A/N: Hi everyone. Again, I'm so sorry about the wait for this chapter. I'm not even going to make any excuses because you all deserve better and I'm sorry. When college is all over, I'll make it up to you guys by writing a story and posting a chapter a day! For what it's worth, there's just one final chapter left after this and I'm about halfway through writing it. I'm hoping to have it up in the next three weeks (I can't promise that will happen but I'll do my very best).
Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter. I'm sorry I didn't get to thank you all individually, but just know that you are awesome, awesome people who have made me smile so much when I've needed it most during the hell that is final year. Happy reading, folks!
oOo
Someone was talking to him. That was the first thing that occurred to Dick. The second was that he knew the voice. With great effort, he forced his eyes open and blinked several times until a familiar face hovering over him came into view.
Dick was getting a little tired of waking up and finding people hovering over him.
The face smiled. "Hey, kiddo, how are you feeling?"
Bruce. Dick squinted up at his guardian, feeling confused, but not exactly sure why. "Wher'm I?" he croaked.
Jeez, he sounded like crap.
"The hospital," Bruce answered, his smile fading as he stared down at him in concern. "Don't you remember?"
"Uh…" Dick blinked again and fuzzy images filtered back to him: harsh voices, rough handling and pain. And hadn't he thrown up in there somewhere? The images sharpened, memories slowly returning to Dick. "The kidnappers…" He swallowed, throat feeling dry and sore. "How did I…?"
"The police rescued you," Bruce explained quietly. "You were brought to the hospital because the kidnappers gave you drugs that made you overdose. Do you remember that?"
The memory of violently throwing up until it felt like his stomach was tearing itself away from his body made Dick wince and he nodded. He wouldn't soon forget that. "What did they give me?"
Anger flashed across Bruce's face. "Heroin."
Dick's heart missed a beat. He'd been given heroin?! A hard-core narcotic? He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that.
"Are you okay?" asked Bruce.
"I guess…" Dick shrugged, then grimaced when the movement sent painful twangs shuddering down his arm. He opened his mouth to speak again, but coughed instead. Jeez, his throat really felt raw.
"Do you want a drink?" Bruce asked.
Dick nodded and Bruce opened the bottle of water on his bedside table, then poured it into a glass. Dropping a straw into the glass, he tilted it towards Dick so he could drink.
Dick sipped thirstily, the cool water feeling insanely good against his scratchy throat. When he'd drank his fill, he sank back into the pillow and tried to sort through the fog and confusion in his head. Something was niggling at him, but he couldn't put his finger on what. At the moment, his brain only seemed capable of processing the fact that he'd been given heroin.
"Bruce, I don't understand. How can people get…addicted to that stuff? It- it's really bad." Really bad was an understatement. It had literally been hell and Dick never wanted to experience it again. How could anyone willingly put themselves through that?
Bruce sighed. "I assume you're talking about how ill you were?"
Dick nodded.
"It wasn't the heroin that made you throw up like that, it was the withdrawal."
"But…I'm not an addict…" Dick said slowly.
"I know. But those men gave you enough heroin to overdose and you needed a drug called narcan to reverse the effects of the overdose. Unfortunately, narcan can cause withdrawal and that's what made you so ill."
Dick stared at his guardian, still struggling to wrap his head around all this. He'd been given heroin and had gone through withdrawal – which beyond sucked! No wonder heroin addicts had such a hard time trying to quit.
"You still haven't answered my first question," Bruce commented, his eyes fixed on Dick. Searching. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired," Dick admitted, trying to straighten his jumbled thoughts. He still felt like he was missing something. "And my arm hurts. A lot."
Bruce scowled. "Those bastards twisted your arm so much that the pin was wrenched out of position. You're scheduled for surgery tomorrow to fix it."
"Great," Dick muttered. More surgery. Awesome.
