[IN THE END] - DICK GRAYSON - YOUNG JUSTICE

CHAPTER 22C

Okay I lied, this was a bit longer than anticipated but thats god for you I suppose.  Comment and keep reading!  Thanks!

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Bruce walked down the congested sidewalks of Gotham, people running in and out of stores.   They were attempting to finish shopping for the holidays, despite the fact it had been last minute.  Christmas was the following day, and it appeared as though Bruce would be spending the day without Richard.  Bruce continued along the walkway, rushing to get home.  He was tired and wanted to sleep.  He desperately wanted to rest his eyes, and not have them open until the day Richard came back, but he knew that wasn't an option. 

The next day, he woke up as late as he could, taking everything extra slow.  His shower lasted forty minutes as opposed to fifteen.  He took his time eating breakfast rather than shoving it down his throat.  Everything, was in slow motion.  And that's the way it was for the next week.  And even though he did nothing, dragging out the seven days as long as possible, he found himself at the beginning of that new week too quickly. 

He stood before his comrades giving his speech for the annual Wayne Enterprises New Years Eve bash.  He wore a familiar fake smile for the duration of the party, but the second he was in private, behind a locked door, he fell to pieces. In a mere two hours, the x's would win again.  He thought about how long it had been since he heard Richard's voice.  A voice that managed to leak into his mind on a daily basis.  A voice that was powering, yet cautious of what was said.  The voice he would never forget.   

The start of the next day, what was a new month, a new year, Bruce made his way down to the hospital.  He took the stairs up to Richard's floor, to then walk down a long narrow hallway.  He entered the room sitting down next to Richard.  It was quiet for a few minutes before he spoke.  "I had to make a speech at Wayne Enterprises last night.  You missed a great party."  He was being sort of sarcastic.  "I wish you could of attended.  It would of made things much better...  I remember taking you when you were younger.  You loved it so much."  His smile fell short.  "I remember you telling me how much you wanted to work their when you were older.  I hope you still want that...  I do.  And when you wake up, I want to make it happen.  Next year at the event you'll be eighteen, and it will be a perfect time to pass it on to you."  He looked in the other direction.  Staring out into the window, he thought back to a very important conversation.  "I just need you to know that I am here for you Richard."  He grabbed the blanket lying across Richard's body, tugging it up higher.  "But I need you to be here for me."   

Bruce was still in the hospital a week later, staying by Richard's side the whole time.  He had various arguments with prominent workers of the hospital to allow him to stay, and they finally understood where he was coming from.  Alfred would stop by every day, dropping of clothes and snacks for Bruce.  Alfred desperately wanted to tell him to come home, for he would never hear the end of it if he was there when Richard died.  But in the long run, he knew Bruce was happier by his side, then at home staring out some window. 

Bruce stared at Richard.  He looked a bit different than he had before.  His face was constantly pale, and his hair grew much longer.  Rather than short, and clean cut, it covered his forehead, some pieces just long enough to rest on his eyes.  Bruce kept trying to wipe them away, but they would always fall back into place.  He kept his hand on the boys forehead aggravated that the hair kept covering his eyes.  He wondered what was occupying Richard's thoughts, if he was even having any.      

A bright light flickered and the next think he knew, he  was in his room thinking of what to do.  'Screw it.  He'll try and foil my plan.'  A few moments later he came up with a solution.  'Unless I do it now.'  He stood up walking to his dresser.  He changed into a black sweatshirt and shorts.  He soon found himself in front of the window.  'Just like old times.'  He thought.  He carefully climbed out of the window.  He got to the ground and made his way around the manor, stopping before the garage.  He pulled out his dirt bike, walking it beyond the end of the driveway, to ensure that they wouldn't hear him.  Once he was on a main road he pulled his helmet over his head and began to ride.  He turned onto a unoccupied back road and began to speed down it, even though it was unnecessarily long and twisty.  It began to downpour, which caused him to curse under his breath.  He stepped down on the pedal, which was a terrible mistake.  His body flew off the bike, landing on the side of the road.  He tumbled for a while before coming to a stop.  Deep cuts and scrapes covered his body.  He laid there for a second thinking.  The green grass surrounding him was stained red.  He attempted to grab his phone to call someone but it was out of reach.  Suddenly everything went black.

Bruce almost had a heart attack when Richard moved. He pulled his hand away, shocked, watching as Richard shifted.  His eyes made their way to Richard's chest which was bouncing to a rhythm.  Bruce reached for the nurses button, pressing it many times, unaware of what was going on.  The nurses rushed in, trying to fix the problem. "What is happening?"  Bruce asked in a rushed tone.  "For some reason he is having an adrenaline rush.  It's causing his heart to beat faster.  At this point his body is probably trying to wake from its current state."  Bruce didn't know if he should smile, or continue to wear the concerned look.    

There were no bright lights.  He sat there in the darkness confused.  Was this the end?  Where would he go?  What was to happen?  He stood up trying to navigate his way through the obscurity.  "Someone help me!  Get me out of here!"  He had no idea what was going on.

With every gasp for air, his chest rose to soon fall swiftly.  The nurses hooked him up to even more machinery, as if the first round wasn't enough.  Bruce watched Richard closely, his eyes still shut.  He looked down at his feet for a second, cursing under his breath.  But when he raised his head, he saw Richard's eyes flickering. 

A white glow appeared as his eyes opened.  'Where am I?'  He thought.  The brightness was so over powering he couldn't see any sort of scene yet.  'Am I in heaven?'  He wondered.  It was a strong possibility, he remembered being in a car crash.  He strained his eyes to focus more, as a setting developed.  'A hospital?'  He closed his eyes in disbelief.  But when he opened them again, nothing had changed. 

Bruce watched as Richard opened his eyes fully for the second time.  He was in complete and utter shock.  "Oh my god..."  He whispered.  Everyone had a smile on their face.  Except for Richard.  His brows were furrowed, biting his lip.  He shifted in the bed once again.  He brought his hand to his forehead, a massive headache begging to surface.  He rested his eyes for a second trying to process.  "Where am I?"  He slowly questioned.  Bruce pushed in front of the nurses, wanting to be the first one to talk to him.  "You're at the hospital.  You just woke up from a coma."  Bruce said softly.  "A coma?  No... This isn't right... I just lived my life.  I'm dead now... right?"  Richard was lost.  Bruce exhaled deeply.  "No Richard... this is your life."  The older man said, using hand gestures as well.  Richard turned to Bruce, blinking a few times as his hands made their way back to his face.  His fingers  pressed against his temples as if he had been trying to remember something.  He shook his head slowly almost as if he had disagreed with himself internally.  His head was quick to turn back to Bruce as he squinted his eyes with pursed lips.  "How do you know my name... Who are you?" 

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I know... I know... But I had to okay?  It will all make sense, I promise you that.  And on the bright side he is awake...  Like I said, it's always good to keep and open mind.

Anyway, the next part will be out eventually... I can't really put an exact date on it but I promise it will be out by next Saturday. 

Oh and I apologize for all the time skips.  I know that can get annoying but I think we can all agree that its better that way than going through every single day he was in the coma.  Which by the way adds up to be 9 months according to my caculations.

And "I'm good with calculation"... Who knows where thats from???

Sorry but I couldn't resist.  It is my favorite movie...

Thanks again!