farcry | anything can be taken from you.

[ Jason doesn’t have to go far to find Dick. he’ll be at exit 97 off the freeway, the one leading to the Mission district where the Tower and Jason is. he’ll find the lanes blocked off by ambulances and fire trucks, a jackknifed truck, a crushed van, and Dick’s bike laying off to the side at the end of black skid marks.

he’ll also find a body with a white sheet over it. not Dick’s body. Dick is passed out, strapped to a stretcher and being lifted into the back of an ambulance. the paramedics will let Jason come with them with enough convincing, but they’ll shuttle Dick off for x-rays. a few broken ribs, a broken clavicle, badly sprained wrist, and some internal bruising. not anything Dick hasn’t seen before. lucky, the doctors say, given how recklessly he was riding and what happened to the van driver.

but it won’t be until the morning that Dick starts to come to, blearily blinking his eyes open, fingers slowly flexing through slow, weak breaths. before he knows where he is or recalls what happened, he thinks of one thing, and one thing only. Jason. ]

[ Jason's almost positive that he's felt every single worst feeling in the world by now, but nothing in his entire life has ever felt the way seeing that body on the ground with the white sheet over it feels. It feels like he'll loose his mind, like he's going to puke, like the greatest anguish he's ever felt washes over him- until he sees Dick on the stretcher instead.

He leaves his bike on the side of the road and convinces the fuck out of the paramedics to let him go with them. Maybe they're scared that Jason will fight every last one of them if he doesn't get to ride with Dick, so it's easier to just let him. He stays out of their way though, letting the paramedics do their thing while he sits there in fear, watching Dick's chest rise and fall with his breathing. He's alive. He needs to stay alive.

Then he's left there to his own devices once they get to the hospital, and Jason doesn't know what to do. He should call Rachel, tell them to get over here, but he's scared. He did this. He fucking did this. How can he call them and tell them what happened? How can he face them now, when he was already scared of facing them even before this happened? He can feel himself spiraling, pacing back and forth, with the nurses at the desk starting to look at him worriedly.

He wipes at his eyes and makes a decision, stepping outside the ER doors to catch his breath and let the cold air hit his face so he can somehow pull it together- and then he calls Rachel. ]

[ it's three in the morning, but the time of day has started to mean less and less. between the training schedules, the cases on their hands, her midnight snacks, and the nightmares, Rachel barely knows what time of day it is, besides morning and night. her and Gar returned to the tower not too long ago after running recon on a Gotham related weapons shipment. no matter how far away they get, Gotham still lingers with the Titans, around every turn, behind every unveiled clue.

she turns over in her bed and sighs into her pillow, picking up her phone to open up tiktok. there's an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she forgot something or left something out of place. the last hour of thinking about it hadn't helped, so she had tried to sleep it off. telling people about it only tends to add anxiety, so she's stopped sharing unless she's certain. though she's getting better at trusting herself, she still feels like she's so unpredictable.

in the middle of a GoT tiktok, Jason's name pops up on her screen and her phone buzzes in her hand. it's the sinking in her stomach and the shock of it that has her gasping and almost dropping the phone.

she answers right away, voice shaking. ]

...Hey.

[ It's not long after he last texted with her. He's not sure how many hours it's been because he lost track of time, but he figures maybe she thinks it's him calling to talk, to make further amends, to add onto the conversation they just had. Maybe she's trying not to think about him at all. As the phone rings, he feels like he's gonna throw up all over again. This is bad. This is so fucking bad.

Rachel was right.

He almost hangs up, but it's too late. The call connects almost immediately, and her worried voice filters through. He lets out a shaky breath to try and still his own voice, but it doesn't work. ]

Rachel... Dick was in an accident. He's at the hospital.

[ as soon as she hears his voice, she knows that something is very wrong. there’s a seriousness to it, a gravity to the way her names sounds, shakily spilling out.

the words in his next breath sends her heart plummeting. she pushes herself up to sit. ]

What…? How—is he okay?

[ He shakes his head, but he's glad she can't see it. Can't see how much he's falling apart right now. He wipes at his eyes again, glancing back toward the inside of the ER. ]

He's-- I don't know yet. Still waiting for the doctors to come out and let me know the extent of it. He was on his bike and got hit by a car.

