Hey guys I know you want me to update sooner but I'm having a really hard time as of lately, my father died recently and I'm going off to college soon so I'm trying so hard to not crack under pressure but when someone was such a big part of your life it's hard NOT to think about them constantly, especially because my dad was a huge influence on my choice of college and he encouraged me to follow my dreams. I used to joke with him that if he didn't get to live long enough to see me graduate or walk me down the isle I would drag him back to earth, I guess it's a lot harder than it sounds.
It all happened so fast I didn't (and still don't know) how to react, so please, please, please hug your fathers, make each other happy and NEVER take them for granted.
Rated T- cause I'm paranoid
Minor cursing if any and some treatments mentioned
Triggers: Cancer, Chemotherapy
I do not own Young Justice or any of the DC characters, yada, yada, yada
Chapter 9- Setting Wings
Batman made a convenient disappearance while Bruce Wayne slipped into the disturbing amount of never-ending madness.
After nearly knocking some reporters senseless, Bruce finally made his way to the hospitals front desk. Frantically trying to occupy the lingering nurses attention, she was currently on the phone with, from what it sounded like, one her many boyfriends. She twirled her hair while giggling lightly and filling the lobby with her shrills of happiness, happiness that Bruce did NOT share at that moment.
"Excuse me?" Bruce tried, only to get a finger to the face and a mean look. Bruce tried to be patient but after five minutes of her useless chatter he had had enough.
"Excuse me!" Bruce nearly shouted.
The woman gave him another mean look before hanging up and finally turning her attention to him.
"May I help you?" she retorted in a sarcastic voice, looking at him critically from head to toe.
"Yes, can you PLEASE tell me where my son is?" Bruce snapped
"Name?" The nurse shot back sharply.
" Richard Grayson..errr or Wayne?" Bruce stumbled, reconsidering his choice, 'What would Alfred check him in as?' Bruce thought.
The nurse raised an eyebrow but then set to work, typing furiously on the keyboard with her long pink nails.
After more agonizing moments the nurse finally came up with the name she was looking for.
"Hm lets see Richard Wayne is currently in the ICU but it looks like they will be moving him to a room in the south wing, you can sit in the waiting room until he is all set up" The nurse finished by stamping him a fresh visitors pass and handing him a small map with an outlined route.
"Thank you." Bruce sighed, and made his way quickly through the hospitals hallways and elevators, moving towards his destination.
When he reached the waiting room, Alfred, who looked more worn and worried than usual, met him at a hurried pace.
"Master Bruce!" He nearly cried while getting up from his seated position.
"Where is he?" Bruce asked, filled with dread and worry.
"He's being set up in his room as we speak, the doctor will tell us when visitors are allowed" Alfred filled in.
Bruce sighed heavily and sat in one of the nearby chairs covering his face with his hands and scrubbing at his eyes.
"I should have been there Alfred." Bruce replied peering out of his hands, only to stare at the floor.
"There's no way you could have been sir, this is not your fault." Alfred replied sternly and gently.
Taking another breath Bruce buried his face in his hands and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Until finally the doctor came around the corner and asked where the guardians of Richard Wayne were. Bruce stood and turned to Alfred, who raised a steady hand "You go ahead sir, I have a lot to take care of at home, but I shall only be a call away." He replied. Bruce nodded and thanked Alfred before following the doctor down the hallway to Richard.
After turning three more corners the doctor finally stopped in from of a door before filling Bruce in for what to expect.
"It seems Richard's medication and treatments made him go into fainting spells or blackouts, he was lucky he didn't fall down a flight of stairs or over a ledge of some sort." The doctor started while flipping through various papers on his clipboard, "Unfortunately, that medicine will also cause patients to bleed heavily if they are hit or cut which in Richard's case was extremely prevalent."
Bruce thought it all over 'fainting spells? Blackouts? What else was Dick keeping from me?' Bruce looked puzzled, which the doctor took as a cue to explain more.
"We gave him some blood since he lost a good amount, some pain killers for his head along with 37 stiches. It seems we will have to keep him here for a while." Bruce frowned at that statement, making the energetic acrobat stay in any hospital for a day was hard enough, but making him stay a week or two was nearly impossible. Bruce was jolted from his thoughts when the doctor continued "The pain killers will make him sleep for a while but you can wait with him if you would like." The doctor finished by looking to Bruce for an answer.
"Oh, yes, thank you." Bruce replied shakily before nodding to the doctor and entering the room quietly.
The room was sterile, the walls and sheets appearing the same color of washed white. The only thing that stood out in the blank room was the crimson blood feeding into Dick's body. The color drew Bruce to his 'son' who was, at that moment, as white as the rest of the room. Pale and thin, Dick's face seemed dull and completely void of any happy memory or emotion that once existed in his young body.
He was decorated with various tubes and wires that linked him up to countless machines; and to top it all off his head was fitted with a thick white bandage to cover the stiches.
"Oh Dick." Bruce breathed with wide eyes.
Moving closer Bruce took the chair near the bed and slid it silently towards the side of the bed. Sitting, Bruce let his tears flow freely down his face. 'How could I have let it get this bad? Why wasn't I paying more attention?' Bruce internally fought his guilt while wiping some of Dick's sweaty locks from his face. His whole hand nearly engulfed the side of his baby bird's face as he moved his thumb back and forth soothingly. Bruce chuckled lightly at how small Dick still was in comparison to himself; the memories from when he first adopted Richard came flooding through his mind.
'What would I ever do without you Dick?'
"Dad?" Dick mumbled through the oxygen mask while leaning into Bruce's touch. Every thought crumbled as soon as Dick said that one word.
A/N:
WELL HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER! AND THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE COMMENTS AND VEIWS! 3
COMMENTS = MOTIVATION = MORE CHAPTERS = A HAPPY YOU! SO REVIEW!