Bruce squeezed his hand in sympathy, and Dick felt the reason for his lingering confusion hit him. He bolted upright, ignoring the pain that flared through his arm. "Bruce, how are you here? CPS…"
"Relax, kiddo," said Bruce soothingly, a genuine smile stretching across his face. "On that front I have good news: CPS dropped the charges. They no longer believe I'm abusing you."
"You mean…I can come home?" Dick whispered, not daring to believe it.
"Absolutely, kiddo," Bruce replied, his voice thick with emotion.
Dick stared for a fraction of a second before throwing himself at his guardian in relief. Bruce responded by wrapping his arms around Dick and hugging him tightly. Closing his eyes, Dick inhaled the familiar smell of Bruce's cologne. Home. He was going home. For the first time in weeks, he felt safe.
After several minutes, they both leaned back and smiled at each other, Bruce gripping Dick's good shoulder with one hand, while his other cupped the side of Dick's head. Dick held on to Bruce's arm with his good hand, not ready to let go of his guardian just yet.
"When do I get to go home?" he wanted to know.
Bruce's smile faded a little. "Not for a few days. You have surgery tomorrow, and the doctors want to monitor you. They think you might have had a seizure while you were drugged."
Dick's heart quickened a little. "Don't seizures cause brain damage?"
"Sometimes, but that's usually as a result of grand-mal seizures and if, if, you had a seizure – the doctors still aren't sure – then it was a partial seizure brought on by the drugs. Besides, there's no sign of long-term damage in any of your scans."
"Then why do they want to monitor me?"
"They're just being cautious, especially after your head injury. You went through quite an ordeal, kiddo," Bruce said, stroking Dick's hair.
Dick couldn't help nodding in agreement. "What happened? To the kidnappers?"
"They were arrested. They go before a judge tomorrow, but Gordon is going to do his best to make sure they're denied bail until the trial."
"How'd they know where to find me?" Dick asked. It was unnerving how quickly he'd been targeted in the foster home.
Bruce opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, there was a knock at the door. Dick rolled his eyes. The timing of these things was beyond clichéd sometimes!
A security guard entered. "Mr. Wayne? I have someone here who says she's a friend of your boy. She's pretty insistent."
Dick glanced at his guardian because why did he still have security?
"Name?" demanded Bruce, shoulders stiffening in suspicion.
"Artemis Crock," the guard responded.
"Dick?" Bruce queried, pretending not to know her for both the guard and Artemis' benefit.
"I want to see her," said Dick at once, not even caring enough to question why Artemis was here to see him; they didn't interact as civilians other than when he trolled her, but Dick hadn't seen any of his friends in weeks and he missed them, especially Wally.
Bruce nodded to the guard, who beckoned to someone in the hall. Artemis entered and the security guard left the room, closing the door behind him with a crisp click.
"Hi, Dick," she said quietly, coming towards the bed after throwing a wary glance at Bruce. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay," he replied, beaming at her. Yes, it was weird that she was here to see him in his civilian persona but man, was he glad to see her! "Thanks for coming to see me, Artemis."
She shrugged. "I wanted to see how you are. And–" she reached into her jacket pocket, "–I also wanted to return this to you." She pulled something out and offered it to him.
Slightly confused, Dick took the proffered item and felt his breath catch in his throat. It was the photograph of him and his parents that Ryan Johnson had taken from his locker and tried to destroy. Dumbfounded, he looked up at Artemis. "How did you…?"
"I found it at the bottom of the stairs at school," Artemis explained quietly. "I figured you should have it back."
Dick carefully ran his thumb across his parents' smiling faces. Other than the rip Ryan had made and the photo being a little crumpled, it didn't seem too battered. "Thank you," he whispered, a lump in his throat.
"No problem." Artemis made an awkward move, somewhere between a shrug and a nod. "Ryan got suspended, you know…for what happened."
"He did?"
"Yeah, two whole weeks."
"Jerk deserved it," Dick mumbled.
"Yeah."
