Dick gapped at the Doctor, trying to process what he just said, "What the hell are you talking about?" This had to be a sick joke.
"Richard you've been here for quite some time"
"What!? No! That's not possible! I've never been emitted to a mental hospital in my life!" He isn't crazy, the Joker and Two-Face are crazy, this man is crazy!
"You've been here for over 5 years Richard, do you remember any of it?"
Five years? That's impossible, of the past five years he has been running across rooftops as Nightwing, as Batman! Raising Damian, trying to reach out to Jason, being a better brother to Tim, for the past five years he has been with his family.
"No! I don't remember it because you're lying! I don't belong here, let me out of here!"
Dick started to push himself off the bed; he needed to get out of here. The white walls were closing in around him. A pressing hand on his right shoulder cause his injured arm to flare up in pain. Dick lost his standing momentum, returning to his sitting position on the bed, cradling his arm to his chest.
"Richard you are not leaving here until you are mentally fit, it will take time but our goal is for you to rejoin society once again."
"What about my family, they will tell you, they will get me out of here," Dick was starting to get frantic, he couldn't stay here.
The man reached around Dicks face, forcing them to make eye contact. The concern in the man's eyes was painful to look at.
"Richard there is no family. After your parents deaths you went to the Juvenile Detention Center," The man was talking slowly as if to allow Dick to fully absorb what he was telling him.
"Yeah, but I was only there for a few months before Bruce took me in as his ward."
"No Richard, Bruce Wayne never took you in. You lived in the Juvenile Center until you escaped when you were 16"
Dick shook his head at the man, which didn't help with his dizziness. "You're wrong! Bruce adopted me, he raised me!" sweat started to gather on Dicks forehead.
"Think about it Richard, why you a playboy billionaire take in an orphaned circus child?"
A small grin grew on the man face. Did he think this was funny? This had to be some cruel sick joke.
As much as Dick wanted to bolt out of the room, and run as far as his wounded body could take him, if was as if he is frozen to the spot in fear.
"He..He.. Bruce was there that night. Saw them….fall. He related to me, took me in," his voice started to fail him.
"Why would a billionaire be at a circus? On top of it all, dozens of children in Gotham become orphans every day, most of them due to gun violence, which is much more relatable to Mr. Wayne. Richard your fantasy is not realistic, can you see that now?"
Dick stared at the floor dazed, surely this man was lying. There is no way he made it all up in his mind. His head was telling him what the Doctor is saying sounded logical, but his heart told him differently. He has deep connections with his family. He felt true raw love for Bruce and his brothers, you can't make up those emotions all on your own… right?
The man gently patted Dick on the back,
"And don't get me started on your fantasy of the dynamic duo!"
Dicks head snapped up, looking at the Doctor in shock. The man had a full smile on his face, as if he was holding back a laugh.
"Come on Richard, its completely ridiculous to think that Bruce Wayne is the Batman. Let alone saying that the darkest, scariest hero of all time had a child sidekick named Robin, who wore a vibrantly colored costume!" The man was actually laughing now, laughing at Dick. "It's absurd! At least your mind matured as you grew older and thought of a better name for yourself, Nightwing, I believe, but it's still unhealthy to be living in this state of mind."
His mind was racing, trying to sort the information this man has given him, and then it clicked. He had proof his life was real, that the dynamic duo was real. He pulled away from the man and started to take off his shirt, even if it meant risking admitting that he was Nightwing to a stranger.
"Then how do you explain these?" Dick pointed to the various scars lining his upper body.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow to Dick, "In Juvie, were you learnt how to fight, trial and error. You used your skills from the circus and what you picked up in Juvie to escape and get revenge on your parents murder."
The color fell from Dick face, that's right, the man said he was in the New York Mental Hospital for the Criminally Insane, what did they accuse him of?
"From your shocked face I can assume you don't remember. Well… after your escape you went after Tony Zucco. When the police found you a few days later, you were covered in blood and were mumbling something about wanting more of Alfred's cookies, or something like that. The police searched the warehouse you were found in, and in the back were the tortured and murdered bodies of Tony Zucco and eight of his men."
Dick was going to be sick, the room started to spin.
"You were sent here once they determined you weren't responding to the outside world. We think the combination of the loss of your parents, the abuse during your time in Juvie and the guilt from murdering nine people caused your mind to create this fantasy world to help you cope. In this world of yours you were Mr. Wayne's ward and the pair of you fought as Batman and Robin, for justice. Your world developed over time, adding romantic relationships and brothers. But the bump on your head from your attempted escape adventures last night seemed to bring you back to reality, and the real healing can begin. Your treatment will -"
Dick tuned him out. This isn't possible; he knew that he didn't make up Bruce or Batman in his head. His brothers were real; he cared too much about them for them not to be. This man was trying to trick him, imprison him, fear started to boil up in his stomach. He needed out.
Without a moments hesitation Dick sprang up and punched the Doctor in the face, knocking him off the bed. The adrenaline in his system lowered the pain in his body to a mild throb.
Dick lifted the man by the collar of his lab coat, "Let me out NOW!"
"GUARDS!" almost immediately the door swung open exposing two very large men with red and black hair.
They ran towards Dick, about to pull him off the Doctor but he let go of the whimpering man before they had the chance. His plan worked, the door was open, now he jus needed to get pass these two.
Dick kicked the black haired man in the gut, Dick jumped into the air to avoid a tackle from the red head, but the man managed to grab Dicks leg in the air. The force of the falling man pulled Dick to the ground, and without his leg Dick couldn't soften his landing with the hard floor. His head hits the ground with a loud thud, this didn't help with his already pulsing head. The floor danced around Dick, he almost didn't notice the hand on this side flipping him over to face the ceiling and the ugly redhead. Dick threw out a punch to the man's face, he made contact but due to his disorientation it lacked the force he hoped for. Dick started to stand but before he got off his knees he felt a prick in his neck and a cool liquid running into his body, crap. Dick fell forward once again, hitting his head against the floor yet again. The world around him started to fade, but he caught sight of the Doctor with a syringe in his hand before he completely blacked out.
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