Chapter 10

STATEMENT OF: JASON PETER TODD

I don't remember much of the ride to Wayne Manor. I was still pretty punchy from everything that happened. My Dad...I've always been pretty...what do they call it? Independent. Yeah, independent. I been makin' my own meals an' Dad's since before Mom died. Dad would be out on a job or just gone and Mom'd be high on somethin'. If I wanted food, I hadda make it myself. An' sometimes I hadda get it myself too, if you know what I mean. Good thing I was a cute kid before I shot up an' got tall. Ladies useta feed me because they couldn't stand ta see me cry.

Once I got my growth spurt all that was over. I was just another kid who shoulda been in school. I useta go into big stores an' get me one o'those five finger discounts, only I stole bread, not comics or nuthin'. I was really careful not to tell Wayne that I was a thief. He mighta changed his mind about me and then POW! off ta foster care and Ms. Simms for me.

Dickiebird, he treated me like a long lost brother. He made sure I was comfortable in my room an' I had everything I wanted. Everything I wanted, huh! The place was like a f$#$ing palace. Hey! Dickie, wha'd that transcribin' machine do with that last word?

(DG) Batman programmed it to exclude bad words. Looks like it's working.

(JT) What? Y'mean if I say s$ t or d #n then it's gonna put funny characters in instead?

(DG) Yeah. Just look.

(JT) Well, f$#$ on that! Okay, okay, where was I?

(DG) You were talking about Wayne Manor.

(JT) Oh yeah. Well, the room was pretty fancy and it was the first time I ever had my own bathroom. Dad and I always had ta share with the other people on the floor where we were renting. So, this old butler gave me some of Dick's pajamas and asked was I hungry. At that point it was really starting ta hit me that my Dad was really dead. I was all alone. Dad wasn't much, but he was my Dad an' we looked out for each other. So I just kinda looked up at this old guy and couldn't say a #$% ^$ word. He leaned down and he hugged me. I din't know what ta do. I hug him back an' I drop those fancy jammies straight ta the floor. I think he figured it out, Alfred did. He took the pajamas away from me and put 'em on the dresser, then he said, "I think that you might enjoy a cup of cocoa, young sir."

He put a hand on my shoulder and kinda steered me downstairs into the shiniest kitchen I ever seen. He sat me down on a chair and made cocoa. Now, I don't mean he microwaved some milk and stirred in some Nestle's. Nope, he shaved off a chocolate bar an' melted it, then poured in milk from a bottle, then he took this wooden thing he called a frother an' spun that around in the chocolate. He handed me this huge mug of foamy hot chocolate with mini marshmallows in it. I din't know whether ta drink it or just look at it.

"Go ahead, Master Jason," he said. "Try it."

I did an' it was the best d #$%d coca I ever had. I was about half way through it when Dickie came in. He was findin' his way around much better than he had in the warehouse; I guess he knew the house and could find his way.

"Smells like Alfie's cocoa," he said. "C'n I have some?"

"Sit down, Master Dick, and I will prepare some for you too," the old guy said and went through the whole rigamarole again.

"Why dontcha just buy a mix an' stir it inta milk?" I asked. I mean, it's weird ta fix all this stuff for just a couple guys. "Wouldn't it be faster?"

The old guy, Alfie, got this look like he smelled somethin' bad. "I do not believe in cutting corners, Master Jason. The day I resort to packet mixes is the day I retire." An' he kinda sniffed.

"You gotta admit, this is really good cocoa," Dickie said, slurping his down. "I like the marshmallows."

"So do I," I said and finished off the rest of the cupful. Then I yawned. Suddenly I felt really sleepy.

"I think it's time for bed, Master Jason," Alf said. An' he took me back upstairs to my room an' put me into those jammies. I ain't had nobody help me put on my clothes since I don't know when. Next thing I knew, he'd put me to bed and pulled up the covers. Bed was nice, really soft. And the next thing I knew, it was morning.

BATMAN'S JOURNAL

At my request, Alfred drugged Jason's cocoa. I wanted to take Dick downstairs to the cave and have Alfred examine him using the medical equipment there. Being Dick, he denied having any injuries, but I noted the bruising on his throat and wanted to be sure.

I also wanted a thorough debrief from him about our new guest, Jason. I had understood from Dick's body language and behavior that Jason was an ally, perhaps a friend. Now was the time to find out more.

"His Dad worked for the gang," Dick said hoarsely while Alfred took x-rays and an MRI of his neck area. "His Mom died from a drug overdose and his Dad has been taking care of him ever since."

"With periods spent on the streets when his father was in jail, I imagine," I said. I had pulled my cowl off for comfort. It had been a very long two days. "He seems very streetwise."

"But he's not a crook," Dick insisted, then was silenced as Alfred inserted a naso-pharyngeal camera to examine his larynx from the inside. A moment later, Dick gagged and said, "I hate it when you do that! I told you, I'm fine!"

