Pawn of the Sea

Chapter 9

Author’s note:  Thanks to my  fabulous beta, Simon.

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"What's wrong with him?" Garth asked Leslie while Dick moaned and clutched at his legs.

"It looks like he's having muscle spasms in his legs," Leslie replied as she quickly moved to her bag and pulled out a vial of medicine.

Bruce began to massage Dick's left leg with firm, but gentle strokes, and soon Tim came over to do the same thing to his other leg. Meanwhile Garth slid up on the bed behind Dick, wrapping strong arms around his lover's chest.

Dick leaned back into Garth and reached up to clutch his arms. "Hurts," he almost whimpered.

The others looked on helplessly, knowing their friend must really be hurting to lay himself so bare to all of them. Nightwing usually bore his pain with a stoic countenance that was rivaled only by Batman.

"I'm giving you a muscle relaxer, Dick," Leslie said calmly as she pushed the medicine into his IV. "Hang in there for just another minute."

Dick nodded and gritted his teeth as he clutched at Garth even tighter. Garth knew he would have bruises later, but he didn't care. A few more moments passed in silence as Bruce and Tim both continued their ministrations. Finally, Dick sucked in a deep breath and they all could visibly see his body relax.

No one said a word, and then Dick finally opened his eyes and craned his neck around a little so he could peer up at Garth. "Was I just complaining about not being able to feel my legs?" He rasped out with a small twinkle in his eye.

"Be careful what you wish for," Garth replied with only a small break in his voice to give away the relief he was feeling at hearing his partner's sense of humor shine through again after all that had happened.

At that moment they all heard a message chime from the Bat computer. Alfred quickly excused himself and went to answer it.

"What the hell is wrong with my legs?" Dick asked Leslie, then he eyed Bruce and Tim, who were still massaging. "That feels great, guys. You can stop that, never."

"You were poisoned, Dick," Bruce replied, ignoring Dick's flip remark, but continuing to rub nonetheless.

"Poisoned?" Dick looked puzzled.

"Yes, poisoned," Leslie added. "It attacked your nervous system and muscles. That's why you felt the temporary paralysis and then the cramping. Your body is trying to fight the poison off."

"But it is temporary, right?" Dick asked warily as he tried desperately to claw through the fog in his brain to remember anything since chasing the perp who had clipped his and Amy's squad car.

"I hope so," Leslie replied.

"Hope?"

"Dick, I'm not going to lie to you. This isn't like anything we've dealt with before. Star Labs were able to create an antidote based on information they got from the Atlantis scientists on their jellyfish studies, and that saved you. The problem is this is a hybrid poison, and we don't know yet what the lasting effects will be.

"No…" Dick whispered as Garth pulled him in tighter.

Leslie leaned in. "Dick, listen to me. It's my gut feeling that you're going to be fine. You've already made leaps and bounds. You need to let your body rest and heal for now, all right? We'll worry about the rest when the time comes."

Dick nodded silently. Leslie turned to the others. "What he really needs right now is to sleep. It's getting late. Off to bed with all of you. You can visit in the morning."

Donna, Roy and Wally all made their way over to say their quiet good-nights. Roy shot a sly look over at Bruce and leaned in closer to Dick and Garth. "So, like, you know, which one of you is the top?" he whispered quietly.

"Roy!" Wally exclaimed as Dick and Garth sputtered and blushed.

Bruce barked out, "Arsenal!" at almost the same time.

Wally reached out and grabbed Roy by the ear, tugging him away from the bed. "Don't mind him," Wally apologized for his friend. "Brain damage, you know."

"Hey!" Arsenal yelled. "Can't a guy be curious? Donna said…" Wally slammed a hand over Roy's mouth and used his super speed to get them out of the infirmary.

Now it was Donna's turn to blush as she leaned over to kiss both Dick and Garth on the cheek. "Sorry, this has been a bit of a shock for all of us."

Dick reached out and took her hand. "But are you all okay with it? We were going to tell you."

"Dick, don't worry, we're fine. We still love you both and we're happy for you. Just worry about getting better, okay? You'll need your strength to deal with all of Roy's bad jokes and innuendos."

Dick and Garth both groaned. Dick raised Donna's hand to his lips. "Thanks, beautiful. Now get some sleep."

"I will. Good-night, guys." She nodded to the others and left.

Tim stopped his massage of Dick's right leg and Dick held his hand out to his little brother. Tim grasped it firmly for a moment. "Sleep well, bro," he whispered.

"You too, and no patrolling. You look too tired," Dick replied squeezing Tim's hand again before letting go. Tim nodded wearily and made his way to his room.

He paused at the door of the infirmary. "Hey, Garth?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for saving my big brother, man."

"You're very welcome, my friend."

When Tim was gone Bruce spoke up. "I agree with you that Tim needs to rest, but I should go out on patrol tonight," he added with a final squeeze to Dick's leg.

