Summary: Aaron Grayson, son of the famous Robin and Starfire has been faced with challenges throughout his whole life, but he can deal with them. None, however, can compare to the wall that stands between him and the rest of his family. StarRob, BBRae, VicBee, JxKF
Disclaimer: I swear I don't own anything, OK? Stop asking me…geez!
Author notes: So…chapter four here! I need reviews! For those who review my stories, I would enjoy personally thanking you. THANK YOU! PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ THE NOTE AT THE BOTTOM! Will there be new characters in this chapter? Quite possibly…
Try
Chapter 4: Burden and Birth
It was done. It had been three days since the surgery, and the braces had been fully removed. Aaron Grayson, however, had not fully recovered yet. The operation had taken five hours, as they had to fully remove every piece of metal that had been inserted into his legs. They had to use heavy sedative, so he had been out for two whole days. Kori and Richard had waited patiently by their son's side during that entire period. Although their eyelids had longed to close, the beeping of the heart monitors had kept them awake through both long nights. When Aaron did wake, his parents were overjoyed. He asked to see his legs, so Richard had removed the sheets that covered his body. Though they were covered in thick bandages, the little boy had smiled. He had never been able see his entire legs before, and the sight seemed to bring tears to his eyes.
Now, over a day later, Aaron grew fidgety. He wanted to get up and test his legs, and the doctor hadn't been in to see him yet. He had only watched TV. Mommy and Daddy had gone home to get sleep, but they had promised to return soon. How long was soon? Aaron leaned back on his pillow, feeling sleepy. It was then that Doctor Walker finally walked in. "Hey, kiddo," he said, rubbing the little boy's shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm all right. A little tired, but OK."
"That's the sedative talking – it still hasn't completely worn off. Listen, I'm going to take you down to the examination room to check out your legs. All I need you to do is let me put you in this wheelchair." Dr. Walker indicated the small empty chair that he had pushed in.
"Can I walk instead?" Aaron asked eagerly.
"Oh, no. That's not an option."
"Why not?"
"Well…you see. It's not quite that simple. You see, for the last four years, you've depended completely on your braces to support your weight and walk. Your legs are very weak, and the muscles aren't strong enough to allow you to walk. You'd fall down the instant you put a foot on the ground."
Aaron sighed disappointedly, but held his arms out to be lifted into the wheelchair, anyway. Dr. Walker wheeled him down to the examination room, where he was hoisted up onto the table. The doctor bent his legs in various directions and examined various parts of his shins and knees. "So, kiddo, where are your parents?"
"They went home – they said they were tired."
"Oh. Well, you look all right. You'll need to stay here for another week while you finish recovering. But just think – at the end of the long week, I'll remove the bandages and you'll be able to see your legs for the first time."
"Will I be able to walk?"
"No, Aaron. That will take weeks and weeks of physical therapy and practice. For now, you need to go easy on your legs. Rest them a lot, because when you start walking, it's going to hurt at first." Dr. Walker was cut off by his beeper, which blared from his shoulder. He pulled it close to his face to examine the screen. "Ooh…emergency. Listen, Aaron. I have to run – there's an emergency down in the maternity ward. I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of my nurse, Morgan." Before he left, Aaron overheard him whispering to Nurse Morgan, "Apparently, this lady is seriously injuring anyone who comes near her. Things have even been exploding. Pray that I come out alive."
At first, he was confused, but he suddenly figured it out. Things were exploding…that could only mean Auntie Raven's twins were coming. Aaron looked up at Morgan, who smiled down at him. "The lady that Dr. Walker was talking about was my Auntie. After the babies are born, can I visit?" Morgan nodded and wheeled him back to his room and helped him back to bed, turning on the TV. Aaron sat in bed for the next five hours, staring dully at the black box on the wall. How long did it take to have a baby? Often times, he heard screaming coming from downstairs, and then the sound of something exploding. Suddenly, a shrill cry sounded and Aaron craned his neck around the corner of the doorway. Everything seemed to be intact.
