Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Anna, her horses, and the other OC's, so please don't sue me.

Two hours later, Anna was lying on a gurney, propped up by several pillows. The ambulance had gotten them there in good time, x-rays had been taken, and Dr. Tompkins had examined her. Now they were awaiting a diagnosis.

Bruce stood beside the bed, watching his sister. She was very quiet, which was enough to make him worry by itself. Coupled with the pale, stressed expression on her face, it was testimony to the amount of pain she was in. There wasn't anything he could do about it, and that frustrated him immensely. He was searching for something to say to distract Anna, when he heard the door open, and quickly turned to see who it was.

"Well Anna, you've done quite a number on that arm of yours." Dr. Leslie Tompkins said as she entered the room, x-rays films in hand. She moved to a viewing board, and snapped two of the films up on the lighted surface, then turned to face her patient.

Dr. Tompkins had been a colleague of Bruce and Anna's father, and had been their doctor since their father died. She had immediately agreed to come down to the hospital and take care of Anna when Alfred called.

"It's nothing that can't be fixed, with time and a little help," Dr. Tompkins continued. "You've sustained a fracture to your left ulna," she said, indicating the broken bone on the x-ray film. "But it's clean, and should be easy to set. That should heal in about 6 weeks, but it could take longer."

Pointing to the second film, an image of Anna's ribcage, Dr. Tompkins said, "The good news is, we can't find any fractured ribs. However, based on the symptoms I observed during examination, it seems that you have bruised a few ribs."

"What does that mean?" Anna asked.

"It means that you are going to be very sore for a while. Everyone heals at a different pace, but usually it takes a few weeks for the pain to go away. So plenty of rest, and no strenuous activities until the pain is gone and I clear you for them. Before you ask, yes, horseback riding does qualify as a strenuous sport." Dr. Tompkins replied.

Anna's face fell. She looked down at her left arm, encased in an air cast, and sighed lightly. No riding for weeks! That was going to mess up her whole training schedule.

Dr. Tompkins saw the glum look on Anna's face, and smiled sympathetically. "Don't be too sad, Anna. No strenuous activities and lots of rest also means no school, for a few days anyway."

That got a smile out of the girl, but it quickly faded. "What about the hearing?" Anna inquired anxiously. "It's tomorrow, I'll still be able to go to that, won't I?"

"No Anna, I'm afraid not. You need to stay home, in bed preferably, for the weekend at the very least." The doctor answered.

A tear rolled down Anna's cheek. The news that she was going to have to skip the hearing was worse than not being able to ride. She desperately wanted to go and help Bruce represent their family, to look Joe Chill in the eye and show him whose lives he had torn apart when he pulled that trigger. But she knew better than to argue with Dr. Tompkins. Maybe, if she was feeling a lot better in the morning, she could convince Bruce to let her go anyway. She didn't have much hope of that working, though. Bruce wasn't likely to go against the doctor's instructions. But she had to try.

Dr. Tompkins spoke again. "So we'll set that arm, apply a cast, get you a prescription for some pain medicine, and you'll be all set for the weekend. I'll set up a follow-up appointment for Monday." Looking at Bruce, she asked, "Should I talk to Alfred to schedule that?"

Bruce nodded. If things went smoothly tomorrow, he wouldn't be in any position to take Anna to the doctor on Monday.

"Alright then, I'll do that in just a moment. Bruce, if you'll step out to the waiting room, we'll get Anna patched up and ready to go. The orthopaedist should be in here in just a few minutes." Dr. Tompkins said.

Dr. Harrison, the orthopaedic specialist on call, was able to set Anna's broken arm relatively easily. After the plaster was dry on the cast, Dr. Tompkins had handed Bruce a prescription for some painkillers, a small bottle with a large, white pill in it and a doctor's note for Anna's school. She had reminded him to make sure that Anna stayed as quiet as possible. The bottle, she said, contained one painkiller, so that they didn't have to fill the prescription tonight, and to make sure Anna took the pill in the bottle in the morning, after breakfast. With those instructions imparted, she signed the release, and they were able to leave.

