Chapter 30
Three months later, everything mended itself back together. Tim's mind was healing. He would still have nightmares and still woke Piper up in the middle of the night to talk to her. Piper's cuts sealed up, leaving small scars. Dick was up and walking around again. His body was still mostly weak and he was suspended from field missions but still led the Team. Bruce had also changed remarkably. He began to spend more time with them. He took them to basketball games, took them out to dinner, and took time off to get to know them better than before. Bruce also bought a locket for Piper. One picture was of her mom and the other was a picture of Jason. The two people she missed the most were now closer to her heart.
Piper, Tim, and Dick all went back to school after their injuries were healed. Philip Marvin avoided Piper the rest of the year. She smirked at him each time he passed. People often questioned her about her scars, but she waved them off saying they were from her motorcycle accident. They shrugged her off and kept going with their lives.
One day, Bruce sat in his study. Dick opened the door and walked in. "You wanted to see me Bruce?"
Bruce looked up from his work and folded his hands. "Piper told me about the conversation you two had that day at school. Why did you think I was tired of you? What made you think you had to rid yourself to stop bothering me?"
Dick lowered his head. "Bruce I…I lash out at you when you're just trying to help. I don't always follow your orders. I'm rash, I'm impulsive. After all these years, I just thought you'd grown sick of having me around."
Bruce stood up and walked over to Dick. "Dick, you can do all those things, but to believe that I would ever grow tired of you? Could you imagine what would happen to me if I lost two sons to the same man?"
"Jason's death affected you much more than mine would."
"No Dick, you're wrong. It is true Jason's death did throw my world out of balance, but you helped me through it. Dick, you've been fighting by my side longer than anybody. I trust you more than anyone in the world. We may not be blood related, but you're still my son. If you had died, I could never live with myself. You've kept me on the straight side when I wanted revenge. If I lost you, my morals would no longer stand. And can you imagine what would happen to Piper and Tim? Piper stayed in her room for a week after Jason died. She trusts you the most. She had an immediate attachment to you when you two first met. If you had died, she never would've come out of her room again. Her smile would disappear forever. Don't you realize how important you are to our family?"
"Bruce…I'm sorry." Tears spilled over his cheeks. "I don't know why I thought…"
"Come here," Bruce said as he put his arms around Dick. "You're important to me Dick. Don't forget that."
Behind them peering through the cracked door, Piper stood with her arms crossed watching them. A smile spread across her face. Bruce looked up over Dick's head and saw her standing there. He smiled back and winked. Piper nodded and walked down the hall. Her hand went to her locket and she opened it.
"You're important to us too Jason," Piper said to the little picture. "We'll always love you."