Chapter 9

Opening his eyes slowly, Dick Grayson looks around the room that he is in. Not recognizing anything in the room as his own, it takes Dick only a second more to realize that he's in a hospital room.

Letting his eyes drift around the room, they come to settle on the red hair lying on his bed. Focusing his eyes, Dick sees the face behind the red hair and the sleeping woman.

"Barb?" he whisper, his voice hoarse with disuse.

Shifting, Barbara's eyes flutter and slowly she raises her head from the bedside.

"Dick?" she whispers, her voice almost too hopeful.

"Yeah?" he replies with a small grin. "It's me."

"Oh my God! Dick!" she shouts, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Drawn by the noise, a nurse enters the room. Taking one look at Dick and his open eyes, she rushes out to find a doctor.

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Walking down the hallway of the Intensive Care section, Bruce and Alfred make their way to Dick's room. Not saying anything to each other, they barely pay attention to those moving around them.

Looking down the hall, Bruce watches as a nurse rushes from Dick's room.

"Dick!" he cries, rushing down to the hall to his ward's room.

Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, Bruce enters the room at a run and stops dead inside the room. Pair of blue eyes stare at Bruce from the bed.

"Hey," says Dick calmly.

"My word!" cries Alfred, who had stepped around Bruce to enter the room. "Master Dick!"

Smiling at the older man, Dick turns his eyes back to Bruce.

"Bruce?" he calls.

Stepping toward the bed, Bruce just stands by the bed. Raising his eyes to look at Dick, the younger man watches, as his guardian's eyes grow a little misty.

"I'm ok," says the younger man.

"I know," replies Bruce, blinking his eyes to clear the dampness.

Raising a hand, Bruce places it on Dick's shoulder and gives a gentle squeeze. Understanding flows between the two men.

Why do I have this feeling that something important happened while I was out? thinks Dick, glancing around the room and his loved ones. I feel like I left something or…someone behind.

Shaking his head, Dick ignores the feeling.

Closing his eyes, Dick falls asleep, safe with the knowledge that his loved ones surround him. Just as consciousness steals away, Dick swears he hears the sound of a man and woman.

We love you, Dickie, always!

THE END

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok, well that's the story. Don't forget to let me know what you thought about it.