A/N: Tim is slowly recovering from being in Devlin's clutches a second time. With Samantha now part of the family, and Tim determined to marry her, Jason and Dick have taken it upon themselves to teach Tim how to please a woman without Bruce knowing about it. Something powerful happens and two brothers are in hot water with their father. Dick and Jason decide they had better keep out of Bruce's way for a while by taking a case that leads them out of Gotham. The case however has to be interrupted when word reaches them that Tim has a life threatening illness or is it? And has that case actually come to Gotham?
New Life, Death, and Soul Easters
by
AJRedRobin and JasonToddLover
Part 7: Witness
Dick plugged in the address in the GPS and they were soon driving to a south-side neighborhood. The place was about as average as you can get. The house was an old craftsman style with a front porch and a porch swing. There was a crucifix for a doorknocker. They could also see one through the curtains hanging covering the window of the door into the foyer just beyond the front door. Jason didn't hesitate to knock.
"Yes?" A woman's voice stated before they saw the woman approach. "Who's there?" Jason looked over at Dick. He was the one with the badge.
"I'm officer Grayson from the GCPD. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions."
"GCPD?" Mrs. Wise asked. "What would the Gotham Police be doing in Chicago?"
"We have a couple of cases back in Gotham, like the ones here. About the children getting sick then disappearing?" Dick started to lie. Jason better pick up on it.
"Yes," Jason answered. "In fact our brother became ill just yesterday. And one of his friends. His friend disappeared last night."
Dick gave Jason a strange look. It was the only thing he could come up with.
"All right," Mrs. Wise said, sniffling. "I'll give you a few minutes."
Dick and Jason could hear the woman throw a bolt from the other side of the door. The woman opened the door. She was a petite woman with ash-blond hair that was pulled up into a bun. Her eyes were red from crying. Jason and Dick stepped inside and followed her into the living room. She motioned them to sit.
"What do you want to know?" Mrs. Wise questioned as she dabbed her nose with a tissue.
"Before Eric...disappeared...did he happen to get sick?" Dick questioned.
"It came on sudden. It was four days ago. He was fine then the next day he was sick. I took him to the hospital and . . . And two days later he was gone . . . He disappeared and no one will tell me anything."
"No one? They didn't see anything?" Dick became suspicious. "They are supposed to tell you what happened. What did the doctor say?"
"At first they said he had leukemia and to take him home. I did, but he was gone in two days. He wasn't in his bed."
"How was that possible?" Jason questioned.
Dick continued to question Mrs. Wise. "And they couldn't tell you anything about his disappearance? No one saw anyone walk in or out of his hospital room?"
"No . . I took him home," said Mrs. Wise. "He disappeared from his own bed."
Dick glanced over at Jason.
"I . . . I saw something." A young boy entered the room.
"Peter?" Mrs. Wise frowned. "Shouldn't you be studying your bible verses?"
"It's all right, Mrs. Wise," Dick stated. "Hey little guy." Dick waved to Peter.
'Gee, he's smaller than Tim,' Jason thought. 'And he's the older of the two?'
'I guess so...wait..how am I still able to hear Jason?'
Jason looked over at Dick. 'What?'
Dick turned back to the kid and resumed his questioning. He would figure it out later. "You said you saw something."
"Yeah. I thought I was having a nightmare," Peter explained. "We share the same room. I sleep on the top bunk. My kid brother doesn't like heights."
"What did you see?"
"I saw . . . . You promise not to laugh."
"I won't," Dick promised. He noticed that the kid seemed pretty shaken up.
"The person was really tall and he wore a dark robe and he looked like one of those things that eat your soul in Harry Potter."
"A death eater?" Dick found it odd the way the kid described something. He had no proof that the kid was lying so he continued his questioning. He had seen so many strange things in his life that it was possible the kid was telling the truth. "What was it doing in your room?"
"Peter, what did I tell you about watching that stuff," Mrs. Wise stated, a scowl on her face. "That's evil. God will punish you."
'Jason, that kid seems pretty sure of what he saw. His mother isn't helping.'
"I didn't make it up Mom," Peter stated with conviction. "I saw it bending over Eric . . . I saw white stuff coming out of Eric's mouth."
"That's enough . . . Go get your Bible," Mrs. Wise ordered. "I will tell you what passages to read. . . . I'm sorry . . . My son has . . . Quite an imagination. I'm sure Eric was kidnapped by some real human being, not some made up creature like that Batman in Gotham. I brought my children here to get away for such nonsense."
"That's understandable," Dick stated. "I think that's all the questions we have to ask for now." Dick looked over at Jason. 'Anything else?'
Jason gave a quick shake of his head as if to shake off a nat. 'No.'
