The next two days pass in a blur of pain and hopelessness.
He wakes up several times—before the surgery and after—and looks about for his daughters, for his girls. He doesn't care about whether or not they can repair the damage to his spine; he doesn't care if he's going to be put away for the next 100 years; he only cares that his daughters are safe.
Nothing else matters.
And how can he protect them when he can't even walk?
The next time he comes to, he's in some of kind of hospital room—small, private, with the kind of tech he's only seen in the hands of people like Lex Luthor or Bruce Wayne. He's handcuffed to the bed—and given the bat winged shape of his manacles, he guesses it's he's not staying in a Lexcorp facility.
His girls are in the room with him, asleep in a comfortable-looking chair. Jade's arms are wrapped around her little sister as though to keep her safe from anything that might harm her. In spite of the situation, he smiles to see them.
"Crock."
The Bat himself is standing in the door.
The smile dies on his lips. He doesn't want to see The Bat just now. He doesn't want his girls see him being led away. Superman—the Boy Scout—might have taken pity on him, but there was no way The Bat would …
"Batman." It's never been his nature to beg, to plead. But … "Can I say goodbye to my girls first?"
"You're not going anywhere just yet, Crock." The Bat pauses. "The Huntress. Your wife. I'm sorry about your loss."
"I'd think you'd be glad. One less crook to catch." There's bitterness in his words, but he can't help himself. He can't fight. He can't run. But he can still talk like he's the man he was.
"I never want to see anyone die." The Bat glances over at his girls. "And I don't want anyone to become an orphan."
He's suddenly ashamed. "Thanks. I mean, thank you for the sympathy." There's something he's missing here. Something that he feels he should know that he's not catching. "And this place. And for letting my girls stay with me."
"Didn't have much choice." There's a hint of amusement in The Bat's voice. "We tried locking them in a guest suite. They broke out. We tried adding a guard. They broke out. When they got out of a security cell, I told the others to just let them stay with you."
"Security cell? The others?"
"Don't you know where you are, Crock?"
"We're on the Justice League satellite, Daddy," Jade is suddenly awake—or she's been awake all along. It'd be just like her to be faking it.
He's proud. Proud of his oldest. Proud of both his girls.
They're the best of us, Paula. Both of them. No matter what else we did, we had some amazing kids.
"It's not polite to listen in other people's conversations, Jade." Batman gives her the full glare.
But Jade looks back at The Bat without blinking. She even manages a faint smile. "It's not polite to talk in front of children either."
"You have quite the family, Crock." The Bat's lips almost twitch into a smile. Almost.
"Thanks. I do." He glances at Jade, at Artemis who's still asleep in his oldest's arms. "I love you, Jade. I love you both. No matter what happens, never forget that." He looks at The Bat. "They'll be taken care of?"
"Aren't you curious about what's going to happen to you, Crock?"
"I know what's going to happen to me. I ain't a good man. I've done things." He glances over at Jade. "Bad things. Terrible things. And there ain't no coming back from that. No way I can make up for it. All I can do is pay for it.
"And as long as my girls are safe, I'm ready."
"Daddy…" Jade looks at him but doesn't seem to quite know what to say.
"You're right, Crock. There's half a dozen police forces in the world that would love to have you locked up with the key thrown away."
"I know," he says, and he knows it's true. There can be no mercy for him. He doesn't have the right to hope for a second chance.
"That isn't going to happen," Jade says softly, cradling her sister in her arms. "You can't lock him away forever. I won't let you. We won't let you. Wherever you put him, we'll find him. We'll save him. You aren't taking him away from us." There's no anger in her voice, no desperation. Just that certainty that can be so annoying in a teenager.
"Jade…"
"Shut up, Daddy."
Again the Batman almost smiles. "So you're saying that we should lock you two up as well?"
Jade pales at that, but doesn't say anything.
"My kids haven't done anything wrong. They aren't a part of this."
"Oh, they are a big part of it, Crock," Batman murmurs. "In fact, they're why you haven't been locked away already."
"I don't under—Malone. He was working for you?"
"In a way."
"And the Kents?"
"The Kents are … friends. I needed to know if you were worth giving a second chance. If anyone could tell me that, it was going to be the Kents."
"And they said-?"
"You're not in prison, are you?" Batman pauses. "At least not yet."
"So … where does that leave us?"
"The authorities are willing to leave you in Justice League custody."
"For how long?"
"Until Artemis is 18. Then … then we'll see."
"So what's the catch?" Hope. Hope to be able to see his kids grow up, to be part of their lives for a little longer. It's more than he expected. More than he dreamed possible.
There had to be a catch.
"If you try to escape, the deal's off and you spend the rest of your life behind bars. You offer intel…"
"I don't rat out my friends."
"We're not interested in the small fry. We want the big guys. Luthor. Ra's al Ghul." Batman pauses. "And I think that where the Shadows are concerned you're willing to make a deal."
"And if I say yes?"
"If you say yes, you get to watch your daughters grow up. We help you keep them safe. And maybe … maybe we take down the League of Shadows."
Jade looks over at him. "Daddy, please?"
Artemis stirs in her sleep. "Daddy …?"
He looks at his daughters. He thinks about the deal The Bat is offering him. Not freedom … he will never be free again. But maybe … maybe his girls will be.
"All right, Bats. I'm in." And without thinking, he offers his hand to The Bat.
The Bat looks at him. He looks at his hand. For what seems like an hour, he doesn't say a word. Doesn't move.
And then … and then he takes Crock's hand.
"It's a deal … Lawrence."