An uncomfortable silence fell and Dick was unsure how to break it; he didn't know how to talk to Artemis without revealing himself as Robin, and it was clear that she was struggling with something as well. Her usual confidence had been replaced with uncertainty.
It was Bruce who came to their rescue. "Miss…Crock?" he addressed her in his 'Brucie' voice, smiling and holding out his hand. "It's nice to meet you. I don't believe we've met before."
Artemis returned the handshake whilst biting her lip. After a moment, she took a deep breath and said a little shakily, "Actually, Mr. Wayne, we have met before."
"Oh?" said Bruce. His tone was light, but Dick could hear caution creep into it and felt his own guard go up: Artemis had never met Bruce Wayne before. Dick was one hundred percent certain of that.
"Yes," said Artemis, more firmly. "Dick and I share some extracurricular activities. We met then."
There was only one thing she could possibly be talking about. Dick sucked in a breath and shot a shocked glance at his guardian. How the heck did Artemis find out?!
Bruce's eyes narrowed, his face hardening into the same impassive façade that he wore as Batman. "I remember now, Miss Crock. And how are the rest of your friends?"
He was talking in code now. Dick knew he wanted to know if the rest of the team knew Batman and Robin's identities. Truth be told, Dick was kind of anxious to know that too. People always treated him differently when they found out what he was to Bruce Wayne.
"They're fine," Artemis answered carefully. "The same as when you saw them last."
"But how did you know?" Dick blurted, then hastened to amend his question. "I mean, about my arm and…stuff?"
"You mean aside from it being all over the news?" Artemis replied drily, the stiffness in her voice now dissipating. "I was there when the paramedics took you out of school after your fall." She nodded towards his arm. "That cast is really unusual. I've only ever seen one like it before."
Yeah, on Robin. Dick sighed. Artemis seeing the cast and making the connection between Robin and Dick Grayson was exactly what he had been afraid of from the start. "I guess it is pretty distinctive, huh?"
Artemis nodded. "Does it hurt?"
"Like you wouldn't believe," Dick admitted. "I need surgery tomorrow."
"What! Why?" Artemis demanded, eyes flashing in concern.
"The kidnappers weren't exactly gentle. They pulled the pin out of position when they tied me up."
Artemis looked angry now. "They didn't care that you were already hurt?"
Dick snorted in response. So long as he was alive for them to get their money, his kidnappers hadn't cared what he suffered. Even with what he knew about people from his time as Robin, it was still hard to swallow that someone could hurt him like that for money.
"Artemis, how did you know Dick was here?" Bruce interjected. "I gave instructions that his room number wasn't to be given to anyone."
Dick glanced at his guardian. There was concern in his voice and his eyes were tight; Bruce was worried about another kidnap attempt. Dick understood now why he still had security on his door.
"The mother of one of my friends from Gotham North is a nurse here," Artemis answered. "She knows I go to Gotham Academy now, so when I told her Dick was a friend of mine, she found out his room number for me. I wanted to make sure you were okay," she added to Dick. "I was worried."
"Why didn't you come to see me while I was here last week?"
"I tried. CPS weren't letting anyone in to see you." Artemis shrugged. "When I saw the news this morning saying that CPS had dropped their case, I thought I'd try again."
"I'm glad you did," Dick told her honestly. "I really missed you guys. How is everyone?"
"Worried about you. Not knowing how you are has them on edge." Artemis snorted. "And Wally is driving everyone up the walls: I think he might have a meltdown if he doesn't talk to you soon."
Dick shot his guardian an exasperated look because of course Bruce hadn't bothered to let the team know how he was!
Bruce understood his exasperation at once. "I had other concerns, Dick."
"You could have given them some kind of update," Dick said reproachfully.
"I haven't seen your friends since you were taken into care. And like I said, I had bigger things to worry about."
Dick softened. He could see that this had been as hard on Bruce as it had on him. "Sorry. I didn't think."
