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The Birthday Present	By : Kip Category: DC Verse Comics > Batman Views: 8478 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Batman series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Seeing the privacy screen still across the door, Bruce hesitated.
Oops! Not used to being here at this time of day… Slipping in through the door, he started to take off his jacket. Despite it being his first day back at the office, he had made his excuses and left early to visit Sandy. Perks of being the Boss.
"I know it's horrid." A female voice was saying, "But it'll be over very quickly."
What? Bruce was immediately concerned. Rising onto tiptoe he peered over the fabric panel.
Who's that and what's she… oh… With a sigh of sheer relief he instantly recognised the nurse who was attending Sandy during the day shift, and as for what she was doing, well, not much of a mystery there.
"You'll only be cold for a few seconds more, sweetie, then we'll have you all nice and dry again." The nurse was saying, as she briskly swabbed Sandy over with the soapy flannel. "After all, your friend, that nice Mr Wayne will be here shortly. You don’t want him to see you with dirt behind your ears, do you?" She continued.
Despite himself, Bruce smiled at the motherly tones. Easing back so that he could not be seen from inside the room he waited, listening.
"There! All nice and fresh..." The nurse approved. "A quick rub dry with a towel and you'll be ready for company. You don’t look like the sort of boy who likes being in a mess." She added pleasantly.
Recalling some of the states that the two of them had gotten into, Bruce almost laughed at that. But then no one else knows Sandy like I do…
Suddenly he couldn’t wait any longer to see Sandy. Re-opening the outside door and letting it shut just a little harder than usual, Bruce reached in his jacket pocket for his cell-phone and turned it off.

"Oh, Mr Wayne!" The privacy screen was slid aside. "It's you… You're a little early today. I didn’t make you wait, did I?"
"Not at all." Bruce assured her. "I just arrived." Not counting the few minutes that I was spying on you…
"By the way, I do hope that you will be comfortable calling me Moira? Of course, you're not the patient, therefore if you prefer I can continue to address you as Mr Wayne?" The motherly nurse said pleasantly.
Well aware of the hospital convention of using first-names on the intensive care wards, Bruce shook his head. "No, there's no need… Moira, and please do call me Bruce."
"Bruce it is then… Well, I'll just put these washing things away properly, and then I can go off and give you two a little time to yourselves. I expect the pair of you have a lot to talk about." Moira busied herself collecting the various items together.
"Talk?" Bruce took a quick look at the grim lines on the monitors.
"Of course." The nurse tilted her head and looked at him. "You do talk to Sandy, don’t you? Oh, of course you would… well, I won't keep you, I'm sure he can't wait to hear what you've been doing since you were here yesterday."
"I do talk to him..." Bruce said softly. "Every day so far," He glanced over at the bed. "But,"
"But you don’t know if he can hear you?" She gave him a fond smile. "No one really knows that, but you mustn’t ever give up hope."
"Hope?" Bruce sighed. It had been years since he had had any of that.
"You have to be positive." The nurse reminded him. "We do stress the importance of a positive atmosphere."
"I know… it's just." For a second, Bruce wavered, emotion creeping up on him and seeping around his defences. He took a deep breath and nodded miserably.
"Now, now, none of that here," To his mortification, Moira had noticed the tears brimming in his eyes. "Sandy needs you to be strong for him." She whispered quietly.
"You just sit here, and get your breath back." She said in louder tones, and pulling out a chair, she guided Bruce into it.
"Sandy, Bruce is here. I can tell that you two have a lot to talk about, but he needs a little time to get himself settled, so you'll just have to put up with me for a wee bit longer." She nodded approvingly at Bruce.
"You'll probably think this is funny, Sandy, but your Bruce reminds me of my middle son. Such a natty dresser! Never sets a foot out of doors without his shoes properly shined. You remember that I was telling you about Peter being in the Army? Yes, of course you would! I'll bring you a photograph of Peter once you're up and about again, and you can tell me if you think that there's any likeness between the two of them? My Peter was such a tearaway when he was a boy! Though you'd never think it to see him now!" Moira chuckled. "I wonder if your Bruce was like that too?" The smile on her face sparkled in her eyes. "I bet he was…"
"I was not." Bruce said, trying to match the lightness of her tone.
"That's better!" She patted his hand approvingly. "Of course, we're all only human and these things are sent to try us."
He nodded. Wasn’t that the truth?
"Good, well Bruce, I don't know how much experience you have of coma patients, but I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have. Anything at all, just ask!" Moira grinned. "I'm practically unshockable by now…"
Bruce clamped down on the response that immediately sprang to his lips.

