A/N: A kind reviewer told me a while ago that the ending I had originally posted didn't feel right and the more I reread it, the more true I realized that was. The beginning of this new chapter includes what was the ending, with an addition of something that feels a bit more "ending like." It also helps segue into the next fic, which I just recently realized was finished and never posted. Please enjoy!

Pocket Change and Pearls

Chapter 2

Artemis silently snuck past the guards, using all of the skills Robin had taught her. She'd never been particularly good at it, but apparently she was good enough. It had been a full week since the shooting. The news had said that Dick was out of intensive care, but she wanted to see for herself.

It didn't take Batman's detective skills to find out what room the boy was in, but it was laughably easy to sneak past the guards in the wing. They didn't even have a guard on the specific door. She looked around and twisted the handle, slipping silently into the room.

Dick always seemed small, but the sight on the gurney made her fully aware that Dick had only just turned fourteen. His skin was a disconcerting grey color, tubes and wires led from noisy machines to under the thin blankets. One of the boy's hands was pulled from the blankets, with Bruce's fingers laced through the boy's.

Bruce was asleep in an uncomfortable looking chair, his head resting on the bed beside Dick's still body.

She was suddenly very uncomfortable about sneaking in.

She cleared her throat, and Bruce's eye's snapped open. Faster and more gracefully than she'd ever seen the usually clumsy billionaire move, he had kicked the chair away and was standing in a clear defensive position between her and the boy in the bed. Did the man even know how to defend himself?

It took a moment for the bleary eyed man to become fully aware of his surroundings, once he did, he asked, "Artemis?"

She had never seen the billionaire look disheveled before. He was always dressed in expensive, professionally pressed suits, primped and polished in a way that wasn't entirely natural. Now, his rumpled polo shirt was half untucked, his slacks clearly wrinkled, his hair was uncombed, and he had days worth of stubble on his face that could actually start to be considered a beard and mustache.

"I, uh..." She stammered, now unsure, "I just..." She reached into her backpack for the handmade card and present. She looked around the room, it was filled with flowers, balloons, and even a couple of those "fresh fruit cut into flower shapes" things. She'd looked into those, but they were too expensive for her to afford. She suddenly felt ashamed for her pathetic tokens. Of course Dick would have the most expensive "Get Well Soon" presents. "I wanted to bring him these." She handed the confused billionaire her card and the stupid origami elephant she'd learned to make just for this. It wasn't even that good. The only instructions she could find online hadn't been in English, so she had to try as best she could based only on the pictures. "It's an elephant," she stammered lamely, "like the he told me about taking care of when he was little."

"Sitka," Bruce said, taking the gifts with a small smile. "Thank you. I'm sure Dick will love them."

She was expecting him to set them with the other random gifts, instead, he turned, and pulled the small tray the held a cup with a straw, and two pictures, one she knew was Dick with his parents, the other a picture of Dick with Bruce and Alfred, and propped both the card and paper elephant up, so they were easily visible. She half expected Dick to wake up at that moment, perfect timing, like in the movies, but the boy remained unconscious. The beeping of the monitors the only real evidence that he was still alive. It was unnerving.

"The doctors say he'll be fine." Bruce said, "He's through the worst of it. I'm sure he'll be glad to know you came to see him."

"Yeah, I just...I just wanted to make sure he was okay."

"He is. Thank you. You're a good friend."

Artemis smiled awkwardly, "Well, tell him I said hello. I'll see him soon." She turned to leave, "Bye, Mr. Wayne."

As she turned to leave, she was overcome with the need to give him reassurance, some hope. The news had said the scumbag who did this had yet to be caught, something she'd bring up to Robin when she saw him that weekend. "I'm sure the cops or Batman will find the guy."

Bruce stared at her a moment, before nodding, "I'm sure they will."

-YJ-YJ-YJ-

The Zeta tube computer announced Artemis arrival at Mount Justice, as usual. Things had been pretty boring for the team, especially considering Batman and Robin had been doing important missions in Gotham for the last six weeks. The Boy Wonder hadn't been around last weekend for her to ask him if the Dynamic Duo had any leads on who shot Dick, so that was her top priority.

"Hey," she called, the whole team was gathered near the computer, "anyone seen Robin?"

"Not here," Kid Flash responded instantly. "Told me yesterday he was gonna call, he broke his leg or something."

The archer eyed him suspiciously, "Why'd he tell you first?"

The speedster was a terrible lier, and she could see it in his eyes that he was hiding something. "I-we...we've been friends the longest."

