Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, Harry Potter, or anyone in this story. Poo.

Authors Note: Alrighty, here's chapter 2. What will happen to Raven!?!? Again, constructive crits welcome, but flames will be given to Trigon. Or Slade. Enjoy!

Silence is Golden

Chapter 2

Robin scowled. It was all he could do. He was walking down the hallway of Jump City Hospital, wearing a loaned pair of scrubs and hospital slippers. His own boots were in his right hand, cleaned of all blood. His bloody uniform was in his left hand, in a sealed bag. The hospital staff was letting him hang onto the special costume. He would deal with it later at the Tower. His mask was in place, utility belt thrown over his shoulder. He was following the same nurse who had led him to shower, although he had no idea where they were going now.

They passed a small desk with a computer in a more secluded part of the hospital. The nurse finally spoke up. "This desk is only manned when we have private patients. Someone will be stationed here to make sure you will not be bothered. Only essential personnel will pass these doors. If you need anything, just let them know. We'll send your teammates up when they arrive, and we'll bring Raven when she is out of surgery. Oh, and stay out of her room for now, it has just been sterilized."

Robin finally smiled at the woman. "Thank you, very much, for everything." Flashing another charming smile, Robin disappeared into the private suite.

Behind the double doors was a hallway, like in all hospitals. There were about 5 rooms in this wing, and each had a sitting area with plush chairs. A curtain could be pulled across the entry for privacy. Robin immediately knew that the first room was for Raven. There was a tray sitting on a table with some glasses and a pitcher of water, and the room beyond smelled of bleach. Placing his uniform in a corner, Robin sunk into a chair, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling. And began to wait.

Shortly, although it felt like hours to the waiting Robin, he heard familiar voices. One of the double doors opened and Starfire and Beast Boy walked into the hallway. Seeing Robin, they joined him on the couches. Robin noticed immediately that Starfire was less joyful, seeing as she walked over to him. Beast Boy, he mused, looked like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. His eyes were darting between Starfire and Robin and he had a nervous look on his face. Robin took the chance to point Starfire down the hall. "Star, there is a bathroom right down the hall if you want to freshen up."

"Oh, why thank you, I think I shall." Starfire headed off down the hall and into the bathroom.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Beast Boy was perched on the arm of Robin's chair. He began his report in low tones. "The cops came and took Slade and they called a team to wash away the blood." He paused and looked afraid to continue. Taking a deep breath, he jumped in. "Rob, Slade's dead."

Robin just stared at Beast Boy, masked eyes wide. Beast Boy nodded. "They said they would do an autopsy. The Chief will want to talk to you, but he says it can wait. He said Raven is more important, and they won't be in a hurry about a dead criminal." With this, Beast Boy backed quickly away from Robin and curled up in a chair in the form of a dog. When Starfire returned, she joined the two in silent waiting.

Over an hour passed before the doors opened again. A group of nurses pushed in a bed and various equipment. Cyborg followed, but joined his fellow titans. The nurses took Raven into the room and began setting the machines up. Robin was on his feet, staring at the door she had passed through. Cyborg stepped into his view. "She's stable now. The doc wants to talk to you, man."

Robin nodded and turned, facing a gentleman in a white coat he hadn't seen enter the hall. The man was short, about Robin's height, and old enough to be his grandfather. Bright green eyes shone behind glasses and he held a clipboard in his arms. He offered his hand, which Robin returned with a shake.

"Hello, Robin. My name is Dr. Miles. I am Raven's doctor. Cyborg told me that you will be making the ultimate decisions regarding her medical care. I'm sorry it took us so long to get back to you. She is stable now, but she has lost a lot of blood. We did not do a transfer, as we are unsure how her blood will react and we do not want to do any more damage. She will replace the blood soon, but she will probably sleep for a few days. The bigger issue is the slice to her throat. The knife cut in right above her clavicle about 1 inch deep. We have her on a breathing tube for now. Unfortunately, the knife had ctyotoxic snake venom on it. The knife got her vocal cords and this kind of venom kills whatever it can touch. By the time we got to her, they were half gone already. We had to remove them."

Robin was flabbergasted, as Starfire and Best Boy stared on in shock. "Raven has healing powers. Was that really necessary?"

The doctor sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. Her healing powers had yet to kick in and we could not be sure how long it would take. If the venom had kept spreading, she would have lost them anyway, and it could have spread to her windpipe, esophagus, or blood stream. We weren't willing to risk that. I'm sure you agree, Robin."

"O-Of course. What does this mean for her? Will she be able to talk?"

"Most likely not. We'll have to see how it goes when she wakes. I do not have any experience with healing powers, so I don't really know what to expect from her. She may be able to regrow her vocal cords. Now, you can go see her, but do not try to wake her. She was knocked out for surgery and needs all the rest she can get. Do not be alarmed by her appearance, we have her hooked up to many machines to keep her hydrated and help her breathe." Dr. Miles excused himself from the teens and left the ward, leaving instructions with the nurse at the station.

The four teens went into Raven's room. Cyborg slowly and patiently explained to Starfire what each machine did and how it was helping Raven. Robin wasn't listening; he knew it all already. He was too busy staring at Raven. She looked extremely pale, which he figured was from the loss of blood. She arms were covered in multiple IVs, giving her fluids and medicines. She was hooked up to machines that monitored her breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure, and more. She had a breathing tube in her mouth, and her entire neck was covered in a thick white bandage, disappearing under the gown she wore. Robin pulled the chair in the room up next to Raven's bed and sat, beginning his vigil of her.

Cyborg led Starfire and Beast Boy out of the room. Starfire promptly went to a corner and began to pray to her goddess X'hal for Raven's recovery. Beast Boy pulled Cyborg aside. "Cy, man, this is not cool. The cops told me Slade's dead man. Robin killed him."

Cyborg stared at the green boy. "BB this is no time for jokes."

"Seriously, dude!! They looked him over and took vitals and stuff and said he had two broken legs and was dead! I sat on his legs, so that's my bad, but Rob hit him in the head with a bird-a-rang! The Chief wants to talk to him later. What if they arrest him for murder?!"

"Man, cool it. They wont arrest Robin, hero of the city, just for killing a crazy criminal who puts the city at risk every week. Besides, when it really comes down to it, Robin saved Raven's life. The Chief can't hold him on that."

Beast Boy nodded, ready to put the whole ordeal out of his mind. "How about food? It's way beyond dinner, man. I hope they have something vegetarian in the cafeteria."

"Man, nobody likes that stuff but you. But you're right." Cyborg poked his head into the room. "Robin, we're going to get food. Coming? No? I'll bring you something then." Cyborg left the ward with Beast Boy and Starfire in tow, on the search for food.

Robin, having denied to offer, remained where he was. The chair was somewhat comfortable. Robin sat, holding Raven's hand, watching her sleep.

"Raven, I'm not sure if you can hear me, but I'm really sorry. I messed up and now you're laying here in this hospital. The doctors, they took out your vocal cords. They don't know if you'll ever talk again. If it helps, Raven, Slade it dead. I killed him for what he did to you. I didn't mean to, but I did. Bird-a-rang to the head. This is all my fault. I won't blame you if you hate me when you wake up. I don't know what's going to happen, Raven, but I'll stay right here, by your side, until you wake."

Robin gave her hand a squeeze as he rested his forehead on it. He could have sworn she squeezed back, but when he thought on it later, he realized it felt more like a mental squeeze than a physical one.