They couldn't keep Alex in the dark because they were supposed to come back to Gotham that day but the doctors had advised Dora complete rest for the next two days hence traveling in that state was not a possibility. So Camille had called him and explained the situation.

Alex had been just as shocked, unable to decide what to do next. He wanted to go to his sister because he knew she would be worried and would want him to be with her. Yet the fact that she was in another city and he couldn't close the shop for long had him torn.

By evening he finally made up his mind and called her to reassure her that he was going to be with her no matter what decision she took. Though he also told her that he couldn't think of running the shop without her nor of living a life without his baby sister who used to call him a sneaky little raccoon.

Dora had kept crying throughout the call, wanting nothing more than to go to him and hug him. But he assured her that if she wanted to come back to Gotham, it would only be possible if she was deemed healthy enough for travel so she had to take care of herself and rest as much as she could in the next two days.

However, talking to her brother made her feel much better and she took his advice seriously as she rested and ate properly in the next two days so that she would be able to go back. Finally, after the second day, the doctor gave her permission to go back to Gotham however, they were all instructed to take special care of her.

Camille could not leave her daughter either so she asked George if she could go to Gotham along with them and stay for until Dora took her decision and got stable. George had agreed so Luke had booked three tickets to Gotham from that evening's train.

Tim was out in the garden after he had packed his and Dora's stuff up, pacing in the soft grass barefoot. He was lost in thought hence he didn't notice Luke join him there either, his mind deviating towards Dora and the decision that had put so much at stake.

He was afraid that Dora would choose to save her child rather than her own self because he had seen the yearning in her eyes when she had asked him that question two days earlier. What if I want to have a mini Tim with me, a child that would have eyes like yours...

He didn't want to seem selfish but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about both the possibilities either. Ever since Dora had brought that topic up, he had been thinking about the fork of paths that were laid out before them, the choice quite difficult for Dora.

He knew very well that for a mother, her child was the utmost priority and no mother could willingly give her child up. He also knew that the idea of a mini Tim running around Dora's Coffee Haunt, having a laugh as clear and pure as Dora's sounded absolutely fascinating.

But not having Dora around to love and take care of their child seemed nothing short of a curse.

Not having Dora with him was indeed a possibility that he could never even consider.

"Tim."

He almost jumped out of his skin upon hearing a voice so close to him but saw it was just Lucas, standing beside him with concern evident in his hazel eyes and hands kept in his pockets.

"Oh, it's you..." He took in a deep breath, composing himself.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, I thought you knew I was here. I have been walking alongside you for five minutes now."

"I... I didn't notice," deep down that was concerning that he hadn't noticed Luke had been with him for five minutes.

But then he realized that it was not due to the fact that he had been lost in thought himself.

He observed Luke was very silent, just like Jason, his footsteps created no sound. And the truth hit him again that he was Deathstroke's son, of course he would be trained from a young age to keep discreet.

Luke spoke up and he internally thanked him for that because he did not want to go down that train of thought again, "so you guys are going back."

"Yes."

"Look Tim, I know you care for Dora very much and would never ever want her to come to any harm. But please consider that it is just as difficult for her as it is for you. I might not be the best person to talk about this but I can say that by now I know Dora to some extent and I can see she is hurting just as much as you are."

He nodded, letting him resume because he didn't know what to reply to him at that moment.

"Whatever she decides, please don't let her go."

Tim sighed, "Lucas, I can't think of even a second without her. How can I think of letting her go?"

He could sense the pain in his voice as he stepped closer, hand resting gently on his shoulder, "I trust you, Tim. Don't fall apart because right now, Dora needs you the most."

He nodded and eventually Luke left when he made no attempt to keep up the conversation.

No one knew better than Tim that the only thing that was keeping him from falling apart was the fact that Dora needed him to be there for her. Otherwise, he had no idea how he would have dealt with such a situation on his own.

Because even though in just twenty years of his life, he had been through a lot and faced many battles on his own, the current situation was much different. Not only was it emotionally taxing but both Dora and their child's life was at stake. 

