Chapter 4
Bruce arrives at Happy Harbor Hospital quickly, Alfred is at his side. Upon his arrival, he sees Oliver and Dinah on one side of the room, Barry is pacing manically. Bruce spots Clark sitting toward the middle and approaches him quickly.
"Clark?" Bruce questions. Clark looks up at him, being pulled from his thoughts. "Any news?" Clark looks down and shakes his head.
"I'm sorry, Bruce. They haven't said anything." Clark explains. "Not for any of them." Bruce's eyes narrow.
"Who all was hurt?" Bruce asks.
"Wally, Dick, and Roy." Clark explains. Dinah notices Bruce and stands, walking over.
"The attacker managed to escape, disappearing into the shadows." Dinah explains. "The base is being searched now by League members and the team." Bruce nods in acknowledgment.
"Thank you for the update, Dinah." Bruce says. Dinah nods and turns, walking back over to Oliver and sits beside him, crossing her leg. Oliver places an arm around her. She looks at him, seeing his attention is on the floor, a slight glistening in his eyes.
"He's going to be alright… I'm sure they all will be…" Dinah says. She brings a hand up to brush his bangs out of his eyes, placing a hand on his cheek and makes him turn his face to look at her. "I know you're agnostic, but perhaps a prayer will help you feel better." He nods a little, taking her hands and they bow their heads. Dinah mumbles a little prayer softly in hopes of helping him feel better. "Please, oh Lord, watch over everyone in this hospital. Please help them in their recovery and provide sanctuary as you always do. We thank You Lord for hearing our prayer. Amen."
"Amen." Oliver repeats. He sighs, leaning his head on Dinah's shoulder. She brings a hand up and strokes the side of his head comfortingly.
"No matter what, I'm here for you, and for Roy, and all the others. No matter what, we will all get through this." She says, leaning her head on his. It isn't long before the team arrives, what's left of them. Everyone but Kaldur takes a seat nearby Oliver and Dinah, really only recognizing them. Kaldur approaches Dinah and Oliver.
"We found no trace of the suspect, he seemed to just disappear. Superboy was unable to detect him with heat vision, but we found how he got in at least." Kaldur explains. "He came out of the Bioship, cameras caught him sneaking out of the ship and into our base. In our search, we found where Robin was first ambushed, in the bathroom nearest the main living area. It was far enough we didn't hear any scuffle unfortunately."
"Thank you for your report, Kaldur… We'll be sure to inform Batman." Dinah says. Kaldur nods and takes a seat with the others. Artemis has opted to sit next to Oliver. She looks at him, seeing how distraught he is. She reaches a hand back, though hesitates a moment, then just goes for it, rubbing his back softly.
"Family for Roy Harper." A doctor calls. Oliver looks up immediately and stands up, Dinah and Artemis do as well and the three approach, Artemis joins mostly to support her mentor, and she's started to care for Roy also, wants to make sure he's ok. "Good afternoon, I'm Doctor Shayk, may I ask your relation to the patient?"
"I'm Oliver Queen, I should be listed as his Power of Attorney since he's my ward. I took him in when he was fourteen." Oliver explains. "Date of birth, April sixteenth, nineteen-ninety-two." Oliver says. "This is my fiancé Dinah, and she," gesturing to Artemis, "is a friend of the family." The Doctor nods, looking at his chart, then looks back at them.
"Very good, follow me." The doctor says and leads the group away. Clark is able to listen easily, but he keeps their privacy. Conner however… The doctor enters a quiet room, letting the three in and shuts the door. "Well, it seems Roy is going to be fine. One of the knives came real close to the femoral artery and nicked it, but we were able to remove the blade and patch him up, though he shouldn't do rigorous activity until that heals. The other was on the opposite side of his leg and mostly hit into muscle and fat. He should recover quickly from that. We were able to stitch up his side just fine, his stomach wasn't punctured, so he's safe there. I can allow you to see him if you'd like."
"Yes, please." Oliver says. "How about the other two? His friends?" The doctor sighs out his nose, looking at them sympathetically.
"I don't know, and due to patient confidentiality, I couldn't tell you anyway." The doctor explains.