"Now, I've read all the clinical notes on Sandy, and I think we'll get along just fine." Moira was saying. "It's noted in the medical records that Sandy doesn’t like direct skin contact, and that his neck area is especially sensitive although the notes don’t mention why that should be … but since the policy is for staff to always to wear surgical gloves while on the ward, I don’t think that will give either of us any particular problems." She cast him a quick glance. "Is there anything else you feel I should know?"
"I don’t think so …" Bruce turned the idea over. "No." He said. "I think that's pretty much covered it."
"I do like to talk to my charges, and to build up a rapport with them. Hearing and touch are the last things to go, you know? And the first to come back, too," Moira sighed. "So many people think that coma patients are completely unaware of the outside world, and the evidence shows it simply isn't so; which is why I talk to them, and let them know what I'm doing. It's common manners really,” She tidied the sheets absently.
“After all, you wouldn’t just put your hands on a total stranger, would you? But I've seen people pull patients around as if they were a piece of meat, and without even asking. And some of them people who should know better! Heavens, here I am rambling on and taking up your time… I do apologise…"
"No need." Bruce smiled at her. "It's a relief to know that Sandy is in good hands. Do I take it that you've looked after a lot of coma patients?"
"It's my specialty." She nodded proudly. "I've worked with coma patients for most of the past ten years..."
"Have many of your patients recovered?" Bruce suddenly needed to ask.
"Oh yes… we have an excellent record here." Moira tidied the washing things away into a cupboard. "But I've kept you long enough, you have a nice little visit with Sandy and I'll look in on you again in about half an hour. Otherwise, buzz me."

* * * * *

"There you go, sweetie, your hair is all dry and nicely brushed out and I'm just going to stand here and check your readings. Big brave boy, usual pack drill…"
Wandering into the room, Bruce stood for a second, watching Moira complete the regular series of checks, neatly adding a few new comments to the lengthy chart at the foot of the bed.
"Afternoon, Bruce." The nurse told him cheerily. "Isn't it an awful day outside? I was telling Sandy that I'm very glad that I don’t have to go out in that for at least another four hours. Do you think that the rain will have stopped by then?"
"It's supposed to be dry tonight." Bruce assured her. And I hope they got that right this time, otherwise I'll be pretty damned wet by the time I've finished patrolling. He took his usual seat by the bed. Two weeks and he knew the pack drill too.
"Hi Sandy, it's just me." He said pleasantly. "Have you been behaving yourself? I don’t want to hear bad things from Moira about you."
"Oh, as if he would! No, everything's about the same here." Moira tidied the bedsheets and picked up her empty cup. "Sandy's such a sweetheart. A real angel."
"An angel…" Bruce felt a surge of affection, and despair.
"You love him very much, don’t you?" Moira smiled fondly.
Damn, but the woman was perceptive! Then again, she was trained in the care of people who could respond by only the smallest gestures, if at all…
"It's not my place, but I couldn’t help noticing how you light up when you see him." Moira said softly. "I'm sure that must help him."
"I…" For a second he couldn’t answer.
"Bruce?"
"I never told him." He said hoarsely. "I … was going to, but then it happened."
"Tell him now." Moira was right beside him. "You sit right here and tell him. Say everything you think Sandy needs to know, even the silly bits. It doesn’t matter if you don’t think you can find the right words. Sandy'll hear your voice, he'll know that he's wanted." She squeezed his shoulder. "I don’t have to check his readings again for another hour, so unless you buzz, no one else will set foot in this room again until then. Okay?"
"Thanks." Bruce was about to tell her that he appreciated what she was doing for him, for both of them, but when he looked around the door was already closing behind her.
Why do I always wait too long? He turned his attention back to the still form in the bed, determined not to make that mistake again.

