Part Four

Dick started (and set the pace ) by changing into a pair or swim trunks and walking down the steps into the heated pool. "There are spares in the first changing room over there, help yourself." The scars were still obvious and raw but seemed to be better than they were the last time Jeff had caught a look at the boy without his shirt on. Good. He turned to the changing room and by the time he came out Dick was swimming slow laps, taking it easy and probably using the swim as his warmup.

Sticking his foot into the water Jeff was pleasantly surprised to find it was warm and a quick look at the tied off thermometer showed the water to be a comfortable eighty-five degrees. Not a strong swimmer, he stood in the shallow end, the water lapping at his ribs while Dick swim back and forth. Roy sat in a soft chair watching.

"How do you and Dick know each other?"

Roy's eyes stayed on Dick, seeming to study how well he was moving, whether he was having any trouble and then subtly relaxed when his friend seemed all right. "We have some hobbies in common and my guardian knows Bruce so..." He gave an apathetic half-shrug. "We hang out sometimes."

Jeff didn't have an answer for that beyond asking straight out if the new kid had any idea if his friend was a costumed hero in his spare time. "Don't you like to swim?"

"Dick likes to work out. I like to watch." His mouth quirked up in a sudden smile. "Well, not like that, you understand. I mean as opposed to me doing any unnecessary exercise."

In fact Jeff was thinking who the newcomer could really be aside from just being some friend who'd dropped by to pay a visit. Red hair, good build especially in the shoulders, snotty attitude. If his theory was right, this was probably Speedy and his guardian would be Green Arrow who would know Batman through the Justice League. This just kept getting better and better.

At a loss as to what to do next, Jeff rolled onto his back and did his best to practice floating with his head submerged to above his ears, cutting off any need to engage in conversation, at least for a few minutes.

After twenty laps or so Grayson pulled himself out of the water on the edge of the pool, picked up a towel on the table and headed back to the changing room, He emerged dressed in sweats and a tee, both having the look of worn workout clothes, the kind that are used for a real session and not just to impress the girl on the next Exercycle. In the next room were set up just about any piece of exercise equipment you'd find in any well stocked gym and Dick moved over to the treadmill. Set at a moderate speed and a slight incline, he began a half hour slow jog. That was followed by another fifteen minutes lifting free weights (only fifteen and twenty pounders) and then he switched to a stair climber, again set at a moderate speed.

At the end of ninety minutes or so he stopped, wiping sweat from his face and was breathing a little hard.

"I can't believe how out of shape I am." He shook his head in disgust. Roy didn't say anything but looked up from the magazine he was leafing through.

Jeff took the bait. "You looked pretty good to me—what would a normal workout be for you? I mean before you were hurt."

"...More than this, that's for damn sure."

Roy handed him a fresh towel, "Cut yourself some slack, man, you were hurt, remember?"

"...Sucks."

"'A lot less than being dead does."

"Maybe."

Roy looked like he was about to beg to differ but was interrupted by Alfred rolling a cart into the room. "I thought that perhaps you gentlemen would like to eat a light lunch in here by the water."

Dick nodded and reached for a sandwich, "Thanks, Alf."

"Mr. Tabor, Mr. Wayne would like to speak with you, if you would be so kind as to follow me."

They walked through another maze of corridors to another wing and floor of the Manor, Jeff still privately marveling at the sheer size of the damn place. The Master was alone in what seemed to be a study. There was a football game on the huge TV and he had a copy of People opened on the sofa cushion beside him. He gave a vacuous smile as soon as they walked in the opened door.

"Mr. Tabor, thank you for joining me. You know, I've been wondering how Dick is doing in his work. I mean, he's not falling behind or anything, is he? We can't have that now."

"Dick is ahead in every subject and doing just fine. His grades should be just about straight A's."

"Gosh, that's terrific! Do you have any idea how long it may be before Dick is ready to go back to school?"

"Uh, I'd think that would be up to the doctors, Mr. Wayne."

"Why, gosh, yes. I was talking with the doctor about that just a little while ago and she seems to think that he's healing up nicely but still needs to take it easy." Bruce gave Jeff this sort of vapid smile. "You know how doctors are, always wanting to err of the safe side and all of that, right? I just wish Dick could get out some more that he's been able to the last month or so—I swear, that boy just about jumps out of his skin if he doesn't have enough to keep him busy."

"Well, maybe if he's up to it, I could take him out on some field trips. Would that be all right?"

"You mean like a trip to a museum like we used to do when I was in school? I always loved the Natural History Museum; all those stuffed animals and dinosaurs..."

"Um, sure, if you think he'd like that."

"I'd bet the ranch he'd be as pleased a punch. Y'know, I loved those—what are they called?—dioramas where they have all the stuffed animals set up like they were still in Africa or someplace. Then someone told me that someone killed them so they could be part of the exhibits and, gosh, that made me think about them dying and I remember I never really liked that museum much after that."

"Maybe Dick would prefer an art museum then."

"I guess so, but maybe you should really ask him, if you know what I mean. He's pretty smart and knows what he likes, right?"

"Yes, I'll do that since you don't mind. Thanks Mr. Wayne, Dick is quite a young man I've been impressed since the day I met him." Jeff smiled, the act, assuming that was what it was, was really well done. You'd really think Wayne had an IQ slightly above that of a house cat.

"He impresses a lot of people, he always has." Despite the vapidity, there was something in Wayne's expression which made Jeff think he was being analyzed by someone whose brain was much more attuned than his was and it was disconcerting, almost like he was a bug under a microscope.

Back in the conservatory Jeff waited for Dick to change back into his street clothes. He was making two thousand a week for this gig while it lasted and god knew he needed the money but this was getting weird and not a little creepy. He half expected to look up and see Wonder Woman walk through the door or have to pull around the Batmobile when he tried to park.

So, assuming he was right and he'd stumbled onto Batman and Robin (and Speedy and ...oh god) what would happen to him? Would they kill him? Witness Protection Program? Make him move up the the JL's satellite for the rest of his life? Lobotomy?

Ohgodohgodohgodohgod...

TBC