AN: Sorry, I lost track of time yesterday and forgot to post the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 6

Finally… Finally, Wally is able to visit Dick. Like Roy, he has to be in a wheelchair, but he gets to see him, nonetheless. Bruce helps Roy roll aside so the two best friends can be reunited. He takes Dick's hand. Dick's fingers twitch at his touch, and his heart rate slightly increases, it's enough to make Wally start crying.

"Rob… can you hear me…?" Wally asks. "Can you squeeze my hand…?" Dick's fingers twitch again. "Close enough, buddy…" Wally lightly sobs, smiling, bringing his hand up and pressing it to his forehead. "We miss you…" Wally sniffles. "But we know you'll come around. You're so strong…" Bruce steps over and places a hand on the side of Dick's face, stroking his cheek gently with his thumb.

"You'll come back to us when you're ready, I know you will." Bruce states. Dick's eyelids shutter and twitch, as if trying to wake up.

"I want to… I want to open my eyes…" Dick thinks. "Please… Don't give up on me…"

"I want you to know… Everyone is ok…" Wally says. "Roy got hurt, but he's alright. And I'm alright. I might even get discharged tomorrow because of how fast I'm improving. But I'll keep visiting you, I'll visit you every day until you're out of here. I promise."

"You better…" Dick would tease if he could talk.

"Excuse me." A nurse says. "Visiting hours are over."

"No… Don't go…" Dick begs.

"But I just got here!" Wally argues. "Why'd you let me visit if it was only going to be a few minutes?" Wally stands up, making his wheelchair roll away. "First you take me away from him and after several hours of not knowing anything I get to see him, but only for a few minutes?! Hell no! Fuck that! I'm staying right here and the only way I'm leaving is if you knock me out! Do you understand me?!" Everyone's eyes widen at his outburst. "I'm under enough stress as it is, do not take me away from my best friend!" The longer he talks loudly like this, the more strained he sounds. Enough to huff and cough a bit.

"Wally…" Dick thinks, trailing off.

"I'm sorry, but-" The nurse starts.

"Please." Bruce speaks up, standing straight. "If they need to step out of the way, they will, but the moment Mr. West entered the room, my son showed noticeable improvement. I would prefer him to stay by his side. What harm is there in allowing that?"

"Protocol is protocol." The nurse states.

"Forget Protocol, just this once. I guarantee you the moment he leaves the room, my son's health will immediately decline. Shall we test that theory?" Bruce asks. Wally looks at Bruce. "Wally, step out of the room." Wally hesitates a moment and steps away, letting go of Dick's hand. Dick uses Bruce's meditation technique to slow his heart rate. Bruce smirks a bit, lightly patting Dick's arm as if to say, "good work." Wally immediately re-enters the room and takes Dick's hand again, immediately his heart rate increases. "The two share quite the connection as you can see. It'd be a real shame to keep these two apart more than necessary. Mr. West is no longer in intensive care, what harm is there in letting him and Mr. Harper stay?" The nurse huffs, leaving the room. Wally sits back down, looking up at Bruce.

"Thank you…" Wally says softly.

"Of course." Bruce says. "I know he means a lot to you and you mean a lot to him." Roy gets up, grunting in pain when he puts pressure on his leg, but gets up nonetheless.

"Roy?" Wally asks.

"I'll be back." Roy says quietly, leaving the room. Wally looks at Bruce, then back down at Dick.

"I think Roy's upset by that fact… He said he once felt jealous that me and Rob hit it off so quickly. Maybe he's still feeling that way…" Wally says.

"There's not much that can be done about that. Some just click better than others." Bruce says. "It's no one's fault in particular, it just happens."

Roy follows the nurse, being as quiet and stealthy as possible, ignoring the pain in his leg and his side. She rounds a corner, Roy peeks around it, no one is there but her.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying to get him away from everyone else, but they're stubborn." The nurse says, doesn't seem to really be speaking to anyone physically there, maybe she has a communicator in her ear. "Yes, I know, but what else can I do?" Roy's brows knit. "I suppose that could work. I'll make a few calls." Roy steps back just as she starts walking. What is she planning…? Is she with the Court of Owls? Roy will be damned if he lets anything happen to his friend. He walks back to the room.

