Batman ran accross the rooftops, hurrying to the place Joker had pointed out. 'Robin won't be there, this is all a trick. Joker was just trying to get me to leave so he could escape...' he told himself. Still, just to be sure, he kept running. He burst into the building.
"Robin?" he called out, searching the dark room. His flashlight immediately dropped to the ground, when he saw his foster son. "No..." Sure enough, Robin was there. And like Joker promised, lying in his own blood.
He raced over to the boy, and immediately started feeling for a pulse, fearing the worst. "No, no, no..." He almost missed it in his frantic state, but sure enough, there was a slight pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief, but then got to work. He knew he had to stop the bleeding, which he found was coming from a bullet wound in the chest. Right where his heart was. "No... damn it, you're going to live!" he attempted to stop the bleeding, ripping part of the boys cape off, and pressing it down on the wound.
"Sir? Is everything alright?" called the voice of Alfred. He had finaly gotten ahold of Batman. "Is Robin there?"
"Yea... uh, your medic training from in the millitary..."
"What happened?"
"Can you remove bullets?"
"Bullets? Sir, that is absolutely mad! I can do no such thing! You must get to the hospital immediately, secret identity or not!"
"It wasn't me that was shot, Alfred. It was Robin."
"WHAT?" Bruce hung up, and called Barbara's Bat-com.
"Is he okay?" she asked immediately.
"I need you to get your dad to send an ambulance to the corner of thirty third and second street! Now!" He heard her call to her dad, who immediately notified an ambulance.
"What happened? Batman, is he okay?"
"For now. Meet me at the hospital whenever you can." He hung up, hearing the ambulance coming. He raced the boy outside, and immediately a swarm of nurses were surrounding the boy, who was placed in the ambulance, and asking Batman questions.
"When was he shot?"
"Uh... I think Joker said 20 minutes ago."
"Twenty minutes! You're lucky he's not dead! Marcy, check for internal bleeding!"
"None found! Just some bad bruises. No signs of a concussion, thank god! Batman, how old is the boy?"
"Uh..." he was ashamed of himself, realizing he really had to think to answer the question. "Almost fifteen."
"I thought he's been crime fighting for a couple years now though?" asked a nurse, as she reached for some gauze, attempting to stop the bleeding. Batman nodded.
"He started five years ago."
"FIVE Years ago!" the nurse exclaimed. "That means he started when he was how old, like, NINE?" The Bat nodded. "You're insane, letting a nine year old work with you..." she mumbled, half to herself. Batman mulled over this, as they rolled him out of the ambulance, and into the hospital. He followed behind, as they went to the operation room. He was about to walk in with them, when a different nurse stopped him.
"There's a waiting area out there." she pointed to a few chairs outside the operating room. "Not even Batman can come in the operating room." He nodded.
"What are they doing to him, besides the obvious?"
"They're just going to give him some sedatives so he stays unconcious, remove the bullet, patch up any damage and give 'em a blood transfusion. You wouldn't happen to know what his blood type is, do you?"
"B negative." he replied, almost robotically. He was glad he had found this out already.
"B negative?" she whistled. "You know, that could be a tricky one. Only one in sixty seven people've got B neg. Good thing O neg. works too, if we can't find any." Batman nodded, and walked away.
A couple of hours later, the same nurse came out to him. "Um... Mr. Batman, sir?"
"Is he okay?" the nurse seemed a bit surprised at how worried he seemed to be.
"Yea, he's just waking up now. It wasn't too bad, a simple procedure really. The kid got lucky though, the bullet just missed his heart by a couple centimeters."
"And the blood transfusion?"
"Oh, that was easy. We found some of his blood type, good thing this happened now and not any later, this bloods been sitting around for a while. Gotta get rid of blood if it hasn't been used within five years. His body accepted the blood really well. Better than most people. You wana see 'im?" Batman nodded, and was lead into the room. "Just make sure you don't say anything to upset him."