Whatever decision they took, they would have to make one sacrifice for it and choosing who to let go was a question to which Tim had no possible answer.

***

The first thing Dora did after coming back to Gotham was call Steph, Helena and Selina to her place because they were her close friends and she wanted to discuss the matter with them before deciding anything. Selina was like a mother figure to her, Steph was more than a friend, in fact she considered her as a sister and Helena had helped her out in the worst times.

So she wanted to take the three into confidence as well.

For Steph, the matter was much more personal because she had herself gone through a similar situation but only Tim and Luke knew about it. She had eventually told Luke everything about herself, including the existence of her daughter who she had given up for adoption.

So as she sat there listening to Dora, she was thinking about that part of her life when she had felt everything had been lost and she would never be able to pull herself out of that mess. But Tim had helped her through it and three years had lapsed since then.

Steph occasionally met her daughter Felicity and the couple who had taken her in but she had kept that truth from the rest of her family and friends, not wanting to relive it ever again.

By then Selina was convincing Dora that she should not overthink a lot and even told her that her friend Pamela could help in providing an antidote to the Toxin. There had been a time when Scarecrow and Pamela Isley, or rather Poison Ivy, had experimented on botanical toxins together so there was a high chance that Pamela would know how to break down the composition of the toxin and deter its effects.

That was certainly a ray of hope for them if Pamela could be able to create an antidote but even then Selina advised her to not take any life threatening risk, the foremost of which was choosing to keep the baby.

Helena had agreed with her too, saying that Dora was important to all of them and they would not want to lose her ever.

Steph stayed even after both of them had left and when she was alone with Dora, she carefully edged closer to her, wrapping her arms around her in a hug.

Dora gratefully accepted the gesture, her head resting on her shoulder as she hugged back, words getting lost within her. Steph was the one who was gently speaking to her, "Dora, we are all going to be with you, you know that, right?"

She had hummed in reply, not wishing to speak because she feared she would break down to tears if she did so.

"And I know it's very, very hard for you to go through this but you've always been a really strong person, y'know. You made it through such a lot in the past due to the fact that you never gave up. None of us could bear it if you gave up now."

"I know," she mumbled, pulling back slightly as brown gazed into her green irises, "and I don't want to give up."

"Exactly, you're not giving up," she held her hands in her own reassuringly, "you will make through this too."

A while passed in silence until Dora finally spoke up, "I think I have made my decision... Would you please send Tim in?"

Steph wanted to ask her first but held herself back, not knowing whether she would like to hear the decision she had made or not. She knew Dora was just as sacrificial as Tim was when it came to the people she loved and cared about so even at the last moment, Steph expected her to be in conflict.

However, right then her brown eyes were sad yet calm and so was she, indicating that she had made up her mind but still wanted to ask Tim one last time because he was just as much a part of it as she was because whatever decision she took would directly affect him as well.

So Steph stepped out, finding Tim down in the kitchen drinking what seemed like the tenth cup of coffee by then. He had looked up when she entered and told him that Dora was calling him.

He quickly finished the coffee, placed the cup by the sink then went upstairs to Dora's room, his heartbeat racing because he could sense why she had called him.

When he entered, Dora gestured him to sit beside her, her hands gently entwining through his as she spoke, "I've decided..."

Tim braced himself to hear her answer though she held his hands in a comforting grip, thumbs stroking his palms softly.

"I have decided that I can't hurt all of you, I can't give myself up because it would cause pain to you all..." 

Her words trailed off and she felt him tense slightly because there was still an interjection to her statement.

"I don't want to do this in the least but... But... I might have to let go of our child."

Her voice broke at those words and tears ran down her cheeks. Tim had engulfed her in a hug immediately, knowing that she needed him most at the moment.

The decision was nowhere near easy for her and it was breaking her inside to let go of the tiny soul. And it was breaking him as well to see her like that but he held himself together for her because if he fell apart, it would be twice harder for both of them to make through the pain that was due.

***