Leslie eyed Bruce. "I don't think you…" Before she had the chance to finish Alfred came back into the room.

"That was His Majesty from Atlantis," he informed them. "He wanted you to know that the Atlantean scientists are studying the prisoner now and will pass along any information that may help Master Dick's recovery." He turned his attention to Garth. "He also asked me to tell you, Master Garth, that he is pleased to hear that Master Dick seems to be on the mend."

"Thank you, Alfred," Garth replied, secretly sighing in relief that he had long ago gotten Alfred to drop his own formal title of 'Majesty'. It had been a chore, but he had finally gotten the man to call him 'Master Garth', like Dick and the other Titans.

Dick craned his head around again, interrupting Garth's thoughts. "Arthur knows about us, too?" he asked quietly.

"Of course. I was with him when we learned of your kidnapping, and I was in no state to hide anything at that point," Garth replied ruefully.

"Oh, all right," Dick replied with a sigh, still trying to pull all the pieces of what happened together in his brain. After a moment he spoke again. "So, what prisoner is Arthur referring to?"

Garth, Bruce and Alfred all shot silent looks to Leslie, who simply shrugged as if to say, 'may as well tell him the truth. Some of it, anyway,' she sent in a silent warning back.

"The prisoner is the creature that poisoned you, Dick. He was one of your captors. He is a mutation from Atlantis; half man, half jellyfish. It's not anything that's been encountered before, and that's why we're uncertain of the effects of his poison on you," Bruce finished.

Dick absorbed this information as small flashes of memory invaded his consciousness. He could picture the creature; almost feel the searing pain of that first sting, then the eerie presence of the creature watching over his helpless form, and his gasps for life as it pulled him under the water. There was something…no someone else, tugging at the edges of his memory, but he couldn't think of it. He shook his head, masked his emotions and stored the information in his brain to be taken out and analyzed later, when he wasn't feeling so disjointed and muzzy.

Barbara, who had yet to leave the room, was probably the only one who noticed Dick's momentary internal struggle. She saw his initial reaction when Bruce mentioned the jelly creature. She recognized the pain and fear in Dick's eyes, and his quick and firm masking of it. Of course she knew, it was the same reaction she first had when she woke up in the hospital after the Joker's violent assault.

She wheeled herself over to the bed. "Hey, I guess I'll be going too. I have a feeling it's going to be a busy night."

"Thanks for coming, Babs," Dick replied.

"Of course I came, Dick. I was worried about you." She took his hand in hers. "You know where to find me if you need to talk." She smiled at Garth. "You, too, Garth. Any time."

Dick looked puzzled. "Sure, thanks."

"Thank you, Barbara," Garth replied over the top of Dick's head, smiling gratefully at the woman.

"You're very welcome." She turned to the others. "Good-night, Bruce, Leslie, Alfred."

"I'll escort you out, Mistress Barbara," Alfred replied as he followed her to the elevator.

When they were gone Bruce eyed Garth, who was still cradling Dick in his arms.

"Shouldn't you get some rest as well?"

Before Garth could reply Leslie intervened. "He looks pretty relaxed to me, as does Dick."

Bruce opened his mouth to retort about improprieties in one's sick bed, but Leslie raised a hand in protest. "Leave them be, Bruce. They've been through enough. Beside, I need to get some sleep, and if you insist on going out on patrol tonight, someone should stay with Dick."

"Alfred…" Bruce began.

"Needs his sleep, too."

"Fine," Bruce conceded. "But he needs SLEEP," he pointedly eyed Garth.

"And sleep is what he shall have," Garth replied calmly.

"I am still in the room," Dick replied irritably, his eyes drooping.

Bruce ignored him. "I'll check back in when I'm done patrolling." With that he left.

Leslie rolled her eyes and did a final check of Dick's vitals, dimming the harsh lights.

"I'll just be in the next room if you need me," she reassured them.

"Thank you, Leslie, for all you've done," Garth answered.

"Good night," was all she said in reply.

"Hmmm," Dick said sleepily when Leslie was gone. "Alone at last."

"Yes," Garth replied, shifting in the small bed a bit to find a more comfortable position for them both.

"Garth?" Dick asked in a small voice.

"Yes?"

"Hold me?" Even through his exhaustion, he was suddenly feeling insecure and afraid. Of what, he wasn't exactly sure.

"Of course," Garth replied, wrapping his arms tightly around Dick. He knew how hard Dick was fighting against his amnesia; how much Dick hated feeling out of control, but at the same time he dreaded Dick remembering what Braden had done to him. What Garth had let happen. He barely concealed a shuddering breath, thankful Dick was too groggy at the moment to notice his angst. "I love you, Robbie," he whispered into Dick's hair.

Satisfied for the moment just to be in Garth's arms again, Dick began to drift off. "Love you too," he whispered.

TBC

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