Aaron sighed and changed the channel for the billionth time. The noise stopped abruptly, and several disheveled doctors filed past the door and back to their offices. Within a matter of minutes, Wally and Gwyneth strolled into his room, Maddie in her stroller. "Hello, Aaron," Gwyneth said, kissing her nephew's cheek. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm OK. Was that Auntie Raven downstairs?"
"Yeah, so we're here to take you to see the twins."
"Aaron!" cried Maddie, who grasped a pink doll, which clashed violently with her red hair.
Wally lifted Aaron into his wheelchair, and began pushing him down the hallway. Everyone was in normal clothes, as to try and blend in, but people still stared as they made their way to the maternity ward. As both children were silent, Wally and Gwyneth began talking as they walked to Raven's room. "Wally, what do you think of having another baby?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, considering we're about to go greet a friend of ours who has just had a baby, the thought crossed my mind."
"I don't know, I mean, we already have Maddie…she's quite a handful."
"Oh, please. You are the fastest boy on Earth – don't tell me that handling more than one child is too much for you!" Gwyneth answered sardonically, stepping off the elevator.
"I didn't say that!"
"That's what you implied, Mr. West."
"I don't know, Mrs. West. That is what I was implying – maybe, all right?"
They arrived at Raven's room and discovered that she looked like hell, but had a soft expression on her face. She was leaned against her pillows, sweat visible on her brow. Gar was off to the side, cradling his bruised hand that his wife had squeezed the life out of. Aaron thought he heard him mutter something about, "Never again. Last time ever." Gar was the first to notice that they had company, however, and jumped to his feet. He beamed at his guests, who held their breath in anticipation.
"It's a boy and a girl!" he laughed happily.
"Where are they, Gar?" Wally asked.
"They're in health checks. The doctors have never had green babies born here before."
"They're green? That's wonderful, Gar."
"What's their names, Uncle Gar?" Aaron inquired curiously.
"Well, Auntie Raven and I haven't decided yet."
The door swung open once more, and a young nurse escorted six-year-old Emily and three-year-old Mark inside. They saw their father and immediately ran over to greet him. Gar picked the two children up and sat them on the bed. He whispered something to them and they both smiled and clapped their hands before crawling over to their mother and kissing her on the cheek. Soon, Richard and Kori showed up with Bruce at their side, along with Karen and Ben. Karen explained that the security system at the tower was doing something funky, so Vic and Matt had stayed behind to work on it.
The room, which had once been quiet, was now a zoo. Since the twins were still off at medical exams, the center of attention was Aaron. Everyone marveled as his 'beautiful legs', and told him that he would be running and playing like a normal boy very soon. Finally, after about an hour of waiting, two nurses returned the twins to their parents. The little boy was handed gently to Gar, and the girl was given to Raven.
"So, Mrs. Logan, what do you want to name our beautiful twins?"
"I was thinking that since your son inherited your good looks, I'd let you name him."
"Well, you and I did make a list…my personal favorite was Braden. Your favorite was Maxwell…Max for short. How about Braden Maxwell Logan?"
"I love it. My turn. For our little daughter, my favorite name has been Molly for a long time, but you've been 'Elana-ing' me for the last six months. Molly Elana Logan?"
"Deal."
Gar stole a quick kiss before announcing the twins' names to the crowd. Mark and Emily were fast and jumped up onto the bed once more to meet their brother and sister.
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It had been three weeks since the birth of Braden and Molly, and Aaron had been home for two weeks. He had been attending physical therapy every other day since then. It wasn't like he had expected – he wasn't practicing walking at all, yet. Instead, all he did for three hours every other day was bend his legs in odd ways and lift tiny weights on his ankles. (A.N.: I honestly have no idea what they do in physical therapy lol. If you know, tell me!) He was still in a wheelchair, which he found frustrating, especially since he couldn't go up stairs. In light of this, Kori and Richard had temporarily moved their family's bedrooms downstairs to the main floor. This was helpful for both Aaron and Kori.