"I understand." Oliver says.
"Come with me, I'll show you to Roy's room." The doctor says and leads them out and through the hospital. Stepping into Roy's room, he currently has tubes through his nose to help him breathe as he comes out of anesthesia. Artemis sort of tilts her head a bit, it's strange seeing him asleep, he seems so peaceful and less… angry… If she didn't know better, she'd think he was a kid still. In a sense he is still a child, since he's only eighteen. Oliver steps to him immediately, taking his left hand. Dinah grabs a chair and brings it over to him, having him sit down. She and Artemis take a seat nearby as well.
In the emergency room, Conner turns to M'gann, talking to her telepathically about what he heard. She connects the others and tells them. They look between each other.
"Poor Roy… Poor Ollie, I know how much Roy means to him." M'gann telepathically says.
"Whoever these Court of Owls are, they're gonna pay…" Conner says.
"Nothing about Wally or Robin…" Kaldur mentions, looking down.
"I'm sure something will come through…" Zatanna says hopefully. Though she would admit to feeling a bit scared and worried. First her mother, then her father… Now three of her new friends, her new family? She brings her legs up onto the chair, curling up in a ball.
It's a few hours more before Wally's family arrives. Barry sees them come in and bolts over, though not with super speed. He hugs his wife Iris immediately.
"Any news about Wally…?" Mary, Wally's mother, asks. Her husband Rudy places his hands on her shoulders.
"We haven't gotten a word…" Barry says, pulling away from his wife to look at his in-laws. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Barry… Who… Who could have expected this would happen…?" Mary asks rhetorically. Iris rubs her sister in-law's back. "What even happened…?"
"I don't know. All I know is they were attacked by someone called the Court of Owls." Barry explains.
"Never heard of them…" Rudy comments.
"Neither have we. Batman has the most knowledge and even then, it's surprisingly scarce. No one knows who this Court of Owls is or if they really exist." Barry explains. Mary nods in understanding. They're about to take a seat when a doctor comes out.
"Family for Wallace West?" Another doctor calls, getting the family's attention. If everyone didn't know better, they'd think Mary was also a speedster given how fast she runs to the doctor.
"How's my baby? Is he ok?" Mary asks. Everyone catches up to her rather quickly though.
"Come with me so we can discuss privately." The doctor says and leads them off as well, entering a quiet room and shutting the door. Conner listens in again. "Ok, so, he's stabilizing, he's currently in the PICU, our intensive care unit for our pediatric patients. He's on a ventilator, two ribs in his back are cracked or broken, lungs punctured in those same spots. As I'm told, he was stabbed by throwing knives. We were able to remove them with little trouble and patch up the holes in his lungs, but he will have to avoid any strenuous activity for six to eight weeks to allow the lungs time to heal, but it may take longer for his ribs to heal. Thankfully neither were close to his spine, he'll be able to walk just fine."
"So… H-He's ok…? He'll live?" Mary asks, tearing up. Rudy hugs her from behind, she brings her arms up over his.
"Yes, he seems to be an incredibly strong young man, he should recover rather quickly." The doctor says. "He's definitely quite the fighter. Though he'll have to keep him in the hospital until his breathing improves."
"Ok… Ok, yea, that's… yea… whatever it takes…" Mary says. "When can we see him…?"
"Soon, Mrs. West, I promise. If you could return to the waiting room, I'll see what we can do about allowing you all back to see him." The doctor says. "I can give you all a moment to collect yourselves. I have another patient to check in on." With that, he walks out. Mary breaks down crying in her husband's arms. He has a tight hold of her, on the verge of tears himself. Iris hugs them both, as does Barry.
"I'm so sorry…" Barry says. "At least he should heal faster than normal humans being a speedster. And he's a resilient kid. He'll be fine." Conner tells the others what he overheard. The West-Allen returns to the waiting room, taking a seat on the other side of the room.
"At least he should be ok…" M'gann says.
"That much we can be grateful for." Kaldur states.
"Now it's just waiting on news about Robin." M'gann says.
"He'd be here under his civilian identity, we might not know for quite some time." Kaldur explains. M'gann looks down, closing her eyes. She connects to Artemis and tells her what Conner told them about Wally.