[ a hand clasps over her mouth as the dread starts to well up inside her. ]

Holy shit… should I come? Is it okay if I come? [ she’s already getting out of bed. ]

Gar’s here too. I don’t know where Kory and Tim are but should call them and tell them? [ she pauses, the gravity of the situation suddenly setting in. everything she said earlier, everything she felt was leading to this.

she sits back onto the bed and feels herself sinking. ]

Jason… are you okay?

Edited 2024-03-03 03:19 (UTC)

[ It's a lot. It's a whole fucking lot, and Jason suddenly feels like he's sinking too. He wants to run- to just bolt the fuck out of here and not stop until he gets back to Gotham, or maybe even further than that. Rachel, Gar, Kory, Tim... they're all gonna roll up in here and he doens't think he should be here for that. He's scared of what'll happen. Hell, they might try and kill him.

He realizes he's about two seconds away from a panic attack when Rachel says his name, and he knows he should answer her. ]

I don't know.

[Should they come? He doesn't know. Probably yes. Is he okay? Not even close.]

I'll send you the address. You guys should come. He'll wanna see you when he wakes up. I gotta go. I just wanted to let you know that he's here. I'm sorry. I'm really fucking sorry.

[ she doesn’t know why she has to ask like that when she’s not okay either. hearing Jason apologize has a lump gathering in her throat and she starts shaking her head. ]

No. No, please don’t go. It’s not your fault. Please? [ the idea of Jason leaving feels like another loss. it’s loss on top of loss and she wishes it would all stop slipping through her fingers.

she remembers the way he spoke about being scared to tell them he’s here. she hadn’t told Gar yet because of that. ] What if just I come? Just me. Will you stay if it’s just me?

[ He can feel his vision swim and he has to grab at the wall, closing his eyes. What if Dick isn't going to be ok? What if he leaves and then Dick-- no. No. He can feel the bile rising in his throat and he pushes it away. ]

Just you?

[One thing at a time. He wants to make sure Dick is ok, and if it's just Rachel then maybe he can stay. He can do this. He has to do this, for Dick. He can't fucking run away.]

Yeah, ok.

[He sends her the address of the hospital- it's so close to Titans Tower that she'll probably be here in five minutes.]

I just want him to be ok. He has to be ok.

Just me. [ the tiniest strand of relief propels her into motion. she shrugs on a black sweater as she keeps the phone to her ear. ]

He has to be. Dick always ends up okay. [ she tries to convince Jason and tries to convince herself, as shaky as her voice is. ] Okay, I’m on my way. I gotta call an Uber. See you in a bit, okay?

[ she hangs up and calls an uber before hastily changing out of sleep shorts and into black jeans, pulling on socks and a jacket at the same time as she runs out of her room. she’s not sure where Gar is in the tower, but she’s so scared Jason is going to leave. she resolves to text him later.

in almost no time, Rachel arrives at the emergency department and gets directions to the waiting room where Jason is. ]

Jason? [ she hurries toward him when she sees him, unprepared for the way her breath catches and eyes prickle when she sees redness around his. ]

Jason… [ she stops short, standing in front of him. he looks the same, but so different at the same time. both familiar and a stranger. it’s been a long time since they last saw each other. and this isn’t how she imagined they would reunite. a hand wipes away a tear before it crests her waterline. ]

It’s okay. It’ll be okay.

Okay... okay.

[He always ends up okay. He's gonna be okay. This time he's nodding, letting out a shaky breath of his own. When she hangs up he just stands there outside, trying to convince himself of that. Dick is going to be okay. He can't lose another person he cares about so fucking much- another person he loves.

All thoughts of running him then, and he goes back inside. He asks the nurse if there's any news and she lets him know that he's getting some x-rays taken to see the extent of the injuries, but they'll let him know as soon as they know anything more.

He sits back down in the waiting room, leg bouncing as he watches the swinging doors to where they took Dick, before just dropping his head down into his hands to try and breathe and stay calm. He only lifts his head when he hears his name, and he looks up quickly to see Rachel. She's almost unrecognizable with her white hair, but it's so very clearly her, and he feels a wave of sadness and nerves hit him all over again.]

They-- they don't know yet. They're doing x-rays. Rachel... I'm sorry. He was talking to me on the phone, he was upset. Distracted. I didn't mean-- I didn't.