* * * *
"Oh dear, Mr Wayne!"
The use of his surname instantly had Bruce alert. "Moira? What's wrong?" Terror rose in him. No… Not that!
"Sandy's fine." Moira hurriedly blurted, "But there was an intruder! I was buzzed, only when I got to the main desk no one seemed to know anything about it. I came straight back here to take over again from the relief nurse, but there was a strange man in here! I've never seen him before, but I didn’t like him!"
"What? Slow down, Moira… Now, you're sure Sandy's okay?"
"The first thing I did was come straight over and check him." Moira insisted. "Everything was just the same… But the way that man was watching everyone! It made me feel very uneasy, so I told him to go. Once my colleague realised that he wasn’t authorised, she came in and tried to back me up. I was reaching for the security button when he pushed past her and stormed out."
"She didn’t let him in?"
"Not at all. She said that he was here when she got here, so she thought he must be a visitor." Moira sniffed, and wiped her nose on a damp hankie. "It's policy that the patients in this ward are never unattended, even for a minute. The second I was buzzed, she would have gotten up from her desk and come in to relieve me."
"It always works that way?"
"Always. If the patient has someone in with them, the nurse assigned to them will wait outside the room until the visitors are ready to leave."
"Someone else knew that…" Bruce was already thinking. "And they took advantage of it."
"You mean?"
"Yes. This was deliberate. Someone was trying to get to Sandy." He turned to her. "Moira, stay with him. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"What are you going to do?"
"Speak to the Director. I've given enough money to this place in the past. If they can't set in place the proper precautions to guarantee Sandy's security here, then I'll take Sandy somewhere that can."

* * * * *

"Bruce!" The florid face was one that Bruce knew only too well from countless fundraising dinners.
Can't be bothered to keep strangers out of people's rooms, but never has any problems about filling his face at the corporate trough… Bruce knew he was being unreasonable, but he was in an unreasonable mood. He had thrown millions at this place in the past, and if they ever hoped to get another cent out of him, then he at least expected them to post a round‑the‑clock guard at Sandy's door…

"Of course, we would… but the current budget cuts…" The conversation had gone pretty much the way that Bruce had expected it to. They had sat and talked, but there was not a lot of room for negotiation.
"… get in the way of the staff…"
The last few words caught Bruce's attention and held it. "What?" He fixed the man across the table with the iciest glare he could muster. "Are you," He stood, making sure to take every possible advantage of their height difference. "Telling me, that the security of the patient is not part of the duty of your staff? If this hospital can't look after Mr Smith properly, I'll find somewhere that can."
"Do let’s not be hasty!" The over-fed tones were ever so slightly panicked. "I will look into it personally, Bruce. Personally!"

The doors swished shut and elevator descended smoothly back down to the wards.
"Fat bastard," Bruce said to himself under his breath, "If there weren’t a lot of real people depending on this place, and on us investing in it, I'd pull the plug on you so fast that your head would spin!"
As he strode along the corridor, he calmed himself with a deliberate effort. He did not want there to be the slightest chance that Sandy would be upset by any of this.
Someone caught up with him and paced him. "Bruce…" The oil-on-silk tones were not what Bruce wanted to hear at that, or any other, moment.
"Lex." He said coolly, hoping that Lex Luthor had other business, other more pressing business, elsewhere.
Hell, preferably… Then again, Hell probably wouldn’t want him either…
"I hear that you've been having a few problems." Lex said smoothly, walking in to Sandy’s room with Bruce as if he had been invited. "I'm sure that I could lend you a few of our security personnel, if you'd like?"
"Why would I want LuthorCorp guards wandering around in here?" Bruce eyed him with well-concealed suspicion.
What does Lex know about the security breach? And how?
"The nurse on the main desk was just telling me how worried she was… Finding a stranger in here, like that… How is Sandy taking it, anyway?" The Luthor heir wandered over to the bed and stood there, his eyes roving over the silent form.
A surge of bitter resentment ran through Bruce.
You can fuck off, you bald bastard… Monopolising Sandy all night at that gala dinner was one thing, and Bruce was prepared to overlook the numerous invitations for either or both of them to accompany Lex to one ridiculous event after another, especially since Sandy hadn’t shown the slightest inclination to accept. But to find Lex here…
I'm really beginning to dislike you … and your habits…
While Bruce didn’t blame Luthor for admiring the blond, this current phase was stepping way over the line. In fact the other man's interest was starting to look uncomfortably like obsession.
"You will not move so much as one step closer to that bed, or I shall have you summarily evicted from this ward." The voice was curt, and abrupt enough to make even Bruce hesitate.

