Gifts From the Sea: Safe Signal, a Batman fanfic by Raberba girl
Part 4 (rough draft)
Damian and Alfred arrived to stay for a while. Dick and Kori made brief trips to Titans Tower but always returned within a few hours. The house was very full and Bruce was glad to have Alfred's help.
"Bruce," the investigator said when she called him to report, "I found them. Elaine's sister, Beatrice, wants to talk to you before she'll give me permission to tell you anything."
"All right. Did she leave a phone number?"
"She said she'll call you. Can I give her your number?"
"Have her call the manor. Whoever answers can redirect the call to me." The Wayne family was so well-known that it wasn't wise for them to give out their personal contact information to anyone unvetted, but the manor had had the same phone number ever since its very first telephone was installed. Screening and forwarding calls was included in some of the servants' duties.
The next day, Bruce was finally able to speak to Beatrice Adamson. "What you want with my sister?" the woman demanded, her tone hostile.
"I- Well, I'm fostering a boy who says she's his mother, so I've been trying to track down his parents in order to get them reunited."
There was a pause. "She has a SON?!" Beatrice finally gasped.
"Yes. His name is Duke. He doesn't know how long they've been separated, but it's been quite a while. I saw a news article about Mr. and Mrs. Thomas's hospitalization, but I wasn't able to find out anything else."
"Is...is he a baby?" Beatrice asked. All the hostility in her earlier tone had vanished; she now sounded shocked and lost. Elaine had apparently kept her son a secret even from her own family.
"No - he's about sixteen, I'd guess."
There was a long pause. Then Beatrice exploded into a rant. "My sister and that husband of hers went on vacation 'bout fifteen years ago, and they never came back! She up and quit her job, never comes home for a single holiday; only time I've seen my sister face to face all these years is for weddings and funerals - she don't even spend the night or bring her husband. She won't even tell us her ADDRESS! Her own family! Can't visit, all we have of her now are phone calls... Now you're telling me this! She has a SON she never told her own family about?!"
"I- She- She had good reason to keep him secret until fairly recently. Everything's all right now, but up until...uh, a certain national development, he would have been in danger if word had gotten around that he existed."
"WHY?! You tell me why! Is it gangs?!"
"No, no," Bruce hastened to reassure her. "I promise, it will all make sense, but I'd really rather get Duke and his parents reunited before I tell people too much without their permission."
"Let me talk to him," Beatrice demanded.
"You'll be on speaker. There's no one here except my children, and they're all busy."
"Fine."
Bruce looked at Duke, who was watching anxiously, and held out the phone. "Hello?" Duke ventured.
"Boy," Beatrice said in a warning tone, "you better have a good story ready for me. You better have a BLESSED - GOOD - STORY."
"Uhh...I, uh- Um."
"His parents were only trying to keep him safe," Bruce said.
"She told me a lot about you, Aunt Bea," Duke said. "And Aunt Char and Uncle Ben. And Mama and Pop-Pop. I...I'm sorry I never met him. She keeps pictures of everyone all over the house. Dad does, too, of his family. I know it's not...the same, or real, or- I just...it's better than nothing." He fidgeted, clearly worried and uncomfortable with his aunt's long silence.
At last she finally murmured, "Why couldn't you be with us, baby?"
Now it was Duke's turn to pause. Then he burst out desperately, "I don't know if you'll like me if you see me!"
She snorted. "Now what makes you think that?"
"I'm...I'm not...normal. I'm not normal, Aunt Bea. Some people aren't nice to...people like me."
"Boy, ain't nothing wrong with you. If that rich mermaid man from Gotham don't have a problem with you, your own family-" She paused. "You one of those mer?"
Duke looked at Bruce in a panic.
Bruce said, "As a sea person, he's under the protection of King Arthur. He also has protections under the Metahuman Rights Act."
"You're telling me my sister adopted a sea baby and was afraid to tell us?!"
"They thought I might get trafficked if too many people found out," Duke said. "And I did, Aunt Bea! We went out to have a vacation but there were people there. There weren't supposed to be, but they were smuggling drugs and they almost killed Mom and Dad, and I tried to save them but I don't have legs, so I'm useless out of the water. They put me in a fish tank! And sold me! I got sold three times, some of the tanks were tiny and there was no one to talk to and nothing to do- I was losing my mind and I didn't even know if Mom and Dad were dead or alive, but now Bruce says they're in the hospital and I really want to see them, Aunt Bea. I really want to see them. I miss them so much...!"
Beatrice crooned to him until he'd calmed somewhat, then said, "You still there, Mr. Wayne?"
"I'm here," Bruce said, one hand resting on Duke's shoulder to comfort him.
"I'll tell you where to meet. Where you got our boy, anyway?"
They made plans. Then Duke spent a while just talking to his aunt, telling her about his life and the two people who loved him more than anything. When he finally hung up, he looked at Bruce and asked softly, tears still drying on his cheeks, "Am I really gonna see them?"