Bruce patted his hand in understanding and out of the corner of his eye, Dick was aware of Artemis jerking a little. He glanced at her and saw that her eyebrows were practically arched into her hairline. Her reaction surprised Dick until he remembered, oh, right. She was used to Batman, not Bruce.
"I'll call Wally later," he promised Artemis. "And as soon as I get out of here, I'll come visit everyone."
"They'll be really happy to see you." She hesitated before adding, "Dick, about my–"
A loud bang and raised voices from outside the room drowned out the rest of her words. Bruce was immediately on his feet and planted himself at the foot of Dick's bed facing the door.
Dick cringed because such overprotection was a little embarrassing in front of Artemis…until he realized that Artemis had done the exact same thing. Dick sighed a little. Really, guys?
The voices outside were getting louder, turning into yells, and Dick recognized one of them. He felt a little burst of happiness as the door crashed open, revealing a very disgruntled security guard wrestling with a familiar red-headed figure.
"I swear!" Wally was yelling. "Dick's my best friend! Just ask him!"
"Son," the security guard grunted. "I'm not going to tell you again–"
Bruce stepped forward. "Henry, it's alright. He can come in." He glared at Wally who shrank a little under the billionaire's formidable glare.
"I– I just wanted to see Dick," Wally stammered.
"Then enter the room, Wallace," said Bruce slowly in a quiet voice.
Dick winced on his friend's behalf because Bruce had a way of making his quiet voice sound way more intimidating than any raised one could.
Wally blanched and slunk into the room, mumbling apologies under his breath.
"Thank you, Henry," said Bruce to the security guard, who nodded and once more closed the door.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Wally dashed over to the bed and threw himself on Dick, hugging him tightly. "Dude, are you okay? Why didn't you call me? I tried to see you but they wouldn't let me see you! Do you know how hard it is to watch everything on the news?! Man, it's so good to see you! What–"
"Wally, air," Dick wheezed over his best friend's babbling because the speedster was squeezing him kind of tight.
Wally let go at once. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Dick rolled his eyes and grinned. "Of course not, doofus. And I'm happy to see you too."
Wally beamed. "I'm really glad you're okay, man. I've been so–" He stopped midsentence as he caught sight of Artemis in the corner she had backed into as soon as he had entered the room. Dick was surprised to see how trapped she looked, before realizing that her being here would reveal her secret identity to Wally.
Crap and double crap.
Wally was goggling at Artemis, his mouth hanging open. "What are you…how are you…? I mean…" He frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"Knitting! What's it look like I'm doing?" she snapped sarcastically, her defences already up.
But Wally was too confused to rise to the bait. Instead he sent Dick a questioning look.
"We have some extracurricular activities together," Dick told him pointedly, trying to let Wally know that Artemis knew he was Robin without revealing that they went to school together. Secrets were hard, especially when they were someone else's secrets.
"Oh." Wally's eyes took on a hurt look. "You didn't tell me that."
Dick knew what Wally was thinking; that Dick had revealed his secret ID to Artemis and not bothered to tell Wally something so huge. He bit his lip. He couldn't reassure Wally without outing Artemis.
After a long moment, Artemis gave a heavy sigh. "Alright, fine. Dick and I go to school together. We were just talking about his cast and the fact that it's exactly like one a friend of mine has. I thought it was pretty funny that they both have such a weird cast on the same arm."
Wally looked even more confused. "His cast? I don't…ohhhhhhh!" he exclaimed, comprehension dawning on his face. Then he frowned. "You go to school together?"
Dick had a feeling that if anyone was listening, they would be well and truly confused by this conversation. It was full of double meanings that wouldn't make a lick of sense. Which was fortunate because Bruce's scowl told Dick his guardian was less than happy with how this conversation was unfolding. They needed to sidetrack it before any potential eavesdroppers got suspicious.
"Yeah, I thought you knew that," Dick told Wally, shaking his head and frowning.
Wally took the hint to drop it. "Oh…yeah. I forgot."
