The Greatest Sacrifice

Part 5 - Nightmares

"Dick? Come on now, Dickie...Wake up," He said, stroking Dick's cheek.

Sapphire eyes, tired and still pain-filled, fluttered open to meet Bruce's navy ones.

Dick smiled weakly as Bruce let out a shaky breath of relief. He kneeled next to Dick.

"Are you alright?" He asked, taking Dick's hand.

"Spectacular," Dick said, his voice barely above a whisper. He shifted and let out a gasp, his hands flying to his chest.

"Easy," Bruce said softly, putting Dick's hands back at his sides. "What hurts?"

"Everything," Dick gasped, trying to smile unsuccessfully.

"You don't have much morphine in your system," Bruce explained, voice still soft. "It could've put you in a coma."

"Figured," Dick mumbled, wincing. He sniffled and Bruce remembered what Sarah had said about him having a cold.

"Do you need anything, Dickie?" He asked, stroking Dick's hair.

Dick coughed, pulling the oxygen mask off of his face, and shook his head, reaching for Bruce's hand. Bruce let him hold onto it tightly, relieving some of his pain.

Father and son sat in silence for a few minutes.
Then, Dick, whose eyes had been closed, jerked upwards with another gasp. The heart monitor went crazy.

Bruce was on his feet in a second. "What is it? What-"

"The team," Dick gasped, trying to sit up. "What-where's-"

"Shh," Bruce soothed. "They're safe, thanks to you. Joker didn't touch them."

He glanced at the heart monitor. "Dick, you need to calm down, son. They're safe, I promise. They're sleeping. You gave them-us-quite a scare," He added quietly.

Bruce stroked Dick's hair again, listening as his son's heart rate slowed.

"I saw them, Bruce," Dick whispered suddenly. His heart rate increased slightly again.

Bruce looked at Dick's flushed face. There were tears in his crystalline eyes.

"Saw who, Dickie?" Bruce asked, sitting down on Dick's bed.

"Mamica...and tati...and Jimmy and Auntie too..." Dick whispered, his breath hitching. "They-they told me to st-stay with you all. They- Bruce, I-" Dick cut off as tears started to fall from his eyes.

Quickly and gently, Bruce propped Dick into a sitting position. He proceeded to gather Dick's warm body into a hug, making sure not to disturb the wires on his body.

"Shh," Bruce said again. He could feel Dick's body shaking in his arms, both from the tears and the fever. "You're okay now, Dick. You're alive."

"But th-they were right there and I d-didn't- God, Bruce, they were s-so close-" Dick stuttered, and he started to sob.

Bruce pressed his son's face into his chest, rubbing his back as he rocked Dick back and forth gently.

"Shh," Bruce whispered into Dick's hair. "I know you miss them, I know...but you're alright now."

"A-and I was s-so stupid," Dick sobbed into Bruce's chest. "I didn't even n-notice the J-Joker and-"

"Richard," Bruce said, his tone becoming sterner. "That was not your fault in the slightest. If anything, it was mine; I gave you all false information. Don't go blaming yourself."

He continued to rub Dick's back as the boy sobbed, exhaustion and fever taking over.

After a few minutes, Dick's tears subsided. Bruce still held onto him.