Nightwing: Heartache

Part 35: Treatment

December 18, 8:38pm
The Watchtower

One time in fifth grade, Barney Wilkinson told Dick that if you continuously rubbed your forearm for forty-five minutes straight, the skin would come off. Dick didn't know if that was true, but if it was, he seriously ran the risk of peeling the skin off his pinky with the amount of time he had spent twisting the ring on it.

He sat in the sitting room outside the infirmary of the Watchtower, alternating between twisting his ring and pacing the room.

Footsteps rounded the corner. It was Artemis and Connor. No one knew what to say.

"How long?" Connor jerked his chin to the infirmary door.

"Four days," Dick answered. Four days he'd been sitting out here while M'gann was in the infirmary with an unconscious Jason, trying to assess the damage to his mind, taking breaks to check on the rest of the family and do the bare minimum to make sure all other missions were operating. Tim had been here intermittently, and Barbara was here almost as much as Dick, she had just run home to shower and change.

Physically, the doctors said Jason was mostly alright. A little dehydrated, a little underweight, symptoms typical of exhaustion. He had burn scars all over his body, but those had healed, and from the X-rays, Dr. Palmer said it looked like fractures to his legs, three ribs, collarbone, and right eye socket had healed fine. Wounds that aligned with how he died.

Bruce was in there with M'gann, not that he was any help, but M'gann had run a quick scan over his mind once Dr. Palmer hooked up a nutrient IV and a steady flow of sedatives. He had quickly declared she needed time and space. Bruce was the only one allowed in, in case Jason woke up and tried to hurt M'gann, Bruce claimed, but Dick knew he just wanted to be in there. Dick understood. It was driving him insane not being in there.

"It'll be alright," Artemis took the seat next to Dick.

Dick shook his head, "you didn't see him."

"I know, but-"

"No, Artemis, you don't know. All these months, Jason was the one hunting me, and tonight, there wasn't even a speck of recognition in his eyes. Just hatred. Who knows if M'gann will be able to help him, god knows what he's been through."

Connor took the seat on the other side of Dick and clapped a supportive hand on his shoulder. "No one could've known. We all mourned him."

Dick took a breath, "yeah."

The door to the infirmary opened and all three of them sprung to their feet. M'gann walked out, and before the doors shut behind her, Dick caught a glimpse of Bruce sitting beside Jason's hospital bed.

"Well?" Artemis asked M'gann after she gave her a hug.

"It's delicate," M'gann started, locking her eyes on Dick, "his mind..." she shook her head, "but I think I can fix it."

"Really?" Dick tried to keep too much hope from his voice.

"I think so. But, the extent of the damage, it's a lot, Dick. I'm pretty sure I can de-program his mind to get him out of League of Shadow control, and I'm fairly confident I can give him back most of his memories."

"Most?" Dick pushed.

"The ones I can find," M'gann explained. "His mind is a tortured maze of locked doors, labyrinths, and traps, designed to keep him under control. Whatever brought him back, it couldn't wipe out his past altogether, but it buried who he is pretty deep. I can't promise he'll be 100%-"

"But he'll be better. He'll be back," now even Dick could hear the hope in his voice.

M'gann nodded and Dick rushed forward to give her a hug. "Thank you."