Yes Virginia, Dad Will Understand
by Vicki Napier (VNapier@aol.com)

***

Bruce entered the clinic and Jim Gordon jumped to his feet, meeting him halfway 
across the floor, his face showing worry and sorrow. "Bruce, Dr. Thompkin's is 
examining him now. No one's said anything about his condition yet."

"What happened, Jim?" Bruce's voice was heavy with concern. Jim was an experienced 
police officer and if he was this worried, Dick's condition must be more serious 
than he had thought. "Barbara called. All she said was that she'd hurt him."

"It was my fault. I heard Barbara yelling and I came barging through the door just 
as she threw the glass at him. Distracted by my entrance, he didn't see it coming, 
or else he would have easily avoided the hit." Jim put his hand on Bruce's 
shoulder. "It was all my fault. I'm sorry."

"A glass hit him? Is that all?" Bruce asked incredulously, relieved that it 
couldn't be too serious. Dick had been hit by far worse things than a simply 
drinking glass.

"It wasn't just a glass, it was one of ~the~ glasses. My ex-wife got them a long 
time back. They're heavy, very heavy." Jim tried to explain the serious nature of
the of the injury. "They're stamped on the bottom with an anchor and a capital 'T' 
and we used to joke that if the T was for Titanic and these were the official 
ships glasses, it was no wonder the boat sank. They are thick as hell and have got 
to weigh at least 3 lbs a piece."

Bruce's optimism disappeared.

"Also, he took the blow directly on the temple. He was instantly knocked 
unconscious and the force of the blow was so intense that it affected his 
breathing. I had to resuscitate him, Bruce." Jim's voice resounded with guilt and 
remorse. Looking at Bruce, he asked. "Do you have any idea what they were arguing 
about? I have always thought that they had such deep feelings for each other. I 
can't imagine what would have gotten Barbara that upset at him."
 
"Maybe, but I'm not sure." Bruce replied, trying to avoid the subject, not feeling 
that it was his place to do the explaining in this situation. "And, Jim, it's not 
your fault. I'll stay here with Dick. You should get back to Barbara. When she
called me, she was pretty upset and you will be of more benefit to her there than 
you will be here. I'll call as soon as I find out anything." Bruce placed his hand 
on Jim's shoulder this time. "It isn't your fault, Jim."

Jim blinked, and swallowed hard. "I'll be at Barbara's. Just be sure and call." 
Jim turned and walked out the door leaving Bruce standing alone in the empty room.

***

"Barb, honey, it's me," Jim Gordon called out as he entered his daughter's 
apartment.

"Dad?" the questioning voice came from the couch and Barbara looked up at him, her 
eyes desperate for news of Dick's condition. "Dad, how is he? Is he going to be 
okay?"

Jim sat down next to Barbara, and put his arm around her shoulder. "I don't know, 
hon. Bruce showed up and sent me back here to check on you. He was worried because
you were so upset when you talked to him." He added reassuringly, "he said he 
would call just as soon as Dr. Thompkin's finished her examination and gave him 
any kind of prognosis."

"Oh, Dad, if...if he's hurt bad, I'll never forgive myself." Barbara leaned 
against her father and cried on his shoulder.

"What happened, Barbara? What did he do to upset you so much? It always seemed to 
me that you two cared so much for each other." Jim asked, totally confused by the 
days events.

"I don't know where to begin, its all just so complicated," Barbara murmured 
against his chest. "It seems like every time we get close, it just gets so 
complicated. ~Before~ he was just to young and after Bruce made me....." Barbara 
gasped with horror, knowing she had said entirely too much.

"Bruce 'made you' what, Barbara?" Jim's voice suddenly full of parental concern.

"Dad, I need to talk to someone, but you've got to promise me you'll never tell a 
soul. Not even Sarah. And if Dick found out Bruce had anything to do with...God, 
dad, it would just kill him." Barbara's voice was very hesitant, but she really 
did need to talk to someone. Her dad had always been there for her before. She had 
to trust him to be here for her now.

"If you need to talk, then I can listen and, believe me, I know how to keep a 
secret," he assured her.

"First off, I knew it needed to be done. The break up, I mean. The situation was 
so wrong. But...but Dick and I were so in love...and...I just wish it could have 
been different." She sighed as she remembered the long, lonely life she had spent 
since those few glorious months.

"Bruce only made me do what I knew had to be done. He made me stop seeing Dick." 
She hesitated, knowing how upset her dad was going to be over the revelation she 
was about to make. "Dick and I were lovers, but this was several years ago. Dick
was...was a minor. It was about six years ago. Dick was only sixteen and I 
was...well you can do the math."

