A/N: While Dick is attending to his annual trip to the circus, Tim disobeys and follows him, getting into major trouble on two fronts. Without realizing, by revealing that Tim is his biological brother, Dick has placed Tim in grave danger from a source they have dealt with before. Will Dick be the last Flying Grayson, again?
A Circus Boy Returns Home
Part 11: A Sick Baby Bird
The circus train pulled into the station and was directed to a spur where the train could unload. The circus tents would be set up in what was the fairgrounds area of the town they stopped in. Some of the circus performers were dressed in everyday attire in order to blend in with the regular population. It was a way to get to know a town and where supplies were located. They needed bails of fresh hay and oats for the horses, and for the elephant. Food was starting to become scarce having been a couple months on the road. They needed several sides of beef, a trailer full of chickens, both for the eggs, and for eating, not to mention tons of vegetables and fruits. Dry goods were starting to get low. Fresh water could be had just by hooking a hose up to an outside water faucet. Supplying a circus family that numbers around 250 people wasn't easy. That included the carnival as well. Small towns appreciated the respite in their daily routines, but not all were welcoming to strangers.
Tim slept most of the day and part of the evening. He had developed a fever that would not abate. He was still getting over the heat exhaustion from the day before. He heard pounding and noises that he thought at first was a dream. His eyes opened briefly, and he saw a sight he did not expect to see. He saw people and animals working together to raise the circus tents. He thought it was a dream at first, but it soon became apparent that it wasn't. Tim fell back to sleep. He was barely aware of being carried and placed in a different bed, and a blanket covered him. A cold compress was placed on his forehead.
"Is he all right?" an unfamiliar female voice asked.
"I'm not sure," Dick's voice said. "He's never had a fever like this for a long time."
"Who is he?" a child-like voice asked. "I saw him working with the roustabouts. I thought he was a new one. I saw you carry him from the train."
"Some run-a-way, I imagine."
"Nope on both counts," Dick said. "He's my brother, Timoti."
"No, it can't be," the older female stated.
"Look at his face," Dick replied.
"I don't understand."
"We look very similar, don't we?"
"Yes, but there are a lot of people who look similar."
Dick pulled out an old photo from a hidden drawer. The photo was of him when he was a child about five or six. In his arms was a baby wrapped in blankets. There was a proud look on his face. He showed it to the pair.
"This was taken just hours after Timoti was born," Dick said. "Pop Haly could tell you. He was here when Timoti was born. This was all the evidence I had that he even existed, because within a month, he had disappeared."
"I don't understand."
"Were you here when my parents' were killed?"
"I was a teenager then. My parents came to the circus six months before that. We all saw the tragedy, but you disappeared from the circus. Pop Haly never mentioned where you went."
"Yes," Dick said. "I remember you."
"You were gone for many years and then you showed up again a few years later."
"I stayed in Gotham, and was given a home, and a purpose," Dick described.
"If he's your brother, why didn't he come with you those other times?"
"Because, like I said, a month later, Timoti disappeared out of my life. My parents tried to tell me it was all a dream. Everything that we had for him disappeared. All I had was that picture. I hid it from my parents. I always kept him in the back of my mind, wondering what happened to him, but I didn't expect to find him in Gotham as well. It's a long story."
"You really believe that," the woman stated.
"Believe it, it was verified," Dick said as he placed the cold washcloth on Tim's forehead. "In fact, we met that evening before my parents fell. We had a picture taken together. At that time, I didn't realize who he was. It was some years later we met again. He asked for my help. We became friends, and then we discovered we were actually biological brothers."
"I'm telling everyone!" the girl sounded excited.
"Please, don't, not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because he's sick right now. Could you fetch the doctor?"
"Doc Watson?"
"Yes," Dick confirmed.
"Just tell the doctor to come to the Grayson Wagon."
"Okay," the 13-year-old girl raced off.
Within ten minutes the girl came back with the doctor. The doctor entered the wagon, not knowing what to expect. The young flier probably became ill and needed a prescription. He didn't expect to find a second person in the wagon with the young flier.
"Doctor Watson," the doctor introduced himself. "Clara didn't inform me that you had someone with you."
"He's running a fever," Dick said, as he moved aside so the doctor could examine the teen that laid in the lower bunk.
The doctor bent down and checked the boy's pulse, then his heart and lungs. He then got Tim to check his throat. "Ah, your brother."
"How do you know that?" Dick was puzzled.
"Someone brought him to the medical tent for heat exhaustion."
"Heat exhaustion?"
"Didn't anyone tell you?" the doctor asked.
"To be honest, I didn't check on him," Dick said, feeling guilty. "He had been working with the roustabouts."
"A couple of roustabouts complained about being ill as well," the doctor said. "He might have picked up an illness from one of them. I would let him rest. It could also be exhaustion."
"I found him sleeping in his car when the storm hit," Dick mentioned. "I made sure his car was loaded onto the train."
"He was asleep in his car?" Doctor Watson was alarmed. "He doesn't look old enough to drive."
"Well, he is, and he's also married and has twins. Is he going to be all right?"
"Yes, he will be. Make sure he takes a fever reducer and let him sleep as much as possible. It sounds like he hasn't had much sleep. When did he arrive since I didn't see him a few days ago?"
"Three days ago, before the circus packed up from that rainstorm that hit."
"If he was sleeping in his car, that would explain why he didn't get much sleep," Doctor Watson said, "The temperature also dropped. He must have caught a chill. We'll be here for a week since we're outside a larger town. That will give him time to rest up. Send him over to me when he's feeling better and I'll clear him for practice."
"Practice?" Dick questioned.
"You are going to include him in your act, aren't you?"
"Thanks Doc, but I don't know if my brother will be staying with me," Dick commented.
"He shouldn't return from where he came from until he is completely rested."
"I understand," Dick said. Dick thought about Tim's words. 'I usually stay a week, but I told Tim I would probably be here for the month. Babs isn't going to like that, or even Haley. I guess I didn't plan this very well. My trip could have waited, but I wanted to here on the anniversary of my parents' deaths to honor them. Tim tried to tell me that something was wrong. I guess I didn't listen very well. And now he's ill. Some guardian I turned out to be.'
Continues with Part 12