A/N: I'm back! Sorry about not updating on Sunday, I didn't have access to the internet. Just a couple of things about this chapter. One: there is a mention of sexual abuse. Only in the definition of what it is though and nothing more. Two: while one of my majors is psychology, I don't know a lot about therapy, so most of the information in this chapter is via Script Shrink on Tumblr. (Check out the script family for all your writing research needs.) That being said, read on and enjoy.

"Roy!" Dick yelled, running into the dining room. He dropped his school bag very dramatically not the table. "You gotta help me!"

"Indoor voice Master Dick," Alfred reminded him as the boy ran past.

"Help you with what?" Roy asked.

"I have to do a project on Native Americans for school and you're Native American-"

"No, I'm not."

"What?"

Roy sighed a little. "I'm not Native American. I grew up on the reservation, but I'm not actually Navajo."

"But you know about Navajo stuff, right?"

"Yes."

"Perfect! Can you help me with my project? Please?"

Roy smiled. "Niká adeeshwoł." Dick gave him a strange look. "I will help you."

"Yes! Thank you!"

"Hágoshí~í~" Another weird look from Dick. "You're welcome. What do you need help on, specifically?"

"I have to make a poster about Navajo life a long time ago."

"Sounds easy enough."

"Could you teach me to talk like that too?"

"I can try. Navajo is a hard language to learn though."

"Maybe just a couple of phrases to put on my poster."

"Ok."

"Let's go work on it!" Dick tried to grab Roy's hand and pull him, but then teen stayed immobile.

"I still have to finish my own schoolwork." He gestured to the papers spread out in front of him.

"You can do both."

"I'm glad you have so much faith in my abilities."

"Are you excited for tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"Your meeting with Black Canary."

"Oh, right. That."

"So, are you excited?"

"I don't know." Roy tried to go back to his own work. "Nervous I guess."

"Why?"

"I really need to finish this Dick. I'll help you with your project after."

"Ok." Dick didn't really understand why Roy suddenly didn't want to talk, but he knew better than to push. He went upstairs to grab a binder, deciding he'd do his homework in the dining room with Roy.

— —

Roy shifted nervously in his seat. "Can I really not go as Arsenal?"

Batman shook his head. "Black Canary has insisted that she needs to speak to Roy and not Arsenal. Besides she already knows your identity."

"I know."

"Why do you want to do this meeting as Arsenal so badly?"

Roy looked out the window of the Batmobile. "I just do."

"Well, Black Canary's the expert here, so we're doing it her way."

"Are you sure you're not mad at me for missing patrol?"

Batman managed to stop himself from sighing in annoyance just in time. "No, Roy, I'm not. I want you to get this help. Missing one night of patrol will be fine. Besides, Black Canary says when her schedule opens up later this year she might be able to meet you during the day. Besides, you're only missing a couple of hours and you're not allowed to patrol for another two days anyway." Roy looked down at his lap. "Do you still want to do this?"

"…..I guess."

"If you don't want to do this Roy, I won't make you."

"I want to. I don't want to have nightmares anymore."

Batman's mouth thinned. There was no guarantee that this therapy was going to stop Roy's nightmares completely. If something was going to help though, he was willing to try. Roy needed help and Black Canary was the only person who could help him. They reached date zeta time and Batman once again covered Roy with his cape. They stepped through the transporter, which announced their arrival.

"Arsenal, B04."

"Batman, 02."

Roy rubbed his bandaged hand. The long cut on his arm had healed in the last week and no longer needed to be bandaged. His hand though, still had stitches, preventing him from patrolling or shooting his bow. They stopped outside a room and Batman turned to him.

"I'll be back to get you in a couple hours. Ok?"

Roy nodded. "Ok," he said quietly. Batman nodded and left, leaving the anxious teen to enter the room alone. He opened the door cautiously, not knowing what to expect on the other side. Dinah was sitting in a chair, one leg crossed over the other. She smiled at Roy warmly, making him slightly uncomfortable. He wasn't used to that much warmth being directed at him.

"Hi Roy," she said. She gestured to the chair across from her. "Please, sit." Roy sat down, trying to get comfortable. "Don't look so nervous."

"Sorry," he apologized.

"You don't have to be. First, I want to reassure you that anything you say here is confidential. I won't tell anyone, including Batman, anything we discuss."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Did you have a good day today?"

"Um….yeah…"

"What did you do?"

"I got an A on my science test. A- Agent A told me that my report on Lord of the Flies was really good. I already know all my spelling words and it's only Wednesday."