"As soon as I can get you there," Bruce promised.
Dick and Kori were called away to help the Titans in the middle of the night, but Raven portaled them back around midmorning as Bruce and the other kids were packing. Bruce made Raven a sandwich, and she obligingly opened a shadow portal for them all that opened onto a stretch of grass near the facility's parking lot. She made no move to leave, sticking close to Dick and Kori as the kids milled around.
"Are you coming along with us?" Bruce asked.
"Yes." Cass wandered up and peered at her hood-shadowed face. Raven gazed back uncertainly.
"Hi," Cass whispered.
"Hello."
They were early for their meeting, so the whole group walked down the street to a cafe and hung out until Bruce got a phone call from Beatrice. "We're here, we were just early, so we went to grab something to eat."
The woman was waiting outside her car on the edge of the parking lot when the group of them came romping back. She stared at them all, her eyes eventually coming to rest on Duke. Once they were close enough, Bruce set a hand on one of the boy's wheelchair handles. "This is him."
"Ohh," Beatrice said softly. She gave a tremulous smile. "Hello, Duke."
"Hi, Aunt Bea," he said, nervously resting his hands over his sleeved tail.
"So you're my sister's boy, huh."
"Yeah."
She moved closer and cupped his face with her hand. "Ever since she got sick, she been talking 'bout her baby, her baby; Doug's been calling for his kid. We all thought maybe there was a miscarriage or something, but...it was you all along, wasn't it. Their baby."
Duke's eyes had gone shiny. "I really want to see them," he choked out.
She nodded. "We're going, honey. Just..." She twisted her hands together. "They're not doing so good, Duke. They're not well. But they'll be happy to see you, okay? I know they'll be happy to see you."
The whole parade of them crossed the parking lot, drawing stares once they got close to the building. Inside, a passing woman actually dropped her armful of papers in astonishment at the sight of two mer in wheelchairs, an octopus boy riding on Bruce's shoulders, an alien with flaming hair, and a hooded figure who looked like she belonged at a fan convention, not to mention the gaggle of other children traipsing through a place that was otherwise full of adults.
As Alfred tried to get the kids organized, Beatrice marched straight to the front desk. "Beatrice Adamson, here to see my sister, Elaine Thomas, and her husband, Doug," she said firmly. "I called yesterday."
"We can't let all these people in," the receptionist said, staring.
"What's the visitor limit?" Bruce asked, coming up with Duke.
"Two."
"You can make it three this time," Bruce said firmly. "The Thomases' son, me as his temporary guardian, and Mrs. Adamson to supervise."
It took the involvement of a manager, but all three were eventually allowed in. They were led to a cozy room with comfortable couches, though Duke was clearly preoccupied with anticipation and worry. Bruce, wanting to reassure him but not sure how, sat awkwardly with his hands clasped. Beatrice seemed to be focused on keeping her breaths slow and even.
Finally, the door opened. First one, then a second figure was escorted in, both in wheelchairs.
"Mom," Duke choked out, already starting to cry, "Dad."
Elaine Thomas's eyes filled with tears as she reached out stick-thin, trembling arms toward her son. "Baby. My baby."
There was a long moment as the Thomases clung to each other, crying, and Bruce wondered if he ought to follow the nurses out and give the little family privacy. But then Duke finally pulled back and said, "I'm so glad you guys are okay! That was one of the worst things, not knowing..."
"My baby," Elaine whispered, clinging to his arm.
"Elaine, honey," Beatrice said gently, "you shoulda told us. We would have helped, girl."
"Hey, kid," Doug mumbled, patting at Duke with an unfocused smile. "Hey."
"How long have you been here?" Duke asked. "Can we...can we go home soon?"
Elaine leaned forward unsteadily and kissed his temple. "Safe, baby. Safe."
"Yeah, uh, Bruce has been taking care of me. I just...I really wanna go home, Mom."
"Home. My baby home." Elaine hugged him.
"My kid!" Doug suddenly burst out. He turned to Beatrice, beaming. "The kid! Great!"
"It's really great," Beatrice said with forced cheer. "It's wonderful, Doug."
Duke looked at her uncertainly. "They're acting weird."
"They're sick, honey," Beatrice said gently. "They don't have a whole lot of awareness. Sometimes Elaine gets Char and me mixed up."
Duke stared at her, then peered fearfully into his mother's face. "Mom?"
"My baby," she murmured in contentment. The tremors in her body had not stopped despite her relaxed mood. The longer it went on, the more apparent it was that both she and her husband were affected by something neurological rather than purely emotional.
"Yeah," Duke whispered, leaning against her and taking his father's hand. "It's me."
They visited a while longer, the Thomases doting on their son in a muddled way and Duke trying to adjust to their condition. Inevitably, the time came for him to leave, and his parents' reactions broke Bruce's heart.
