Jason woke up and found himself lying in a hospital bed.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4rOXQsC1x
The bed was dim, the sheets looked… grayish—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVNGv3jRCQ
he wasn’t sure if it was the lighting or if they simply hadn’t been washed.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDM7Z3qvwnc
Everything felt faded and dull.
He moved a little.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpkyJ1hee7
The frame creaked,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxdN5c1zyX
like the bones of an old house.
He raised a hand and touched the top of his head.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqutZXRsZI3
His hair and forehead were wrapped in bandages—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5w23o5zof
tight, damp, and sore.
Then the memories started coming back.
Last night,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNwFJTaMBP
the drunk had come home.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1X3X0orvSp
Jason had been doing homework under the sliver of light that came through the window.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDaFm9Imum
He was using the charity notebook from social services,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWA6xcXGPpd
and his pencil was worn down to just two fingers long.
He remembered how the light hit the page,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3YIvDfdSD
like that one little square of the world was still clean.
The drunk came in muttering,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdhLlNZtk6
repeating curses like a broken record.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyDXz7KZjq
He shouted about Jason’s “whore mother,”91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrMXNK7Tpg
how she had used her body to escape the slums and go to medical school,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACPPg6t5eM
and never sent a cent back.
His voice was thick,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbv4JUKuXIl
like spit phlegm—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTN6R1uxn7
sticky, sour,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXHoHp5GTK
and heavy enough to make your chest ache.
Jason had tried to ignore it.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPNgLo9HE4
But that night,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCxCGoPlx1
for some reason,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxwH1Sru3s
he talked back.
Maybe he was tired.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrpnavEgrS
Maybe the light had been too gentle,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmqfhxhZ4y
and for a second,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GjV5Eq4bm
he thought he could be a normal kid—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFhOORDZh2
do homework,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxOXWc7am0
eat dinner,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrOUf8cQIk
not get hit.
The man snapped.
That wasn’t unusual.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXrO0j4MRp
Violence was always close by in this house.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlU3bBiWq8J
But that night,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3E4YViOmQ
he found something under Jason’s books.
It was a paper batarang.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0PtaSvW2P
Nana had made it for his birthday.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjQLmeBk1d
She’d dug through junk piles to find the right paper—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HRW5Js3RY
just the right shine,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89qqbUvQfS
strong enough to fold without tearing.
Jason loved it.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeyRggsdnV
He carried it with him everywhere.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8osuKjhNWn
Sometimes he’d hold it up to the sunlight just to watch.
The old man picked it up.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMskUFyCy9
Jason shouted.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFoJTUqu6y1
Told him to give it back.
The man didn’t.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47JPJw8RRt
Instead, he gave that gap-toothed smile—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MACdylyr1
and, right in front of Jason,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrP8yNZuX6K
crumpled the batarang in his hand.
The sound was soft—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvu76wxAIi
just paper crunching.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTomGm5y67t
But to Jason,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLfXI7JZWC
it felt like bones breaking.
He lost it.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozv6t7Lvr5
Threw himself at the man,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7vevrkKNl
bit his hand.
The man roared.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsOleoeDb8
The bottle came down.
Then—nothing.
91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlK34o21Alr
When Jason came back to himself,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdCw8tnqjG
a doctor walked in.
He recognized the man.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIERlPwqm9R
The unlicensed doctor from down the street.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvkOl1NGVl
Rumor was he used to be decent at medicine91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLj2zNjZMf
until he crossed the wrong gang and disappeared into this neighborhood.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExVZ3nqdpI
He wore layers of torn coats,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZicKx5lqqF
his hair matted,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegV9BKOQwt
his smell a strange mix of chemicals and old collars.
“Oh, you’re up!” the doctor said, grinning casually.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWH40iQqT3
“Looks like you’re recovering pretty well.”
He walked closer, flipping through a small stack of papers,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUp9br66DA5
his tone almost lazy.
“School’s almost out.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ieZVM3lX9
That little girl will be here soon.”
Jason turned.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpE8yOg428
“You mean… Nana?”