"BARBARA," Jim exclaimed. "You were having an affair with a sixteen year old 
~boy~? You were well over twenty and sleeping with a...a...a child?" Jim had taken 
Barbara by the shoulders and was looking directly at her. "I can't believe you
would do...could do..."

Tears welled in Barbara's eyes. "I loved him, Dad. I know it was wrong, but I 
loved him." Her voice dropped even lower and she added, "I still love him."

"You don't know Dick, Dad. He has always been very mature for his age, and I 
always...always felt so out of place with people my own age. He's been through so 
much in his life and he's so strong, but allows himself to be vulnerable at the 
same time. He's everything I ever wanted in a man." Her dad had allowed her to 
once again lay against him as he listened to her explanation. "We loved each 
other, but Bruce was right, it wouldn't have worked then."

Jim inadvertently let a small smile pass his lips. He was upset, of course, but at 
the same time he could understand what Barbara was saying. He had also seen that 
little boy grow into a young man, and had himself marveled at his maturity and
sensibility. But sixteen! He rolled his eyes, knowing Barbara had sacrificed an 
awful lot to be honest with him. He needed to be honest with her, too. Besides, 
its not like he would be telling her anything she didn't already know.

"You're right, Dick has always been mature for his age. But I would expect nothing 
less from the Batman's partner."

"Dad?" Barbara gasped. You know?" She looked at her father, amazement in both her 
eyes and her voice.

"I am a cop, hon. I'm not completely ignorant to the art of deduction." He smiled 
again, relishing the fact that he had taken her by surprise, too. "Also, when I 
was preparing the apartment for your return from the hospital after you were shot, 
I found a few of your private things, Batgirl." His grin grew bigger at Barbara's
shocked expression.

"Add to that the fact that I just saw Bruce at the clinic. Gotham is closed off 
from the world, yet ~Bruce Wayne~ is here. It doesn't take a genius to figure that
one out." Jim gave a low chuckle, "Actually, I've know for quite a while, but like 
I said, I can keep a secret."

"Thanks, dad. I really need you now." Barbara said, snuggling to his shoulder. 
"Because that's not even the ~real~ problem. That's ~not~ what we were arguing
about." She added very seriously, "and, dad, I mean it. You can't say a word to 
~anyone~ about Bruce and what happened. If Dick ever found out...I just don't know 
what he would do." She sighed, she was continually exasperated with Dick when it 
came to his relationship to Bruce. He just refused to let Bruce let him be a man, 
but he didn't see it that way.

"He sometimes has a hard time understanding Bruce, and...and it would just ~kill~ 
him if he thought Bruce was behind our breakup. He would never be able to  
understand that Bruce was acting out of love, not trying to be overbearing and 
controlling."

"Not a word. I promise." He father said with all his heart. "Now, what was it you 
two were arguing about?"

"You've got to promise that your not going to be mad."

"I can't do that, hon. But I can promise that it will never leave this room, if 
you don't want it too." Jim answered her honestly and sincerely.

"It's partly my fault. Dick has been making ~suggestions~ that our relationship 
could go forward again, but I just kept turning him away. I thought he would 
always be comparing me to what I was then, and that eventually he would come to 
resent what I was now." Barbara explained. "He convinced me that he wasn't like 
that. That he loved me for who I was, and the fact that I can't walk anymore isn't 
even an issue."

"Smart young man," Jim conceded. "I'm beginning to like this more already." Still 
confused, he asked, "So if he's so understanding, why the Mark MacGuire 
impersonation?"

"Dad, let me finish, okay. And be sure and remember those thoughts a few minutes 
from now." She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "You're liable to have a 
~big~ change of opinion when you hear the rest of the story." She swallowed hard
before having the courage to go on.

"Anyway, it looked like we were off to rekindling our past romance, when...." 
giving a heavy sigh, trying to find the words to explain the unusual 
circumstances. "He told me about this little problem that...that recently...came 
up."

"There's another woman, isn't there." Jim asked, his voice taking on an icy edge. 
This was his daughter, and Batman or not, he wasn't going to allow Dick to hurt 
his little girl.

"Yes, and no." Barbara knew she had better smooth this over quickly. Her dad 
carried a gun and probably wouldn't settle for merely throwing another glass at 
Dick. "A few months back, he was...he was feeling very lonely...and so was 
she...and well, I won't bore you with the details. You can figure out the rest."

