Gotham's New Bird | T. Drake

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The doctors said that Cooper would be okay. He's just received a minor concussion and some cracked ribs. When she wasn't permitted in his room due to the visiting hours regulations, Robyn stayed in the waiting room until she could go back into his room. There, she sat, watching Parks and Recreation with the volume down low. Cooper was still drugged up and on pain meds, therefore rendering him in a slight coma.

Cooper eventually woke up. His voice was dry when he whispered Robyn's name and his fingers were brisk when they brushed against Robyn's arm.

"Hey, buddy, glad to see you're still alive," she greeted gently and patted his cold hand. Cooper showed a weak smile. He licked his lips and his eyes squinted. Cooper's face was grossly discolored in shades of purple, green, and yellow. His left cheekbone was split and swollen and his eyes were dark and bruised, one swelled almost shut completely. There were bruises along the sides of his neck, too small to be suspicious hickeys. There were three of them in a row, which lead Robyn to deduct that they were fingerprints. She knew first hand what being strangled was like. Usually, you earned black eyes in the hours to come.

"I'm glad you came home when you did," he whispered.

"The doctor said you should be just fine. Just some cracked ribs and a minor concussion. They wanna keep you another day or two for the concussion to see how severe it really is." Robyn filled in. Cooper nodded lightly. Silence enveloped the pair. then Cooper cleared his throat.

"It was my fault," he said, "I'm not good enough. I don't listen," Robyn shook her head.

"No, Cooper, he's not good enough for you, honey. Don't blame yourself. He's the one who hurt you," she interrupted.

"He warned me not to tell anyone. He started threatening me. And when he heard me leaving you voicemails, he got angrier. He thought I was cheating. One night, he snapped, just like that. I was working on hanging a print I had just finished when he burst in and started beating me. He was drunk or something...," Robyn rested her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly. Cooper was choked up, trying to hold back the tears and the emotions.

"It's okay, Cooper, let it out, I'm here for you," Robyn whispered and stroked his hair. Tears rolled down his cheeks finally and he let out a small sob.

"He said he wouldn't hurt me. He promised," he sniffled.

Robyn stroked his hand lightly. "Scoot over," she whispered. Cooper did and Robyn climbed into the hospital bed. She pulled him close to her and kissed his hair. He quietly cried into her. She stayed with him until visiting hours were over and she had to go home.

"Get some rest, Cooper," she said before she left.

~•*•~

When she got to the complex, Robyn broke down in tears. She couldn't imagine what it felt like to have someone that you looked up to betray you and nearly kill you. She looked at Cooper's door and cried for him.

Through teary eyes, she turned and saw an envelope taped to her door. She wiped her eyes and nose, and peeled it off. Her name was written beautifully in black ink. Robyn took out her keys and opened her door, still entranced by the envelope.

She kicked the door closed and plopped onto her couch. Why would someone send her a note? She had a mail box in the lobby, so why would they tape the note to her door?

Robyn held the envelope to the light, trying to see what was in the paper before she opened it. It looked like a regular piece of folded paper. She carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the paper.

You have been formally invited to the Wayne Enterprises Winter Gala held Saturday, December 12...

That's as far as Robyn got when she gripped the paper tightly, a rush of adrenaline bursting through her. She reread it, making sure she read it right. Was this a prank? She scanned the to the bottom of the invitation and her eyes planted onto the signature of "B. R. Wayne". Below his signature, in the margin, was a small note, written in red pen.

A friend of mine told me you were struggling. This should help.

Regards,
T. Drake

Robyn's face paled and she checked the envelope. Was this even real? There was a check of two thousand dollars. She nearly fainted. Robyn pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She was definitely awake.

Robyn took a shaky breath and looked around her still-trashed apartment to ground herself. It helped a little. She set the papers down on her scratched coffee table. Her apartment still needed cleaning. And it was only just past 7. So Robyn grabbed a trash bag and got to work.

As she was cleaning, she couldn't stop thinking about the invitation and the check. Why would the Waynes want any affiliation with her? She was just a regular person struggling with life. She didn't understand why someone so rich would pick her. She wasn't starving, like what was happening to many others. Why help her when there's a whole world waiting for wealthy aristocrats like the Waynes for help?

She made her last trip to the dumpster and looked around her bare apartment. Most of her thieved knick-knacks had been broken and rendered useless. Not that they were useful in the first place. She just liked how they made the apartment a little less lonely.

Robyn looked at the time. Quarter to one. The day's exhaustion kicked in and her eyelids felt as if they weighed a ton. She turned off all of her lights and fell onto her bed, not bothering to change into her pajamas. She made a mental note to tell Cooper about the invitation when she visited him next.

Ξ

Okay so this chapter got deleted anD I HAD IT WRITTEN OUT, 1500+ WORDS YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW ANGRY I WAS AND SO IT TOOK FOREVER TO REWRITE THIS SORRY

Anyway. Prom was last week. I was busy trying to not fail classes this past week. I procrastinate. I also wanted to set fire to everything and everyone I saw because of how stressed out I've been lately. This was supposed to be up 2 weeks ago. Woops???

Robotics is done and now i have to find a job because just babysitting isn't making enough money anymore. Expect chapter 27 to be up soon. :)

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