He scowled suspiciously at Artemis and Dick knew that he would have this out with her afterwards. And while he hated that Artemis was now in the uncomfortable position of having to come up with a believable lie or else tell Wally a truth she didn't want to share, Dick was relieved to steer the conversation into safer territory.
"So," he grinned at Wally. "What did you say to get the security guard so riled up?"
Wally looked offended. "Hey, what makes you think it was me?"
"He didn't have any problem announcing Artemis."
"Are you serious?! He let her in but he had a problem letting me in? Why?"
"Maybe because you opened your mouth?" Artemis sniped, and Dick couldn't help but snicker. Annoying people was something of a Wally speciality. There was a good chance he had said something that had irritated the guard enough to try and get rid of him, instead of announcing him like he had Artemis.
Wally glared at her. "This coming from the girl who's probably better at hostile takeovers than she is at peaceful negotiation?"
"Like peaceful negotiation is an option with someone like you around!"
"You don't know what you're talking about, I'm a joy to be around!"
Dick started to laugh. God, he'd missed his friends.
oOo
When Dick came around the next afternoon after the surgery on his arm, Bruce was relieved to see that he finally looked comfortable; the awful, pinched look of pain he'd worn since he was rescued finally gone.
"You look better," he commented, taking Dick's hand and sitting on the edge of his bed.
"I feel better," Dick mumbled sleepily. "'S m'arm okay?
"It's going to be fine, kiddo. It will take longer to heal and you're going to need some intensive physio when the cast comes off, but there'll be no long-term repercussions."
"Cool." Dick blinked drowsily, the residual anaesthesia still clouding his eyes. "When can I go home?"
"I don't know yet. The doctors want to monitor you, remember?" It was obvious that Dick was eager to go home, and after the hell of the last few weeks, Bruce was anxious to take him home. But not until the doctors said he was ready. Bruce had been shaken by the reveal that Dick may have had a seizure while under the influence of the heroin, and that he could still be susceptible to one, so for once, he was going to heed the doctors and not discharge Dick early just because he wanted to take him home.
Dick didn't exactly look thrilled by Bruce's answer, but he didn't argue about it either. Bruce guessed he was still exhausted by his ordeal and didn't have the energy to engage in his usual protests against being bedbound.
The billionaire surreptitiously clenched the hand that wasn't holding onto Dick's. He was still seething at the violence that had been inflicted on his child. That the men responsible were denied bail this morning did nothing to allay that rage because some primal part of Bruce wanted blood for what they'd done, even though the rational part of him kept insisting that wasn't how justice worked. It was hard to listen to reason when his son had suffered so much.
"Where's Alfred?" Dick wanted to know.
"He went home an hour ago, because he needs to fetch some paperwork for Kevin Green. But he'll be back later, okay?"
"What paperwork? I thought CPS had dropped the charges?"
There was a hint of panic in Dick's voice and Bruce rushed to soothe him. "They have, kiddo. That's all over and no one is going to take you from me again, I promise. Kevin is just tying up some loose ends, that's all."
And putting in motion the means to ensure reporters never harass you again, Bruce added silently. He didn't want to mention it to the exhausted boy just yet. The less Dick had to worry or think about in his current state the better. It hadn't escaped Bruce's notice that he was more overwrought than usual. Dick's neurologist, Dr. Phillips, had assured him that Dick's somewhat tumultuous emotional state was probably as a result of his head injury; the amygdale – an area of the brain responsible for emotion – had been one of the regions affected by the ICP. He'd told Bruce that once Dick had fully recovered, it should no longer be an issue.
Bruce scowled to himself. Dick should be in a better state than this. What those bastards had done to him had created problems that would prolong the boy's recovery, and God, how he longed to make them pay.
"You're really sure it's all over?" Dick pressed, and the naked fear in his voice made Bruce flinch because he knew only too well what that fear felt like. It had been terrifying to think he might lose Dick to the system, and now that he had him back, Bruce was going to make sure he never lost him again. Even if doing so meant Robin would never fly again.
