Castling Part 5
Thomas' eyes boggled at the deep, menacing tone.
"Excuse me, but why did you just assume we did something to Rick?"
At his demand, Martha rolled her eyes and spoke, "Thomas, that was the worst response you could have given to someone worried about the boy."
Thomas sputtered as she gestured for him to hand the mobile over. An eyebrow went up as she wordlessly prompted him to do so.
He handed the mobile over, leaning over to grab a bite of the millionaire's shortbread as he did so. He grumbled as he snuck more of the treat onto his plate.
"I'm sorry about my husband. This is Martha Wayne."
-.-.-.-
Tobias Mackeegan's eyes widened as he hissed into the phone, "Wait. What the heck did the Kit do? Don't tell me he was the person that took a bullet for the youngest Dr Wayne?!"
He heard a sigh coming from the device. "Unfortunately, he was - we are indebted to the young man. And if you're the ones that hurt him by threatening my son you've got another thing coming."
"Hurt him? He's one of ours . He's a survivor. Someone who took the leap to escape whatever bad situation he was in. My only regret is that he had to do the majority of it alone."
He could hear the pause in the supposed Martha Wayne's voice.
"Then maybe we should meet." He heard over the call, "I can assure you that he's safe, and recovering. I won't divulge any more because we've just heard about some terrible things. He'll have his phone back soon. We'll tell him to call you?"
Tobias's piercing eyes closed, as he contemplated.
"Alright."
-.-.-.-
Dick sat up in his sickbed as Bruce returned the phone to him.
"Oh crap."
Bruce shook his head, "I think your friend just helped my dad along his path to diabetes. Never saw the millionaire's disappear that fast before."
"Millionaire's?" Dick asked, rather puzzled.
"Oh!" Bruce grabbed the tupperware that lay idly by Dick's bedside, "Sorry about that, saved you some from dinner."
He smiled as Dick looked down at the traybake, "Millionaire's shortbread! It's actually mum's favourite. Dad might have eaten way more than he's supposed to, but what's new?"
"Your dad is very addicted to sugar."
"Yeah, it's been like that ever since Park Row."
They lapsed into silence. Dick slowly ate the slice as Bruce busied himself with lightly examining the various medical charts around Dick's bedside. As Dick ate he browsed through his phone, wincing at the number of calls and messages Tobias left him.
"I'm… just gonna give my friend a call."
"Yeah, I think you should - he's scary when he's worried."
"Huh?"
"Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen someone manage to get my mum on the defensive that quick before."
Dick scrolled through to Tobias's alias, hitting the call button quickly. He held up a finger as the dial tone sounded in his ear.
"Hello?" Came Tobias' gruff tone.
"Heya Hawky."
-.-.-.-
"Kit? That you?"
Zee-Cue perked up as she heard Tobias pause in his dishwashing. Rick had made contact!
"Listen, I'm putting you on speaker - we've been worried!"
Doug poked his head in from the freezer he was in. "Rick called?!"
Tobias' face remained placid but his green eyes smiled. "He did!" He fumbled about with his hands for a bit, and the kit's voice came over the speaker phone.
"Hey guys." came the sheepish sound.
Zee bustled over nearer the phone, "Hey guys? Hey guys?! You go missing, and then we learn that some seriously shady costumed probable cultists are looking for you, and then Hawky had to tell us about an hour back that you got shot and all you have to tell us is hey guys?! "
Doug laid a gentle hand upon Zee's shoulder as she took another breath, "What we mean to say," he spoke, "is we could have used a heads up."
Tobias sighed, "Are the Wayne's treating you alright?"
"Well, yes? I'm currently trapped in a room - wait that came out wrong." Rick said before another voice interrupted him - a voice semi-familiar to the Gotham public.
"That certainly did come out wrong - you're here for medical treatment . Bruce Wayne by the way."
Zee and Doug stared at the phone, gobsmacked. Tobias let out a rare bark of laughter.
"Dr Wayne, you have successfully stunned my employees."
Rick's sigh was positively palpable as he made the introductions. "Mr McKeegan, Dr Wayne. Dr Wayne, Mr McKeegan. He runs Tobias' HangOut. We're on speaker now by the way."
"It's nice to meet you Mr McKeegan, I've heard amazing things about your centre from my mum."
"Aaah, yes. I'm sorry about the manner of which I talked to your mother earlier."
"No worries, we're a family of health professionals - if we didn't know how to deal with patients and family that react poorly due to worry, we'll all be curled up in a ball somewhere sobbing."
Rick didn't miss a beat, "Why do you say that like that is exactly what happens?"
"I'll quantify it then, we'll all be curled up somewhere crying, all the time."
Tobias looked at his giggling employees, "Are you medics this morbidly cheery all the time?"
"Well, we deal with people at their, let's say, not greatest. You've got to learn how to roll with the weird punches - that or have a mental breakdown and if you're lucky, visit my mum. If not so much… Eh. Mum's still campaigning on revamping that horrid excuse of a psychiatric treatment centre that Arkham is."
