Chapter Five- Of Grandparents, Uncles, and Arguments

Terry and Rachel stood on the doorstep, a nervous Robin behind them, clutching her mother's right leg since Rachel refused to pick the child up.

They were at Mrs. McGinnis's home for dinner. The adults were slightly afraid of what her reaction to Robin would be.

Terry's brother Matt answered the door, a cell phone in hand.

"Mom they're here!" Matt yelled.

Mrs. McGinnis hurried form the kitchen to the door.

"Terry!" she cried, hugging her oldest son. "Rachel," she added sourly, eyeing her with distaste.

"It's nice to see you again, Mary," Rachel said politely.

"Mrs. McGinnis, please," the older woman snapped harshly.

"Aren't you going to ask us inside?" Terry asked, reminding his mother that they were indeed still outside.

"Oh, of course, come in, come in." Then she noticed the tiny hands gripping Rachel's leg. "What on earth has attached itself to you?"

Rachel carefully leaned down, untangled Robin and picked her up.

"You have a child," Mary said quietly. Remembering her manners, Mrs. McGinnis closed her mouth. "Dinner must be getting cold," she said finally. "Matt, stop calling Kate or I am going to take your cell phone and you will never see it again."

She bustled off to the kitchen, mumbling about bed hoppers.

Matt rolled his eyes and turned to Rachel.

"She's a pretty baby, Rachel. I bet I know who her dad is."

"Don't say anything to Mom, Matt," Terry snapped.

"I knew it!" Matt yelled triumphantly.

"How did I not see that one coming?" Terry groaned.

"Come and eat!"

Mary had made a big pot of spaghetti. The five ate in silence, with the exception of Robin, who was giggling happily and saying, "Spaghetti good!"

"I can't stand this any longer. Who is this child's father?" Mary demanded.

"I am," Terry said calmly.

"Don't try to defend her, Terry. You shouldn't have to lie to your own mother just because she can't keep her hands to herself," Mrs. McGinnis spat.

"Mom, this really is my child. I swear it."

Mary's face softened. "Oh."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. McGinnis. I never meant for this to happen," Rachel said.

"You can't have been older than nineteen when she was born, dear. That's really young for a mother."

"She was born the day after my nineteenth birthday. But I love my Robin," Rachel replied.

"Robin," Mary repeated thoughtfully. "I like it."

Matt had picked up his niece. "Hello, Robin, I'm your uncle Matt."

"Finish your dinner, Matt," his mother said, taking the baby form him. "Pretty baby Robin," she cooed.

Terry put his arm around Rachel's shoulders. "See, she's not mad."

"But you can see where I thought she might be."

"True," he replied. "But now she's gone into Grandma Mode."

"So we turned out OK," Rachel said.

"Yeah, we did. Who knows, maybe Firewing will fly again."

"Maybe."

After freeing Robin from her grandmother, Terry brought Rachel home.

"Night, Rach."

"Night, Terry." She kissed him on the cheek.

"I've really missed you, Rach. Promise me you won't run away again."

"I…can't. I have to go…Bruce…take…medicine…Robin…bed."

She hurried inside, leaving a very confused Terry to go home to his empty and cold apartment.

"Bruce?" Rachel called, entering the Batcave. She saw him hunched over, typing furiously.

"Time to take your medicine, Bruce."

He growled incoherently in response.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

"Corpus. He's up to something…I'm trying to piece it together," Bruce mumbled.

"Didn't you hang up the cape twenty-five years ago? Terry is Batman now. Besides, you need to rest," Rachel said in the patient tone of one explaining one and one makes two.

"I'm not a child, Rachel! I know what needs to be done and that's helping Terry catch Corpus!" Bruce shouted angrily.

"Well excuse me for caring!"

"If you cared about your responsibility to Gotham you wouldn't have left!"

"I was pregnant! Me fighting crime pregnant wasn't a good idea!"

"And whose fault is it that you were pregnant?" Bruce asked, rather calmly.

"So that's how it is, huh? I uproot myself and my daughter to come home and take care of you and this is how you say thank you? Fine! I don't care. I'll be going back to Metropolis tomorrow!"

"Rachel," Bruce wheezed.

She turned back to face him and instantly felt guilt.

"Call…Terry…heart attack," he said, still wheezing.

Rachel pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed the number for Terry's cell. She'd kept it just in case of an emergency.

He answered on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Get back to Bruce's now," Rachel said, clearly panicking.

"I'm on my way."

"Miss Grayson? Dr. Winters needs to speak with you," a chubby nurse said, coming up to where she and Terry sat in the waiting room. A sleeping Robin at on Terry's lap. Rachel stood, trembling, and followed the nurse down the hall.

"Miss Grayson, Mr. Wayne is stable. He should be just fine with rest and taking his medicine regularly. How did this happen, anyway?" Dr. Winters inquired.

"We got into an argument and then…he was wheezing and wanting to go to the hospital."

"I see," Dr. Winters said. "He has-"

"High blood pressure, I know. It was accidental, rest assured."

"Well, he has a good chance of survival if he learns to control his temper."

Rachel nodded. "Agreed."

"I have to go check on him. I'll inform you of any changes."

Rachel nodded again and went back to sit with Terry. She rested her head in his shoulder.

"He's gonna be OK, right Mommy?" Robin asked sleepily.

"The doctor said he should be fine. He has to be careful with his temper and he'll be OK again."

Robin climbed onto her mother's lap. "I hope he will be OK."

"Me too, Robin, me too."

The child fell asleep again, comforted by Rachel's tender hug.

"He is going to be all right, isn't he?"

"That's what the doctor said, Terry."

"I just thought that maybe you told Robin that so she wouldn't worry."

"Terry…this is my fault." Her eyes were tear-filled.

"No, it isn't."

"Yes it is," Rachel insisted.

Terry took Robin and put her on another chair. He then pulled Rachel onto his lap. Rachel cried as he held her close.

"What if he dies, Terry? Then it will be my fault and-"

"No, Rach. He started the fight, didn't he? He's stubborn and you know it," Terry said gently.

"But I-my-I hate myself."

"Please don't hate yourself. It wasn't your fault."

"It's not fair. I've lost both of my parents. I need him in my life, he's always been there. Who else will I have?"

"Me and Robin," Terry said quietly.

"Yeah but-"

"I love him too, Rachel. I love him too."

Dun dun dun! Wow, they went through a lot of changes in this chapter, didn't they? Review!

Hugs to Kory-Ana-Star and PrincessStarryFire for being the only reviewers for the last chapter!

#Kory-Ana-Star and PrincessStarryFire run far away#

Love,

Robbie