The Curious Case of Dick Grayson

III

What the hell are you talking about?" This had to be one of the clowns sick jokes.

"Richard you've been here for quite some time"

"What!? No! That's not possible! I've never been emitted to a mental hospital in my life!" He wasn't crazy. The Joker was crazy!

"You've been here for over 5 years Richard, do you remember any of it?"

Five years? That's impossible, for the past five years he has been running across rooftops as Nightwing!

Raising Damian, trying to reach out to Jason, being a better brother to Tim, for the past five years he had been with his family.

"No! I don't remember it because you're lying! I don't belong here, let me out of here!"

Dick started to push himself off the bed; he needed to get out of here. The white walls were closing in around him. A pressing hand on his right shoulder causing his injury to flare up in pain.

Dick lost his standing momentum, returning to his sitting position on the bed, cradling his arm to his chest.

"Richard you are not leaving here until you are mentally fit, it will take time but our goal is for you to rejoin society once again."

"What about my family, they will tell you, they will get me out of here!" Dick was starting to get frantic, he couldn't stay here.

The man reached around Dicks face, forcing them to make eye contact. The fake concern in the clown's eyes was painful to look at.

"Richard there is no family. After your parents deaths you went to the Juvenile Detention Center," The man was talking slowly as if to allow Dick to fully absorb what he was telling him.

"Yeah, but I was only there for a few months before Bruce took me in as his ward."

"No Richard, Bruce Wayne never took you in. You lived in the Juvenile Center until you escaped when you were 16"

Dick shook his head at the man, which didn't help with his dizziness. "You're wrong! Bruce adopted me, he raised me!" sweat started to gather on Dicks forehead.

"Think about it Richard, why you a playboy billionaire take in a pathetic circus child?"

A small grin grew on the man face. Did he think this was funny?

As much as Dick wanted to bolt out of the room, and run as far as his wounded body could take him, if was as if he is frozen to the spot in fear.

"He..He.. Bruce was there that night. Saw them....fall. He related to me, took me in," his voice started to fail him.

"Why would a billionaire be at a circus? On top of it all, dozens of children in Gotham become orphans every day, most of them due to gun violence, which is much more relatable to Mr. Wayne. Richard your fantasy is not realistic, can you see that now?"

Dick stared at the floor dazed, surely this man was lying. There is no way he made it all up in his mind. His head was telling him what the clown was saying sounded logical, but his heart told him differently.

He has deep connections with his family. He felt true raw love for Bruce and his brothers, you can't make up those emotions all on your own... right?