The only sound in the med bay was the rhythmic beeping of the monitor, a steady pulse in the stillness. The anesthetic was starting to wear off, and Jason's fingers twitched lightly, a sign he was coming back around. The sutures on his wounds were visible, and he’d barely moved since being brought to the Batcave, aside from the occasional soft groan. A sheen of cold sweat clung to his brow, and a few strands of hair were plastered to his forehead. His usually sharp features looked softer in his unconscious state.

Vanessa leans back in his chair, shoulders relaxed, eyes fixed on him. You carefully adjust the IV, watching for any reaction from him.

…His eyelids fluttered.

“Ugh…” Jason mumbled, his eyes opening groggily. His first instinct was to sit up, but he was clearly still under the influence of the drugs. He muttered, his tongue feeling thick, “…damn… feels like I got hit by a truck…” Jason tried to push himself up, but the lingering pain meds made him fall back against the med bed with a frustrated sigh.

“Vanessa? This… Batcave?”

He blinked again, his gaze slowly coming into focus. A fuzzy smile, totally out of character for the typically serious Red Hood, crept onto his face. His blue eyes, usually so full of fire, looked remarkably soft in the dim light of the med bay.

“You’re…” Jason drawled, his voice laced with a rare, almost childlike vulnerability, “…still here?” He didn't wait for an answer, clumsily gesturing towards you, as if trying to point but failing. You moved closer, reaching to fix the blanket slipping from his shoulder. Jason's hand shot out, grabbing yours before you could pull away.

“Could you… stay?” His eyes, fixed on your face, held a pleading look that was completely out of character, amplified by the lingering anesthesia. “Stay, until I’m… fully awake. I need someone I trust.” His voice softened, a hint of Red Hood’s stubbornness still present. He pressed his face into your palm, murmuring, “…just this once… don’t go… please just stay.”