Chapter 10

Five days later, Raven and Beast Boy were stopped by Lyta as they were heading in to visit with Liand'r, Robin, and Starfire. "How much longer can they keep this up?" she asked them.

Raven looked towards the doorway, and sighed softly. "Probably for the next two days," she said sadly. "No matter what happens, the rest of us are here to help them."

"Have they been getting any sleep?"

"No, Beast Boy, they haven't, and they've barely touched what food we bring in for them," Lyta replied. "I hate to say it, but I fear they're going to need all their strength the day after tomorrow." Lyta replied. "Liand'r's life signs have started dropping faster today."

"Have you told them?" Raven asked.

"I only just got the results a few minutes ago," Lyta replied, then they all jumped as a soft, but insistent, alarm started sounding in time with a blue flashing light above the door. "No," Lyta gasped as they dashed into the room.

"Doctor, what is wrong? What is happening?" Starfire asked anxiously.

"Code blue, neonate ICU one," a computerized voice called over the PA. "Ident doctor and pede crash team to neonate ICU one stat."

Lyta reached past Starfire and pressed a button on the wall. "Doctor Beckthold responding to code, in room," she said.

"Doctor?" Robin asked.

"Raven, Beast Boy, get them out of here, now," Lyta snapped as she opened the latches on the top of the isolette. "It's going to get crowded in here, and we need room to work."

"Starting infant CPR," a nurse said as she entered the room at a trot and went over to Liand'r.

"Come on, Star," Beast Boy coaxed, taking her hand and gently pulling toward the door. "Give them room to work, she's in good hands." He was relieved to find that she didn't resist.

Raven sighed softly when she saw that Robin was following Starfire, staying close to her. Fortunately, the waiting room wasn't far away.

"What's going on?" Blackfire asked as they entered the room. She gasped when she saw Robin and Starfire. "X'Hal no! If they are here. . ."

"We don't know, Blackfire," Raven said.

"The monitor that tracks her heartbeat, the line on it was flat," Starfire said softly.

"Rob, you and Star need to sit down before you fall over," Cyborg said.

"Not until I know what's going on with Leeann," Robin said as he paced.

"Yes, Cyborg, Robin is correct, we are too filled with the nervousness to be able to sit still," Starfire said, also pacing.

"Looks like a short wait," Blackfire said as Lyta came into the room.

"Our daughter?" Robin asked as he turned to face the physician, his arm sliding around Starfire's waist in support.

"She's still alive," Lyta replied, then looked sadly away. "But I can't guarantee she's going to stay that way," she said softly. "I've conferred with Vern'a, and Liand'r's life signs started slipping faster this morning. Her heart stopped a little while ago, and, fortunately, it re-started on its own, but Vern'a says it's a very bad sign. I'm terribly sorry."

"Your being the sorry is not good enough! You are a healer, a doctor!" Starfire shouted. "You will do what you are supposed to and make her well!"

"Starfire, I wish I could," Lyta said. "I wish it with all my heart, but I'm only a doctor, not God. Even Vern'a doesn't give any hope."

"Come on, Star. . ."

Whatever else Robin was going to say was cut off by the pistol shot sound of Starfire's hand connecting with the side of his face as she slapped him. "You may give up on her if you wish, but I will continue to hope for her to live! I will be at her side, but if you cannot or do not wish for her to live, I do not wish to see you again! It is your humanness that is killing our daughter, if it were not for you she would survive this!"

Robin groaned as he stood up from where Starfire's slap had knocked him to the floor. "Kori, no, don't think that."

"Shamana, liska! Chave liska!" Nie'l shouted as he moved to stop Starfire from leaving. "Shu vata e leshavash!"

"Nie'l, no," Robin said.

"Father, she said that I would not have to worry about you and her being together, to be my parents, and now she breaks that promise. That makes her the liar I just called her."

"Robin!" Raven called out in alarm, and he looked over to find that Starfire was encased in Raven's power, her arm raised as if to launch a star bolt. "I can't hold her long. Get out of here and let her calm down some."

Robin almost argued with Raven, his desire to stay with his wife and daughter almost overpowering. That is, until he felt the waves of anger Starfire was directing at him. "I will be back, this isn't finished."

Nie'l watched Robin leave, his head pounding with the anger from Starfire pulsing through the crystal he shared with her. With a muttered curse, that made Kim'r gasp in surprise, he took the crystal from beneath his shirt, and with a quick jerk snapped the chain it was on. "I do not wish a mother that cannot see the pain she causes in others!" he shouted then slammed the crystal to the floor, shattering it, and the bond with Starfire.

To Nie'l, it was a relief, as the angry feelings Starfire was having toward Robin were cut off. To Starfire, it was as if someone had ripped a piece of her mind away, and she sagged to the floor with a groan.