Before she could interrogate the red head further, the computer announced an incoming call. Kid Flash sped over to answer it, the word, "See?!" left in his wake.

Robin's face filled the screen. He was wearing his sweatshirt and sunglasses, his hair was messier than normal, his grin more tight than it's usual cocky, "Hey, guys! Long time no see."

"What happened to you?" Superboy, ever tactful, spoke first.

The boy Wonder fiddled with the earpiece of his sunglasses and visibly winced, "A thug got the drop on me the other night. Broke my leg in two places...among other things."

"Oh!" M'Gann gasped, "but you're okay, right, Robin?"

The Boy Wonder laughed, Artemis thought it was rather forced, "Yeah, I'm good enough, but Bats says no Mount Justice, let alone missions, for at least six weeks."

The whole team groaned.

Kaldur responded, "Get well soon, my friend."

"Will do, talk to you guys later!"

"Wait," Artemis called before Robin could disconnect. "Can I talk to Robin alone for a minute?"

Kaldur nodded, ushering out the rest of the team, but not before Kid Flash gave her a wide eyed stare. She'd have to dig further into him later.

"What's up?" Robin asked.

"You heard that Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's ward, got shot." It wasn't a question. The duo obviously lived in Gotham.

"Yeah," the boy answered carefully.

"Do you and Batman have any leads?"

Robin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "The police are on that one."

"What?! Shouldn't you guys be, too?"

"There are lots of muggings in Gotham, Artemis. Some end up with worse outcomes. Grayson is going to be fine. There are more important things we have to deal with."

"But..."

"Do you really want it to look like Batman plays favorites? If Batman personally took on this one mugging, of the richest guy in the city, don't you think it'd look like that?"

Artemis sighed, "I hadn't thought of it like that."

"We do stop muggings. When we see them. But we can't stop what we're doing to search specifically for this one guy."

"He shot a kid."

"He was aiming at Wayne."

"Can I..."

"No. You know how He is. Let the police do their jobs."

She pouted for a moment, "Dick's my friend. I need to do something."

Robin grinned, "Then send him a card. Don't make it personal. That looks worse. Secret identities are important. Trust me."

She sighed, relenting mostly because she was afraid of what Batman would do if he found out she was hunting in Gotham. "Fine, get well soon. And I already did send him a card."

Robin smiled, "Do I get one?"

Artemis rolled her eyes and ended the transmission.

-YJ-

The moment he was positive the video link had been cut, Dick pulled off the sunglasses and slumped in the chair with a hiss of pain.

Bruce took one look at him and asked, "One to ten?"

Bruce had been hovering for the last week since he was released from the hospital. It was beginning to grate on his nerves, "Five? Maybe six? Can I have the sling back, please?"

Bruce carefully slipped it over the boy's head, allowing Dick to adjust his arm into it at his own pace. It didn't matter how slowly he moved it, it hurt like hell. "Well, at least they won't ask any more questions. Artemis isn't happy."

His mentor was frowning, "I will find him, Dick. I'm sure there are other things I can pick him up for."

"I know the rules, Bruce, and I know why. I know we can't let our lives mix. No matter what."

Bruce was staring at him, a look that worried Dick, "I will find him."

Bruce looked so guilty, what could Dick say? It wasn't the older man's fault Dick had been shot; Bruce knew that right? He was about to voice his question when Alfred made his presence known.

"I believe it's time for another round of medication and back to bed with you, Master Dick."

That was something else Dick was sure sick of: bed rest. He wasn't built to be sedentary. That aside, he was exhausted, and just from walking down to the cave to make a video call! Getting shot sucked. "Do I have to Alfie? I'm bored of just sleeping."

"That is the quickest route to recovery, unfortunately," the butler said kindly. "Come, I've made crab stuffed mushrooms."

Okay, so maybe it wasn't all bad. Ever since he'd said his appetite had returned, Alfred had been cycling through all of his favorites for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. "'Kay, Alfie. Thanks. He turned to Bruce, "You coming?"

Bruce tried to give an encouraging smile, but there was still too much sadness in his eyes, "Go on ahead, I'll be up in a while, I have something I need to look into."

That translated from Bat-speak meant he'd be down in the cave until dawn. Dick needed to do something. "At least come up and hang with me until the meds kick in and I pass out again. I'll let you pick the movie or whatever."

A tiny bit of the melancholy left his guardian's eyes, "Whatever I choose?"

Dick rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, but don't expect me to stay awake for all of the Zorro marathon."