The doctor laughed,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Q58zo4vc7
a weird little giggle.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrIs6JPZGv
“Your little girlfriend came by this morning, you know.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNx0gYtL2n
Then she went to class.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTx0SLPjGs8
Sweet kid—”
Before he could finish,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7Cjso6zvr
a small figure ran into the room.
The girl froze the second she saw Jason awake in bed.
She stood there,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3515t4yZ1
like her thoughts hadn’t caught up yet.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UC4iQN61a
Her eyes were wide and round,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcu5YybdQt
her face flushed red.
Then she rushed to the bed in two quick steps.
She stared down at him,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHwyd4iTZe
like she was trying to make sure this wasn’t a dream.
Jason, under her gaze, suddenly didn’t know where to put his hands.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtI2H0jku1
He opened his mouth,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjP4biXmva
was about to say something—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAD1pMr7ek9
when her tears fell.
One after another,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3BlWpeROY
like someone had cut a string of pearls loose.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IoJltiXCk
Plink. Plink.
Jason jumped in shock.
“Hey—hey, don’t cry…”91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOxJ8c1P8M
His voice was softer than usual,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGi3K2Twnav
dry and hoarse.
He looked around frantically for something to wipe her tears.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQaZlkoWYC
Nothing.
So he pulled up his own sleeve—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2m65b2Nza
his wrist still wrapped in bandages—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GeUUElaGi
and carefully reached out91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcYeoA2FE8
to wipe the wet trails on her cheek.
But her tears didn’t stop.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqftiHuUvh
They only fell faster.
“Please don’t cry… I’m fine.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5tLS7Bjkw
Really, I’m fine…”91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXwoXlcG6j
His voice got even lower,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJ69wrh4ap
like he was afraid to scare her more.
His eyes darted sideways,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCt3MJJBoEG
toward the doctor snickering in the corner.
The doctor clucked his tongue,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWyiBlp2Br
turned around,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFGz39ktaH
and pushed the door open.
“Your girl, your problem.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcl5odH6hg
I’m not getting involved—”
The door closed.
And just like that,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99IapqjHws
it was only the two of them in the room.
Jason looked down at Nana,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPNtpjsXkd
still crying silently.
His breath caught in his throat.
He had never seen her cry like this before.
91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37ZCF7SQbA
Finally, her tears began to slow.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ105bpRf1Cg
Her eyes were still red.
Jason looked at her,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBXFPKnBsD
and the weight on his chest finally lifted.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xVrncRas4
A little.
He had never seen Nana this emotional before.
“What… what happened yesterday?” he asked.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl15CptnVNd
His voice was tired,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nrHnJSvtC
but he was clearly trying not to shake.
Nana raised her hands,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1RJm3qW7Y
started signing.
Her fingers trembled a bit,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchI09xdVgx
but the signs were clear.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeMZfIQ1zk
When she signed “Robin,”91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3nyFnM9tc
Jason’s breath hitched.
“What did you just say?91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKufXOwXORd
Sign it again!”
She nodded,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtRZQszSjk
repeated the signs.
“Robin.”91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHpazBShfN
“Came with me.”91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8n5QOvm5w
“Went upstairs.”91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQmsnOUX1E
“Saw you.”91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnapmofFjc
“Took you to doctor.”91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsq7v1qN0U
“Guaranteed you’d recover.”91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivxiujcdWc
“I’ll pay the cost.”
Jason’s blue eyes widened,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW8vMNHyLT
bright with something fierce,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0309lAGnpq
almost wild.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIULAglFRN
It was like flames had started to flicker inside them,91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YwN0VfsPz
catching light with each word.
He was replaying every sign in his head.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNVkeVVqdK
Double-checking the meaning.
Nana nodded again.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAHLRVg6aJ
As if to say: You got it right.
Robin really had come.
He had really come here—91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1rRUptH4c
to this place with cracked walls and broken doors.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0bw6G5CJY
Like a storybook hero stepping into the real world.
He saw Jason.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpe1mCU9Pfc
Saved him.91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTsE5YCWNh
And left.
91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIE23ldtveY
and then Add to home screen.