"So you're home-schooled?"

"Yeah, I can't really go to a school because I'm not really supposed to be in Gotham."

"Do you like being home-schooled?"

"It's better than it was with Ollie."

"How so?"

Roy looked down at his shoes. "With Ollie, I just did worksheets and wrote about books I read. He didn't help me and told me I was stupid. With Agent A though, he helps me."

"He doesn't make you feel stupid?"

"No."

Dinah nodded. "What're you favorite subjects?"

"I like history and science is ok I guess."

"What do you like about them?"

"I've always liked history best. I used to live on a Navajo reservation and I always liked learning about Navajo history. It was interesting."

"Do you miss living on the reservation?"

"…yeah. It's where I grew up."

"So you liked living there?"

"Of course! I mean….it wasn't always great, but it was home."

"What could make it not so great?"

Roy thought about it. "Well….when I was young I didn't really understand why I was so different…."

— FLASHBACK —

"Brave Bow?" Roy asked, tugging on his dad's shirt.

"What is it, Roy?" Brave Bow asked, not taking his eyes off the paper he was reading.

"Why do I look so different?"

Brave Bow stopped and looked down at his adopted son. "What do you mean?"

"You have dark hair and your friends have dark hair, but I have red hair."

Brave Bow sighed as he knelt down. It'd only been 2 years since he'd taken in this small child, but the boy had already grown on him. It pained him to see the child so confused. "Roy, we've talked about how you're not from the reservation."

Roy nodded. "I'm not Navajo."

"Not by blood, no."

"That's why I'm different?"

Brave Bow nodded. There were non-Navajo people who lived on the reservation, but unfortunately for Roy, there were very few and none of them lived in their rural town. "Why are you so upset about this?"

"I want to be like you."

"Roy, it matters more if you're like me in character."

"Character?"

"With your actions and words. Not your looks."

Roy thought about it. "So, I can be like you when I grow up?"

"Yes, you can."

—END FLASHBACK —

Dinah smiled. "It sounds like your adopted father cared about you a lot."

"He did. Brave Bow…he was always there for me."

"He took you in when you were a toddler, right?"

"When I was 2 and a half. He's the only father I can remember having."

"Was he close to your birth father?"

"Not really. I think they'd met a few times when Brave Bow was hiking in the woods, but they weren't best friends or anything."

"Yet he was willing to take you in when your father died."

"He died saving Brave Bow's life. Well….Brave Bow and a couple of other men he'd been hiking with that day."

"How old were you when he first told you what had happened?"

Roy looked down at his shoes again. "I don't really remember. I feel like I've always kind of known Brave Bow wasn't my biological father, even though I don't remember my birth dad."

"Do you have any pictures of him?"

"No. The wildfire that killed him also destroyed our home. We'd been living in the woods, you know? I didn't have anything from before when I lived with Brave Bow."

"Do you wish you had pictures of him?"

Roy thought about it, sitting cross-legged in his chair so he could play with his shoelaces. "I don't know…. I guess since I don't remember what he looks like, but also….no. I don't remember anything else about him, it doesn't matter if I know what he looked like."

"Do you miss him?"

"I guess."

"Did your adopted father ever take you to where he was buried?"

"…..a couple of times."

—FLASHBACK —

The cemetery was so eerily silent that it made Roy a little uncomfortable. "Brave Bow," he said quietly as if he talked too old he'd disturb all the dead around them. "Is this really where my dad is?"

"Yes," Brave Bow answered, keeping a tight hold on the boy's hand. "You wanted to see him, remember?"

"I know." Roy knew that it wasn't really his dad, just a rock with his name on it, but he was only 6. He wanted to see the place where his father was buried. It confused him that the cemetery was in a town just outside the reservation borders, but he'd never been allowed to go. Enough pestering from him though had caused Brave Bow to eventually give in. "I just….had to see him?"

"You're not really seeing him, Roy."

"I know." He held tight to his dad's hand as he was lead down the small walkway. They turned off and walked a few feet across the grass unit they'd reached the grave. Roy stared at the headstone in fascination. "Roy Harper," he said. It made him shiver to see his own name carved on the stone. Right below it was the words: Father, Friend, Hero. "Whose friend was he?"

"Your father had some friends. They were the ones who took care of his funeral arrangements."

"Oh. He was a hero to you, right?"

"Yes. He saved my life by getting me and my friends out of the wildfire."

"What was he like?"