It was after 9 when Alfred pulled the Bentley up to the front entrance to the Manor. Bruce stepped out of the backseat, and headed around to the driver's side of the car. Opening the rear door, he helped Anna out.

Anna and Bruce slowly made their way into the house. She was leaning heavily on her brother, and when he released her for a minute to flip on the lights, she swayed slightly. Leslie had said that the painkillers they had given Anna would make her sleepy. A quick glance at Anna's face confirmed that the drugs were indeed doing their job. Her eyes were closed, and the swaying had grown to alarming proportions. Bruce gently scooped her up, and without protest from Anna, started up the stairs. In her room, he carefully deposited her on the bed, pulled her boots off, and put a blanket over her. It wouldn't hurt her to sleep in her clothes. He stepped back into the hallway, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Back downstairs, he went into the kitchen in search of something to eat. He wasn't surprised to find Alfred there, fixing two sandwiches.

"So you're psychic now Alfred?" Bruce asked, mischievously.

"Most definitely not, Master Bruce. However, it does not take a great mind to realize that hospital coffee and vending machine crackers are not a substitute for an actual meal." The distinguished butler replied as he set one of the sandwiches in front of Bruce.

Bruce gratefully attacked the sandwich, as Alfred sat down in the seat across from him. "Well, this accident has settled the issue of Anna going to the hearing," Bruce said. "Dr. Tompkins forbid it."

"Yes sir, I suppose it has. One less thing for you to worry about." Alfred responded.

Bruce gave Alfred a funny look. "Who said I was worried about it?"

"Nobody did, sir. But with both know Miss Anna, and we both know how … determined she can be." Alfred said knowledgeably.

If that wasn't the understatement of the year, Bruce thought, I'd like to see what is. As cheerful and sunny as Anna was normally, she was also as stubborn as a rock when she made up her mind about something. Hard-headed didn't even begin to cover it. The bright side of it was that she was equally persistent in pursuit of good things. Her grades had always been excellent, and she had never needed prompting to do her homework or study. She could be just as relentless about seeking something for the good of another person as she could about seeking her own interests.

Bruce allowed himself a small smile, thinking of the many issues that his sister had seen fit to crusade for. Alfred was right, if that accident this afternoon hadn't happened, Bruce would have had quite a fight on his hands. A fight that he really wasn't up to dealing with. All told, he would have preferred to find a way around the confrontation that didn't involve Anna getting hurt, but since that wasn't an option now, he'd take what he could get. A yawn reminded him of how long the day had been, and the busy day ahead tomorrow, so he said good night to Alfred, and went up to bed.

As Bruce lay in his old bed, with the remnants of his childhood around him, he mentally reviewed the chaotic evening he had just had. The source of the noise that spooked Poseidon had been discovered; a stall door left ajar had been caught by the wind and slammed shut. Heidi had called while they were at the hospital, and explained what had happened. Apparently it had been Damon's fault, and the boy was terrified that he would lose his job over the incident. Bruce had told Heidi not to be too hard on Damon, no permanent harm had been done, to Anna or Poseidon, and it had been an accident, but to make sure that it didn't happen again. Heidi had seemed relieved at his reaction, and had assured him that she would take care of it.

Sleep refused to come. No matter how hard he tried to relax, it was impossible. That shouldn't surprise him really. He wondered if all criminals lay awake the night before a premeditated crime. Of course their fear would be getting caught, something that he wasn't worried about. He was more concerned that something would happen to prevent him from settling the score.

After several hours of unsuccessful attempts to settle down and if not sleep, at least rest, Bruce gave up. He slipped out of bed, pulled on a sweater, and stepped out into the hall. After a quick check to make sure that Anna was still sleeping comfortably, he headed downstairs. Maybe reading would help him relax.