The members present in the kitchen of Tobias' HangOut looked at each other nonplussed.
"Son, are you alright?"
"Well as alright as a medic can be. I just happened to enter medical school with my trauma built in!"
"Um Dr Wayne," came Rick's voice, "I think you're making my friends more worried."
"Oops."
"To be fair," Zee-Cue considered, "My sister is a lot like this, and she's in welfare ."
-.-.-.-
Martha held in a laugh as she eavesdropped on the conversation.
"Hun, what's going on?"
"Nothing Tommy-dear, just Bruce falling into oversharing mode again and maybe unnerving lay-people about the realities of the personal lives of health professionals?"
"Well, hopefully it's not too bad."
"He just told them about our ever present urge to either curl into a ball somewhere crying or perform defenestration."
Thomas Wayne dropped his head into his hands with a sigh.
"It's true though."
"Doesn't mean it should necessarily be told carte-blanche to the general public."
They looked at each other and Martha gave in, they chuckled as an awkward cough inserted itself into their little bubble of laughter.
"Ahem. Mum, Dad - laughing at me again?"
"Done in there already?" Thomas asked.
"Well, no. But I figured that he could use some privacy with his friends."
-.-.-.-
"So, the Waynes, kit? Really?" Tobias sounded like he was sure whether to be impressed or completely flabbergasted. Dick could hear the vague sound of a closing door over the phone signalling that it was just Tobias and him conversing now.
"I know it's hard to believe Tobias, but it's true. By the way what's this I heard about you threatening Mr. Wayne?" Dick said.
"I didn't know who had you! I wasn't going to let whoever had done it get away with it!"
"Tobias…" Dick's stomach was doing a fairly decent impression of a Gordian knot. "I appreciate the thought but if something happened and I was actually kidnapped...you don't need to stick your neck out for me."
"I'm not going to do anything stupid. But if something happens to you, I'm going to have to try. I can't just stand around and do nothing."
"I can't have you getting hurt for me."
"Then don't get kidnapped. Or shot again."
"No, you really can't. The people after me-"
"Woah, kit. Calm down. You don't need to worry. I'd probably just gather all the information I could find and take it to the police. And call Dr. Wayne since I have his contact information now. He'd get the police to take your case seriously."
"Okay." Dick sighed. Even just poking around to gather information on the Owls was incredibly dangerous. But Tobias' voice had that force to it that said he was not going to take an argument on this. Dick would just have to make sure to never put him in that position. "I promise to never get kidnapped. By the way, since he's a surgeon it's technically Mr. Wayne."
"Really? You learn something new everyday. And he's taking good care of you?"
"Yes. Dr Wayne says I'll be ready to go soon. I'll be back at the HangOut soon enough."
"That soon? I was under the impression you got shot?"
"It, uh, just nicked me"
The thirty seconds of silence on the other end of the line implied that Tobias didn't fully believe him. "Could you pass the phone back to your doctor please?"
The Waynes had long since wandered away from Dick's threshold to give Dick his privacy but the door to the hallway had been left open by a crack. Most of Dick's mobility had come back though he hadn't made much of an effort to explore beyond the room he had been given. Thomas and Bruce were constantly stressing that he not strain himself and he didn't think they wanted him nosing around in their business. Thankfully, Dick didn't have to wander far to find Thomas since he and Martha were whispering with each other at the end of the hall.
"Excuse me, Mr. Wayne?" The couple paused and turned to him. "Tobias wants to talk to you."
Thomas took the phone. "Yes? Oh yeah, he's...healing up nicely. No, I'd keep him on light duties for a bit longer than that still."
"So," Martha smiled at Dick. He hadn't had as much interaction with her since she wasn't one of his doctors. "You look like you're recovering well."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll be out of your hair in just a few days."
Martha frowned. "You don't need to rush out of here as soon as you're healed up. We're more than happy to give you a place to stay."
"I'm sorry Mrs. Wayne, I can't. I've already stayed here too long."
"If you are worried about the Owls, this place has some of the best security money can buy. We have cameras all the way up the driveway and in the gardens. No one is going to get close to this house without us knowing about it. If they are really as dangerous as you say they are, wouldn't it make sense to stay in a place like this?"
The offer sounded nice. Really nice. But every security system had its gaps and Dick did not want to bet the Wayne's lives on how hard to find their gaps were.
"I'm grateful for your offer but I'm going to have to decline. I'm not going to be on my own. I'll be with Tobias at the HangOut."
Martha sighed. "That is true, I suppose. We'll make sure you have our contact information before you go. You can contact us for anything." She reached out a hand and placed it on his arm.
She was trying to be comforting. He knew she was trying to be comforting. That didn't stop him from tensing up when she touched him. Martha must have noticed because she took her hand away quickly but gently.
"Just remember that if you need anything, okay?"
AN: Thanks once again for reading! If you'd like to contact us via tumblr, my handle is eastoniablogs! Reviews appreciated!