"My baby!" Elaine screamed over and over again, fighting the aides and reaching desperately for her son. "My baby!"
"No!" Doug was bellowing, putting up even more resistance. "No!"
Bruce struggled to get Duke away before he had to watch his parents be sedated. Duke was in tears by the time they reached the lobby, and Bruce had to take over pushing his wheelchair.
"Duke!" Damian exclaimed, trotting over in concern. "What has happened? It wasn't them after all?"
Duke couldn't answer, so Bruce explained to all the worried children gathering around, "His parents were happy to see him, but they're not well. We weren't able to make them understand why we can't stay, and the parting was difficult."
"He can stay here!" Dick said. "Duke can stay with them!"
He couldn't, but Bruce set to work immediately with phone calls. It took a few days, but he was eventually able to get the Thomases transferred to a good facility in Gotham. Their families had done their best, but Bruce's resources and connections meant he could get the couple cutting edge medical treatment that most people couldn't afford.
He arranged for temporary housing so that Beatrice and other relatives could easily visit and supervise treatment. He got Duke officially registered, and although there was some brief debate about who should take temporary guardianship of him, Beatrice soon agreed to let Bruce foster him, since the man had so much experience with sea children and it would free her to better focus on caring for her sister.
She and Duke still saw a lot of each other, since he visited his parents almost every day. With the repeated visits and improved cognition, Elaine and Doug were eventually able to part from their son more calmly, but everyone was still eager for the day when the Thomas family could be reunited for good.
With the change in medical care, the Thomases' condition slowly but steadily improved. The more they recovered, the more awareness they had of their circumstances, and they eventually asked Bruce to speak with them alone.
"How has he been?" Elaine asked.
"Very well. He misses the sea, of course, but the kids do all right with the pools and the lake. We'll get back to the ocean as soon as you two are cleared."
"How did he end up with you?" Doug asked.
"He'd been- Well, a criminal had been keeping him in a large aquarium as a pet. Demeaning, but he didn't physically hurt Duke as far as I know. When the man was arrested, local authorities needed to do something with Duke, so they called me because of my reputation. I started looking for you as soon as Duke told me he already had parents."
"Jason gave us your book," Doug said, tapping a copy of Gifts From the Sea on his bedside table. "I've only read...a couple chapters so far, but...haven't found anything to complain about yet."
"I published the books mostly for clarity. There's a lot of misinformation out there about my kids, so I wanted to set the record straight and have something concrete to refer to. Sea people have suffered quite a lot in captivity."
"Damn right," Doug muttered.
"He seems happy," Elaine murmured. "I want...I'm glad. He's safe. But...I want my baby back."
"As soon as you're cleared," Bruce promised. The Thomases had already been allowed short, supervised outings into the city. "Once you can live on your own again, you'll have Duke back, and he can visit you as often as he wants in the meantime."
"My beautiful boy...he's a good boy. Be kind to him, Bruce."
"Of course."
The day the Thomases were deemed well enough to be released, everyone was excited, but they held off on celebrations in favor of getting on the road as soon as possible. It wasn't until they reached the beach house that they had a real party: the entire Wayne family, the Thomases, some of their relatives, and even the Titans and a couple of Justice Leaguers.
Although Elaine and Doug retired early in the evening, happy but exhausted, and some of the other adults followed not long after, the kids stayed up most of the night, reveling in their return to the sea. Most of them drifted to sleep in the wee hours of the morning on the beach or in the pool, since there were way too many people for the house to hold and all the actual beds had been claimed by the adults.
Elaine, Doug, and Duke soon returned home, with Beatrice to look after them for a while and oversee their continued recovery. After a few weeks, Bruce came with some of his kids to visit. The Thomases lived in a cabin on an isolated stretch of rocky beach, with paths smoothed out from the house to the water.
"How are you doing?" Bruce asked, sitting down beside Doug and Elaine. They were resting on the deck, watching as the kids played in the waves below.
"Much better," Elaine said with a contented sigh. "It's been good to be home."
"I bet," Beatrice said, coming to sit on their other side. "You don't have anymore excuse to be hermits, though."
"I know," Elaine said, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "We'll all come up for the holidays. For now, though..." She looked down at the ocean. Duke was laughing as he chased after Steph and was chased in turn by Dick. "It's so good to see him have friends," she said softly.
"I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for you," Bruce said. "I had so much help. You two only had each other."
"Now we have more," Doug said, with a smile and a nod to his sister-in-law and to Bruce.
"You're welcome to visit anytime," Bruce said. "The kids really like Duke."
"Of course. There's a lot to like about our boy," Elaine said proudly. "Yours, too. They're such sweet kids."
"They are," Bruce said. He took some photos, then just relaxed and chatted with the Thomases for a while. It felt good to find people who knew firsthand what it was like. "I'm sorry for the circumstances that led up to it, but I'm...very glad we met."
They smiled at him and agreed.