Bruce stepped into the library, and stood for a moment in the doorway. This room, like his parents bedroom, hadn't changed in 14 years. The rest of the commonly used areas of the house had been slowly altered over time, some out of necessity, some out of desire for variation. But through some unspoken agreement, this room had been left just as it had been for as long as Bruce could remember. He found the lack of transformation comforting. Even all this time later, he could stand here and call up a memory of his mother sitting in that chair by the window, reading one of her favorite novels. Or of his father standing in front of one of the large bookcases, searching for a particular fact in one of his medical books. Those memories provoked a sad smile as Bruce moved to one of the bookcases, looking for something to read. He found The Scarlet Pimpernel, which he had been forced to read for a literature class in high school. The book had been surprisingly entertaining, something that most required reading is not, and it had been several years since he had read it. He pulled the book off the shelf, and sat down on the chair near the window. Sir Percy Blakeney's adventures proved to be equally enthralling on a second read, and with out realizing it, Bruce finally relaxed. It took thirty minutes or so, but he was soon sound asleep.

Sunlight filtering through the window woke him a few hours later. The heavy, hardcover book he had been reading had fallen on the floor at his feet. Sounds from down the hall indicated that Alfred was up and about, and probably cooking breakfast.

As Bruce stood and stretched, his plans for today came flooding in to his mind. A small, hard knot formed in his stomach, the first physical sign of the anxiety that he felt. He stepped out into the hall, and consulted the grandfather clock there. 8:30. Well, he hadn't overslept, so at least one thing was going right today.

Tantalizing smells were wafting down the hall, and Bruce followed them into the kitchen. As he had expected, Alfred was there, cooking up a storm. The large wooden table already held three plates, piled high with an assortment of breakfast foods, and three more sat on the counter, waiting to be filled.

"Good morning Master Bruce," the butler greeted him.

"Good morning Alfred. Are we having company for breakfast? Perhaps the entire US Navy?" Bruce asked, indicating the plates heaped with food.

Alfred chuckled. "No sir. I don't get to cook a proper breakfast very often anymore. Miss Anna only eats cereal in the mornings, and there's no use cooking all of this food just for myself. I suppose I did get a little carried away, didn't I?"

"Just a little," Bruce agreed with a smile.

"Well, we'll do what we can, and have the leftovers another time." Alfred suggested. "It'll be about 10 minutes before it's all ready."

"I'll go check on Anna," Bruce said as headed out of the kitchen.

Upstairs, he knocked on Anna's door. Receiving no response, he pushed the door open cautiously. "Anna?" Bruce called, softly. Still no reply. A peek into the room revealed that she was still asleep, her petite form dwarfed by her large, four-poster bed. He crossed over to the bed, and gently touched Anna's shoulder, calling her name again as he did so.

"Go away," was the muffled response. Anna had never been a morning person.

"Anna, breakfast is almost ready. Do you want to get up and eat?" Bruce asked.

For a moment there was no answer. Then Anna opened her eyes, and regarded him in confusion. She stared at Bruce, blinking sleepily, trying to figure out what was going on. A yawn caused the ache in her chest to intensify, and last night's events came rushing back to her. Moving slowly, she very carefully sat up. Breakfast seemed like a good idea. With all of the commotion last night, she hadn't gotten any dinner, and whatever Dr. Tompkins had given her at the hospital had knocked her flat on her butt. She had a vague memory of Bruce carrying her upstairs, and a quick glance down at her body confirmed that she was indeed still wearing her riding clothes.

"I'll be down in just a minute," she said in a scratchy voice. Bruce nodded, and left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. It took her a bit longer than she had expected to get dressed. She was left-handed, but the injury to that hand kept her from using it, and every bend or twist pulled at her sore ribs. Awkwardly, she shimmied out of her breeches and sweater, and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. After brushing her hair and teeth, and pulling on her old, soft boots, she felt much better, and headed downstairs to eat.

Anna entered the kitchen, moving a bit slower than usual, and was greeted by the mountain of food Alfred had prepared, some of which she couldn't even identify. "Good morning," she said as she slid carefully into her usual seat.

