Milk And Cardamom | S. Brown ✔

[51]

Alex was waiting in the living room of Wayne Manor where he had been to led to by their butler Alfred. With every passing second, he was getting slightly impatient.

At last, Jason and Stephanie stepped in and right then Richard too seemed to have come home from work. He noticed that they looked much different from usual; Richard was no longer in his persistent happy mood, he had never seen Jason without a smirk playing upon his lips yet the latter stood stiff as if there was no ounce of humor left in him. And Stephanie seemed like a mirror image of Dora with her tired eyes and unusually silent demeanor.

By then, he realized that all of them looked as haunted as he had been seeing Dora since the last three weeks. And that could only mean something terrible had happened to Tim.

Richard sat down across from him, his features solemn as he spoke up, "we know why you're here, Alex, and we're sorry we couldn't tell you anything earlier."

He kept silent, encouraging him to continue.

"We... We don't know where Tim is," he let out the words at last, blue eyes gazing in his sincerely, "it's been almost a month and we have done all we could to search for him and bring him back but... But by now, we're losing hope."

"But what happened to him?" Alex asked, realizing that Richard had been unclear about that in his vague explanation.

He watched the jaw clench slightly, the uncertainty taking over the man's face as if unable to decide how to answer that question. "I am sorry, we can't tell you more. We are still looking for him, we are trying hard not to give up but there's absolutely nothing that can point us in his direction."

"What happened to him?"

"He got abducted," Jason spoke up instead, mending the gap in conversation, "we were able to track the kidnappers but he had escaped from there. Ever since then we are trying our best to locate him. All we know is that he was fatally injured when he escaped and there's little chance he would have survived the wounds. But as long as we don't find a physical proof of that, we won't stop searching."

Alex sat there in shock, it was all too much to take in yet it seemed as if it wasn't true at all. As if even then, the Waynes were not telling him the full truth.

"And does Dora know...?"

"She's the last person he called before dropping off the grid," Steph mumbled, "he told her something but she won't open up."

"She's hurting inside," he spoke, recalling the pain on his sister's features, "but she didn't tell me anything so I had to come to you people."

"You did right," Richard added, "but the thing is, we can't help you. We have been doing all we can yet there's no trace of Tim. All I can ask you is to try and prepare Dora for the worst. We don't yet know where Tim is and in what state but so far nothing positive has surfaced. I'm afraid that he... That we might never be able to find him."

Alex lowered his head, a hand massaging the throbbing temple for he could imagine how difficult it would be for Dora to come to terms with that fact. She was holding herself together for so long but her control was tearing at the seams. Hearing that there was almost no hope left would tear her apart completely.

"I will come with you," Steph approached him, "I'll talk to Dora."

"Don't... She won't be able to bear it."

"We can't keep her in the dark forever, Al."

He knew she was right but he also knew that he might not be able to bear it too if his sister fell apart completely. He cared for her more than just a brother would, he had always been a protective shelter to her that their father had never been.

He stood up and Steph gently took his arm. "I know it's difficult, it's equally hard for us too. But try to understand, Al, we can't hide reality from Dora forever."

"And what is this reality you just mentioned?"

Steph shuddered, the words heavy as she voiced them out, "that she should stop waiting for him. He might never come back."

Thinking of all the hurt and pain she would go through upon being told to stop waiting for Tim was unbearable. But letting her wait her entire life and spend the rest of it in the same pain was even worse.

***

Steph dreaded having to see Dora but braced herself as she waited behind Alex who knocked on the bedroom door. Shortly after, Dora opened up and seeing Steph behind him, a ray of hope lit up her eyes.

She probably felt Steph had come there to tell her about Tim and seeing her like that sent a stab of pain through Steph's heart.

She had reached out towards her. immediately, taking her hands in her own, "Steph, did you guys find Tim?"

Alex looked at her and felt his heart sink upon seeing her as such, "Dora, sit down please."

Uncertainty flickered on her features, "w-why?"

"We have to tell you something but you've got to promise us that you'll listen calmly."

Her features paled, realizing that whatever news try had brought wasn't good.

Steph gently made her sit down on the bed and held her hands in her own, "Dora, promise us you won't do anything stupid to hurt yourself."

"What happened to Tim? Where is he?"

"Dora, promise us or else we won't tell you," Alex spoke up.

She looked at the resignation on both their features, an unwanted realization settling in her heart, "he's not going to come back...?"

Steph's green eyes had welled up in tears, "Dora, please..."

"He won't or... He can't...?"

Steph broke down at those words, tears pouring down her cheeks as she hugged Dora tightly, "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry..."

Dora felt as if it was a terrible nightmare. Even though she hadn't straight up told her anything about Tim, it felt as if he was never going to return.

And she felt that fear tighten its grip over her again, all those flashes of unwanted hallucinations she had had due to Scarecrow's toxin striking back at her with full force.

"We tracked out his abductor," she resumed, speaking without taking any names because Alex was still there however, she knew Dora would understand, "he said Tim escaped his base in the first few days but we don't know whether he's lying or not. We are trying our best to look for him, Dora, but... But we're losing hope."

She stared back at her in disbelief, wide brown eyes looking at her as if unable to understand the words pouring out from her friend.

"Stop waiting for him," Steph remarked painfully, "he might never come back."

Dora felt the world crashing down on her at those words, her mind going blank as she tried to make sense of it.

But nothing was making sense anymore.

She looked at Alex blankly who only nodded, his hand resting on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Dora, but she's right. Tim might never come back," he stated and that was the final straw for her.

She felt everything around her grow darker than the night sky as her senses extinguished. Both Alex and Steph panicked to see her fall unconscious and Alex rushed down to bring a glass of water to revive her.

She had always feared that she would lose Tim and right then she had just been confirmed that her worst fear had come true.

***