"We never deviate from the plan!" Bruce shouted.
"You were going to die," Dick shouted back.
"You do not put yourself in harm's way for me. If I get hurt, it's on me! If I die, it's on me! It's the risk that I take, not you!"
"Breathe in," Alfred said. Bruce sat on an examination table in the infirmary wing of the Batcave. His cowl and shirt were off, revealing severe bruises and years-old scars. Alfred held a stethoscope to Bruce's back.
"We both take risks out there, Bruce," Dick said. His domino mask, cape and gloves lay on a chair nearby. "If I'm gonna be your partner out there, then you gotta trust me to help!"
Bruce stopped himself from shouting again. He took another breath, but just to calm himself down. "I will not risk you ending up dead on my watch out there. Do not ever disobey me like that again. Or you will be permanently benched. Is that clear?"
"Clear," Dick said. He gave up. Arguing with him was getting nowhere. "I'm sorry I didn't get the tracer on the truck."
Bruce inhaled slowly, and exhaled, finally complying with Alfred. "It's okay. You did the right thing. You focused on saving lives. That's what's important."
"Like how I saved your life?" Dick couldn't help himself but get one more word in about it.
Bruce glared at him. "Hit the showers and get something to eat. You're done tonight."
Dick made a face and picked up his gloves, mask and cape from the chair and walked away.
Alfred waited a moment for Dick to leave. "He's right, you know."
"About what?"
Alfred moved the stethoscope to a different spot on Bruce's back. "Breathe in," he said.
Bruce did.
"If he's going to be your partner on the streets then you need to trust him. He's very smart and capable for his age. You know this." Alfred moved a hand to Bruce's side.
Bruce winced. "Broken ribs?"
"It feels like just one."
"I do trust him," Bruce said. "It's just that he doesn't need to be taking unnecessary risks. I can't let him get hurt out there."
"Then why have him involved in your war?" Alfred said. He removed the stethoscope from his ears and laid it on a tray with other medical supplies. "When we agreed to take this boy in, it was to give him guidance. A family."
"And an outlet for the anger," Bruce said. "To make the pain a little easier."
"And whose pain, Bruce? His? Or yours? Are you trying to give him something you wished you had when you were his age? Or do you just see yourself in that boy? And you would do anything in the world to protect him."
Bruce was quiet for a long moment while Alfred began putting away the medical supplies. "Maybe both," he said.
"You can't keep doing this alone, Sir. And you can't keep one eye on him and also focus on the criminals in front of you. That's not how a team operates. You've got to rely on him to help you if you're going to have him at your side. Your attention divided will get you killed."
"I'm the one who started this mission. It's my risk to take. If I die, it's okay."
"No, Sir, it's not okay," Alfred said. He stopped handling his medical instruments and turned to Bruce. "You and that boy are now the most important people in each other's lives. The two of you are family now. Your life is just as important to him as his is to you. You must start acting like true partners."
Bruce stood up from the examination table and stretched his sides. "The three of us," he said. "The three of us are family."
Alfred smiled and finished cleaning up.