"We need to move Dick. They're planning something. I think one of the nurses is with the owls." Roy says.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asks. Roy explains everything he overheard. It could be nothing, but why take the chance? Wally looks at Bruce in concern. Bruce pulls out his phone, texting for Clark to get back to the hospital, that there's a problem.

"If they want to take Dick, they'll have to get through us." Roy mutters.

"Roy, you're injured." Bruce states.

"I still have a viable arm to punch someone in the face." Roy states, clenching the fist on his good arm for emphasis.

"I shouldn't do any physical activity… but that's not going to stop me from protecting him." Wally says.

"Please no…" Dick wishes he could talk.

"You two will be last resort." Bruce says. "I already contacted Clark, we'll be first defense, and hopefully it won't come to you two putting yourselves in danger." The door to the room opens and that one nurse comes back with two officer-looking people.

"Mr. Bruce Wayne, we would like to speak to you about your son, Richard Grayson." One of the officers states. "If we could speak somewhere private."

"Of course." Bruce stands up. "Though, may I ask what this is about first?" He asks. "And am I under arrest?"

"Not as of right now." The officer states. "Come along, Mr. Wayne."

"If you could just give me a moment." Bruce states. He looks down at Dick. "If you can hear me, I'll be back soon, ok? I shouldn't be long." He places the back of his fingers to Dick's forehead. The boy leans into the touch, though weakly, slightly turning his head towards him. Bruce is a bit surprised but he smiles. "I love you, Dick." Bruce grabs the stuffed elephant off the table and nestles it in his arm. "I got you a stuffed elephant. And Alfred is planning to make that pineapple pizza from scratch when you come home." There's a knock on the door and Clark comes into the room.

"Oh, excuse me, sorry. Best friend of the father coming through." Clark states, going by the officers. "Sorry it took so long."

"No worries, Clark. I need to speak with these fine gentlemen here, so if you'll excuse me." Bruce states, patting his friend on the shoulder and walking out with the two officers. Wally and Roy smirk, knowing Bruce was just trying to buy time until one of the league power houses got here. The nurse hides her glaring death that's directed towards Clark. Clark looks at her and smiles awkwardly.

"Hi. I'm Clark." Clark states, being as awkward as possible.

"Nurse Betty. Sorry, who are you in relation to the patient?" The nurse asks, seeming a bit agitated.

"Oh, I'm Dick's godfather." Clark states.

"And what are you doing here?" The nurse asks.

"To take over for Bruce while he rests, he's been up for more than 40 hours, that's not good, is it? I'm not a nurse, but I'm assuming that's not good." Clark states. "What did those officers want with Bruce?"

"I'm not at liberty to say." The nurse states.

"Oh… That's a shame, whatever it is, I'm sure everything's ok!" Clark states, smiling widely.

"We will find out." The nurse states, walking out of the room. Clark grabs Dick's arm and brings it up onto his stomach so his arm is wrapped around the elephant.

"Oh that's adorable." Clark comments.

"She wanted Dick to be alone…" Roy says quietly. "She was angry when you showed up."

"I noticed her heart rate increased. She's one of them, isn't she? A member of the Court…" Clark questions. "They better bring kryptonite if they want to take me down."

The officers lead Bruce to a quiet room and have him sit down, they set an audio recorder down and press record.

"December twenty-six, twenty-thirty. Officers Jacob and Linus, CPS interrogation of Bruce Wayne following severe injuries to his adopted child Richard Grayson. Mr. Wayne, we understand your son was severely injured at a Christmas party hosted by friends, is this correct?"

"Yes. He and his friends were attacked by an individual who is still at large and rather than locate and capture this lunatic who hurt my kid, these officers are questioning me about said injuries." Bruce sasses, though mostly keeps his composure.

"Sir, we have witness accounts that he had bruises around his neck and wrist before he showed up to the party." One officer states.