"I'm one hundred percent certain, kiddo," he replied firmly.
Dick smiled in relief and squeezed Bruce's hand. The billionaire squeezed gently back just as a knock sounded at the door.
"Mr. Wayne?" said a security guard, popping his head around the door. "I have some people here who are asking to see your boy."
Bruce frowned. Dick needed to rest. The visit with Wally and Artemis the day before had left him utterly exhausted. "Who is it?"
"They said their names are Dana and Nate."
Shit. Bruce hadn't had time to tell Dick about Nate's role in his kidnapping; Artemis had interrupted before he could answer the boy's question about how his kidnappers had found him, and then Wally had arrived. Dick had fallen asleep almost immediately after they left, so between that and the surgery this morning there had been no time to fill him in. Bruce was more than a little angry at Dana for coming without calling. She'd assured him she would call first, and that she'd give Dick a few days to recover!
He glanced at Dick, who was now sitting upright on the bed, looking surprised and a little worried, gnawing at his bottom lip with his teeth. "Why are they here?" he asked Bruce anxiously. "Is this something to do with CPS?"
Dammit. Despite Bruce's assurances, Dick was still on edge about that. "Dick, I promise, this has nothing to do with that. You can send them in," he directed to the security guard.
The guard's head disappeared and seconds later, Dana and Nate appeared in the doorway.
"Mr. Wayne, I'm so sorry to just arrive like this," Dana apologized at once. "I've been calling but I kept getting your voicemail."
"My phone is dead," Bruce explained, gesturing to where the device was plugged in. "I wasn't expecting any calls today," he added pointedly.
"I know and I'm sorry," said Dana again. "But Nate was quite anxious to see Dick."
Her tone was weighted with meaning, and Bruce's eyes went to the teenager standing beside her. Nate was pale, even paler than Dick, with dark circles beneath his eyes. His hair was rumpled while his face carried a wild, panicked look. Bruce frowned when he spotted blood on his shirt and a bandage on his right hand. Something had clearly happened.
He nodded for them to enter, and Dana smiled at Dick as they approached the bed. "Hi, sweetheart, how are you feeling?" she greeted Dick softly.
Dick returned the smile. "Much better, thanks, Dana. Hi, Nate," he added to the older boy.
Nate just stared at him before blurting, "I'm sorry!"
Dick blinked. "Nate, what–?"
"I'm sorry!" Nate babbled again, his whole stature full of nothing but nerves and tension. "I swear, I didn't mean for this to happen! I–"
"Nate," Bruce cut across him, quietly but firmly. "Dick doesn't know."
The teenager looked like he'd been slapped. "He…doesn't know?"
"Know what?" Dick demanded, although Bruce saw an edge of comprehension and disbelief dawn on his face.
"It was my fault you got kidnapped," Nate cut in before Bruce could explain. "It was all my fault!"
Dick stared at him. "You…what?"
"I told my friends, I told my friends you were staying with us," Nate said in a rush. "One of them– his dad– they did it! Dick, I'm really sorry, man! I'm so sorry!"
Dick didn't respond, just remained staring at Nate. Bruce could see him struggling to come to terms with the reveal.
"I'm sorry," repeated Nate in a whisper.
"It's not your fault," Bruce spoke up, surprising everyone, including himself – he'd been so angry at Nate after Dick was kidnapped. But it was hard to stay angry when the boy was so clearly wracked with guilt over it. "Yes, you told your friends that Dick was staying with you, but you had no reason to think that anything like this would happen, and you certainly didn't intend for him to get hurt. Not to mention the fact that your honesty was what saved Dick. The police wouldn't have been able to find him if you hadn't spoken up."
Bruce didn't add that if Nate hadn't spoken up, Dick would be dead right now. He had a feeling that knowledge would only increase the boy's guilt tenfold.
