Pawn of the Sea

Chapter 7

Author’s note:  Thanks to my beta, B, for keeping me in line.

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After docking the boat in the cave Garth greeted Tim, who was quietly doing some work at the Bat computer, with a slight nod, before making his way into the infirmary. Of Bruce and Alfred there was no sign.

Garth only had eyes for Dick's still form laying on the hospital bed. He moved to his lover's side and tenderly brushed Dick's stubborn lock of hair off his forehead. Garth's heart ached with every breath of the ventilator.

"How is he, Dr Tompkins?" he finally asked the woman who was on Dick's other side taking his vitals. He seemed almost afraid that his fears would be confirmed by her answer.

"Please, call me Leslie. After all, I hear we're practically family now," she replied with a small smile. She turned her eyes to Dick and her expression grew serious. "I won't lie to you, Garth, it's not good. His kidneys are showing the early stages of shutting down, I can only believe that his other major organs won't be far behind." She watched in quiet sympathy as Garth sucked in a breath and tried to maintain his composure. "Your information helped us, though. Now that we know it's a form of Jellyfish poison there are things we can try. I'm just waiting for the word from the scientists at Star Labs."

Garth looked up. "So, there is hope?"

"There is always hope, young man, especially where my bat boys are concerned."

Garth gently took Dick's hand and sat in the chair next to Dick's bed rather heavily. He hadn't slept at all over the last few days and he was exhausted.

Leslie eyed him carefully. "You look beat. You should get some sleep, and I'm speaking as a doctor now. I believe you have the power to chemically alter the swimming pool to suit your needs, do you not?"

"Not just yet," Garth almost pleaded as unshed tears filled his eyes. "I can't leave him yet."

Leslie came around the bed and knelt down next to him. "He won't wake up, Garth, not in the near future, anyway, and I promise to call you if he does. He's going to need you strong and healthy to help him come through this."

Garth yawned and sighed heavily. Reluctantly, he slowly stood, bringing Leslie up with him, and leaned over to kiss Dick softly on the lips. "I must go and rest now, Robbie," he whispered, "but I shall return soon."

"Not too soon," chided Leslie.

Garth nodded and then pressed his forehead against Dick's, not wanting to let go.

"Leslie?" he asked quietly before standing up straight and turning anguished eyes on the doctor.

Leslie looked puzzled. "Yes?"

"There is one more test you need to do on him."

She cocked her head to one side. "Oh, and what's that?"

Garth brushed a hand through his black curls. "You need to do a rape kit."

"Damn," Leslie almost whispered.

Just then they both heard a cold voice from the doorway. "What the hell have you done to my son?" He may have looked like Bruce Wayne, but there was no doubt that it was Batman standing there glaring daggers at Garth.

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Alfred and Tim exchanged an uncomfortable glance when they heard Bruce's voice raise. A chirp came from the Bat computer and Tim rushed to answer. "Bat cave, this is Robin."

"Robin, this is the Watchtower. I have two anxious Titans who would like permission to transport down."

Tim paused for a moment, looking to Alfred for guidance. The older man came over and rested a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "Of course, Master J'onn, although, I rather thought there would be three."

"Ah, yes, I believe the third took his own route by way of Star Labs. I think he has a delivery for your good doctor and should be there any moment," replied J'onn Jonzz, the Martian Manhunter.

"That is good news," Alfred replied. "By all means, please send Master Arsenal and Mistress Troia down at once. Bat cave out."

"Bruce isn't gonna like this," Tim muttered under his breath.

"Perhaps not, but then they're not here to see him, are they?" replied Alfred, as Roy and Donna appeared in the JLS transport beam on one side of the cave as an angry Bruce and an exhausted and tormented looking Garth came out of the infirmary on the other. "Fortunately I did not give him the choice," he finished as both parties saw each other and stopped short.

Before anyone could say anything, a red blur streaked into the cave and stopped suddenly to reveal the Flash. "Hey guys," he began, and then stopped short when he sensed the tension in the room. He made his way over to Bruce and handed him a small box. "Uh, I brought this from Star Labs. They said it should help neutralize the toxin. Um, how is Dick?"

They all looked at Bruce expectantly, except for Garth, who leaned against the wall with his head bowed. "Why don't you ask your friend Tempest?" Bruce snapped as he turned to deliver the package to Leslie. "Get them out of here, Alfred," he called back over his shoulder. He looked at Garth. "ALL of them." He went back into the infirmary and shut the door firmly behind him.

If Alfred wasn't such a gentleman he would have rolled his eyes. He addressed the small crowd of young people. "I believe Master Dick is in good hands for now. Please come upstairs and I'll fix us all something to eat after which you can rest for a bit. If you don't mind my saying, you all look a bit frazzled."

"Is that a polite way of saying we look like shit?" Roy cracked.

"Mind your language, please, Master Roy, if you would."

"But, um, I think Batm…uh Bruce wants us to go," stuttered Wally.

"Well you are going, aren't you?" Alfred replied. "Upstairs with me. Master Bruce is worried and tired right now, but he'll be fine. I know Master Dick will want you here once he awakens. Now, come along everyone."

Tim, Wally, and Roy followed Alfred up the stairs. Donna moved over to Garth, and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "You okay?"

"No, not really." He looked at her ruefully. "I'll bet you're all mad at Dick and I for not telling you about us sooner, huh?"

