Bruce Wayne

That thing people say about one's blood running cold? Bruce wasn't sure he really believed it. Maybe it was the fact that he normally had ice running through his veins, but it wasn't something he had ever experienced. At least, not until he'd gotten a phone call from RABE Memorial Hospital telling him that Dick had gotten shot in the line of duty and as his next of kin, they wanted Bruce to get to the hospital as soon as he could. In that moment, it felt like his heart had seized in his chest, he got an odd sensation in his stomach, and shock pulled blood away from his extremities leaving him feeling absolutely freezing.

It had been months since they'd last talked, and they hadn't parted on good terms. Well, that was putting it mildly. They'd nearly come to blows before Alfred stepped in. And now, now Dick could be--

The sensation passed, thankfully, and he sprang into action. Bruce all but ran out of Wayne Enterprises, didn't even bother changing out of his stuffy suit. His needlessly expensive sports car practically flew down the highway, getting him there in half the time it should have taken him. Whatever, he was rich, he could pay a speeding ticket if anyone stopped him.

Fortunately, no one did.

When he arrived, he was told Dick was in surgery and he was just going to have to wait to see him until it was finished. That the bullet had nicked an artery and he'd lost a ridiculous amount of blood. They couldn't be sure about the extent of the damage until they got in there and had a look. Bruce prowled back and forth in the waiting room, looking more beast than man. If he ever found out who did this...

He was pulled out of those thoughts when a nurse told him that they were going to need to monitor Dick closely, but Bruce could go in and see him. His heart was lodged in his throat when he stepped into the room and saw the beautiful young man attached to all sorts of machines and wires. He didn't trust himself to speak as he shakily took a seat in the chair next to the bed, reaching for his former ward's hand and grasping it tight. How could he have let something like this happen? How could he get so close to losing Dick after not speaking to each other out of some stupid petty bullshit?