"Starfire," Raven gasped as she quickly knelt beside her. She felt the shock waves pulsing through her friend's mind and the abrupt severing of the bond. She also felt Robin's mental presence, wishing to help. 'No, Robin, not in the state she's in,' she thought to him. 'I'll let you know when she's better.' She sighed softly when she felt Robin's agreement. "Shalay'fa, calm yourself. You know what to do, concentrate on your breathing, then find your center," she soothed.

After a moment, Starfire raised a hand to her forehead, an indication of the pounding ache inside her skull. "Nie'l, please!" she half cried. "I do not wish to lose you as well."

"Then you did not mean those things you said to father?"

"Nie'l. . .shoka, it is not that simple. He has cost me my daughter, and now he threatens to take you from me as well."

"That is enough, little sister!" Blackfire snapped.

"Jemara. . ." Galfore said in a warning tone.

"No, Galfore, I'm not going to stay silent and let her blame Robin for something that isn't his fault," she shot back. "True, his human traits in Liand'r might be the cause of her death, but it's equally her fault because her Tamaranean heritage is what brought on the Omshe to begin with."

"It is because I am Tamaranean that she is going through Omshe?" Starfire asked softly. "If we were both human, she would not be going through. . ." she said, then trailed off. A second later she gasped. "X'Hal no! I have done it to him again. Sister, I thank you for opening my eyes to this." She reached over and cupped Nie'l's cheek with her hand. "Nie'l, I promise you that you will not lose Robin and I as your parents."

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Robin stood atop the central tower of the Jump City Bridge. He took a moment and looked out across the water. Titans Tower stood proud on its island, its aircraft warning lights flashing, but almost lost against the backdrop of the city's own lights. Even if he didn't know where to look he could easily see Saint Mary's Hospital. Its own warning lights, and the lights for its helipad combined with its being the tallest building in the city to make it very easy to find.

He sighed softly as he shifted his view to the shard of crystal that lay in the palm of his hand. Starfire's gift to him almost a year and a half ago when he had been officially recognized as her royal suitor. He slid his thumb over the three inch long, almost half inch wide shard as it glowed softly green in his palm. A glow, that for the third time now, kept him from throwing it out from where he stood, consigning it to the deepest part of the bay.

The soft scrape of a boot sole on the metal surface of the tower he was on was the only indication that he was no longer alone. He didn't turn, as he knew of only three people that would bother him right now. One of them was in Gotham, and Starfire, he knew, wouldn't leave Liand'r's side.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find me," he said then sighed as he put the chain back around his neck. "She's hurting, Raven. She's hurt, and angry, and feels betrayed so she's lashing out. I just happened to be her target, as she feels I can handle it best." He slid the crystal back under his shirt. "I don't want to lose them, Rae, but no matter what happens, I probably will. Star blames me for Leeann not doing well, and I can't help but think she's right. Omshe is something all Tamaranean children go through, and almost all of them survive because of their inherited strength. Because of me, Lee doesn't have that."

Robin half growled, half sighed in frustration as he looked over at the hospital. "I wish I could tell what's going on, but I guess no news is good news," he said then gave a derisive snort. "Who was I trying to kid? She comes from a world where everyone has these powers, and I'm only human." He paused and kept looking at the hospital, almost as if he looked hard enough he'd see her. "But I love her, Rae. I love her more than anything or anyone, except maybe my parents. As for Leeann; Rae, I wish you could have been there that first day, when nurse Ramsey gave her to me to try to feed her. It just felt so right, holding her in my arms, her looking up at me as she took the bottle. It was then that if finally hit me, Raven. Not that I was going to be a father, but that I actually was one," he sighed heavily. "Not that it lasted long. Who did I think I was, trying to pull that off?"

"I do not know who you thought you were, but you are the man that I love."

Robin spun around at the unexpected voice. "Starfire?!" he gasped, then cried out as he staggered back, stepping off into nothing. Instinctively, he grabbed the edges of his cape, and made himself parallel to the ground, slowing his fall. Just as he was going to use one of his grapnels, he felt Starfire take his hand. They fell together for a moment, then she pulled up, keeping them about ten feet above the river.

"Perhaps this would be a better place for us to talk," Starfire said after she had set him down in the nearby park. "There is less risk of you injuring yourself."

In spite of things, Robin gave a small chuckle at her statement.

"I am pleased to see that I have successfully cracked the ice of our talking."

"That's breaking the ice, and yes, you succeeded. Kori, there were several times when I paused, and you could have said something," he said. "Why didn't you tell me you weren't Raven?"

"Because I did not think you would tell me what you thought you were telling her. Robin, I wish to apologize for blaming you for what is happening to Liand'r. It was pointed out to me that I was quite mistaken for that."

"But Starfire, if Liana was a full blooded Tamaranean she would be doing better."

"And if she was fully human, she wouldn't be undergoing Omshe in the place of first." Starfire watched as what she told him sank in, penetrating several layers of concrete in the process.

"So you don't blame me for Liand'r's condition, or think that I'm a threat to her?"

