matter with you, Beak Brain, got Bat problems?" a voice asked.
"Harley Quinn, what are you doing here? I thought you like Arkham," Oswald Cobblepot shot back.
"Their transferring me, at least I'll get to see Puddin' soon," she said. "How'd he get ya this time?"
"He beat me and my Kabuki Twins; I had the greatest plan to rid the city of the vulgar vigilante when I discover he's got four new friends! They beat us all and guess what Harley, the Bat has a girlfriend."
"Yeah, that Catwoman, that's not new."
"No, not her; this one's new. Some kind of red head; don't know who she is."
"Red heads don't ring a bell with me either. I'll keep it in mind for the Boss."
"Come on Ms. Quinn, we have to go," a guard said as he entered the cell where Harley Quinn was being held. Oswald Cobblepot smiled. He would be able to hurt the Batman after all.
"The Boss is gonna love this new information about Bats' new girlfriend, I guess prison's not so bad after all." They loaded her into the van for patients bound for Arkham Asylum. The Joker was going to be released soon, and maybe she could get out on "good" behavior too. And when she told him what she knew he would have information to put a plan in motion to get rid of the Batman for good.