His eyes widened in shock, seeing his young ward, hooked up to a heart monitor, and an IV drip, as well as a number of other machines. Even with all of this, and the hospital gown he was in, he still had his mask on.
"Robin..."
"B-batman?" he tried to sit up, and immediately regretted it. "Where am I? What happened?"
"You're at the hospital."
"The hospital? I thought you said no hospitals? That they were only for emergencies?" he instinctively brought his hand up, looking for the mask. He let out a sigh of relief, realizing it was still there.
"This was an emergency. Joker shot you. You don't remember?" Robin's eyes widened in shock. Bruce decided to take that as a no.
"I... I remember going out for a walk or something 'cause you wouldn't let me on patrol... and then I found a message from the Joker... took a picture of it. I went to the Batcave but I couldn't get ahold of you... I thought the Joker got you or something, so I went looking for you... after that I remember looking in one of Joker's old haunts, a scream, and then... nothing. So... what is all this stuff?" he asked, motioning towards all the machines he was hooked up to. The kind nurse, who had stayed in the room, answered him.
"There's a heart monitor and IV drip, and the rest are just making sure you're getting enough oxygen, -the bullet was rather close to your heart- and that the blood transfusion was successful."
"I got a blood transfusion?" he asked, confused. She nodded.
"You're lucky we found some of your blood type, it's a pretty rare type, B neg." Robin nodded, not sure exactly what that meant.
"This is gonna sound weird, but... do you happen to have on record who the particular blood doner was?" seeing her eyebrows scrunch up in confusion, he added, "So I can find them in a phone book or something, thank them. I mean, if it wasn't for whoever it was..." he shrugged. She smiled, seeing how pure-hearted the kid in front of her was.
"I don't know, but I'll go find out for ya, kid. Hold on." She left the room, leaving it empty accept for Batman and Robin. It was silent, untill...
"I'm sorry." Robin's small voice called out. To say Batman was surprised would be an understatement.
"You're sorry? For what? If anyone, it's the Joker that should be sorry."
"It's my fault I got shot. If I hadn't been so stupid I wouldn't have been grounded in the first place, and if I wasn't grounded in the first place, I would've been with you on patrol and I wouldn't have been stupid enough to fall for his trap, and-"
"Richard." the sound of his real name stopped him. Before he could continue, the nurse came back.
"I found out who the blood donor was," she said, "but I'm affraid it's going to be impossible to thank them. They passed away a few years ago."
"Oh. Who was it though?"
"A woman from the circus, I remember her coming in, she was very nice. My first patient. Her name was Mary Grayson." Robin let out a small gasp, which went unnoticed by the nurse, but not by Batman. "Well, I'll leave you two alone to talk, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave within the hour, Batman, so Robin can rest." She then walked outside.
"No wonder you ajusted so well to the blood..." mused Batman. "It was your mothers."
"Yea..." Another silence.
"So, you feeling okay?" Robin was slightly confused at how caring Batman was being, seeing as the last time they had spoken they were yelling at each other.
"Um... okay as someone who just got shot could feel." Batman grimanced. "I better leave. Visiting hours are almost over, and I promised to tell Batgirl what was going on. She just knows you got hurt."
"Oh... could you um... maybe see if she'll come... you know... hang out..."
"Yea, I'm sure she'll visit. Try to get some sleep."
"Mmm hmm..."
The next day, at exactly nine am, when visiting hours started, Batgirl was knocking at Robin's door. "Robin? You in there?"
"Babs?" he called, recognising her voice. She opened the door wider, and bounced in.
"I told you not to call me... that..." her eyes grew wide, seeing all the machines he was hooked up to. "My god, what did the Joker do to you?"
"Batman didn't tell you? He left 'cause he said he was going to call you."