Kori was due any day, and she now spent a significant amount of time sitting on the couch and reading to her son, who was under similar constraints. Recently, she had taken to telling Aaron about his Tamaranian heritage, and was often seen with a large book clad with strange-looking…something. As his wife and younger son were down and out, Richard shifted into high gear and seemed to cater to their every whim. He brought them breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the couch. Plus, he was given the task of picking Bruce up from school, something Raven normally did. Since she and Gar were rather occupied with their four children, the job had been handed over to Richard.
On the very day that Braden and Molly turned one month, it happened. Kori had been reading to Aaron when she suddenly burst out in a cry of pain. She yelled for her husband, who immediately appeared by her side. "Richard, I do believe it is time." He, of course, jumped into action by calling the school to let Bruce know, scribbling a note to everyone else, and grabbing jackets. He then helped Kori to the T-Car and pushed Aaron down in his wheelchair. Together, they sped off towards Jump City Hospital.
As Titans, they had to fill out one or two simple forms before Kori was taken to the back to be changed into her hospital gown. Richard once again found himself in the waiting room for the maternity ward. He twiddled his thumbs, ran his hands through his hair, and bounced his knees, all out of nervous habit. How was Kori holding up? Was it going to be all right? Would she be all right? Would the baby be?
His thoughts were interrupted by a tiny weight on his knee. It was Aaron's hand. "Hey, Daddy? Are you all right? You look really nervous."
"Daddy is very nervous, Aaron."
"Why?"
"I'm afraid that something might happen to Mommy or to the baby, and that one of them might not turn out healthy. I want a perfect baby."
Wrong choice of words.
Aaron looked away from his father, not wanting to meet gazes. "I guess I don't live up to hopes."
Before Richard could even say anything else, Aaron had wheeled away to another room. He hung his head, ashamed at his words. He had not thought about the words coming out of his mouth, and his things on his mind had suddenly come pouring out. Of course that's what Aaron would think after something like that was said. How stupid he was! Richard didn't have time to think much more, as a nurse came through the door and called his name.
The scene seemed so familiar to him…his footsteps carried him right to Kori's side, where grasped her hand and comforted her when it hurt. Suddenly, a flashback played in his mind:
"I want to congratulate you both on your new son. However, I have some bad news. You have a perfectly healthy son, however, Aaron was born with tangled legs. Most babies are born with straight legs that are aligned their body. However, his bones developed in an odd shape. We will be able to straighten them out, but it will take time. Aaron will never have fully-functional legs, but with the right treatment, he may be able to walk by the time he is four if we're lucky."
"Richard…RICHARD!"
It was Kori. She was sweating profusely, and her face was purple. "The doctor says that you must assist me with the last of the pushing." Snapping from his reverie, Richard focused once more on the current baby, and coached his wife as she struggled with the last few minutes of agony. Finally, after much effort, screaming, and pain, the baby slid into the doctor's arms, and he held up the wriggling figure. Just like the two previous babies, this one was a squirming, purple baby, who instantly began crying. However, this one was different, too.
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Grayson. You have a little girl."
The baby was swaddled and taken away to be examined and cleaned and was brought back several minutes later and handed to Kori. She held the baby in one hand and grasped the other in Richard's as the doctor removed his mask to talk to them. "You have a perfect baby girl. She has no pending problems. You should be very proud."
Both parents breathed a sigh of relief and looked at their daughter's face for the first time. She was smaller than either of her brothers, but her eyes were wide open and alert, unlike most babies at that age. It must have been the Tamaranian in her. Gazing at her, they discovered that her head was covered in patches of dark fuzz. Her eyes, however, possessed the same enchanting green hue of her mother. Kori looked up at her husband and her face showed some concern. "Richard, we had planned for a boy, but I do not think that she is a Ryan."
"Very true. Why don't you pick her name?"
"I am sad to say that I know very few Earthly girls' names."
"Well…I could pick out her name, I guess."
Richard had never been good with important personal decisions…he had once pondered for three years on how to tell Kori Anders, his fellow teammate and best friend that he loved her. Now, as he stared into the entrancing eyes of his infant daughter, not much came to mind. Names flashed through his head, but nothing seemed suitable enough.