Brave Bow looked down at him, but Roy didn't notice because all his attention was on the grave. "He was an interesting man. He had a great love of nature and archery. The few conversations we had I thought he'd be someone I'd like to know."

"I wish I could've known him."

"You're a lot like him."

They were silent for a few minutes as Roy stared at the grave. Finally, he stepped away from Brave Bow and crouched down so he could put his hand on the stone. It was slightly warm from the intense heat of the sun. He didn't linger though, only staying in that position for a few minutes before standing again. He took Brave Bow's hand before asking, "Can we go home now?"

"Yes. Come on."

Roy didn't look back at the grave as they left….

— END FLASHBACK —

"It's not that I wasn't interested in my father's grave," Roy explained quietly. "It's just that….He always been dead, you know?"

Dinah nodded. "You didn't feel a strong connection to a man you never knew."

"Exactly." Roy was surprised she'd been able to sum it up so well. "I'd always wanted to see his grave because I just….had to. We went, I saw it, and I was…..satisfied."

"Do you think it gave you some kind of closure?"

"Yeah. I guess it did."

"Brave Bow must've cared a lot about you if he brought you."

"He did. He was my dad, you know? He could be kind of strict about things at times, but he was a great dad."

"What kinds of things was he strict about?"

"Um…" Roy thought back, thinking more about his life before Oliver than he had in the past two years. "My grades. He always wanted me to get A's and B's, but I wasn't always focused so I struggled sometimes."

"Except in history and science of course."

Roy almost smiled. Almost. Dinah's sharp gaze caught the quiver of his lips before he stopped himself. "And my Diné studies."

"Diné studies?"

"Sorry. Diné means Navajo. Kind of. It was my Navajo studies. Learning the language and old traditions and things like that."

"Sounds interesting."

"It was my favorite subject. I liked it more than anything."

"Including history and science?" Again, Roy almost smiled, but it was harder to keep himself from doing it this time.

"Yeah."

"Anything else he was strict about?"

"Cleaning my room. I had to make my bed every morning. Not throwing my clothes on the floor."

"So, normal childhood chores?"

"Yeah."

"Was it Brave Bow's idea for you to learn archery?"

Roy swallowed, suddenly becoming very uncomfortable. "Kind of…."

— FLASHBACK —

"Why are you looking at the paper again?" Brave Bow asked. Roy was sitting on the couch, scouring the newspaper with more interest than he ever did.

"Tyler said that the archer was in the news again!"

Brave Bow frowned and gently took the paper from his son's hands. He didn't know what the boy was hoping to achieve, considering he was 6 and could barely read. "Why are you so interested in this…Green Arrow?"

"He sounds like Robin Hood! And Tyler said he's the greatest archer in the whole world!"

"Wouldn't you rather learn archery yourself, rather than reading about a vigilante?" He held out the bow he'd gotten the boy, who jumped to his feet excitedly.

"Really?!"

"I'll teach you everything I know."

Roy ran to Brave Bow, snatched the bow from his hands, then gave the old man a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Can we start right now?!"

"We can."

"Yes!" Roy ran out the back door, eager to get his first lesson…..

— END FLASHBACK —

"So, it was your interest in Green Arrow that led to you becoming an archer," Black canary observed.

"Yeah. I-I didn't know what he did back then and Brave Bow was a greater archer himself, so I guess it was just a natural fit."

"Did you love it at first?"

Roy actually smiled a little bit this time. "I did. I didn't hit the target on my first try though."

"The expert in everything was once a beginner."

"Once I started shooting though, I couldn't stop. I practiced every day."

"Every day?"

"Yup. Before school, after school, on the weekends."

Dinah smiled. "You really loved it, didn't you?"

"Of course. Archery just always felt so….natural. Like it was part of me."

"Did you have any friends who shared your interests?"

"Not really. I didn't really have any close friends, even as a kid, so I didn't have anyone I could talk about archery with."

"Other than Brave Bow of course."

"Yeah, other than him. I was so excited about learning archery that I'd only been shooting for a few months when I competed in my first tournament."

"Did you win?"

"I did."

"Impressive. You must be quite the bowman."

"I try."

"Did you ever have any interests outside of archery?"

"Not really. I played basketball with some boys in my grade sometimes. That was it though."

"Were you a good player?"

"I was ok. I wasn't the best or anything, but you know…."

"Did you do anything else?"

"Not really. I lived in a really rural town. It was small and there wasn't a lot to do." Roy found himself actually relaxing a little bit. He wasn't sitting tensely or too guarded. Black Canary noticed this and nodded to herself.

