The little boy was so still on the gurney. His little chest was rising in jerky movements. His air intake itself was depressing. Each little breathe he took looked like it took so much effort. And the air that was taken in was so low. Not enough to supply his body, causing him to take rapid breathes.

I stood beside his bed side, looking down at him. His body was smaller than Damian's. Less muscled and more brittle looking than anything. He was changed out of his hoody and was now wearing the red cotton pajamas set that Damian liked to wear to bed. They were a bit loose on him, but they fit him well enough. He looked a bit better in them. Tim was standing on the end of the bed, just staring at the child. He seemed torn at the idea of this boy being here.

When we had first arrived at the batcave, Alfred had been waiting for us. When he caught sight of the boy in my arms, he turned an ashy gray. Alfred had quickly put himself to gether, but the subtle shake of his hands gave him away. As he set up the CAT scan machine, and the xray, i could see his long sideways stare at the boy that i was still clutching onto. When he had finally set it up, i had to work up the will to put the boy down. Holding him gave me the peace that i had been lacking for the past months. Holding felt like i was my own son again.

Eventually i did put him down, after another attack of coughs that broke my heart hearing them. His small body convulsing so tightly that it seemed like he was a knot being wound tighter and tighter. Tim came in just as we begun and i handed him a pair of darkened glasses so he could watch as well. He was just as transfixed as me at this boy.

"Sir? Is this young master Damian?" he asked as calmly as he could, while working on the machines. The question was simple,but at this same time it wasn't. This was Damian, or at least a version of him. He wasn't ours.

That thought actually hurt. This Damian was ours. He wasn't my son. He wasn't mine.

I had to keep reminding myself of that fact. He didn't belong here. He had his own family, that probably loved him just as much as we did our Damian. They would miss...just like we did with ours. They lost him...just like we did ours. They would want him back...just like we do.

I shook my head out of the fog that seemed to have settled over it. I told Alfred that he wasn't ours, but an alternate version of him. We would need to figure out where he came from. Once we were done checking him out, i would run some tests and try to figure out what caused him to jump to our world. Hopefully it would distract me from thinking too much. Just like i have been.

I took a step close to the pictures that was being taken by alfred and started to try and decipher what was wrong with him. His head was ok, which was a relief, but that cough. I waited till alfred had taken the scan of his chest and saw the death sentence.

This boy's lungs were black. Most of the the picture was pitch black. The one part that was clear looked like he had liquid in the sacks. He was drowning. He was going to die. He was going to die because he was sick.

"Oh my lord. No." Alfred choked out, a hand already covering his mouth.

"WHAT? No that's not right. He was designed to be healthy." Tim was already trying to figure out why this was happening. I walked over to his small body. Still on the gurney that had the machine whirring above him. I don't know what i was planning on doing, but i had to do something. This boy was going to die. He was going to be like my son. He was my son.

I bent down and scooped him up in my arms. Cradling his small form to my chest. He let out a few athletics coughs as he adjusted to the new position. I walked over to the small bed we kept down in the cave, by the medbay and sat down with him still in my arms. I curled my body over his, trying to tuck him as far into my own body as humanly possible. His body molded to mine, just like that time was able to hold Damian. His little body was able to fall into the little pockets of mine only my son was able to fill.

The boy let out another wet cough and i adjusted him so he would be sitting up a bit more, trying to make it a bit easier for him to breathe. He took in a few shaky breathes in before regulating. Once he did, his face grimaced and i saw the signs that he was starting to awaken. His face scrunched together and his little nose flared. Taking in as much air his little lungs exhaled almost smoothly and one big round green eye popped open. Still glazed over from sleep, he took me in.

It reminded me so much of how Damian first looked at me. He was observing me. His slow, sleep addled mind taking in as much information as possible. Processing it and learning what he could from his environment.

"Dad?" his voice was soft and weak. He stared at me a bit more intensely. Must have noticed my suite at this moment. His eyes were wide and confused. His green eyes becoming lighter and starting to glow in the darkness of the cave.

I ignored his question and ran my hand threw his short black spikes. They were soft, just like Damian's. He curled further into himself. He must be frightened. I straighten my body a bit so he could have more room, but kept my a firm grip on his body. Keeping him tucked in my arms.

"What?" he started to look around in a more panicked state. I was starting to shush him, when TIm called for me.

"Bruce?" Tim's voice was worried and strained. I sighed and stood up with him in my arms. I spun around and sat the boy down on the bed.

"What's your name?" the boy looked at me and then at Tim and Alfred. He was very confused. So scared of what he was seeing.

"YOu're not my dad." i flinched a bit at the statement, but it was true. I wasn't.

"You're right, but we need to know to get you back to your dad." i said, trying to get him to work with me. He looked at me again, then back to Tim, who was taking off his mask at this point.

"Tim?" he asked, reaching out to him, his arm going past my right shoulder. Asked for him to come to him.

"Whats going on?" Tim face looked disheartened by the small voice and stepped up to him. He crouched next to me and grabbed the reach arm pushed down back to the small body.

"Don't be scared. We are figuring things out. We just need you to answer some questions, ok?" the boy cleared his throat and nodded at him.

"Ok, what was the question again?"

"What's your name?" Tim asked this time.

"Thomas." he answered. I felt my body jerk back and i almost fell back.

"Why?" i didn't meant to ask it out loud, but i did. Why wasn't his name Damian?

"Ummm, my dad said he named me after my grandpa." the boy that was now Thomas sheepishly smiled. I sighed and stood up. My head was starting to hurt again. All this emotional turmoil was starting to take its toll on me. He's right, if i had the chance to name my child, i would name them after my parents.

"Thomas. Ok. good. Well thomas, do you know how you got here?"

"No." he shook his head.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"I was walking home from school. You were running late, so i just went on a head."

"Did something happen?" Tim asked. Thomas shook his head for a moment before he sat up and looked into Tim's eyes.

"I think i died!"

"What?!" I asked and stood next to Tim who was trying to shush him. His arms hovering over his body, acting as a cage at the moment.

"I was crossing the street and a accident happened. A semi fell over and it was sliding towards me. And that's it."

" i see."

"I think i died." Thomas said.

"No you didn't. You're here with us." Tim said as he took his shoulders.

"Then how am i here?"

"We don't know, but we will." i said as i came to the other side of TIm.

"How do i know i'm not just dead?" he said, and i took was about to reassure him again when he started coughing again. The attack went on for a minute before he settled down.

"Nevermind, yeah, i'm still alive. "