"He called me alright." she smirked. "But its him, what did you accpect?" She immitated him, in a gruff voice. "Batgirl. Robin's fine. He's in the hospital. The end." She rolled her eyes. "I practically had to beg the nurses to tell me which room you were in." He smiled, for the first time in weeks.
"Oh. Well, I was grounded for forgetting my communicator, even though he has trackers on me, so it's not like I would've gone missing or something. So, I went for a walk, found a message from the Joker implying Batsy was kidnapped by him, put my costume on and went lookin' for him. Walked into a trap, got shot, and woke up here." He shrugged, nonchalantly.
"Oh, okay..." she stopped, then walked up to him. "Wait, you got SHOT?"
"Apparently." Her mouth hung open in shock, seeing as he was so calm about it. "Watch out, a bug might fly in your mouth, babs."
"Twerp."
"Batbrat."
"Birdboy." They both burst out laughing, until Robin cluched his side in pain. It hurt to laugh. Every day Batgirl would visit, after making up excuses to her dad as to where she was going. He stayed in the hospital for a week. On the last night...
"Robin, there's something I need to talk to you about." Batman eyed Batgirl cautiously. "Alone."
"Anything you can say to me you can say to her." he said, arms crossed. "If you're talking to ROBIN, then Batgirl has every right to be here."
"Trust me, she will not want to be here for this conversation."
Batgirl stopped Robin from protesting further. "It's okay, my dad's expecting me home soon anyway. I'll see you later." She gave him a hug and left.
"Robin."
"Batman." Robin studdied the look on Batman's face for a second and asked, "I'm not gonna like what your about to say, am I?"
"Well, I had to wait to tell you this until now, the nurses didn't want me upsetting you right after you got your surgery done."
"Oh, I know what this is about." he said, still somewhat perky.
"You do?"
"Yea. I know I desserve a lecture, and that I was stupid for me to just walk in a trap, especially not telling anyone where I was going. I was stupid and I'm sorry, and I promise I won't mess up like that next time. I understand if you want to ground me again." Batman sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought.
"Robin... there won't be a next time." Robin's expression turned into a blank one, and with the mask on he was completely unreadable.
"What do you mean, there won't be a next time?"
"Robin... Richard... I can't let you do this anymore." Robin's eyes grew wide under the mask.
"But... but it was a mistake, I won't make it again, I promise-"
"No."
"That could've happened to you just as easily." he said, slowly angering.
"What if I hadn't found you in time?"
"But you did. You got me to a hospital, they patched me up, and I'm fine now."
"No, you're not."
"Yea, I am! I've been doing this for how many years? Five? This is the first time this happened!"
"And it could've been the last! And it will be the last! I'm not going to let you risk your life anymore!"
"I chose this life!"
"You chose wrong!"
"And you didn't? If you're going to risk your life, fight crime, so am I!"
"No, you're not!"
"Who are you to tell me?"
"Your gaurdian!" Though Robin didn't let it show, it stung when Bruce called himself his gaurdian, instead of his father. Secretly, deep down inside, he had always hoped Bruce would think of him as a son.
"You can't make me quit."
"Yes, I can."
"Oh yea? How are you gonna stop me? Lock me in my room? I can pick locks. Make sure I'm being watched? I know how to sneak. Again, taught by you."
"I'll send you to boarding school."
"What, so I'm out of your way? So it's like I was never here in the first place?"
"You know it's not like that-"
"No, I don't Bruce." Batman paused, hearing his real name. It sort of brought him back to reality. "Listen, for once, just listen. You... firing me, sending me to boarding school... you say you're firing me as Robin. That would be firing me as your... foster kid..." his voice was very smalll. "You'd be firing me as your son." Batman didn't know how to respond to that. So he just sat there. Robin glared. "I"m guessing that means you're not changeing your mind."
Still silence. "Fine. Be that way. See how I care, go ahead, but I can't give up this life, Bats. As much as it kills me to say it, I'm turning into you. Robin's the real me, Richard's the mask."
