No Nuance November

Fallout

He hears the receiver click as he takes off.

Jason usually drives recklessly but this was also desperation. He died alone and scared. If Dick dies he needs to be there. He won't let Dick die alone. He won't.

He attempts to maneuver the insanity that was Gotham General's Emergency room. Jason had never seen it not packed. It wasn't the only hospital in Gotham but it was the main county hospital in the most densely populated part of said county. It made it very hard to find Damian in the crowd, if he was even there yet.

Damian was young and therefore short. In this mess Jason could easily miss him if he isn't careful.

Just as Jason was going to ask a nurse about the incoming ambulances he saw Damian.

He paced the hallway, wringing his hands. His clothes and hands are soaked in blood Jason knows it isn't his. His face is almost gray, the look in his eyes is empty.

He approaches slowly, lightly placing his hand on Damian's shoulder. He feels tense under his fingers, Jason can feel the tremors running through him from the adrenaline this whole thing is causing him. He looks as sick as Jason feels.

Damian stops at the feeling, relaxing slightly.

"Are you okay?" Jason asks him after a moment.

"I am uninjured." Damian replies curtley. He looks Jason in the eye before taking stock of his attire. "There's so much of it."

The comment is soft, almost inaudible, but Jason hears it loud and clear.

"I was able to get a hold of Alfred. He'll get Bruce." Jason continues. It's all he can do to keep from screaming. Of all the things to happen to any of them. It had to be this and it had to be Dick.

Damon opts for a nod instead of something verbal.

"Does Tim know?"

He shakes his head as he begins to pace again.

Tim doesn't answer the first time. Not surprising. He's always busy with something. So Jason calls again, and again, and again. Tim was famous for not answering his phone, if he wasn't on it he was pouring himself into his computer doing god knows what. But Jason continues to try. If the roles were reversed Tim would keep trying, or would hack his comm.

Finally Tim answers on the sixth call. Jason lacks the energy to be mad.

"What?" Tim's voice seems to be filled with a few things. Annoyed that he's being interrupted, concerned because consecutive calls are not usually good things, defensive in case Jason starts to yell at him, and exhausted because that was Tim's default.

Jason presses his lips together before speaking, trying to keep his house in order. He can't lose it. Not yet. "You need to get to Gotham General. Now!"

Tim notes Jason's tone. There's at least five seconds of silence. "Who?"

The only question that really matters.

"Dick." Jason answers. "Dick was shot. And it's bad."

Jason doesn't actually know how bad but Damian's behavior coupled with his clothes are very telling.

There's another five seconds of silence before the line disconnects.

Jason sits on the floor of the hall listening to the sounds of the hospital as Damian continues to pace back and forth in front of him, tightly wringing his hand and muttering things in Arabic that Jason isn't catching.

He wants to ask for details but doesn't think Damian is in a place to provide them. He wants to know what's going on with his brother, he wants to know the damage, he wants to help.