A small, deleted excerpt taken from chapter 7 of "Gallows Humor". This changes, of course. The ending is much better, but I love our worried, little bird here. He's now afraid to let Bruce out of his sight.
Spoiler Alert! If you plan to read Gallows Humor, you might want to do it before reading this excerpt.
Gallows Humor - "You Promise?"
No Warnings - Rating "K+" (for the excerpt; "T" for the story itself)
As the boy climbed unsteadily to his feet, there was an alert from the Bat-computer. Someone from the Watchtower was trying to contact him. Bruce sighed. He gave Dick's shoulder a gentle squeeze and handed him off to Alfred.
"I need to answer this," he murmured. "Alfred will take you up to bed, chum. I'll be up to check on you as soon as I'm done."
"Sir, you have no business going back out tonight," Alfred scolded quietly even as he pulled the young teen toward the elevator. "We will expect you upstairs in short order. Come along, Master Dick. We can take the lift. No doubt those bruises would complain mightily if you were to attempt to mount the stairs."
"We should wait on Bruce," Dick resisted the older man's urgings. "If he does need to go back out, he'll need back-up."
"No offense, young sir, but you are in no condition to give it."
It was a harsh, but true statement. Dick was fighting to stay upright. Vertigo; ringing in his ears; pain in his back, legs, shoulders and chest all promised to keep him benched throughout the weekend. And he thought he would be okay with that as long as Bruce stayed in, too.
Bruce gave Dick a reassuring smile. "I'm not in any condition to go back either. Alfred was correct in that. Go on up, I'll be right there."
Dick relented, although everyone present knew that Bruce's condition wasn't enough to keep him in if he thought Gotham needed him.
"You promise?" Dick asked worriedly. "Please, don't go out without telling me."