"So he's going to be fine…" Artemis replies, she sighs with relief, looking at Oliver and Dinah. "Wally's going to be ok. M'gann just told me." Dinah sighs with relief. Oliver smiles softly, also relieved. "Roy is going to be ok too. He's probably the least hurt of everybody..."
"We know… Conner was listening then too." M'gann says.
It feels like so long before the doctor comes out again, but unfortunately, it's not to deliver news about Dick. It's to allow the West family to see their kid since he's stabilized enough. Bruce has grown tired of waiting and stands up, approaching the front desk nurse.
"Excuse me, I am here for Richard Grayson. Is there any news, anything I could know? If he's ok?" Bruce asks. The nurse receptionist looks up at him.
"Date of birth?" The nurse asks.
"12/1/96." Bruce answers. She types on the computer then looks at him again.
"And your name?" The nurse asks further.
"Bruce Wayne." He answers. She nods and looks at the screen then back at him.
"Ok, looks like we still have no information at this time regarding his condition. I'm sorry." The Nurse states. It's so nerve-racking… Bruce tenses up but steps back.
"Thank you, miss." Bruce states quietly and walks back to Clark, sitting down. He rests his elbows on his knees and rests his head on his hands, his leg lightly bouncing up and down. Clark places a hand on Bruce's shoulder as a means of comforting him. Conner looks over, looking at Clark, something about him is familiar…
After another hour or so, In Wally's room, Wally opens his eyes, seeing his parents above him. He smiles at them through the oxygen mask, then his eyes widen and he tries to sit up, but he can barely move.
"Where's Rob…?!" Wally asks, his heart rate spiking. "Please tell me he's ok…!" Mary places a hand on his shoulder and has him lay back down, which isn't too hard given how frail he is right now.
"Wall… We don't know… No one's said anything to anyone about his condition." Barry explains.
"You need to calm down, sweetie, it's going to be ok…" Mary says, gently stroking his head, through his hair.
"You don't know that…" Wally says quietly, tearing up. "I can't lose him, mom… he's my best friend… he's everything I have…" Mary looks at him sadly, understanding how he feels. She knows just how close they are…
"I'm so sorry, Wally. I wish we had answers." Mary says, trying to sooth him. "I'm just glad you're safe… You won't be able to do much until your lungs heal, but you're safe…" She rests her hand on his cheek. Wally closes his eyes.
"Please, God, please…" Wally prays softly, a soft sob escapes his throat. "Watch over him…"
Finally, after a few more hours, a doctor comes out and calls for the family of Dick Grayson. Bruce and Alfred stand up immediately, approaching the doctor. She leads them to a quiet room and shuts the door.
"Let me start by saying, he is a miracle." The doctor says. "He nearly gave out on us twice, but we got him back. He's in the PICU in recovery. He has a break in his right hand, so we have that casted. The costal cartilage on rib five has been ripped, his lung was punctured, though it was on the very edge, we were able to patch him up there. Now on his left side, the blade went right next to the sternum, between the ribs, into the upper left ventricle." She explains, pointing to a chart for the heart where that would be. "He has a lot of fight in him, though we can't guarantee his heart will hold up constantly, but we're doing the best we can. We're hopeful that he'll pull through this."
"I want to see him." Bruce says.
"Unfortunately, he's still too unstable. I can call you back when we feel he can take visitors." The doctor states. Bruce clenches his fists but forces himself to relax.
"Fine. Can I see Mr. Wallace West? He's a friend of my son's." Bruce states.
"Wait here, I will ask." The doctor says, leaving the room.
"What are you planning, sir?" Alfred asks.
"Nothing. I simply want to inform him of Dick's condition." Bruce says. The doctor comes into Wally's room.
"I have a request from a Mister Bruce Wayne who would like to see your son." The doctor says to Mary and Rudy.
"Bruce Wayne?" Mary asks. "What would he want with our son?"
"He claims your son and his are friends. Richard Grayson?" The doctor says. Wally's eyes widen and he looks at the doctor.
"Yes… Please… Allow him…" Wally practically begs.