Robin saw the sadness in her eyes as she reached over and stroked his cheek. "Robin, you are my husband, the one that I love more than all else. You could not wish to harm any child, especially our own daughter. I know that I have said and done hurtful things to you, my love. Raven is much relieved to see that I have done the coming to my senses." She gave a gasp of surprise when Robin hugged her tightly and even lifted her up to spin around with her once.

"So that means I can see her? You'll let me hold her?"

Starfire giggled softly at Robin's antics. "Yes, my love, only not quite as tightly as you are holding me."

Robin blushed as he eased off on how tightly he was hugging her. "That is, if I get to hold her at all," he said sadly.

"And for that I must take the blame," Starfire said. "Yes, I may disagree with your decision, but when you explained, I should have listened and seen your point of view. I also should have realized that you never would harm our daughter." She felt Robin's arm tighten around her again.

"Kori, I'm so sorry," he said softly. "I tried so hard to make sure you didn't get hurt until Lee was born."

"Robin, you did everything you could," she told him. "The events that led to my being injured could not have been foreseen. Do not tell me that you should have prepared for it anyway," she scolded lightly. "Even Raven is unable to see into the future." She felt Robin's shoulders shake and thought he was chuckling at her as he sometimes did when she countered his arguments with her before he spoke them. She was surprised, when she pulled back, to scold him for it, and found him crying. "Robin?"

Robin drew a shuddering breath, and Starfire could feel him struggling for control. He pulled out of her embrace and turned to look back out over the bay. "It's like losing my parents all over again, Kori," he said, his voice husky with emotion. "I stood there on that platform and watched them fall. There wasn't anything I could do to save them. I never felt so helpless, and now I feel that way because there's nothing I can do to save my daughter."

"Robin," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I know around everyone else, you have to be the calm, controlled leader of the Titans. I would hope that you know that around me you do not." She paused for a moment, then slid her arms around him, so she could talk softly into his ear. "Someone I love very much once told me that we are all foolish and weak sometimes. He also told me that having someone there to help them through those times was what love truly was." She turned him so he was facing her and gently kissed his forehead. "You were there for me that day, and many others, my love. I am here for you."

Robin put his hands on her shoulders, and Starfire could feel him using his hold on her to try to help him maintain his grip on his emotions. "Kori, I. . ."

"Shhh. It is alright, Robin. We all know how much you care for Liand'r. It is also expected that you would be upset with her condition." Starfire sighed with some relief as Robin drew her close, his sobs muffled against her shoulder. Starfire felt at a loss, as she was usually the one needing comforting, not giving it. However, she simply did what she remembered Robin doing for her and she simply held him. She didn't know how long she stood there, holding him until he sagged against her with a ragged breath.

"Sorry about that, Star," he said as he straightened up. "It's been a long time since I've broken down like that."

"Of that I am certain," she said softly. "I would say that the last time was. . ." she began, then cut off with a gasp. "Robin, you did not make your trip to Gotham yesterday."

"It's okay, Kori. You and my daughter needed me more," he assured her. "If my parents were alive, they'd understand."

"I believe that if they could, they would be here," Starfire said. "I only wish I could say the same of my parents. My mother, I am certain would be here, it is my father that I am uncertain of."

"If he were alive, we wouldn't be married, would we?"

Starfire looked down at her feet. "No, my love, we would not. Once he learned I was here, the fleet would have been sent with Galfore to return me to Tamaran. Despite the fact that I would have wished to stay with you and the others, I would have had no choice in the matter." Starfire sighed softly as she looked back up to Robin's face. "Much as I would have my parents back, I would not have known the friendship with the Titans, or the happiness I have known with you."

She knew that Robin could see her shifting her weight from foot to foot as she kept glancing toward the city. She was also aware he could feel her nervousness. "Robin, I know you need some time to compose yourself. I will await you in Liand'r's room, as I have been away longer than I had wished to be."

"Thanks, Star. I promise I won't be long. By the way, who told you Liand'r's condition is both our fault?"

"My sister. She pointed out that your human heritage may cause Liana to not be strong enough to survive Omshe, but it was my Tamaranean heritage that brought it on to begin with."

Robin watched as Starfire flew back toward the city. When he lost sight of her in the background of lights, he looked back over his shoulder at the edge of the trees that bordered the section of the park. "How long have you been there, Bruce?" he asked then watched Batman appear as he stepped clear of the shadows. "So you've come to gloat, to tell me that you told me so?"

"No, Richard, I've come to give you my support. Remember the one thing we both have in common, the pain of losing our parents. I'm not going to insult you by pretending to know what you're going through right now." He saw Robin nod, and followed his gaze toward the hospital. "Listen, Dick, if it's any help, you should know that you've got a space station full of people who are. . .praying, hoping, or whatever for your daughter's recovery, including myself."

"Bruce. . ."

"It's okay, Dick. You're tired and under quite a bit of stress right now, and lets just say that I haven't exactly been supportive of your relationship with Starfire."

"Could you give me a lift to the bridge? I left my R-cycle up there."