"I knew about it then, and I wasn't happy, but what could I say?" relenting to 
Dick's lack of complete blame. "I wouldn't give him any indication that there was 
hope for something between us and I can understand lonely...I really can."

"That's no excuse to go jumping in the sack with the first willing person you come 
across." Jim's anger erupted. "That doesn't say a lot for his character. He's 
supposed to love you, but he'll sleep around because he's lonely?" Jim's opinion
of Dick Grayson was on a definite down hill slid.

"Dad, it wasn't like that, really. Dick feels more guilty about it being a one-
night stand than anything else. He ~isn't~ like that." Barbara pleaded for her dad
to understand. "He's one of the most loving, caring people I've ever met. He would 
do anything to help anyone. The fact that she was lonely is more relevant than his 
loneliness. He ~needed~ to help her feel better...his loneliness just made helping 
relieve hers easier."

Barbara started to chuckle softly. Her father looked at her questioningly, which 
only caused her to laugh harder.

"Barbara?" he asked concern mixed with confusion in his voice.

"I'm sorry, dad," she said, trying to compose herself. "It just suddenly struck me 
as being so funny that here I am trying to convince you that Dick isn't someone 
against whom you need to defend my honor, when I'm the one who broad-sided him
with a big ol' glass of orange juice."

"Yeah, well, I have to admit, you're not painting a very honorable picture of him 
right now." Jim conceded, momentarily relaxing his defenses. "But if you knew 
about this...this fling when it happened, then why fight about it now."

"Because," Barbara bit her lip, only now realizing the dilemma Dick had 
faced...there really is no easy way to say it. "Because he just found that the 
pill isn't 100%. She's pregnant."

"WHAT?" Jim was shocked once again. "She's pregnant and he wants to pursue you? 
What kind of an idiot does he think you are?" His anger again erupted at what he 
considered an attack on his daughter.

"He doesn't think I'm an idiot. He knows I'm his friend and, as such, I'll see him 
through this." Barbara was slightly surprised at the level of defensiveness she 
felt toward her father for his verbal attack against Dick. "We love each other, 
and we will get through this, together."

"Barbara, I just don't want to see you get hurt." Concern momentarily replaced the 
anger in Jim's voice. "A child is forever. No matter what Dick feels or doesn't 
feel for this woman, they will be forever linked by their child." Looking at 
Barbara for some indication of where she stood on the issue, he continued. "Can
you deal with that, hon? Can you deal with the fact that it will be ~their~ child? 
Can you accept the fact that she will ~always~ be part of his life, and therefore, 
part of yours, too?"

Jim didn't want to dash her hopes, but he did want to make sure she knew ~all~ the 
ramifications that a relationship with someone in his position would be. "And what 
about you? What about the children you two could have together? Have you given
any thought to that?"

"Yes, Dad, I have, and I think, no I ~know~, I can deal with all of it. I know I 
can because I'll never have to do it alone." Barbara replied confidently and 
certain. "I know Dick loves me and I also know he will love his child. I wouldn't 
expect anything less." Returning her father's gaze, hoping he could tell she was 
serious, "I know it won't always be easy. But I know that I have to give it a try. 
I owe him that much..."~

"You don't owe him anything," Jim interrupted.

"Dad, you didn't let me finish," Barbara soothed. "I owe him that much. I owe 
myself that much. We owe it to each other to let our love be what it can be. It's 
been stifled away for far too long, and yet it remains as strong, if not stronger, 
than it was all those years ago. It's just too big for us to ignore any more.
He just figured it out first."

"I love him, Dad," she emphasized again. "We love each other, and if he'll still 
have me, I'm his."

Jim knew when she made her mind up it was made and there would be no changing it. 
He was still concerned, knowing from experience how difficult ex's could be on a 
relationship, more so when children are involved. But, this is what she wanted, so 
he was going to be behind her 100%. It had not escaped his notice that even 
through the hurt she was feeling, a light that had been missing for far to long, 
glowed in her eyes whenever she spoke of Dick. Yes, she loved him all right. But 
God help him if he hurts her.

"I wish Bruce would call." Concern and fear crept into her voice as memories of 
the earlier events flashed through her mind. "How can it be taking so long?"

"Remember, hon, Gotham isn't exactly 'high-tech' central right now." Jim tried to 
ease her fears. "It's probably taking longer than normal for that reason alone. 
He'll be fine, you have to believe that." Holding her tightly, he stroked her hair
with a reassuring hand.

"I believe, Dad," came a whispered response. "I believe."

-Continued-