Donna tugged him gently until they were following the same path the others had gone. "Of course we are. How could you keep this from us? Your three best friends?" Before Garth could offer up an explanation Donna stopped and placed a finger to his lips. "But all that can wait. You're exhausted and worried. Why don't you go straight to the pool so you can rest and rehydrate? I'm sure Alfred will understand."

Garth looked relieved. "Thank you, Donna, but I don't know how much rest I'll be able to get."

Donna brushed a hand over Garth's cheek. "Oh, honey, Dick will be okay. You'll see. He's too stubborn to let this bring him down. And for what it's worth, I'm really happy for both of you, and once they got over the shock Wally and Roy said that they are too. I think you make a nice match."

"Thank you again," he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

As he turned at walked away in the direction of the pool he prayed that they all felt the same way when they discovered the true extent of Dick's injuries. He knew in his heart that the tests Leslie was doing for rape would be positive, and he knew Bruce blamed him for not protecting Dick from his cousin. He wondered if the others would too.

'Why shouldn't they?' He thought to himself as he slipped out of his red and black uniform down to the black Speedos he wore just in case he ended up someplace where his usual nudity wouldn't be entirely appropriate, and slipped into the pool.

He closed his eyes and let himself sink to the bottom of the pool, finally giving in to his grief, fear and guilt.

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"Man, Dick and Garth. Can you guys believe it?"

"Jeez, Roy," Wally answered around a bite of sandwich. "Will you stop with that? It's all you've been saying since Arthur dropped the bomb on us. Repeating it a million times is not going to change things or make it less true."

"Does it bug you guys," Tim asked curiously.

Alfred had his back to them, whipping up a dessert, but kept his ear on the conversation out of curiosity.

Donna chose that moment to enter the room. "Does what bug who?"

"I was just asking if Dick and Garth's relationship bugged Roy and Wally," Tim replied.

"Of course it doesn't," Donna answered for her friends.

"Um, I guess not," said Wally at the same time.

Roy just shuddered and they all stared at him. "Hey, I'm just being honest. Dick and Garth doin' the nasty. Ewwww!"

"Roy, yuck! I didn't want the visual on their sex life! That's my brother you're talking about!" Tim shuddered too. "I just wanted to know if it upsets you that they're, like, a couple now," Tim answered.

"Oh, is that all? No, I guess it really doesn't."

"I think it's kinda' nice," Wally added. "They've both been alone for a long time."

"What about you, Donna?" Tim asked.

"Hmm…what?" Donna asked distractedly. "I'm sorry, what was the question?"

"Jeez, where were you, darlin'?" Roy asked.

"Oh, I was still thinking about the sex thing," Donna replied dreamily. "Dick and Garth…hot sex…wow…" she trailed off.

"Ugh," came the reply from the males.

Alfred just smiled.

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Bruce watched Leslie inject the antibody from Star Labs into Dick's IV and then helped her perform her tests and get all the samples she needed to determine if Dick had been raped.

His face was an emotionless mask, but Leslie could feel the fear and anger absolutely radiating off the man. "Stop it, Bruce," she chided when she got her last sample and was tucking the sheets back around Dick's still form.

"Stop what?" Bruce looked at her in confusion.

"Your anger is not going to help him. Throwing his friends and lover out of the manor is certainly not going to help him. Please just stop."

"His lover! For the love of..." Bruce looked shocked for a second and then gained his composure. "But Garth…"

Leslie put up a hand. "It's not his fault, Bruce. Garth couldn't have stopped this anymore than you could have stopped the Joker from hurting Barbara and Dick those times." Bruce tensed, but Leslie ignored him and went on. "We all make choices, Bruce, and we all have to live with them. Dick chose to be with Garth, and I know he's seemed really happy these past few months. And from what I've seen so far Garth is crazy about Dick."

"Dick didn't choose to be poisoned and raped!" Bruce spat out bitterly.

"Of course he didn't," Leslie replied softly. "But, unfortunately Garth's cousin chose to hurt him, and that is not Garth's fault, but I'll lay odds that's not what Garth is thinking right now. Anything you can say and do to him now is not going to be any worse than what he's probably doing to himself. Misplaced guilt seems to run rampant among you superheroes."

"I'm angry, Leslie. I'm angry at Garth's cousin for daring to touch my son, I'm angry with Dick for not coming to me about him and Garth, and I'm angry at myself because Dick didn't think he could come to me. And most of all I'm angry that my son is dying and there's nothing I can do about it." His voice broke a bit, the only sign of emotion he would let himself show.

"Bruce, we're all angry at what happened to Dick, but right now he doesn't need your anger and neither does Garth. Judging from what I've heard of his childhood, the poor man has had enough anger in his life. I think what he really needs is someone who understands how he feels."

Bruce sighed heavily and moved to grasp Dick's limp hand. He thought of Barbara, lying paralyzed in the hospital having been shot and raped by the Joker. He thought of another time Dick lay in this same bed, shot in the shoulder by the very same madman. He thought of how that had been the last straw and how he had refused to let Dick wear the Robin costume anymore, causing a rift between them that obviously still hadn't healed all the way. Yes, Bruce knew a thing or two about feeling helpless and guilty.

"I suppose you're right, Leslie. I'll talk with…" Bruce stopped short when he felt the hand in his flex a little. "Dick?" He looked up at Leslie with excitement in his eyes. "I think he just squeezed my hand!"

TBC

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