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It was a simple task that Bruce had given him, listen to 911 tapes and find the call that would link Braxton to the murder of his brother.
911 what is your emergency?
My mom is on the floor and…she’s getting cold. S-She won’t wake up.
Tim’s brow furrowed, this didn’t sound right. He looked at the timestamp and realized he had transposed some numbers. Before he could stop the recording the child said his name.
Okay, honey, what is your name? Can you tell me your name?
Ja-Jason. P-Please help my mom.
Tim’s eyes widened, at hearing the name, maybe it was a coincidence.
Sweetie, what’s your address?
583 Mason St, P-park Row Apartments 4C
No, no, no. Oh shit, it was no coincidence, Tim thought. It’s Jason, their Jason, his brother, Jason; sobbing and pleading with a stranger to help his mom. Tim can’t listen to this, he shouldn’t be listening to this, and yet his finger hovered over the spacebar, but never moved.
Jason, Can you tell me if she is breathing?
I -I don’t think she is. S-She’s not moving.
There is more sobbing and pleading from the little boy on the recording. Tim could hear young Jason in the background promising his mom that he will eat all his vegetables at dinner and not complain about being cold, if she would just wake up. It was a far cry from the street kid bravado that was so often associated with Jason.
It made Tim’s heart hurt to hear such fear and anguish coming from a child. It was even worse to realize that the boy in the recording was Jason.
Is there someone else with you who can check for a pulse; a neighbor or a close friend?
No, I’m the only one here. I know how to check a pulse and I-I don’t feel anything. P-Please send someone to help us.
Guilt started to fester in Tim’s gut the more he listened to the recording. It felt wrong, like he was invading a private, albeit extremely traumatic moment in his brother’s history. A moment his brother had preferred to be kept locked away forever.
Jason, stay on the phone with me. I’m sending help.
Mom, mom, p-please wake up. I’ll be good, I promise.
Jason, it’s going to be okay. Help is coming.
The call ended and before Tim knew it, tears were streaming down his face.
He knew he shouldn’t have listened to the entirety of phone call. Tim just couldn’t leave the boy on the recording alone. A ridiculous notion, yes but he had to see it through to the end.
Tim had known the general history about Jason; that he had grown up in a bad neighborhood; his father had been a petty crook, and his mom had died of an overdose. Jason had only supplied the barest minimum of details as he didn’t like talking about himself, always saying that there were others who had it worse than him. Tim believed him and never pried for further details.
“Help came too late, didn’t it?” Tim asked, feeling a familiar presence in the Cave.
“That was the third and final time Jason had called 9-1-1,” Bruce revealed. “He was nine.”
Tim nodded.
“Why were you listening to that old recording?”
“I was working the Braxton case. I transposed some numbers and it came up.”
“You listened to all of it?”
“Yeah,” Tim mumbled as fresh tears stung his eyes. “It’s not fair, Bruce. No kid should have to go through that hell.”
Bruce put his arm around Tim and squeezed. “No, it’s not fair, but that is why we do what we do, so other kids don’t have to suffer like Jason.”
A familiar red motorcycle rumbled into the cave. The driver maneuvered the bike in a loop and parked it next to the Batmobile. It was Jason. Tim quickly closed the screen and wiped his face.
Jason took off his helmet setting it on the seat and walked to the meet Bruce and Tim.
“You’re back early.”
“Slow night,” Jason answered Bruce and then shifted his focus to Tim. Jason’s brow furrowed. “What’s up?”
Tim quickly bee-lined to Jason and embraced him in a hug.
“Oof, Timbers. It’s good to see you too.” Jason teased, awkwardly rubbing circles on Tim’s back. “You okay, Babybird?”
“I-I’m fine.”
“What’s with the hug?”
“No reason, just because.”
Now every once in a while whenever Tim saw Jason at the Manor he gave him a hug. Jason never flinched or pushed out of the surprise reverse bear hugs or side hugs from Tim as his embrace never lingered for long like hugs from Dick. All it took was two taps from Jason and Tim would let go and be on his way.