[ Jason looks shattered, and she can feel the sadness and worry rolling off of him in waves, his words broken, his whole body tense with the effort of staying calm.

he starts to explain and she starts to shake her head, stepping in to sit in the chair beside him. her hands curl into fists in her lap from the effort of keeping the tears at bay. ]

That’s not him. He calls people all the time—Dick doesn’t get distracted. It was an accident. [ he’s been in those before. he’s been hurt before, been hit by cars before. they both know that. it’s just a terrible coincidence that this has happened before when Jason had been involved, back when Dick had been looking for him in Gotham. she tries to convince Jason as much as herself. ]

I know it feels like you did this, but you didn’t.

Yeah, but--

[He starts again when she says it wasn't his fault, that it was an accident- but then he stops himself. It isn't gonna help, arguing it back and forth. He knows it's his fault. Dick would have been paying attention if he wasn't so upset that Jason was thinking of leaving. He feels exactly like the poison he said he was.

He drags his fingers through his already messy curls, leaving his hands in his hair as he ducks his head back down.]

He has to be okay. I don't wanna lose him.

[ Rachel watches him, taking a quivering breath as Jason puts his head into his hands. ]

I know. Me neither. [ looking down at her own hands. there’s a long pause. ]

Jason… I’m sorry for saying all that stuff about having a bad feeling about this. I should’ve kept that to myself. It just gets people nervous.

[ He lifts his head, an anguished look on his face as he looks at her once again. ]

But you were right, weren't you. You were completely right, and it had everything to do with me.

[If he had just left without saying anything... the intrusive thoughts start up again, but they're cut off by a doctor coming through the swinging doors, looking around.]

Mr. Todd?

[Jason practically bounds up out of his seat to go over to the doctor, snagging Rachel's sleeve to tug her along with him.]

Yeah, that's me. How is he? Is he ok?

[ Rachel stands up immediately after Jason does, all further questioning put on hold as the Doctor emerges. ]

Come with me. [ the doctor's voice is calm, but the fact that there's no straight answer pools anxiety in her chest. they're led back through the double doors toward the patient rooms, and in the empty hallway, the doctor pauses outside a door to turn toward them. the sympathetic look on the doctor's face has Rachel curling a hand into Jason's, gripping it hard. ]

My name is Doctor Daniella Gomez. I'm one of the trauma surgeons here at the ER. Mr. Grayson is stable. [ but there is no smile on the doctor's face, just a kind of warm, matter-of-fact recitation. Rachel finds herself scared to feel relieved. ]

We ran a series of x-rays and a CT scan. Mr. Grayson has suffered a severe concussion, but we've managed to stabilize him with an induced coma. [ the doctor's hands clasp in front of her. ] This means we've temporarily sedated him to encourage the swelling in his brain to go down, just for around six hours.

[ the doctor pauses, but it's clear she's not finished. ] He has three broken ribs on his right side. There is some internal bleeding, but nothing punctured. His right collarbone is broken, and his right wrist is sprained, but we've set everything back where it needs to be. We'll have to keep him here for observation, but you can see him if you'd like.

Edited 2024-03-03 20:55 (UTC)

[ Everything feels like it's moving in slow motion when the doctor leads them back toward the patient rooms. It feels like Dick isn't ok. There's nothing about this doctor's demeanor that indicates that Dick is ok, and Jason feels like he's gonna lose his mind.

So it should be a relief when the doctor says Dick is stable, but there's so much more. Rachel's hand curling around his makes him feel a little steadier though, and he does the same, curling his fingers around hers as well. ]

Fuck.

[Jason breathes out as the doctor goes through all of Dick's broken bones, the comma-- brain swelling. At least there's no internal bleeding. Jason still feels like he's gonna puke though, and he tightens his hold around Rachel's hand.

His eyes go a little wider when the doctor says they can go see him.]

Yes. Yeah, I wanna see him. I wanna stay with him.

[ Rachel grips Jason back just as hard, finding just enough support in his touch to keep from breaking down and sobbing. it sounds bad. just as bad as she thought it would be, and she has a terrible feeling that she brought it on.

but the doctor lets them see Dick and she pushes that all aside, stepping forward with Jason as soon as the doctor nods and reaches for the door latch. as soon as the door swings open, she lets go of Jason's hand to reach Dick's bedside, looking him over in the hospital bed.

he looks like he's sleeping. the warm brown eyes she knows and are shut, his brows smoothed over, arm bent in a sling laying over a blanket tucked around his body. there's his steady heartbeat drawing its path across the monitor and an IV in his hand. she doesn't realize she's crying until her hand comes away from her face wet, and she lifts her gaze to the doctor. ]

Is he-- [ a sniffle cuts off her words. ] Is he going to wake up?

