So here's chapter 7 up for you. I had a random how do I say... whim of inspiration, and ended up writing chapter 10 early. So now I have to backtrack so I can weave in chapters 8 and 9. I told you I'm messed up, can't even keep my story line straight! I didn't think it would escalate this much with chapters. Oh well, here you go. I really didn't care for how this chapter turned out, but I needed to explain a few things and I wanted to hopefully improve some details I may have missed. Remember reviews are welcome, but I'm more flattered by alerts and favs. They make my heart flutter!
Phoenix Chapter 7
[Timmy's Dream]
"Hello child," coaxed a soothing voice as Tim saw three beautiful women looking at his small form. He could feel the bed he was laying on beneath him, but he couldn't seem to wake up, pulled in by the look the lady with piercing red eyes was giving him. He had to be dreaming, right? "We are aware of the recent losses you have had, and are here to give you our deepest sympathy," her voice continued gently. Tim tried to think of the last memory he had, the most recent one he remembered was being with his parents before a house fire. After that, there was nothing. He tried thinking before that, but there was nothing either. His eyes went wide, tears falling down his face in both dream and reality. 'They're dead?' his thoughts echoed as the lady nodded solemnly. "They didn't make it out of the fire, child. Did your saviors not tell you?" frowned the woman as Timmy shook his head. The blonde lady spoke up.
"Why didn't they tell ya? Surely it's yer right ta know if yer an orphan er not," her voice said promptly with a strained frown. The word 'orphan' sent a chill down the boys spine.
"You really don't belong there, kid," added the third lady with long red hair. "You need a family, people who care about your well-being. You can't believe everything they tell you. Keeping secrets about your parents just proves they're liars," the ginger added as she crossed her arms in a stiff manner.
"We'll be in touch, and when you need us, you'll know where to find us. Until then, rest little one, you'll need it," the red-eyed woman with violet hair advised as her gaze kept Tim in a trance. He felt his eyes drooping even in his dream.
'Who are you?' he asked in his mind.
"We're spiritual mothers I guess you could say," advised the redhead as the light-haired nodded eagerly.
"Yea, but ya can't let anyone know bout us," added the blond in a serious tone. "Do ya think ya can keep a secret?" she asked as Timmy weakly nodded.
"When the time comes,return to us, and we will give you our blessing," requested the red eyed woman, her voice echoing in his thoughts before his mind blanked out.
[End dream]
8am That Same Morning
"I know it's not even time for breakfast yet, but I really wish he would wake up," frowned Dick as he watched his little brother's breathing under the blue blanket over him. The fever had finally broke, but Tim still looked exhausted as he slept. That night Tim had tears running down his face and Dick did everything he could to wipe them away. It was hard for him to see his brother looking so lost and hurt. The tear stains were still on Tim's face, but the crying finally stopped earlier that morning. "Timmy, please wake up. You can't get sick again like this on us." Tim didn't have any IV's in him, aside from the low dosage of relaxant , but if he kept resisting and not drinking they'd have to keep him hydrated also.
"I don't care how many times you tell me, old man! This isn't a relapse, it's something more and I'll be damned if I don't figure it out before it happens again!" came Jason's voice hollering from outside of the room, below the stairs .
"We can't jump to conclusions Jason, for all we know it could very well be-"
"NO! This isn't Tim, this is something else, and I'll prove it!" he yelled louder. The sound of the front door slamming echoed outside of the room. As Dick slowly shook his head, frowning a little. Jason seemed to be hit the hardest at Timmy's relapse in memory. He kept going on patrol despite Bruce's orders to stay inside, and he even went with his other costume. Jason even went as far as to not have a com link with him when leaving the Batcave. Timmy let out a moan, his head throbbing as his eyes sluggishly opened. When his vision cleared, he saw Dick, but showed no recollection of knowing him.
"...Timmy?" Dick cautiously said as Tim sleepily looked at him.
"I-is it... true?" the boy uttered in his tiny voice. His throat was dry and raspy as he took in small breaths of air. Dick moved a little closer to Tim, unsure of what he was asking as he looked into his tired gaze.
"Tim? Is what true? What do you want to know?" asked Richard gently as he in all honesty didn't know what his brother was getting at.
"My parents, are dead?" he asked quietly. The silence was enough to send the Joker himself into madness. Tim was rubbing his eyes with his hand, trying to observe his surroundings at the same time. If what was said in his dream was true, then there was a chance that this place really was keeping him a prisoner, right?
"Yes Tim, they died in a house fire," nodded Dick as he lightly stroked Tim's head. "We thought we lost you too," he explained as Timmy's eyes slowly looked up. He pulled his head away from Dick's hand.
"What do you mean?" he asked, full of suspicion. Tim was still drowsy from the sedative, but he wasn't about to trust this guy, especially after what the ladies told him.
"When the fire was put out, only your parents were found. There was no trace of you even being there." Timmy seemed more confused about this, especially since all of his other memories were wiped of the Wayne family taking him in. Who was this guy anyway? Why did he give a damn about him?
"Tim, don't strain yourself," warned Dick as he saw Timmy struggling to sit up. "Your arm is still healing-"
"What have you done to me?!" Tim gasped as he struggled to get up. Why couldn't he get up or fight back? "Who are you? Why am I here? W-why do you know so much about me?!" panicked Tim as he was almost halfway off the bed. A strange feeling came over him as his vision began to blur and his eyes had a hard time staying open. Sleepy. Why did he feel so drowsy? Tim was full of energy earlier, his anger rising every second, but now he could barely keep his head up. A warm feeling filled his chest, his every muscle relaxing as his breathing slowed.
"Timmy, relax, you're only increasing the dosage if-!" Dick caught Tim before he could sway off the bed. Depending on the rush of adrenaline or physical movement, the narcotic would increase the dosage thru the IV, resulting in the patient falling back asleep faster. "You got yourself all excited and now you're napping again," grumbled Dick as he laid Tim's limp figure back down. Tim rarely acted aggressive like that. It was strange seeing him so angry before, and now he was almost smiling in his sleep. That sedative was really potent at its peak. It was probably a good thing the meds kicked in when they did. Tim had spunk and would have managed to give Dick a black eye if he tried hard enough.
"How's Master Timothy doing?" asked Alfred as he came in with a tray of tea, as well as the morning newspaper.
"Just peachy, Alfred," Dick said dryly "He's really confused and anything I try to tell him he doesn't even try to believe. The medicine kicked in and knocked him out again."
"I can see that," observed Alfred as he watched the boy finally resting. "Perhaps he'll wake up sooner and be more calm. It can be quite frightening waking up in a place you aren't familiar with. Dr. Thompkins will be over later to speak with him,"he added as Dick managed a small smile. Leslie was pretty good with kids, so maybe her meeting with Tim would help him understand what was going on.
"Thanks Alfred, I'm sure everything will fall into place. Why did you bring me the paper though?" asked Dick curiously. Normally he'd bring the newspaper to Bruce, not Dick.
"Master Bruce requested that you read it before he left for his meeting," answered Alfred dutifully. "I suspect that there is something in it that he wants you to look into." Dick skimmed the front page of the news article, not finding anything out of place except one thing. "Why is there a code on the first column? This looks like something The Riddler would do," sighed Dick as he stood up, stretching. "I'm assuming B-man wants me to crack the code. Better get started."
"I'll send your breakfast down there," said Alfred with his nod of approval. "I'll watch over the young master until Dr. Thompkins arrives."