"Ok… Yea, I guess." Mary says. The doctor nods and leaves the room, soon Bruce enters the room with Alfred.
"My apologies to you and your family, Mr. West." Bruce states, looking down at Wally, then he looks at Mary and Rudy. "All medical expenses will be paid by the Wayne Foundation, and I will ensure he receives the best care possible. I'll even pay for a hotel in town so you can be close by."
"Oh… Wait, why?" Mary asks.
"For many reasons. I unfortunately can't reveal everything, but it's the least I can do. He matters a lot, especially to my son." Bruce explains. He looks at Wally again. "I understand you tried your best to keep him safe. I am thankful for your effort."
"How is he…? I-Is he alive at least…" Wally asks.
"Yes, he's alive. He's unstable, but they're hopeful." Bruce explains. Wally closes his eyes, pressing his head back, sighing with relief.
"It's my fault… That owl guy was aiming at me, but Dick pushed me away…" Wally explains. "Those blades would have gone right into my diaphragm… I'd have suffocated to death if not for him…"
"I understand…" Bruce says quietly. "I'm sorry this even happened at all, especially on Christmas of all days."
"Bruce…" Wally starts. "Please… Don't… Lock Dick away… Don't prevent him from leaving the house… He shouldn't be a prisoner…" Bruce is silent for a moment. "Please…" Bruce says nothing for a moment.
"If you'll excuse me." Bruce leaves the room. Alfred bows in farewell.
"So, how do you know his son?" Mary asks.
"It's… a bit complicated…" Wally says.
"I wasn't even aware Bruce Wayne had a son." Rudy comments.
"Dick is his ward, he took him in after a tragedy that took Dick's parents." Wally explains.
"Oh… Oh! That poor boy…" Mary says. Wally nods a bit.
"I can't imagine that pain, and I don't want to…" Wally says. Mary leans in and kisses his head. He closes his eyes. "Please be ok, Rob…"
Bruce also requests to see Roy Harper next and is given permission. He enters the room with Alfred.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Wayne?" Oliver asks.
"I came because I understand your ward, Roy, was hurt while with my ward." Bruce explains. "I came to offer my condolences and to help in any way I can financially, up to and including paying for all medical expenses and physical therapy. I can also set you three up on a hotel nearby."
"Thanks, but no thanks, I don't need your charity…" Roy states coldly.
"Roy, that's hardly polite." Oliver reprimands.
"I won't force you to take it. I simply want to help." Bruce states.
"And I'm to expect you're doing this out of the good of your heart? No one's that generous… Especially not rich people like you…" Roy mutters. Bruce sighs inwardly, trying to keep himself relaxed. Especially for what he's about to do…
"Robin's alive." Bruce states. Roy's eyes widen and he looks up at Bruce. "He's unstable, there's still a chance he could die… but the doctor is hopeful that he'll pull out of this. Kid Flash is ok too, I just spoke with him and his family. He's not entirely stable, but he's greatly improving." Roy closes his eyes and sighs.
"Good… I'm glad…" Roy says softly. He looks away a bit.
"And you won't have to pay me back, Roy. It's a gift. As thanks for all you've done and trying to protect your team." Bruce says.
"Fine…" Roy reluctantly agrees.
"It is appreciated, Bruce. I could cover the costs just fine, though." Oliver states.
"I know, but I want to show my appreciation. I will ensure he receives the best care possible." Bruce explains.
"Thank you, Mr. Wayne." Dinah says. Artemis has just watched the interaction, not saying anything as she's not entirely sure what to say. After they leave, Artemis contacts M'gann through their link.
"I've been told Robin's ok. He's alive at least." Artemis says.
"That's a relief…" M'gann says softly. Bruce and Alfred return, Bruce telling Clark what he was told. Clark nods and sighs.
"That kid… He can't seem to catch a break, can he…?" Clark asks quietly.
"No, and it has me worried. What else could happen…?" Bruce mentions, looking down.
"Don't even put it out into the universe…" Clark says. Bruce sighs and rests his head back.
"Merry Christmas…" Bruce mutters. He leans his head back, staring at the ceiling. Can things just not go right on Christmas…?