"Did Brave Bow approve of you having non-archery related activities?"

"Yeah. He always wanted me to make more friends and spend time with people my age."

"Did that always work out?"

"I guess… More often than not though, I'd end up at the house with him." Roy looked down at his lap and held his feet in a with grip. "Can-Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why are we doing this?"

"Can you elaborate?"

Roy swallowed and clenched his hands in his lap. "Why are we talking about my childhood? All the bad stuff happened after I left the reservation."

"Part of therapy is building trust. This won't help you if, on some level, you don't trust me to help."

"I trust you….I think."

"Do you? I can tell you, Roy, after what you've been through, I wouldn't be surprised if you have a difficult time trusting people. You've had a difficult time trusting Batman, right?"

"Yes…."

"Which is normal. By talking about topics that are lighter and perhaps easier for you to talk about, I'm creating a foundation for you. The hard stuff, the "actual therapy" will be built on this foundation. Does this make sense?"

Roy nodded. He couldn't help it, but his muscles were getting tense. "So, you're just doing this so I'll trust you?"

"I'm not going to hurt you. When we meet, we're meeting on your terms. I'll push you at times to talk about something important and to use the things I teach you to help yourself, but most of the time this will be at your speed. Do you understand?"

"Yeah… Can-Can I ask you another question?"

"You can ask me any question you'd like."

"Is this going to help? Will I not be so….anxious about everything and stop having nightmares?"

Dinah's mouth thinned a little as she tried to figure out how to explain this to him. "Therapy is not an instant solution, Roy. It's not a magic cure. In reality, you might always feel anxious, but I can help you learn to deal with it. You might find that it makes you feel better to talk about what happened in a secure place."

"Ok…."

"What I want is for you to live a full and healthy life. Whatever I do, it's done to achieve that."

Roy nodded. 'Batman wouldn't have let me do this if he thought it was dangerous.' He took a deep breath. "Can-Can you help me deal with panic attacks?"

"I can definitely do that. We can also work on identifying triggers so you can be aware of what might cause them to happen."

"I'd-I'd like that."

"Good." Dinah subtly studied his body language. "If you want, I'd like to talk about some more serious stuff."

"Like what?"

"Like what happened with Oliver."

Roy looked down. "A lot of things happened with Oliver."

"Like what?"

"You know what."

"Maybe I do, but I'd like to hear it from you." It took Roy a couple minutes to answer.

"He hit me." It still made his heart pound to say it out loud. "He beat me."

"He physically abused you. Do you know what the definition of abuse is Roy?"

Roy shifted uncomfortably. "Um…punishing someone by hitting them?"

"Not exactly. Child physical abuse is the non-accidental harming of a child."

"I'm not a child."

Dinah smiled. "In the eyes of the law, you are." Roy didn't reply. "Do you know that there is more than one type of abuse?"

"…..No. Isn't it just….hitting?"

"It can be if it's physical abuse. There's also verbal abuse. What do you think the definition of verbal abuse is?"

"Uh….I-I don't know."

"It's ok that you don't know. That's why we're discussing it. Verbal abuse involves harming a child by belittling or threatening them. Did Oliver ever belittle you?" There was a brief flicker of panic on Roy's face. "Did he ever say things that put you down?"

"Sometimes…" Part of him wanted to say all the time. Almost every day. Several times a day. He couldn't bring himself to say it though.

"Did he threaten you?"

Again, Roy heavily resisted the urge to say: yes, Oliver had threatened him several times a day. Nearly every day. "Sometimes…"

"If we look only at the definition then, did Oliver verbally abuse you?"

"…..Yeah. I guess."

"The third kind of child abuse is sexual-"

"Nothing like that happened!" Roy wasn't sure where the defensiveness came from.

"Do you know what sexual abuse is?"

"I don't know…. Rape and stuff?"

"Stuff?" Roy looked away. "Sexual abuse is the deliberate exposure of a minor child to sexual activity."

"Ollie never did anything like that."

"So you were never sexually abused if we're going by the definition?"

"No."

"Ok. That's good. Abuse wasn't the only thing that happened with Oliver though, was it Roy?"

"What'd you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?"

Roy thought about it, but couldn't come up with much. "I-I don't know."

"Maltreatment has many forms. Abuse is only one of them."

"Even though there's three."

Dinah smiled. "Yes, even though there's three." She sobered up quickly though, due to the seriousness of the conversation. "There's also neglect."

"Neglect?"

"I take it from the questioning tone you don't know what neglect is?"

