After two days of the hospital, Dick was allowed to leave. Unfortunately for the couple, the elevator was broken, and Dick want getting up those stairs anytime soon. The Manor didn't have elevators either, leaving them with the option of the mountain.
The first few days, Dick slept. It felt better to sleep than be awake and in pain. The original members checked in on him, making sure he ate when needed. The last thing they needed was Dick back in the hospital for malnutrition. Batman would not be happy.
Dick couldn't eat much at first. He wrinkled his nose and turned away. However, he was tired enough to not put up much of a fight. That was a lot of help for sure for the less patient ones(Conner). Wally was the one that could get Dick to eat the easiest.
After a week, Dick started getting antsy. Leslie had taken him off the pain relievers, so Dick had more energy and nothing to do. At first he read, but he ran out of things to read. He moved on to video games, but quickly got bored. He continued watching the Mandalorian, but finished the series.
Leslie allowed Dick to move around the mountain, as long as he was in his wheelchair. The team was happy to see him getting better, and everyone signed his cast. There was a small competition for who signed first, but Wally quickly claimed that title.
Dick found that he was a lot more tired at the end of the day. Now that he could go somewhere, Dick realized his energy was seriously depleted. Wally sometimes ended up pushing Dick's wheelchair when he just found himself too tired. Wally always ended up carrying Dick from his wheelchair to the bed. Dick was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Dick observed training, helping the younger heroes recognize fighting styles. He wished he could join, but understood he wasn't ready yet. Leslie promised that as soon as the bone mended, she would take X-rays. Wally was always there to help Dick when it got bad.
After almost two months in the cast, Leslie decided it was time for the cast to come off. Since Dick had actually rested his leg, the bone had healed nicely. Leslie gave Dick a leg brace and told him to take it easy. Wally led Dick out as he limped on his leg.
The team watched as Nightwing slowly became stronger. It wasn't as often to see him laying down as it was to see him leaning against a wall, keeping his weight off his right leg. He did more information work for missions than he had been doing recently. Everyone could tell the biggest bird was getting bored.
The elevator was fixed, and the two returned home. Maximus was excited to see his black haired human, as he'd only seen the red haired human when he came to feed and play with Maximus. Dick rested on the couch and pet Maximus the first day, cuddling the ever growing dog close. Dick's head laid in Wally's lap, and Wally was running his fingers through Dick's hair.
Dick didn't trust himself to walk without the brace. He knew how serious open wounds were, and didn't want to aggravate it. He wouldn't dare walk on it without his brace unless Wally helped him. Maximus was there as well, nudging Dick's leg from time to time.
One day Wally let go. Dick panicked and grabbed into him again, shaking. "It's alright, Dickie. I've got you. I've got you, it's alright." "You let go." "But I was right here, and I would've been there if anything happened. Don't worry." "Don't worry? Wally, I was terrified! I thought I was just going to collapse." "But you didn't. You're healing, Dick. So relax, and breathe."
Wally kissed Dick's forehead, stroking his cheek. Dick didn't let go, holding onto Wally tightly. He was scared something was going to happen. Wally didn't push him to let go, not until he was ready. Dick was terrified already, Wally wasn't going to push Dick into a panic attack.
It took three days for Wally to convince Dick he was alright. Dick was hesitant, not trusting himself to be able to walk. It wasn't the first open fracture Dick had every had, but it was, for some reason, the most frightening. Dick had been losing trust in himself after injuries.
Wally had been noticing this change. This wasn't like Dick. He always had everything figured out, and was always confident in himself. But after injuries, Dick was so scared, and Wally couldn't understand it. What was scaring Dick?
Dick didn't answer until almost a week later. It had been two and a half months since the accident, and Dick was still very skittish. He sometimes grabbed onto Wally at times, saying he felt unsteady. Wally decided maybe it was time to prod. Dick needed help.
Dick was on the couch, petting Maximus. "Dick? Are you ok?" Wally asked. "Yeah. Is something wrong? I've never seen you so unwilling to trust yourself. You were practically panicking when I let go of you once without your brace. You don't dare do anything but walk. What's scaring you?"
Dick looked down. "Honestly? No idea. As I keep getting hurt, I can't trust myself to work like I normally do. With my leg, I can't trust myself to run, or flip. I want to, but I can't. It's been happening recently." "What didn't you tell someone? Maybe Dinah knows what's going on. Your know she's all about the psychology stuff. She can help us figure out what's going on." Wally asked, gently bringing Dick's face up with his finger.
Dick wouldn't meet his eyes. "It's nothing. No one needs to worry." "But I worry. So promise me that you go to Dinah about this, and I won't tell anyone. Ok?" Dick nodded. "Ok." Wally hugged him. "There we go. Now, how about a movie marathon?" "That sounds great."
