Chapter 5

A few hours later ...

Ed had been pacing for over four hours. He had been given the information about how Richard had done in surgery. He felt a wave of relief at the fact Ri would make it through just fine as the bullet had traveled straight through and had hit nothing major, most of his unconsciousness was from blood loss and shock.

Eddie had been pacing the hallway and waiting room so much that one of the nurses had given him a mild sedative that only made matters worse. Thanks to the effects of the sedative and his own ADHD he didn't sleep for his entire time in the waiting room.

Alfred was a welcome distraction for the stressed out man but Bruce Wayne had no positive influence on his condition.

"How could you take advantage of him like that?" Bruce demanded of the lithe man as he stormed into the waiting room at the hospital. He marched right up to Edward and shoved the man backward. Eddie fell backward and hit the wall, unable and unwilling to catch himself.

"I-" Eddie tried to counter, eyes a dark blue color in his depression.

"You took a high school kid to a concert, and you spend an inappropriate amount of time with him. I've heard from Staeman and Stickly that you've been making passes at him while you're at work," Bruce snarled.

"But, Mr. Wayne you don't understand," Eddie tried. "Staeman..."

"Told me that Richard is at your desk more than three times a week after school and that you two have been making passes at each other! He's a kid that's just beginning to get to know himself.. but you should know better!"

"Mr. Wayne, I've been tutoring him," Eddie replied and sat down, curing in on himself. He was nearly completely folded into the chair when Bruce took another menacing step towards him.

"It was fine when you were just tutoring him," Bruce countered. "This kind of behavior with some one that is seven years younger than you! I won't allow it! I'll-"

Alfred's firm and sturdy hand stopped the tirade. Eddie had his head buried in his own knees, guilt wracked him as he rocked viciously enough to hit his head against the wall on every third rock. "Bruce, you must calm yourself," Alfred said in a firm tone.

Bruce turned to look at his long time friend, confusion in his face.

"He has been helping Master Richard since he was twelve and Edward found him wandering around Wayne Enterprises looking for a quiet place to study since you had... other business to attend to. Edward found him looking frustrated in the lobby as one of the security guards was asking him to leave. Edward took pity on him and told the guard he was there for a study session and took him up to his cubicle. He then found out that Master Grayson was having problems with his mathematics and agreed to help him if he would cheer up. He did and ever since then Master Richard has been visiting Edward three times a week for study sessions."

Eddie looked up as Alfred placed a calming hand on his rocking shoulders. "Alfred? Thank you, but you don't have to. I-I don't want Ri to get into trouble on my account. I feel bad enough that I couldn't protect him. I-I was outside when the gunmen showed up and ... they wouldn't let me back in. After Ri...I found him... he was..." Eddie broke down. Tears streamed down from his face and he buried it once again in his knees.

"Are you satisfied now, Master Bruce? Edward feels terrible about what happened. Now, if you would like, I will wait with Master Richard until he awakens and you can get back to work. I'm sure Edward has a few sick days coming, and he would like to let Master Richard know that he is okay before he leaves, yes?"

Bruce glared at Eddie's slumped form before giving a terse nod.

"Wait!" Eddie called, hand outstretched but not moving from his spot. "Um, Ri's phone go smashed during the incident. I can pay for a new one if you'd like. I found the data chip from it and you can have them reprogram his new phone with it. Then it will have most of his settings." Eddie dug in his pocket and pulled out a tiny chip in a plastic sandwich bag. "On my way in I saw his smashed phone. I threw the rest of it away, but this part should be helpful."

Bruce took the offered bag with an angry jerk of his hand and looked at the chip. "Thank you, Edward. You may take until Richard is out of the hospital and then I expect you back at work."

"Thank you, sir," Eddie replied and curled back into himself.

"I'll see you later, Alfred." And with that Bruce Wayne left the hospital.

"Don't mind him, Edward. He's just worried about Master Richard. He'll be alright in a while," Alfred comforted the distraught scientist.

"How long is a while?" Eddie asked.

Alfred made a vague gesture.

Eddie laughed and unfolded, pulling out his own phone and ordering food for those in the waiting room.

Two days ...

And thirty-six coffee pots later...

Eddie was nearly vibrating with worry and anticipation. He had worn a spot on the floor in front of the chair he had claimed as his own. He had yet to leave the hospital even once.

The nurse came by for her morning rounds and saw Eddie, pacing again in his path and shook her head. "Did you need anything before I start my rounds, Mr. Nygma?"

Edward jumped in shock of having someone address him and as he looked at the nurse she could see he clearly hadn't slept at all in the time he'd been at the hospital. "N-no thank you. Do you know if there is any new information on Richard Grayson?"

"None yet, But I haven't done my rounds so, who knows?" she replied with a kindly smile as she left the room.