"Not really…"

"Neglect is when someone doesn't provide the necessities for a child."

"Are there….different kinds of neglect too?"

"Agent A is right, you are bright. There are. There's physical neglect, where something like food clothing, or shelter is withheld. Did Oliver ever withhold food from you?"

"Yes."

"Did he ever withhold clothing? Refuse to give you appropriate clothing for the weather, like not having a jacket in the winter?"

"He….wouldn't give me a warmer suit when we were out at night. Does that count?"

"It can. Anything else?"

"Well….I mean…he wouldn't let me have any shoes. I didn't go outside a lot but when I did I had to go barefoot. Does that count?"

"It can. There's also emotional neglect, where love, comfort, or affection are withheld. If we base it on the definition, did you experience emotional neglect?"

"Yeah… Definitely. Ollie….he never hugged me or comforted me. That wasn't really his thing."

"There's also medical neglect, which occurs when medical care is withheld."

"Based off that definition….yes. There was…medical neglect."

"So, if we were to summarize, based on the definitions, how would we summarize what happened with Oliver?"

"Physical abuse. Verbal abuse. Physical neglect. Emotional Neglect. Medical neglect."

"Very good."

Roy looked down again. "This isn't just….based on definitions though, is it? It's what really happened."

"Yes, it is."

"You knew this all along, didn't you?"

"I suspected many things, but I wanted to hear all of them from you."

"Why?"

Dinah considered her answer carefully. "I want to be clear on what happened. You deserve to know what it is that happened to you."

"Why? What difference is it supposed to make?"

"What difference does it make to you?"

Roy was quiet for a minute as he thought about it. "I guess it's…..good to know there are like….names for what happened. Like…..it wasn't just me. Not that I'm glad other kids get abused or anything, I just-" He didn't know how to put it. Luckily Dinah seemed to catch on.

"It's ok if you don't know how to express yourself."

"Um….good. Thanks."

"This is all for you, Roy. To help you understand what happened to you."

"But it's not everything. I mean there was….more stuff besides the abuse and neglect."

"I know and we will get to the later stuff. For now, though, I thought it was a good place to start."

Roy thought about it but eventually nodded. "Yeah. It's a pretty good place to start."

"I think our time is just about up."

"Really? That was…fast."

"Time flies when you're having fun, right?"

"I guess… This wasn't….as bad as I thought it was."

"I'm glad." The two of them stood up and she smiled at him. "Thank you for meeting with me Roy. I know this probably wasn't easy for you."

"Thank you for….listening I guess."

"That is my job. Remember, you don't have to tell Batman anything we talk about. If you want it just to remain with just us then it will."

"Ok."

"Have a good week"

"I will…try." Roy left the room and wasn't surprised to find Batman waiting for him in the hall.

"Let's go," Batman said. Roy followed him silently back to the zeta tube. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he was hoping Batman wouldn't ask about his meeting with Dinah. "How was it?"

"It was ok."

"Black Canary was….friendly?"

"Yeah."

"What did you talk about?"

Roy bit his lip and looked away. "I….uh….Black Canary said I don't have to tell you."

"She did?" Nothing in Batman's voice or body language gave away how confused that made him. How could he help Roy if he didn't know what was going on with him?

"Yes…" Luckily he could hear the uncertainty in Roy's voice and knew that it would be best to back off for now.

"Very well."

Roy watched him carefully all the way back to the bat cave. He kept waiting for Batman to get mad for refusing him, but he didn't. It made Roy a little uneasy, but he was eventually able to relax and accept that Bruce wasn't going to lash out at him. It was an uneasy feeling, but it meant a lot to him.

— —

"Do you ever sleep?" Black Canary asked Batman.

"You heard me coming," he said, not giving away his surprise.

"I'm surprised you wanted to meet this late." She turned around to face him.

"I had a city to patrol."

"So I hear. Yet you still put in the time to show up."

"You told me it was important I be involved in Roy's therapy."

"It is. Shall we?" She gestured for them to sit. Once they were she gave him a pointed look. "Cowl off."

"No."

"I wasn't asking."

"I have to protect my identity and Robin's."

Dinah leaned forward. "There's a reason I told Roy not to come as Arsenal. I can't help if I'm talking to a facade." Batman didn't say anything. "Look, if it helps, I'll give you some incriminating evidence you can have against me so we're on the same playing field. All I want to do is help Roy. Isn't that what you want too?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then you should ask yourself what you're willing to do to help. Or is your identity worth more to you than his mental health?"