"Thank you for your time." Dick stood up and shook the woman's hand. Mrs. Wise showed the two men to the front door and they headed back to the car. "We need to talk to Peter with out his mother knowing, but first, who dresses like a death eater to kidnap children?"
"A Harry Potter reject?" Jason answered.
"I'm pretty sure that person is not dressing up and telling these children they are wizards." Dick shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine. Do you have your laptop?"
"It's in my bag."
"Well, maybe we go back to the apartment and do some research," Jason suggested. "We come back tonight in night gear and talk to the kid again. Maybe he knows more. He acted as if he did, but his mother interfered."
Dick got into the car and started for the apartment. 'This is going to be a very interesting mission.'
"I hope that apartment has a hook-up to the cave or even Oracle."
"Knowing Bruce it will. We just need to find it."
DJDJDJDJDJDJD
"Hello Tim," Dr. Leslie approached Tim's bed seeing that he was awake.
Tim held up his arm. "It had to be you or Alfred that took blood from me while I slept."
"I did. Bruce was very worried. I'm afraid you are very sick."
"Give it to me straight, I'm 15 not five."
"You have leukemia." Dr, Leslie stated.
That was something that Tim did not expect to here. It was just last year that he suffered the Clench, right before Bruce had disappeared. "How long?"
"Six months to a year without treatment."
"And with treatment?"
"We may be able to stretch it to two."
"Are there any options?"
"Bone Marrow transplant."
"And only if it matches, primarily from a relative. What if it doesn't?"
"We keep searching."
"I may not live to see that," Tim stated.
"We're doing everything we can. You get some rest. "
"Yeah." Tim turned over away from Dr, Leslie and silently cried. 'I going to die. This is going to kill Dick.'
DTDTDTDTDTDT
"Dick . . . Hey." Jason waved his hand in front of Dick's face, getting his attention. "You zoned out there for a moment. I was asking if you wanted to get some lunch."
"Sorry," Dick closed my eyes tightly for a second. "I must have fallen asleep."
"A likely story," Jason scoffed. "You were looking toward home. And you whispered Tim's name. Spill."
"He . . . he's dying," Dick's heart started to ache. 'It . . . It can't be true.'"
Jason slammed on the breaks. "WHAT! What do you mean he's dying? If this is some kind of joke . . . "
Dick braced himself. "Jason I wouldn't joke about that! My brother is dying and I'm all the way out here! I can feel he is in distress about this! I need to get a hold of someone now! Get us back to the apartment."
Jason put the car back in gear and started driving. He didn't want to admit it, but Tim was coming into his thoughts as well. Something was obviously wrong. He thought it had to do with this case, but with Dick being able to sense Tim, now he wasn't so sure. Jason pulled up to the apartment and Dick jumped out before he could park the car.
"Hey . . . Wait for me."
"Hurry up."
Jason finished parking the car and ran after Dick. Dick unlocked and opened the door to the apartment and went to grab his cell and dialed Bruce's number.
Bruce heard his phone ring and looked at the name. He answered it, not expecting to hear from his oldest son. He thought he was going to have to wait until Dick returned to tell him the news about Tim.
"Dick?"
Dick got straight to the point.
"Timmy...what's wrong with him."
"Timmy? Wait, how did you know?" Bruce questioned.
"I . . . I don't know. I've seen it some how. What's going on Bruce?"
Bruce could feel his throat tightening. "Tim . . ." Bruce choked on the words. "Tim has leukemia." There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Dick . . .Dick are you there?"
Dick started to cry. "How . . ."
"I don't know . . . Probably do to all the compromises to his body . . . The blood losses . . . His immune system just couldn't cope. Dick . . .talk to me . . ."
"Dick?" Jason came in and saw Dick's face go pale.
"What...what do we need to do?" Dick questioned.
"Dr. Leslie says he needs a bone marrow transplant."
"Dick, what's going on?" Jason questioned. Dick put his cellphone on speaker phone so Jason could listen in. "Do...do we need to come back?"
"Yes, Dick. She's given him six months to a year."
"That's so soon," Dick replied. "Alright I'm coming home. Jay are you coming?"
"Hell will have to freeze over to stop me," Jason replied. "Let's get going then. This case doesn't matter right now. We'll send what we have to the Chicago Police and if they can't handle it. They better get some cape to do it for them."
Jason flashed off a quick anonymous email, then he went into the bedroom that he slept in and threw everything in a bag. "You ready?"
Dick went to grab his bag. 'How...how can Tim come down with leukemia?' Dick almost started to cry again.
"Come on big brother," Jason said softly. "I'll drive us to the airport."
Continues With Part 8