"If he did, they certainly didn't come from me or my butler. We would never lay a hand on him. And as far as I'm aware, the bruises weren't there before he left the group to use the restroom and after they found him, he had those bruises."

"On whose account?" The officer asks.

"His friend who is the one who found him injured. If you'd like to question him, he's the redhead in a wheelchair." Bruce explains, a slight smirk on his face.

"Alright, we also have reports that he has had broken bones in the past as x-rays showed healed fractures. Care to explain that?" The officer asks.

"Well, I'm assuming those occurred before he came to be under my care. He was part of a circus as an acrobat, it's basically a guarantee he would get injured." Bruce explains. "I will admit, he did break a leg once trying to swing from chandeliers in my manor, which he was promptly grounded for doing."

"How did you go about grounding him?" The officer asks.

"Common ones, no TV for two weeks, including video games." Bruce says. He leans a bit closer to the officers. "Listen to me, alright? I will never, ever claim to be a perfect father. I have my faults, as does any parent, but Dick means the world to me. He gave me life. I wouldn't betray him or his trust, especially not by causing him harm. He means too much to me. When he wakes up, you can ask him yourself." Bruce states. "Now, are we done here? Because I would really like to get back to my son who nearly died on me last night." The officers have no words, gesturing for him to leave. "Thank you." Bruce stands up, leaving the room. He heads back to Dick's room, finding everyone is in place.

"I could hear everything. They really thought you abused Dick?" Clark asks.

"It would see so." Bruce states. "Wally." Wally perks up and looks up at Bruce. "Tell me again, when did you notice the bruises on him?"

"When I went to check on him, I saw them forming along his neckline, then I saw the blood pooling from his hand…" Wally explains.

"I thought so." Bruce states.

"They thought you caused the bruises?" Roy asks.

"Yes, and apparently they were told the bruises were already there when he arrived at your little party." Bruce states.

"None of us would ever claim something like that if it didn't happen." Wally says.

"The nurse… She must have made it up." Roy says. "When Clark got here, she seemed angry, we think she was trying to get Dick alone."

"She kept asking him questions, like she was trying to find a reason to get him out. Then she could have gotten us out because we're patients, she'd have made up some sort of excuse." Wally theorizes.

"What'd you tell her?" Bruce asks.

"She asked my relation to Dick," Clark says, "and I said I'm his godfather."

"Heh, brilliant…" Bruce mutters.

"Thanks." Clark states, smiling widely. "I also told her that I'm here to give you a break so you can sleep. Hint hint."

"Nope, no sleep. I have to keep an eye on him." Bruce says.

"Bruce, you're going to pass out if you don't rest, what if that happens and I'm not here?" Clark reasons. Bruce sighs. "I'm here, I will do everything in my power to keep him safe." Bruce inhales and nods, exhaling.

"I'm at least staying in the room." Bruce states, walking and sitting in the recliner provided for the patient when they're able to get up and move about. Bruce reclines back and tries to sleep. The officers step in, looking at the two gingers in wheelchairs, they're a little taken aback.

"Wait, there's two of you?" One of the officers asks. Bruce tries his best not to smile.

"Yea, why?" Roy asks.

"He's got a thing for redheads." Wally states playfully. Dick would laugh if he could.

"Well, whichever one of you found him injured, we need to speak with you." An officer states. Wally raises his hand.

"That would be me, but I'm not going anywhere, we've already established this. I am the one keeping Dick's heart beating." Wally says.

"Fine…" One starts. "Maybe if the adults could leave the room while we question you both? They can be right outside if anything happens." Clark taps Bruce's leg.

"Hmm?" Bruce hums, acting as if he was just asleep.

"Come on, we need to step out of the room. These officers would like to question the boys." Clark states.

"Oh, sure." Bruce agrees and gets up. Both Clark and Bruce step outside the room, shutting the door. They figure this is ok since they'll be right nearby, Clark is listening the entire time. One of the officers places down the audio recorder and hits record.

"December twenty-six, twenty-forty-one. Officers Jacob and Linus, CPS investigation of Bruce Wayne following severe injuries to his adopted child Richard Grayson. State your names for the record." The officer states.