"Good morning Miss Anna," Alfred replied, smiling cheerfully as he set three glasses of juice on the table. Bruce looked up from the paper he was reading and responded with a smile.

Looking down, Anna noticed that as usual, instead of a plate, her place setting held a bowl. Alfred knew her preferences for breakfast, but as Anna studied the spoon lying next to the bowl, she realized that eating was going to be a problem. She didn't relish the idea of eating cold cereal using her right hand to guide the spoon. That could only lead to disaster. She was contemplating her options, when the empty bowl in front of her disappeared, and was replaced by one filled with oatmeal.

Anna looked up to find Alfred standing beside her, smiling.

"I thought something that would stick to the spoon might suit you better this morning," he told her with a twinkle in his eye.

Anna grinned at him. "Thanks Alfred."

"You're quite welcome," he responded as he sat down across the table. Alfred and Bruce filled their plates, while Anna tackled her oatmeal. It did stick to the spoon better, and she was able to successfully conduct a spoonful from the bowl to her mouth.

They kept the chatter light during the meal, no mention of what would take place that afternoon. Anna could tell that the impending hearing was weighing heavily on her brother's mind. She firmly believed that a person's eyes told you all you needed to know about what they were feeling or thinking, particularly if you knew the person well. Watching Bruce, she could see that none of his brief smiles ever touched his eyes, and the hazel orbs were unusually blank. It seemed that he had shut himself off, kept his emotions hidden. Maybe that was to be expected, under the circumstances. But to Anna, it felt different. There was an undercurrent of turbulence about Bruce today, to a greater degree, and of a different kind than she would have thought the hearing would cause. Having seen Bruce's guilt get the best of him many times over the years, she knew what that looked and felt like. This was different, not guilt or sorrow, but anger. Not just anger though, there was also a feeling of anticipation about him, like he was looking forward to something. She could be wrong though. Overhearing a question about Rachel, she brought her thoughts back to the present.

"What time is Rachel coming to pick me up?" Bruce asked.

"She said around 1:30. The hearing is at 3, so that will give you plenty of time to get into town and into the courtroom," Alfred replied.

Bruce nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at the clock. Seeing that it was almost 10, he started to excuse himself to go take a shower, but Anna interrupted him.

"Bruce, can't I go with you, please?" She asked, beseechingly. "I feel much better this morning." It was a lie, but Bruce didn't have to know that.

Alfred and Bruce exchanged looks, then Bruce cleared his throat and spoke. "Anna, you heard Dr. Tompkins last night, she said no." As Bruce was speaking, Alfred got up and retrieved a small, orange bottle from the countertop.

Before Anna could respond, Alfred opened the bottle, shook out a single, white pill and put it in her hand. Distracted from her retort, she looked at the pill, and back up at Alfred. "What's this?"

"Pain medication. Dr. Tompkins said that you were to take it when you got up this morning." Alfred answered.

"I don't need it," she replied stubbornly. Her arm was aching, and she had to admit that her arm wasn't the only part of her body that was hurting. Even so, she didn't want to acknowledge any weaknesses at the moment.

"No one asked if you needed it or not, Alfred said to take it." Bruce replied, sternly, remembering the doctor's instructions.

Anna glared at him, and for a moment, he wondered if she would do it or not. Then, with out a word, she placed the pill in her mouth and washed it down with a gulp of orange juice.

"Bruce, I need to go. Shouldn't the people of Gotham see us there, together?" She tried again.

"No. Dr. Tompkins said no, Alfred agrees with her, and so do I. Please, Anna, don't make this day any worse than it already is," Bruce said.

A tense silence fell over the room. Anna toyed with the remains of her oatmeal, wondering if she felt like taking this any farther. Truthfully, she really didn't. She knew how hard this hearing was for Bruce, all of the memories it dragged up, and the emotions. But she also felt that she had a right to attend and represent her family with Bruce. She looked up, another useless plea on the tip of her tongue, but when she met her brother's gaze, the words died.

"I'm sorry Anna," he said sincerely.