Edward turned back to his pacing, his mind was running a million miles an hour.

Cali and Terry joined Edward a few minutes later, both had their school gear with them and got a brief; if distracted, greeting. Not ten minutes later Alfred walked into the waiting room.

"News?" Edward asked, voice slightly panicked as he feared for the worst.

"Yes, Master Richard is awake and wanting to know if you all will come and see him," Alfred replied with a kindly smile and a nod off his head.

"Great!" Terry exclaimed.

"Go ahead, he's your friend and the two of you have to be getting to school. Go visit him, I'll go after," Eddie said with his eyes downcast. He wasn't even sure he wanted to go into the room. If his Ri hated him ...

"Okay, thanks man!" the jock replied with enthusiasm born from hundreds of football games and pep rallies.

The two high school students left with Alfred, leaving Eddie alone with his thoughts again. And they kept falling back to the fact that this was all his fault.

If he hadn't tried to help Batman and Robin.

If he hadn't been at the concert.

If Robin hadn't helped the Riddler when Joker tried to kill him.

If he hadn't been a part in Richard's life.

Then maybe the young man would be at school with his friends. Safe and secure away from the overt scrutiny from other villains.

...if only he hadn't become the Riddler.

Edward threw himself into one of the chairs and began beating the back of his head against the wall repeatedly. Hitting his head harder with each strike until Alfred came into the room and gave him a disapproving look.

"Edward?" Alfred called, noting that the red-haired man seemed to be in a daze.

"Yes?" Eddie asked in a tiny voice as he stood up, body slouching so much that he looked to be no more than six feet tall.

"He's asking for you," Alfred replied and started to lead the way. The two made their way the short distance to the room and the butler suddenly made himself scarce.

Edward watched the two teens leave the room and they waved at him. He gave a sheepish wave back and turned back to the door which had been left open only a crack. He leaned in, must barely able to see into the room He watched as Richard stretched and managed to pop a few of his joints in the process with a chirp and sigh of contentment.

"Ri?" Edward called in a tiny voice, so soft it was barely audible. He didn't want to disturb the young man. He nearly ran for it when emerald eyes caught his own and held him in place.

"Eddie." Richard said with a smile. He reached out with a finger and beckoned the older man to enter the room. "Come here."

Edward made his way to being in the doorway but not further. Too nervous to go in, lest he be chased out of the room. "Are you mad at me?" he couldn't help but utter.

"No," came the simple reply.

Edward took a few more tentative steps into the room. "Promise?"

"I swear to you, I'm not mad at you in anyway. I just want you to come here." Eddie gave him a look as though his soul had been torn out of his body, and truth be told that was how Ed was feeling at that moment. "Please... I just ... we need to talk, and-"

Edward closed the distance between the two of them in the blink of an eye. Unable to keep himself away from the person he cares about most in the world. He quickly gathered the smaller man into his arms and tried to reassure himself that his Ri was really there with him. He felt a hand on his chest and for a brief moment he felt as though he was going to be pushed away.

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. Please don't hat me," Eddies pleaded, his eyes still the darker blue color as tears threatened to drown out his vision. "Don't leave me! I wouldn't be able to take it if you did. I wanted to tell you, to explain everything, I did. However I was certain you would have despised me."

Richard melted into the comforting embrace. He looked up in time to see some of the electric green melting into the sadder blue from the outside in.

"Eddie?" Robin queried quietly.

Edward pulled himself back from the brink of panic, his mind racing.

"Can I ask you something personal?" Richard asked.

"You can ask me anything you wish, Ri," Eddie replied without a though, he knew there was thing he could hide from the young man any longer.

Edward watched as his Ri bit his bottom lip in an unconsciously cute maneuver as he thought about what he wanted to say next. "Do you remember anything when you're the Riddler?'

"Remember ... anything?" Edward asked, confused by the statement and how to answer it truthfully.

"As in, are you completely aware of everything you do or do you blank out and never know?" Richard clarified.

"Neither," Edward answered simply.

"Neither?"

Edward shifted his long limbs, unease in is long limbed frame as he tried to find a way to explain. "Most of the time I'm at least half aware, but sometimes I'm not aware at all."

Edward watched as the teen reached over his hospital bed and grabbed him by the shirt. With a sound that was halfway between a squeak and a surprised growl he allowed himself to be pulled onto the bed. A few moments of shifting and maneuvering allowed the two of them to cuddle even though the researcher was too tall for the bed.

"So ... he's another personality?"

"Yes. One I've had to cope with for a very long time," Eddie replied as memories threatened to overtake him.

"Does he only show up when you're really stressed?"

