Raising Robins

Dr. Thompkins

The boys all needed tetanus boosters. Of course they caught themselves on barbed wire. As Jason explained it to the doctor as they waited in the exam room:

"Dad was all 'Hey. Don't go that way' and we were all like 'ight bet, this looks shorter' and then walked into a field of barbed wire. That shit hurt."

Their father was not in attendance but Alfred had dropped them off.

"Such is the crimefighting life." Dr. Leslie Thompkins sighed. She was the family doctor and confidant that knew everything and was the only one who could give Dick staples on his shoulder when he was a kid. She prided herself on the lack of scar.

"Who's first?" She asked.

Everyone was silent before Dick agreed. "I'll go."

"Thigh or glute?" Leslie asked, a thick needle in hand.

"Which hurts less?" Dick winced.

Jason laughed at him and he shot a glare in his direction.

"Honestly, if it's in your thigh, it'll ache but if you take it in your glute, you can still fight tonight without pain. Your arm is a no-go if you want to be able to raise it tonight."

"Ugh. We should have listened to Dad." Tim groaned.

"Shut up, Tim." Jason said, now nervous.

"Just think of it like stitches. You get those all the time." Dr. Leslie said, prepping the needle on a tray and gesturing for Dick to drop his trousers just enough that she could inject it.

"Yeah, with antiseptic!" Damian cringed. "We can't feel that! And at least if you get cut in the field, you have so much adrenaline or shock you don't feel it!"

"Keep your voice down." Tim warned. Damian bit Tim and Jason pulled them apart.

"GUYS!" Dick said. "Can you just sit QUIETLY so I don't get a needle broken in my fucking butt cheek!"

They righted themselves and Tim whispered. 

"That fucking hurt, Damian."

"Good." Damian whispered back.

Their doctor administered the shot and Dick pulled his pants up.

"How's it feel?" Jason asked.

Dick shrugged. "Fine."

"Jason, Tim, or Damian?" She asked. "Who's next?"

Jason took the advantage to get it over with. He was only mildly afraid of needles. "Don't look!" The second-oldest barked at his rowdy younger brothers that Dick was trying to separate.

She administered the shot and he pulled up his pants and sat down. Tim had since nearly fainted so she gave him a lollipop and asked for Damian.

"I want it in my thigh. No WAY am I letting them see my butt." He crossed his arms and looked up at the woman.

There was silence and then all of his brothers BURST out laughing.

"Yeah, Bedwetter, we've totally never seen your kid-butt!" Tim laughed.

"Hey, too far." Dick said, trying to not laugh. He cleared his throat and made a pointed look at Tim.

"Well I want it in my thigh."

Leslie weighed him. "I'm afraid that you're too small. Your thigh isn't going to be very comfortable to the needle size."

Damian frowned, deeply. He had to actually get on the table and then froze.

"Dude, pull your pants down." Jason whispered, harshly. "Hurry the fuck up. We're losing Tim."

"I'm PREPARING myself!" Damian retorted. He started hyperventilating and Dick sighed, stood pulled down Damian's pants and waited for the shot to be administered before setting him down and handing him a lollipop.

"Is it over?" He asked.

"Yeah, lil man. You just kinda.... dissociated."

"Oh." Damian said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Cool."

Tim handed his sucker to his brother and braced against the table, dropped his sweatpants and briefs and took the shot before getting dressed again and they walked out. The medication hit Dick first. He was SORE. 

Alfred picked up the boys. "How were you? Well behaved, I'm sure."

Tim still had a moderate bite mark on his arm. "Yeah, Damian was a peach."

"Yep." Damian said, sucking on his candy.

When they arrived at the Manor, Bruce walked the boys in.

"How was it?"

"I gained 10 pounds!" Tim said proudly.

"Damian lost 4." Jason nacred.

"Oh, and Damian bit Tim." Dick admitted.

"Go wait on the edge of your bed." Bruce said, bopping Damian's head lightly. It was playful, but he spoke sternly.

The boys dispersed to their bedrooms and Damian waited for his father.

"Aw, C'mon, father. My ass fucking hurts."

Bruce's eyes widened. His son rarely used slang and never cursed in front of his father.

"You've lost your damn mind." Bruce said, grabbing Damian's arm and swatting him right over his injection site. He stuck a bar of soap in his son's mouth and counted to seventy-one before allowing him to spit.

"I'm sure you're sore already. I'm not spanking you. You're grounded." 

Damian whined, but Bruce closed the door. Enough of that.

At dinner that night, Bruce scooped more vegetables onto Damian's plate. "Eat."

He looked at the table. 

"What did we learn last night?" He asked the boys, all leaning to their left sides.

"Listen to Batman or you get a shot in your butt." Jason grumbled.

"Exactly." Bruce said, trying not to laugh.