"Wallace West." Wally says.

"Roy Harper." Roy also says.

"Now, it's our understanding that you three were attacked by a madman in an owl suit. Is this correct?"

"Why are you doing this interrogation so late?" Roy asks. "We already gave statements to the cops."

"Look, we received word that there were possible signs of abuse towards a minor. We wanted to clear everything up." One of the officers says. "The more you cooperate, the better it'll be for your friend. Don't worry, none of this will be shared with Mr. Wayne. You're safe to freely discuss without fear of repercussions."

"How long have you two known Mr. Wayne and his son?" Another officer asks.

"Three years." Roy states.

"Two years." Wally answers.

"And how close are you both to Richard Grayson?" One asks. "Who does he tell the most things to?"

"He tells me everything." Wally says. "No secrets between us."

"After I had a falling out with my adoptive father, Oliver Queen, I didn't really talk much to them after, too busy trying to get my life together." Roy says. "But make no mistake, if they need me, I'm there."

"So has he expressed to either of you abuse or neglect by Mr. Wayne?" An officer asks.

"Nope." Roy says. "Bruce can be a little aloof at times, but he's a busy man, he runs multiple companies, but their butler always makes sure Dick gets attention and Bruce makes time to be with him."

"If you want proof of how much Bruce cares…" Wally starts. "Last night, Dick coded. I didn't witness it, but I could hear it. Bruce was screaming, desperately trying to be by his side. I could hear the fear and sadness in his voice. Wanting to be at his son's side. He may have adopted Dick, but he loves him like his own flesh and blood. He would never hurt him."

"So, when did you see those bruises around his neck?" The officer asks.

"He was taking a while in the bathroom, so I went to check on him." Wally starts to explain. "His hand was bleeding and there were bruises along his neck. They weren't there before, I'd have remembered when I came to pick him up if he had those bruises. I pay real close attention to detail."

"As long as I've known him, Bruce has never laid a finger on Dick." Roy says. "Dick has never expressed to me about being hurt by Bruce or his Butler."

"Do you know when and why Bruce even adopted him?" The officer asks.

"I do. But Dick is awake and it's a traumatic story for him. Just know it was back in two-thousand and six and let's just say Bruce understood Dick's pain." Wally explains.

"What do you mean why that?" An officer asks, mostly out of curiosity.

"He can't spell it out for you right now, alright?" Roy snaps a bit. "So just leave it be."

"Ok, one last question. What was his life like before being adopted?" The officer asks.

"He was an acrobat, a circus kid." Wally explains.

"Ok, we're done here. Thank you for your time." With that, the officer stops the recording and they leave. Bruce and Clark re-enter the room once they're gone. Bruce immediately checks on Dick, placing a hand to his head. After so long… Dick's eyes finally flutter open.

"Dick…" Bruce says quietly, smiling. "Hey…" Dick smiles a little. "You're getting closer, chum… I'm proud of how strong you are…" Dick blinks slowly, as if he was trying to say thanks.

"Hey…" Wally says softly. Dick turns his head to look at him. His body feels heavy, but he can somewhat move. Dick smiles at him too, giving his hand a very light squeeze. "We've missed you." Dick hums, trying to speak, but it feels like his throat is numb.

"Glad to see you awake." Clark comments. "You really scared us there for a while."

"M srry…" Dick says softly.

"It's not your fault, little bird." Clark says. "What matters is you're on the mend." Dick manages a small smile. He's surrounded by some of those that mean the most to him, how could he not smile?

AN: I know I haven't really done any author's notes. I figured you guys didn't really want to hear from me all that much, just read the stories. I wanted to let you guys know that I have a poll on my profile if you're using a computer to read fanfiction. It's about whether or not you want me to write episodes 25 and 26 for this fanfic as well. There's option for yes, no, and I don't care. If you don't/can't vote, you can probably just PM me or something. Or you could leave a review, bolster my morale so I can feel good about what I'm writing. I am shameless. :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and more chapters to come, bye!

-Twi