Chapter Text
Tim could tell that he was being watched before he opened his eyes.
He could hear voices muttering around him, but he kept his face passively still, wondering if it was worth the effort to open eyes eyes and engage with whoever was watching him.
On the one hand, he wanted the company, especially if it was Bruce, Dick, or Cass. Not that he would have been opposed to seeing anyone else, but... he would have preferred one of those three.
And then there was the issue that he hurt. Everywhere. His head was throbbing, his throat burned, and while he could tell that he had an IV hooked up to him somewhere- probably to ensure that he was getting enough fluids, his mouth still felt dry and gross.
He couldn't remember the last time he wanted to brush his teeth this badly.
But when a hand ran though his hair and pushed his bangs back and out of his face, Tim opened his eyes, looking up to see who had done it.
"Sorry, Tim," Dick said with an apologetic smile.
"Didn't mean to wake you up."
"'S okay," Tim rasped as he blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus.
Right.
He was in the cave, because his stupid fever hadn't gone down because he was missing his stupid spleen.
"How are you feeling?" Dick asked and Tim shrugged.
"Tim," he began, his voice taking on a more stern tone.
"Where's Bruce?" Tim asked and Dick sighed.
"On the phone with Leslie again," he replied, and then leaned back in his seat.
"They were talking about taking you back to the hospital, but it looks like your fever has gotten better, so you get to stay here."
Tim nodded, and then brought his hands up to rub his eyes, feeling exhausted- and now sweaty, as he noticed, even though he hadn't really done anything at all.
"Tim," Dick began after a moment, a serious look on his face.
"I'm worried about you," Dick continued and Tim hummed, his eyes sliding shut.
"You've been getting sick a lot more since... since everything happened. I mean, who else gets pneumonia from just a head cold?" Dick asked.
"And you've got that scar on your side- that you still won't tell us about but Tim," Dick said and then took a deep breath. "I know that wasn't there before."
"Dick," Tim sighed as he squeezed his eyes shut, because he really didn't want to talk about this.
"Why are you hiding something from us?" He heard Cass ask, and Tim opened his eyes to see Cass standing next to Dick, a hurt expression on her face.
Which meant there was no way he was getting out of this now.
"Uh," Tim began, shifting in his bed as he tried to think of the easiest way possible to explain what happened.
"I got stabbed?" He began, the end of his sentence going up as if he were asking a question.
"Where." Cass said.
"When."
"Is that how you got that scar?" Dick asked. "Because that doesn't look like a scar from a stab wound."
"Well..."Tim trailed off, wincing as he swallowed before trying to speak again.
"I got stabbed, needed to have my spleen removed as a result, and the scar... is from that." Tim said, his voice trailing off at the end.
At first, there was silence.
And then Dick spoke first.
"You lost an entire organ? And didn't tell anyone?" Dick began, his voice beginning to grow more agitated.
"I told Bruce, and Alfred." Tim replied as his eyes narrowed.
"But, not us," Cass said and then Tim's anger quickly changed into guilt.
"I didn't want anyone to worry," Tim muttered. "And it's hard to hide you're missing an organ from someone who gets to see your x-ray scans."
"Fair enough," Dick muttered with a huff and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back into his chair.
"Sorry," Tim mumbled after a moment of silence, and he felt his guilt and anger quickly fading into exhaustion, even though he hadn't been awake for very long.
"Not your fault," Cass replied.
"You should sleep." She added on after a moment.
"Cass is right- you look exhausted," Dick added on and Tim nodded his head as his eyes slid shut, not wanting to do any more talking.
"Besides, everyone has been asking about you, and it's only a matter of time until they get down here. Bruce and Alfred can't hold them off forever."
"'S okay," Tim whispered, now welcoming the company since his secret was in a way, out in the open.
"Well, don't be surprised when you wake up next, and you've got several more people hovering around you." Dick said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
But Tim was already too far gone to respond, his expression relaxed as he was finally asleep.
And then Dick and Cass looked up to see Alfred walking in, Damian behind him.
"He just fell asleep," Dick explained and Alfred nodded while Damian huffed.
"It looks like you will have to continue to wait until you can show Master Timothy your latest drawing," Alfred explained.
"That is fine," Damian replied as he walked over and sat down next to Dick.
And in fact, it was all fine.