"You are fortunate, lad, that you are, as you put it, 'okay'," Alfred said drily. "But I see no fractures and nothing worse than some swelling. It should clear in a few days. Do try not to get yourself throttled by criminals when you are not in costume and wearing your gorget."

Alfred's comment reminded me, yet again, of the dangers to Bruce Wayne's son. Simply by being important to me, Dick remains at risk of kidnap. "Dick, you know how dangerous it is for you, just being my son. Maybe you should go away to school, after all."

Dick got very still. "I won't be any safer among strangers," he grated. "If Batman can't protect me, nobody can. And besides, without Phoenix, who'll protect you?

"If you went away, Dick, you might be safer," I lowered my voice. Sometimes Dick listens better when I don't push too hard.

"No, Bruce," Dick said, looking like he was tearing up. "I'm not going away to some blind school."

I went over to sit next to him on the examining table. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. "I'm sorry, Dick," I said, trying to find the right words. "I was just...worried...about you. Two-Face had you and I didn't know whether he knew about Robin. I got a second chance when Two-Face almost killed you. I was...afraid. You could have died tonight."

Dick snuggled against me, pulling the cape over us both. In a muffled voice, he said, "But I didn't die. The team was great. And Jason was there, too." He paused, then said, "thanks for taking him in, Bruce. Jason is more than just an ally, he's a friend now. And he's pretty smart. You could do worse than train him to be Robin."

"I'm not looking to replace you!" I gave Dick a brief shake to emphasize my point. "I'm still looking for treatments for you. Someday we'll find a cure and you'll be back on duty."

I heard a snort from under the cape. "When I'm eighty? I'll look real good in the boots and cape then. You don't have any cures for me, do you? If you did, you'd have said so."

I bit my lip, remembering an e-mail from Dr. Mid-Nite that I'd seen recently. A surgery, using Thanagarian technology to renew damaged brain cells. It had never been tried on humans and could kill as easily as it would heal. "Nothing I want to try right now," I finally said. Dick said nothing, so I pulled the cape aside. He looked sad and disappointed.

"So, what about Jason?" Dick asked.

"What about Jason?" I replied. "He'll stay here until we can find a permanent placement for him."

"Why not here?" Dick asked. "I've always wanted a brother."

The sheer enormity of the problems that would cause made me speechless for a moment. Bring a strange boy into this secretive world we occupied could destroy Batman's anonymity, not to mention the rest of the League. Dick's face was so very hopeful that I couldn't crush him. "Let's get to know him better, son. Then we'll see."

STATEMENT OF: JASON PETER TODD

...An' so I wake up in this huge bedroom that looks even bigger by daylight. The next thing I know, Alf is knocking at the door with a pile of clothes draped over his arm.

"Master Jason, I took the liberty of looking out some clothing for you. You are stockier than Master Dick, but I think some of his older clothing might fit you. We shall go today to the shops and outfit you properly." An' he starts piling all these practically new jeans an' shirts on top of the dresser. I tell ya, I never had anything new in my life. We always went ta the Goodwill or the Salvation Army for our duds an' that was good enough, y'know? Everything was worn in already.

I took the longest shower of my life with nobody bangin' on the door tellin' me I'm usin' all the hot water, then I got dressed in some of Dickie's old rags. Lookin' at myself in the mirror, I almost didn't recognize me. But I was hungry, so I went downstairs to see if the food was as good as the cocoa.

Dickie was already there, eatin' cereal. Crocky Crunch, we never bought that expensive stuff. Breakfast, if we ever bothered, was mostly leftovers from dinner.

"Hey Jason!" Dickie says through a mouthful of cereal. "G'morning. Wan' some cereal?" An' he picks up the box an' shakes it.

"Naw, I'll some of whatever Alfie is cookin' up," I said. A cooked breakfast. Last time I had one o' them was when I was little an' the neighbor ladies was feedin' me up. Then I stopped. "Hey, Dickiebird, how didja know it was me?"

Dickie jus' grinned. "I c'n tell by your steps, the way you sound when ya walk. It's like a fingerprint. Everybody walks differently."

I pulled up a chair an' sat down, really surprised that this kid thought like a detective or somethin'. 'Course I didn't know about the Secret , yet. "Oh," was all I could get out before Alf was dishin' up a big plate o'food in front of me. I know I'm talkin' a lot about food here, but ya gotta unnerstan', Alfie's food is good an' he gives ya a lot! It was eggs an' bacon an' potatoes an' some little fish he calls kippers. He said it was a 'full English breakfast' or somethin'. I don' care what he calls it, I just ate it till I was stuffed.

Dickie, he just ate his cereal an' listened ta me eat and kinda giggled. Then Mr. Wayne came in an' sat down.

"Good morning, Jason," he said and picked up the coffee Alfie'd just poured for him. "Good breakfast?" he said and kinda grinned. "It looks good. I think I'll have the same, Alfred."

So pretty soon, he and I are both diggin' in. It was kinda, well, nice. Like havin' a family. I could get used ta this, I thought ta myself.