Eyes burning with unshed tears, she looked down at her bowl again, but didn't say anything. Stiffly, she stood up and left the room. Her footsteps echoed as she walked down the hall, followed by the sound of the front door opening and closing.

Bruce and Alfred sat in silence for a moment, then, seeing the look on Bruce's face, Alfred spoke up.

"She'll be alright in a bit. I imagine she's gone down to the stables to share her misery with the horses," the older man said. "That's where she always goes when she's upset."

Bruce considered going after her, but there was nothing else to be said. He knew how important this was to Anna. Under normal circumstances he would have felt horribly guilty for leaving her at home. But these circumstances were far from normal, and though he did feel some guilt, mostly he was relieved to have it settled. He sighed, and headed up to the shower.

Alfred watched him go, then began putting the leftover food away.

Down at the stable, Anna stood in Esperanza's stall, her head pressed to the horse's shoulder. The mare's soft, mahogany coat absorbed her tears. She stood there, one arm draped across Esperanza's back, letting the hot tears fall silently. Damon had already come and gone for the morning, and since Anna wasn't riding, Heidi wouldn't be around, so she had the place to herself. She had come to Esperanza instead of Poseidon, not out of fear of the latter, but because of the long relationship she had with the mare. Bruce had bought Esperanza for Anna 6 years ago, after she out grew her pony. Ever since then, the elegant bay mare had been Anna's confidante and a shoulder to cry on, literally. Her tears finally subsided, and after saying good bye to Esperanza, and checking on Poseidon, she went back up to the house.

She was sleepy, something she suspected that pill was responsible for, and completely drained emotionally. The prospect of a hot bath was comforting, she had nearly frozen to death out there, going out in just a thin shirt and jeans was not a smart thing to do in Gotham in February. It had been warm in the stable, there was a heater in there, but between the house and there it was freezing.

Anna went into her bedroom, and shut the door behind her. Even though a bath sounded lovely, she just didn't have the energy. She lay down on her bed, pulled the blanket up from the foot of the bed, and almost immediately fell asleep.

A soft knock on the door startled her from sleep sometime later, and she awoke quickly, disoriented. She was unaccustomed to sleeping in the middle of the day. Shaking off the lingering grogginess, she called "Come in."

The door opened, and Bruce entered the room. He crossed over to the large bed, and stood there for a moment before speaking. "Rachel's waiting for me down stairs, and I didn't want to leave with out saying good bye."

Anna stared up at him, perplexed. Bruce coming to say good bye wasn't unusual in and of itself, especially today. But there was a depth of emotion in his voice that puzzled her. He sounded more like he was leaving on a long trip, one from which he might not return, instead of being gone for the afternoon. He must be even more upset by this hearing than he was letting on. She wanted to console him, but was unsure of what to say. In the end, she didn't say anything at all, just slid off of the bed and gave her brother a hug.

Bruce gently returned the hug, said good-bye, and went downstairs to the kitchen, where Rachel was waiting.

After Bruce left, Anna climbed back onto her bed, and lay there thinking. She knew that the hearing itself wasn't going to be televised, but the reporters would probably lurk on the courthouse steps, waiting to speak to someone involved, the way they always did with high-profile cases. The remote control for her television was on the nightstand, and she reached for it, then stopped. If there would be anything on, it wouldn't be for a couple of hours. That hot bath from earlier was still beckoning, and she decided to heed its call.

Stepping into the bathroom, she turned on the water, let it run until it was hot, then put the stopper in the drain. She added some of her favorite bubble bath, and watched the tub fill. When she was satisfied with the water level, she turned off the tap and slipped into the steaming, fragrant water, being careful not to get her cast wet. Leaning her head back, she let her thoughts drift, and relaxed.

To all of my reviewers: Thank you so much! I'm glad to see that you liked the first chapter, and I hope that you'll find the second one just as good. Thanks for embracing the idea of a sibling for Bruce, and subsequently, the character of Anna. Now, please let me know what you think of this installment!