Nate's lower lip was trembling. "But if I'd k-kept quiet like Dana told us to, this wouldn't have happened…"
"Maybe not," Bruce conceded. "But you still didn't mean for any of this to happen, and you spoke up when it mattered. That's what counts."
Nate stared at Bruce with wide, haunted eyes.
"Bruce is right, Nate," said Dick finally, his voice quiet. "I know you didn't mean for this to happen."
"I'm…I'm really sorry," Nate whispered.
"It's okay, Nate. I don't blame you," said Dick, giving the older boy a reassuring smile.
Bruce hid a small smile of his own. He had never been prouder of Dick than he was at that moment. Despite the hell he had suffered on account of Nate's thoughtlessness, Dick still didn't blame the other boy. Bruce knew Dick could see the guilt that was eating at Nate and wanted only to make him feel better. His actions reminded Bruce of just how strong a sense of right and wrong Dick had, despite his age. His inherent sense of fair play was what made him such a good crime-fighter.
For the first time since Bruce had decided to retire Robin, a little nugget of doubt crept in.
"You should blame me," said Nate miserably. "I deserve it."
"I don't think you do," Dick insisted. "You told your friends about me before I tutored you, didn't you?"
Nate nodded, shamefaced.
"So that means you didn't know that kidnapping could be a threat when you said it to them, because we didn't talk about kidnapping until after your geometry test." A look of understanding crossed Dick's face. "Wait a minute, that's why you were so freaked out when I told you about being kidnapped before!"
Nate nodded again. "I was gonna tell Dana what I'd done after that, but…but those guys showed up first." He swallowed, the bleakness in his eyes unsettling on such a young face. "I…I just wish I could take it back."
Dick shot Bruce and Dana a helpless look. "Nate, please don't blame yourself for what a bunch of jerks did."
"But it's my fault! They wouldn't have known where to find you if it wasn't for me! You ended up in the hospital because of me!"
"I also ended up back with Bruce because of you," Dick rejoined quietly.
Nate jerked a little. "Huh? How?"
"CPS dropped their investigation. And I don't think they would have done that if this hadn't happened."
"Dick is right," Bruce spoke up. "His kidnapping helped CPS to realize that Dick is safer in my care." Not to mention that it gave Margaret Elliot a chance to see firsthand how much Dick mattered to him in the ER.
"So if you think about it, I should really be thanking you," Dick concluded.
"I…" Nate glanced at Dana in confusion. Bruce could tell that he clearly hadn't been expecting this response.
Dana put a hand on his shoulder. "It's like I've been telling you, sweetie, this wasn't your fault."
"But…I'm the reason those guys knew where to find Dick…"
"That doesn't make you responsible for their actions," Bruce pointed out gruffly. He could see that Nate's distress was upsetting Dick, and he wanted that helpless expression off his child's face. "You're only responsible for your own actions, which you were brave enough to own up to. You have nothing to feel guilty about."
"So please stop feeling bad," Dick added.
The older teenager slumped from the tense, rigid pose he'd been holding. He shook his head at Dick. "I don't get it – why don't you hate me? I'd hate me; I was a total jerk to you even before all this."
"And you apologized for that," Dick countered. "We just got off on the wrong foot, that's all. I have no reason to hate you, Nate."
Nate chewed on his lip. "You really don't think it's my fault?"
Dick gave an emphatic head shake. "Definitely not."
"Thanks, Dick," said Nate quietly. "That's really cool of you."
"So, do you think you can stop blaming yourself now?" Dana asked, squeezing Nate's shoulder before removing her hand.
Nate gave an awkward shrug in response. Bruce could tell that while he wasn't so riddled with guilt as he had been when he'd entered the room, he still felt responsible. It was progress for a boy who, up until a few months ago, spent his free time boosting cars and vandalizing property. Bruce wished that more boys in Nate's situation could meet people like Dana. Maybe then fewer of them would grow up to be criminals that Batman had to put away.