Ella? Rachel? Katie? Lucy? Olivia? Sadie? Paige? Skyye? Nicole? Leah? Haley? Mikayla? Sarah? Taylor? Chloe? Rylie? No, no, no. Nothing seemed suitable. Richard tried to remember the names that he had thought of when Kori announced that she was going to have their first baby, or, now called by his more familiar name, Bruce. One name had stuck out in his mind as being so pretty that he had stared at it for minutes. Rebecca. Rebecca…something. Rebecca Alexandra.
"Her name is Rebecca Alexandra Grayson."
"Oh, Richard! That name is most splendid – let us tell the nurse to write it down for her certificate of birth."
The nurse wrote the name down, and company was allowed into the room. First in were Bruce, Gwyneth, Wally, and Maddie, who all crowded around to get a glance at the first girl Grayson. Others from the tower came to admire Rebecca, but the one who never showed up was Aaron. After a while, both Richard and Kori grew worried, but were occupied with their newborn daughter for the moment. After everyone had come and gone and Kori and Richard were simply talking, there was a knock at the door.
"Come on in!" Richard called out.
The door creaked open, and a wheel appeared. However, it didn't seem able to get through the space between the frame and door. There was a frustrated sigh, and the sound of unbuckling. Aaron Grayson's face appeared from behind the wall, and he stretched out to grasp it. Using only his arms, he pulled himself to his feet and stood on the footrests of his wheelchair.
"Hi, Mommy. Hi, Daddy. I want to see the new baby."
Aaron, his arms rigid from exerting the muscles, stepped forward from his wheelchair and onto solid ground. Closing his eyes, he let go of the wall. For a split second, he let out a shout of triumph and grinned, before his legs shook from beneath and he crumbled to the ground. He gave a cry and tried to get up, but he couldn't seem to find the strength to move. Richard instantly threw his legs over the bed's edge, but Kori placed a hand on his arm.
"Helping our son all the time is not our function as a parent, Richard. We must let him struggle to become stronger – we must give him 'the space', even when he cries out."
Although he could barely watch his own son cry out in pain, he did. Kori was right – Aaron would never learn to walk with his parents picking him up every time he fell. Aaron wailed from the ground and yelled, "Mommy! Daddy! I can't move! Help me!" Grimacing inwardly, Richard did nothing but continue to watch the little boy struggle. Eventually, he gave up crying and slowly crawled over to the bed, where, using every muscle in his upper body, pulled himself up to the bed level.
Kori and Richard both had tears of happiness in their eyes, but Aaron's were only from frustration and anger. "Why, Mommy? Why, Daddy? Why didn't you help me? It hurt so bad!"
Kori was about to answer, when Richard cut her off. "Let me tell you something, Aaron Samuel Grayson. This is something I didn't learn until I was a lot older than you. Things aren't always going to go the way you planned them, and sometimes, life throws unexpected curves at you that you could have never expected. And when these curves come, you can be caught up in it, but you don't want that to happen. You need to learn to depend on yourself, and you need to learn that your mother and I aren't always going to be there for you. You need to learn to trust yourself and believe in yourself. You need to learn to catch yourself when you fall, not hope that someone is standing behind you holding a net. It hurts Mommy and I to see you going through this, but it's necessary. It's what is going to make you a fine young man when you grow up."
Richard wasn't sure if Aaron fully understood, but in time, he would come to understand what it meant. Instead of answering, Aaron looked past his father to the bundle of blankets in Kori's arms. "How is the baby?"
"She is beautiful," Richard responded, placing an arm around his son, who was sitting beside him with a wide grin on his face. It was then that Richard realized for the first time just how brave the little boy was.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
If Aaron had a son, what would his name be? Pick one of the choices or name another name:
Adam, Aidan, Henry, Kai, Ethan, or Clay.
Back on topic:
This story is far from over, people! Keep reviewing and I will keep posting – OK? During the whole 'fatherly speech' thing, I was listening to the Smallville theme song, "Save Me" by Remy Zero. I LOVE SMALLVILLE! Anyway…please review. I'll love you forever if you do – really! Just ask the people who review how grateful I am!"
peace 'n luv - GUCIGIRL