[ the doctor stands at the foot of Dick's bed. ] I don't foresee his condition worsening, and he is stable. We'll only be able to tell once the sedation wears off.

[ somehow, that doesn't make her feel better. she looks at Jason, expression crumbling. ]

[ Jason wants to run to Dick's side as soon as they're through those doors, but he lets Rachel go instead. He has to slow down anyway, kinda freezing up when he sees Dick laying there all bandaged and bruised up. He gets flashes of the time when Dick got shot. When he was laying on the ground, bleeding out, and Jason ran for his life, so utterly frightened by it. His biggest fear of all.

He isn't gonna run this time, though. As much as everything inside of him is telling him to turn around and run, he stays put.

When Rachel looks at him, he finally moves, going over to Dick's side. He lets his gaze run down the entire length of him, then reaches out to take his hand, squeezing it gently. He doesn't know a lot about people in induced commas, but if anyone would be able to hear what's going on around them when they're in one, it's Dick. ]

You're gonna be okay, Dick. We're here. You're gonna be okay. I love you. I'm not leaving your side. You're gonna wake up, and you're gonna be okay.

[ some kind of expression shows on the doctor’s face. it’s maybe touched, or maybe she feels sorry for them, or perhaps both. she gives them a small smile. ]

A nurse will be in every hour to log his vitals. If you two need anything, feel free to go by the station just at the end of the hallway.

[ Rachel nods, stepping back as Jason steps forward, looking at where Dick’s hand is lax in Jason’s. ]

Okay—thank you. [ and with a last nod, the Doctor leaves and shuts the door behind her. Rachel stands behind Jason, feeling the weight of the night sink down, feeling the quiet of the room, the whirring of the machines, hearing Jason’s softly determined words meant only for Dick, and for the first time, sees a side of Jason she hadn’t known before.

it makes her cry. her breath shakily sniffling out now that the doctor is gone and they’re left to their own devices. ]

He’s the strongest person I know, Jason. And he loves us—more than anything. He wouldn’t…leave us alone like this.

[ He knows he should thank the doctor, but his attention is fully on Dick right now, nothing else existing in this moment but him. He thinks about all of Dick's words, his determination. Don't give up. Dick wouldn't ever. He'd never give up. He'd fight this till the end.

He's crying too, hot tears streaming down his face, but he doesn't wipe them away. He holds on to Dick's hand tighter, hoping that somehow he can feel it- he can feel the determination Jason has to bring him back in one piece. ]

Yeah-- yeah, you're right. He's the strongest person I know. He's not gonna leave us.

[Normally he'd try to be more realistic, but this is what needs to be real now.]

You know... lately I've been healing up a little faster. I think it has to do with being in the Pit. Something about the magic of it lingered in my body and I heal up faster. It'll be the same for him too. It's gotta be.

It has to be. It's in him now. It'll heal him. [ she repeats after Jason, nodding, believing it with all her might. and even if it weren't for Dick, she believes in Jason, and herself, that they would be able to will Dick back, just like Gar had done by bringing Dick to the pit in the first place.

it takes long moments for her tears to subside, and when they do, she realizes she's been doing nothing but watching Dick's face, as if he would open his eyes and look back at her any time now.

but they know he won't wake up tonight. ]

Here... [ she pulls a chair toward Jason, where he's crouched at the side of Dick's bed. ] Sit.

[ Jason nods, his eyes not moving from Dick's face either. There's no pit here, but if anything- Jason would do what he could to get Dick back to Gotham if he had to. It won't come to that, though. He has to believe it.

He only draws his attention away when Rachel pulls a chair over, but he still doesn't let go of Dick's hand. ]

Sorry, I should've.... thanks. Is there one for you too?

Yeah--over there. It's okay. [ she gestures toward a chair on the other side of the bed, tucked into the corner. she pushes the chair closer to him, and sets a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. ]

Jason... do you think we should tell Bruce?

it is terrible. i’m terrible 😂 poor jason.

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ooc: You take over the doctor cause you know what Dick's injuries are and all that xD

the amount of reading i just did on medically induced comas lmfao

lmao you are the best xD

🤍

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