"Hey, Nate, what happened to your hand?" asked Dick, changing the subject suddenly.
The older boy glanced down at the bandaged appendage and grimaced. "Um…I sort of hit something."
"What did you hit?"
"A mirror," Nate mumbled sheepishly.
Dick looked appalled. "What! Seriously? Nate!"
"I know, I know! It was a stupid move."
"One that he won't pull again because he's learned his lesson, isn't that right, Nate?" Dana cut in, her eyebrows pointed and stern.
The teenager nodded and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry I caused such trouble."
Her face softened. "It's alright, honey. Just so long as you don't do it again; I was worried about you."
"You were?" Nate seemed surprised.
Dana clucked. "Of course I was. Nate, you're part of our family now and that means we care about what happens to you!"
Nate looked like he didn't know what to say to that. Dana sighed and squeezed his arm. "We'll talk about this more at home, okay? For now, you've seen Dick and I think it's time we let him get some rest, okay?"
Nate nodded and gave her a small smile, which Dana returned before turning to Dick and grasping his good hand gently. "Dick, sweetie, I'm really glad you're okay. It was lovely having you stay with us, but I'm much happier to see you going home with Mr. Wayne again."
"Me too," Dick agreed. "But thanks for being so nice to me, Dana. I'd like to call and see you sometime, if that's okay?"
"You are welcome anytime, sweetheart," she said, giving him a hug. "But just concentrate on getting well first, alright?"
Dick nodded.
"Mr. Wayne," Dana turned to face Bruce while Nate said his goodbyes to Dick. "I'm very grateful to you for letting us see Dick. Thank you."
"It's alright. I get the feeling you were here anyway." He glanced meaningfully at Nate's bandaged hand as they walked away from the bed and towards the door.
She sighed and nodded. "I was in the ER when I started calling you. When Nate put his hand through that mirror, I realized that the only thing that would calm him down was letting him see Dick. I know that sounds strange but he's been in such a state ever since Dick was kidnapped, and it doesn't help that he has so many issues – being the bad guy or the bully is a big one. It mightn't seem that big to anyone else, but Nate is terrified of turning out like his stepfather."
"Somehow I don't think that will happen under your influence."
She smiled warmly. "Thank you for that vote of confidence, Mr. Wayne."
"I thought we agreed you'd call me Bruce?"
She laughed. "What can I say, I thought it best to err on the side of caution since we called uninvited!"
"Uninvited does not mean unwelcome," Bruce replied.
Nate joined them and looked up nervously at Bruce. "Thanks for letting me see Dick, Mr. Wayne."
"You're welcome." Bruce held out his hand. "And thank you for speaking up when it mattered. Dick is safe because you did."
Nate stared nervously at Bruce's outstretched hand for a moment before gingerly shaking it.
"It's okay to make mistakes, Nate," Bruce told him. "We all make mistakes. The important thing is taking responsibility for them. Remember that, okay?"
Nate nodded and turned to Dana.
"Let's go home, honey," she said, throwing an arm around his shoulder.
With a wave, they both left and Bruce returned to the bed. "Are you okay?" he asked. Dick was resting against his pillows once more, looking a little pale and tired.
Dick nodded. "Do you think Nate will be okay?"
"Nate will be fine; he's in good hands with Dana. I'm more concerned about you." Bruce arched a questioning eyebrow as he stared down at Dick. It couldn't have been easy to discover how his kidnapping came about.
"I'm fine, Bruce. Honest. I actually feel better knowing it was an accident and that someone didn't sell me out to those guys on purpose. I thought that was what happened."
It hurt Bruce that that was what Dick had assumed, even if his money meant that would always be a sickening possibility. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled Dick into a tight hug. "Well, I'm going to make sure nothing like this ever happens again, okay, kiddo? I promise."
Bruce could feel Dick return the hug and nod against his chest. He just hoped that Dick would understand that his promise applied to Robin too.