A Basket Full of Bats

Paging Dr. J'onn

Fair warning this is a very weird chapter even by my standards. It contains ranting and baby talk. Perhaps baby stream of consciousness is more correct.

J'onn was furious. All the time he and those close to him had spent building an identity for him, acquiring earth accreditation in the medical field so that he would be taken seriously and some idiot doctor tries to get in a pissing contest with him, risking the life of one of his good friend's hatchlings? Okay, humans gave birth to live offspring but the point still remained.

J'onn had more diagnostic tools available to him due to his natural martian form than any ordinary doctor on the planet. He could look at the baby and see he had repaired the child's heart. He could physically see the pneumonia and some idiot doctor revokes his diagnosis because the X-rays weren't right in front of him and resumed the heart medication which had been stressing the baby's system.

"1) The idiot stopped my prescribed antibiotics due to contraindications with the heart medicine.

2) He subjected Richard to additional X-rays. I'm fully aware that using my X-ray vision on humans is potentially harmful to you, so I use it very judiciously.

3) Then once the idiot sees, yes the child does have pneumonia just like the doctor that left full contact information for me told me; he leaves Richard for hours without any antibiotics in his system to ensure the first antibiotics were cleared before starting compatible antibiotics leaving the pneumonia to run rampant.

4) The fever reducer was also incompatible with the heart medication so Richard could have no relief there.

5) Finally, the idiot still hasn't done an ultrasound of Richard's heart! An ultrasound should have been done first if there was reasonable cause to discredit my diagnosis because unlike X-rays, ultrasounds are benign. Then, the IDIOT would have seen the heart medication was unnecessary. The existing antibiotics and fever reducers could have been left in Richard's system while an x-ray confirmed pneumonia and the majority of these problems would have been avoided!"

"Bruce, if you don't sue him for malpractice I will!"

This was actually the first time Batman had seen Martian Manhunter rant. "J'onn, what can I do now to help Richard. Save the life first, then worry about justice."

Dark Knight stood beside Batman watching Martian Manhunter float back and forth in jerky furious sweeps. It was making him a little dizzy. Terry'd just been released from the infirmary.

"Of course my friend. Insist on an immediate ultrasound so you can get the heart medication stopped. Wait four hours and start the fever reducers. Maintain the antibiotics he's on now. It isn't as effective but Richard really can't tolerate more alterations to his medications and it should work. He was stable when I left. The antibiotics had kicked in. He was sleeping peacefully!"

Dark Knight wished the Martian would stop flitting from on side of the room to the other. Terry sat down listening as the Martian continued to rant.

"I'd take over as his doctor but your house is licensed right now as a remote extension of Gotham General? You need to work with the hospital or that license will be put in jeopardy. They can and will call in children's services and insist on the care they think is in the child's best interests if they think their doctor is under threat at this point and while everyone was throwing excrement at each other, poor Richard wouldn't stand a chance."

"Politically polite. Insist on an ultrasound to get heart medication stopped. Wait four hours and have fever reducers administered," confirmed Batman stopping the rant. After J'onn's sharp nod, Batman turned on a heel and left. Dark Knight got up and followed after him a little slowly, a little gingerly.

"Thanks!" Terry called back.

It was 48 hours rather than 24 before Richard was somewhat stable again but bat baby as the JLA had dubbed him, fought for life with everything he had.

Living in a plastic egg connected to tubes, surrounded by beeping things, whirring things and fuzzy blankeys might not have been much of a life but it was his and he had blobs that came to pet him and make noises at him. Not everybody had blobs but he did and they smelled interesting. Milk was pretty good too. Milk he liked. He wasn't sure about that whole pooping business though. It was usually pretty uncomfortable and peeing was generally pretty surprising. He'd be just chilling in his egg when all of a sudden PEEEEE! Very surprising. He wanted his sucking thing again but it was impossibly difficult to cough and suck and breathe all at once. It really made him annoyed that his sucking thing kept flying away. Stupid cough. The blobs gave back the sucking thing some of the time. Oh! And he just discovered the most interesting thing! He could grab the blob's! The little blob made fun noises whenever he did it. It kept letting him grab it. FUN!

"BRUCE! Did you see?! Dickie Bird held my finger!"

J'onn, who was visiting to check up on Richard, smiled.

Hello blob that helps me poop and makes it calm! I love you. I love grabby blob and pet me blob and give me milk blob but I don't like wipe me and poke me blob. I only tolerate that blob.

J'onn was astonished Richard remembered him and amused that the infant couldn't tell his nurses apart though they spent the most time with him, he recognized Jason and thought Bruce was two people. Perhaps it was because the nurses all wore pale green scrubs and smelled of disinfectant that Richard couldn't tell them apart.

Is there anyone else you love?

I love warm dancing shadow.

J'onn couldn't figure out who warm dancing shadow was. Richard was a happy baby despite everything.

I love near me squirm. Where? Want. Gone.

J'onn had no idea what to make of that thought but it made him kind of sad.

Sleepy...

Sleep

"J'onn, were you having a moment with Richard?" asked Bruce suspiciously. He wasn't sure how else to phrase his question with the nurse still in the room.

J'onn grinned.

Bruce/Batman frowned. Martians really ought not grin.

A full week after the whole Arc-X fiasco Jason finally got to cuddle with his baby brother. Bruce let Jason have his dibs but he got his turn later that night. Jason made his own bead and painted it with the date for that milestone.

If you are bored and you feel like a bit of a riddle fill in Richard's people:

Grabby -

Wipe me Poke me -

Pet me -

Give me milk -

Warm dancing shadow -

Near me squirm -