Batman sighed. "This is why I hate therapists." Before he could change his mind he pulled the cowl off. He waited for Black Canary to look shocked or surprised. she did raise one eyebrow, but it seemed to be more out of amusement. She didn't say anything for a minute.

"You're just a therapist's dream, aren't you Mr. Wayne?"

"I think we should stay focused on Roy." The amused smirk never left her lips.

"Of course."

"What happened earlier tonight? Why did you tell Roy he doesn't have to tell me what you discuss in these meetings?"

"Because it's true. Doctor-patient confidentiality."

"He's a minor."

"He still has his rights. I don't have to tell you the specifics of what he tells me, guess I think he's a threat to himself or others."

"How can I help him if I don't know what's wrong?"

"I will tell you about the progress we make in relation to his symptoms and problems, but the specifics remain between us." Bruce very clearly didn't like this. "Are you going to continue to argue with me, or are we going to get down to business?"

"Fine."

"So, from everything you've told me about Roy's behavior, I have a preliminary decision to use Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It's a very effective therapy when dealing with child and adolescence PTSD."

"So, Roy does have PTSD?"

"I didn't say that. From what you've said and what I've seen, he does exhibit PTSD like symptoms. However, it's too early for me to diagnose anything."

"Post Traumatic Stress symptoms have to present for at least three months. Roy's have been present for 8 and they keep incasing in intensity."

"You've done your homework."

"I told you, I want to help him. He experiences symptoms from three categories. Re-experiences, negative changes in mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions."

"There isn't enough. I'm not convinced his symptoms fit the category of avoidance. Without that, I can't definitively say he has PTSD. As I get to know him I'll make that decision and adjust the therapy accordingly. Unofficially though, I think it's very likely he's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder." She could tell this wasn't making him happy. "You don't like that?"

"No. How can I help him without definitive answers?"

"You'll have to make do."

Bruce exhaled loudly through his nose. "Why do you need from me?"

"I'm so glad you asked. Part of TF-CBT is parental involvement. As Roy's caretaker, I'll need you to be as involved as possible. When we meet it'll be for parenting classes."

"Did you just say parenting classes?"

"Think of them as 'How to' guides. I'll tell you how you should deal with Roy. Someone in his position is in a very delicate state of mind. I'll tell you how to properly punish him so you don't make things worse. How to help him when he's having panic or anxiety attacks. How to encourage the calming and behavioral changing techniques I'm using."

"Makes sense."

"I feel I should want you, this is a type of therapy that does very little good in the short run. It'll require Roy to actively re-experience the worst parts of his abuse and actions as Speedy."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Who's the therapist here?"

"You want him to think about what happened? Shouldn't he try to forget it?"

"Facing it is the only way he can learn to live with it. You'll just have to trust me. I know what I'm doing. You'll also need to remind Roy of that."

"Why?"

"Reliving this stuff won't be fun for him. Far from it. He'll probably want to stop coming at some point. You can't let him."

"I can't?"

"No."

"I can't force him to."

"I need your help with this. If you want Roy to get better then he needs to follow through with this."

Bruce sighed. "If you're going to help Roy, then I'll do what I have to do to make him come."

"Good. I should also warn you I can't promise this will fix everything. There is a lot of evidence this specific therapy helps with dreams about the trauma, avoidance, and hyperarousal. It can also help him with any shame or self-blame he feels and interpersonal trust. If successful, this therapy will make things much better for Roy."

"How long will it take?"

"Normally 12-16 sessions, but I feel I may need to extend that due to the nature of Roy experiencing multiple traumas."

"Multiple traumas?"

"Yes. You didn't think this was as simple as one traumatic event did you? I can break Roy's trauma down into three smaller traumas. The death of his adopted father, the abuse, and being forced to kill someone, as well as witnessing numerous murderers, as Speedy. Three distinctive traumas that need different solutions and are making things worse in their own way." Bruce wanted to strangle Oliver for causing Roy so much pain and suffering. Even if it was just two of the traumas and not all of them. "I know some of this isn't what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth. Roy can overcome this, but it's not going to be easy."

"I just want him to be better."

"He will be. Have some faith."

"I'll try. Tell me more about TF-CBT. What exactly does it entail?"

Dinah smiled. "You like details, don't you?" Bruce didn't answer, but she could see the answer on his face. "You're welcome to do your own research which I'm sure you will, but I'll break it down for you so you'll know what to expect."

Bruce nodded. This was more his speed. Facts and plans. "Tell me then."