"I beg your pardon?" Lex turned around.
"I am sure you heard me quite plainly." Moira was not going to be put off. "If there is anything wrong with your hearing, I know at least one version of sign language."
Good on you, Moira! Bruce suppressed a grin.
"I don’t see how my being here can possibly be of any harm." Lex fielded. "Sandy and I have met before, after all. He's hardly going to panic if he finds me here."
"I am responsible for this man's safety while he is a patient here. You have not followed hygiene procedures on entering this room, and I am not going to chance allowing you to contaminate him. No one is going to lay a hand on Sandy, not while I can prevent it." The nurse continued firmly.
"Don’t you think you might be just a little overzealous?" Lex suggested.
"Mr Luthor, isn't it?" Moira peered at him through narrowed eyes, like an angry cat.
"Yes." Luthor seemed to sense her mood too, as his tone was subdued; almost polite by his standards.
"Well, Mr Luthor, apparently you are not aware of the risk presented to deep coma patients by common viral contaminants?"
"Deep Coma?" Lex seemed very slightly fazed by that. "He's still in a coma?"
Did someone lead you to think differently? Bruce was wondering.
Who? And why would you be interested anyway? He instantly made a mental note to check later for any possible connections between the persons involved in the abduction attempt and the increasingly unpalatable Mr Lex Luthor.

"At the moment, yes," Moira was saying stiffly.
"Does Sandy know we're here?" The bald billionaire demanded. "Is he aware?"
"It would be very hard to say definitively." Moira frowned. “And even if I knew, I have no intention of giving out any information about my patient.”
"Lex," Bruce had had about enough of Lex Luthor and his attitude. "Sandy hasn’t given the slightest hint of response since he was brought in here. At the moment the only thing he can do on his own is breathe. I would therefore appreciate it, if you would remove yourself, and your men, from this room, before anything can compromise that."
"He's that bad?" Lex leaned in closer. "He looks perfectly healthy …" He reached out and stroked a single curl. "Absolutely beautiful, in fact…"
Don’t you dare touch him!
"I already asked you to leave once, Lex. I won't ask you a second time." Bruce felt the cold anger starting to rise, as the Bat began to stir within him. "Now get the fuck away from him." He demanded tightly.
He could say what he liked. They were on CCTV, their actions monitored but not their words. Without the camera's nothing would have held Bruce back from knocking the arrogant expression off that face, but even he couldn’t have afforded the resulting lawsuit.
"Sandy might appreciate some intelligent company?" The bald man suggested slyly, "After all, he's only had you lately … Unless of course you had him?" The suggestive glance made the underlying meaning all too plain.
"Really Bruce, it's not very gentlemanly of you." Lex sneered, confident in the ability of his guards to leap in and protect him, and stepped forward … directly into a remarkably determined and substantial nurse.
"No." The gloved hand that locked onto his wrist was sufficiently unexpected to make Lex stagger. Off balance, he twisted, his other palm coming to rest on Sandy's chest. Realising that he had been inadvertently given exactly what he wanted, Lex started to laugh.
That bastard! Bruce instinctively took a step closer. I'll kill him!

The wail of a monitor shattered the ensuing tension, the curve across the middle dwindling rapidly down into an increasingly flat line.
"Respiratory failure!" Moira gasped, slapping a button on the wall. "He's stopped breathing!"
"What?" The smirk vanished from the face of the bald billionaire, "No!"
Evidently that fact mattered a lot to Luthor, but not as much as it did to the Bat.
"Let me go!" The matronly woman was suddenly nowhere near as placid. "NOW!!"
"MOVE!" Bruce wasn’t playing games now. Livid, he forced Lex's hand open, releasing the nurse. "Moira?"
Her eyes were only for her patient. "Everyone out!"
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The Birthday Present