"Any strong emotions can provoke him," Eddie replied, with a deep breath and gave confident strokes to Richard's ribs. "If I can stop him I do, but most of the time there is nothing I can do."

Richard made a soft churring sound thanks to the petting. "Okay."

"Okay?" Eddie asked, slightly confused.

"Okay."

Eddie took a moment and let his other personality take over and his voice dropped into a sultry tone. "You're not afraid of me?" the Riddler asked, his voice was clearly not his normal voice.

Richard looked straight into the electric green eyes for a full minute before answering. "No, I'm not."

The Riddler gave him a lazy; almost predatory grin. "That makes me very happy, very happy indeed. May Eddie and I call you Birdie from now on?"

"Yes," Richard replied quickly. He paused for a moment, as though afraid to ask his next question. "Do you go by something different or...?"

The Riddler laughed and shook his head. "Ed is just fine; there is not need for a name to distinguish when there is so little difference."

"Okay ... Ed and Eddie ... makes sense to me," Richard replied, he seemed to take a moment to see how it sounded on his tongue.

"Birdie..." Ed whispered too quiet to be heard by the other occupant in the bed. "Birdie..." he whispered again, as through tasting the new nickname like fine candy. "Birdie..." this time his voice was just loud enough to be heard.

Ri gently moved Ed's shirt collar enough to place a chaste kiss on the now exposed scars on the older man's neck. Being at the hospital for two days didn't leave him with time to go home and cover the marks. Ed rewarded him for his gentle ministrations by allowing his petting to move further. "I like that name, it fits you."

Using a single finger, Ed tipped Richard's head back and began kissing the teen. The kiss demanded nothing but was quickly developing into more when a sound cut through the moment.

"Ahem," Alfred cleared his throat, loud enough for the two to hear him.

Richard's head snapped up and away, he placed his hands on the researcher's chest and pushed him down and away while looking at Alfred like a caught teen.. Edward; though crushed to the bed, also had the deer-caught-in-headlights look. "A-Al!" Richard stuttered.

The butler entered the room and looked straight at Edward, no signs of recrimination in his face."Mr. Nygma, Master Wayne is current in rout and should be here within four minutes. I came to fetch you and get you out of here before he arrives."

"Thanks," Richard said, a laugh and blush both tinting his face. Ed blushed hard and the thought of having to steal away before his boyfriend's father caught them.

Alfred raised an eyebrow at the two of them and artfully hid his own grin. "No need to thank me. The only reason he has not appears sooner is I told him of Richard's broken phone and he went to purchase him a new one, hence buying you two a little time in the process."

"Thanks Al, you're a lifesaver," Richard said with a grateful look as Eddie began the process of untangling himself.

"Clearly."

"And I have four minutes to get out of here?" Eddie asked already nearly at the door.

"Technically three now."

The scientist grabbed a piece of paper from the bedside table and wrote something quickly, touching one of the orange tiger lilies briefly. "Because I know you don't have it memorized."

"Okay, thanks Eddie."

"Edward, I would like to return you to Richard in good condition one of these days." And with that final comment the two older men quickly made their way of the room. They barely missed Bruce by a minute, Eddie had seen him and the two had ducked into a spare room and waited until the other man had passed by.

They gave the man a few moments before they started on their way out again but were stopped by the sound of Richard pleading. The sound became more and more heartbroken and pitiful. Ed's eyes began to bleed to green and the only thing that stopped him from running back into the hospital room and severely maiming Bruce was Alfred's insistent shove just as Richard screamed. Alfred was gone in a flash and Ed numbly forced himself to leave the hospital, marching his way to his scooter that had been forgotten since the day before and drove home. He didn't even bother with his helmet as numbness encased his whole body and mind.

He found himself on the top of the tallest building in Gotham when he came back to himself. His head hurt as memories overwhelmed him and he looked at the edge of the building, and ... for a few moments seriously considered throwing himself off of it and making sure he couldn't hurt anyone ever again.

Especially his Birdie.

He had never meant to hurt the young man, and he never wanted to again.

Looking at the edge of the building again he decided against it and looked for the way down instead. His little Birdie would need him when he was home. He slowly walked down the stairs to the elevator, and he wasn't even sure what building he was in. Listening to the terrible muzak that seemed to be in every elevator in the world, he tried to formulate a plan on how to apologize to Richard.

He walked out in his own little world, not able or willing to register the few people that tried to talk to him on the way out of the building.

He arrived at home still numb to everything. The echoing of his Ri's screams seemed to echo in his head as he flopped onto the couch. Edward considered going to bed and trying again fresh in the morning but decided he should try to find something to occupy is time.

A plan.

No... the plan.

The plan for a few very nice date. He knew that wooing Ri would be the best idea at this point, if he came up with the perfect idea then he would have the young man all to himself.