"No, he's not. You, are Richard. Robin, is the allias."
"No, Bruce! I'm not like you! I can't just swing around fighting crime at night, and then go pretend to be some carefree kid, happy to attend all those stupid parties and gallas, totaly not missing their home!"
"This is your home!" Batman pleaded, growing more worried, and more angry, by the second.
"Doesn't feel like it." Robin muttered. "Whether you like it or not, I'm fighting crime."
"You will NOT be fighting crime! Even if it means I have to chain you down to a chair, and search your pockets every day, I will!" They glared at each other, neither looking away. Finally, Robin broke, hating what he saw in Batman's face. A lack of emotion. It was clear to him, that Batman didn't have any regrets firing him. He didn't care.
"Fine. You win. Like you always do." Robin spat. "Just promise me one thing." Batman rose an eyebrow to recognise that he was listening. "Don't take it out on Batgirl."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I know you have hated every moment she was in danger, hated letting her work with you. Don't take my mistake out on her. Let her keep fighting crime for as long as she wants to. Don't fire her. Or tell her dad, or whatever you'd do." Robin was mad that he was being forced to quit, but he still didn't want Batgirl to have to give up crimefighting, even if it meant suffering alone.
"Fine." There was an akward silence that followed.
"So, are you gonna make it official or something?" Robin said, vocie oozing with sarcasm. "Make me unswear the oath? Demote me? Or am I just gonna pretend I never existed like a good little kid?" That was enough for Batman. He had snapped, and was not in the mood to deal with sarcasm.
"Give me your mask."
"What?"
"Give me your mask."
"But... but what about my secret identity?"
"You're covered in bandages and stitches and bruises, and your hair's a mess. I doubt anyone will be able to figure out your identity from seeing your eyes. Besides, you won't need it anymore. This was your real secret identity."
"But... but..."
"You wanted it to be official? This is how it's made official." He reached over to yank the mask off poor Robin's face, when he got zapped. He drew his hand back in shock. (No pun intended) Robin smirked, seeing his... former mentor's surprise.
"I've been sitting here for a week. Not much to do. I messed with a chip that'd electrocute people, sort of like the one on your belt, so villians can't open it, then wired it into my mask, so anyone who tries to take it off will get shocked. I'm not going down that easy."
"If it's like my belt, than it should only work one time."
"Nope. I fixed that problem too. On my mask, each time you try it's a higher voltage shock." Batman reached for the mask again. Sure enough it was a bigger shock, but he ignored it, ripping the mask off of Robin's face.
"You're done." He shot a grappling hook through the window, and left. The next day, he went to pick Robin up from the hospital, the nurse having told him he'd be allowed to take the boy home. She also made sure to assure him that there was no reason for him to pay any fee of any sort, and that the hospital was happy to help. He walked up to Robin's room with the nurse, who had wanted to say goodbye.
"You know, he was awfully quiet this morning." she mused, as they stepped into the elevator. "Did something happen between the two of you? I could've sworn I heard him yelling yesterday when you came. I don't see what could've upsetted him though, he's such a sweet boy..."
"I fired him."
"Fired him?"
"From crime fighting. I can't, won't, let him willingly go into danger every night." She bit her lip, contemplating.
"I'm sure you mean well, but are you sure that's a good idea?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well... He is a teenager... almost fifteen. That's a rough age... I know ya mean well, but you could be driving him over the edge. Or, rather, to the other side of the law..."
"I doubt it. He started fighting crime to avenge a crime commited against his family in the first place." Batman announced, shocking both the nurse and himself with what he had revealed. A piece of the puzzle, part of the mistery.
"I don't know... but ya still might be driving him away..." she gasped in shock, opening the door to Robin's room. He was gone.
*so, longer chapter than usual, I know. and we haven't gotten anywhere in the present, but trust me, this backround will help for future reference. I promise, some real fun in the present next chapter! Reviews, comments and criticism welcome!