Traumatised

Coping

'You want to drug me?' Dick asked indignantly.

'No, I'm not drugging you.' Slade said with a sigh. He had had a feeling Dick would react like this. 'CBD is made from the hemp plant – it's commonly used to help treat anxiety.'

Dick twitched, although he really shouldn't have been surprised that Slade had picked up on his growing feelings of anxiety. The man knew everything. He glanced at the small bottle in the older man's hand.

'Dick, I'm not going to force you to take it. But it does work, ask Joey.'

Dick looked behind him to the mute man, who smiled and nodded at him. Dick took a moment to consider this. As far as he was aware, Joey had never lied to him (or Slade for that matter). But he was still apprehensive.

'I don't want to feel high?' he said quietly.

'You won't.' said Slade, 'CBD is calming, but it doesn't have the same properties as well...'

Pot – Joey signed helpfully.

'Does Bruce know about this?' asked the boy.

'He said it was up to you. At this point, he just wants you to feel better in yourself.'

'Is it that obvious?' asked Dick with a grimace. His anxiety had been slowly getting worse over the course of the last week. His fear of being alone had escalated to full panic attacks, each night his dreams were plagued by night terrors and he awoke screaming.

'Dick, we've peeled away the metaphorical band-aid you had on your trauma for nearly a year. There was always going to be a period of adjustment.' Slade said kindly, 'Your feelings are valid, and we will work through them. But it doesn't mean you have to suffer as much as you are.'

Joey stood and watched the transaction between his father and the boy. Over the last few weeks that he had been getting to know Dick, his father's behaviour was surprising him. Slade had never been an abusive parent, he had adored his children and been incredibly attentive in his own way. But he'd never seen him be this gentle, even with Rose. Joey didn't know the exact details of what had happened to Dick, his father refused to tell him. But he knew the boy had attempted to end his own life...just like his older brother had. When Joey had first discovered that his father had taken in the small teenager, he had been (if only momentarily) furious. But now he could see that this whole process was not only therapy for the disturbed teenager, but for Slade as well.

He watched Dick nod slowly and Slade used the dropper to pour some of the green liquid into the boy's mouth. Despite Dick's initial look of disgust at the bitter taste of the hemp oil, he swallowed it. Joey smiled to himself at his father's current success at helping the boy. Grant would be proud.

'That's disgusting.' Dick said, drinking down a glass of water to rid his mouth of the taste. 'How do you take that?' He looked at Joey.

I smoke it - Joey signed, he then reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a small but sleek e-cigarette.

'I don't care how bad it tastes, you're not smoking.' Said Slade sternly. He didn't like the fact his son vaped the liquid, but it was the lesser of two evils when it came to Joey's PTSD. Regarding Dick, it would be up to Bruce to decide which of those two evils he would prefer.

Joey waited until his father's back was turned before he winked at Dick.

Next time he goes out.

'I saw that.' Said Slade, although he didn't turn around.

Dick giggled and then looked surprised when he realised, he did feel calm. It wasn't a drug-induced kind of calm that came with sedatives. It was actually a pleasant feeling of natural calm.