Authors note: I know I said that I would wait until four people had asked me to continue but once I started, my mind kept spinning. This also has Poison Ivy's point of view, since I thought it would be good to see this story from her perspective as well. Please let me know what you think in a review so I can reassure myself that people actually enjoy what I write. In all honesty, enjoy .
An Old Friend – Chapter 2
Iris's point of view
I hate that guard now, I really do. I've been in hospital all day and overnight and they won't let me go anywhere because he actually did break my arm. On top of that, when I yanked my arm away from his grasp, a small bone fragment chipped off and when a specialist looked at my x-rays, he said that due to where it is, if I stress my arm or move it too much, the bone chip will come off completely and most likely rupture one of my blood vessels! He then thought that it would be a good idea to point out that if such a thing were to occur, I would probably bleed to death before anyone knew what had happened to me. Yeah, since that is so what you say to someone when you're trying to get them to stay calm while you take their blood pressure. Needless to say, they're going to get me into surgery as soon as they possibly can, not only to remove the bone chip but to make sure that it hasn't already done damage to any muscle tissue or anything else.
I'm broken away from my thoughts when I hear a knock, causing me to look up and see Doctor Young standing in the doorway.
"Doctor Young" I say in greeting, a little surprised to see her. "Please come in."
"Thank you" she replies. "I wanted to see how you were" she explains, "I fully regret that this happened to you on my watch."
"Well, I have to have surgery later today to make sure that a bone chip doesn't cut any blood vessels in my arm and kill me without me knowing" I say, doing my best to keep my annoyance of the woman in front of me contained.
"An investigation has been launched" she tells me, a very professional air about her.
I see right through it though, I wasn't born yesterday. "If you're worried about me suing or telling the press, I won't. I want to be able to go and see Pam- I mean Poison Ivy again and I don't want to jeopardise that" I say. "You should be telling this to the nurses, because I think that they're more likely to ring the reporters."
She nods at me seriously but comes to stand at the foot of my hospital bed. "Poison Ivy has been asking about your condition, and has been incredibly caring towards the iris plant that you gave her."
"Would you pass on a message to her for me? You can watch me write it if that helps you with your bosses" I ask, wanting her to hear from me that I'm alright.
Doctor Young nods gratefully and gives me a pen and paper and watches me write the note, although doesn't read it.
To: Poison Ivy
I hope that you don't mind me calling you that but I wanted to tell you myself that I'm alright. I'm really irritated
about the guard and his actions but I want to be able to see you again so I'm not going to do anything.
I think that the nurses her at Gotham General Hospital might ring the press though, so I don't know
what will happen there. Who knows in a city like Gotham.
I have to go, so that I can look nice and bored for when the doctors come back.
Hope to see you soon.
From: Iris
I place it in an envelope, and write 'Poison Ivy' on the front just so no one gets confused. As I hand it to Doctor Young, she says very seriously, "Just your one visit has seemed to be a very positive thing on Poison Ivy. To the extent that I'm going to inquire that you and she be allowed to have more frequent communication. Letters, phone calls, possible visits, that sort of thing. If you would be up for it, I really feel that it would help her towards her treatment."
I think about it for a moment, "She's the last link I have to my Mother Doctor Young, of course I would be up for keeping in contact with her. I had to deal with my grief all alone and now I have the chance to grieve and bond with someone that cared for my Mother as much as I did, and besides I highly doubt that she'd ever hurt me."
She nods at me understandingly, "I will do my best to ensure that it goes that way."
"Can I see her?" I ask suddenly. "The doctors and nurses won't allow it because that guard is still at Arkham, but I really do want to see her. And before you ask, no I haven't breathed in any of the pheromones that she naturally emits."
She gives a tiny smile, clearly she had been about to ask. "I will give her the chance to see you after your surgery" she says, "However, if she picks a fight with anyone or does anything that might be considered as an attack on anything, I won't permit her to leave" she explains.
I nod and send a little prayer, hoping that she is allowed to come and see me. I wonder if they'll make her wear a full jumpsuit or if they'll let her come in her shirt and 'shorts'.
Doctor Young stays a little longer as the other doctors check my vital and check my arm, their movements becoming quicker as they see that the swelling has increased around my arm. It's then that the nurses begin to ask if I would have any problems about going into surgery within the next half an hour.
"I'm just wondering about all my stuff" I say. "I don't live here, so all my stuff is in my hotel room. I was supposed to be on the next ferry home so they're probably going to chuck it all out."
"If you tell me what hotel and give me your key, I can bring your belongings here" Doctor Young says kindly.
I nod and get the key out of my pocket, giving it to her. "The hotel's details are on the key and all my stuff is already packed at just near the door. There are two bags and my handbag."
She says that she'll organise a room for me in the hospital, and have all my belongings waiting for me as a way for the Asylum to apologise for the whole ordeal. I nod in acknowledgement before she leaves.
One nurse pats my hand sweetly, "Everything will be alright dear" she smiles.
Poison Ivy's point of view
I cradle the iris plant, stroking its leaves as I talk to it. "How do you think Iris is? I hope she's not badly injured. I never met her before she gave you to me but her mother and I were friends. Alana was a wonderful person, she understood my love of nature. I think it's wonderful that she has a sanctuary. I hope you won't miss it too much" I coo.
I hear someone walking down the corridor and judging by the click click clicking, it must be that Doctor Young. She better not have just dropped Iris off at the hospital and left, or worse, her hotel. I stand gracefully, gently placing my newest baby amongst my other precious darlings.
Walking to the door of my cell, I put on my best poker face as Young stops in front of the glass. She doesn't give much away but I've learnt how to read her after all these years.
"I thought that you might like an update on Iris" she finally says.
I reply in my usual smooth tone, "I would like that."
As she tells me the extent of Iris's injuries, I feel my face harden. By the time she tells me that Iris must have surgery to prevent her possibly bleeding to death, all I want to do is find that guard and kill him very slowly.
She pauses in her words, to make sure she has my attention before continuing, "She wishes to see you again today but isn't allowed in the building due to the guards presence, also I have a note from her, to you." I don't miss the fact that she fails to mention his name. "However, provided that you're behaviour in the recreation room today is exemplary, I see no reason why you cannot go to the hospital and see her once she's out of surgery."
My ears perk up at that. Although I want to get to the guard, I also want to see for myself that Iris is okay. I nod my agreement and allow her to lead me to the recreation room, reading the note from Iris as I go and feeling a little better about the information that Young provided me with. As she shuts the door behind me, I look around and debate on who I want to talk to. Harley is still is solitary confinement for helping Joker, so is Scarecrow although I never talk to him. I see out the corner of my eye that Riddler is beckoning me over to sit with him and Mr Freeze. Now that is safe.
I saunter over to the pair and greet them, "Hello Edward, Frozone." I know they always hate it when I call them that but it's just too much fun.
Freeze looks like he's going to retaliate as I sit but then he notices my expression, "Why are you so blue? You're meant to be green" he says.
"Honey" I begin, "I do believe that it's Joker's job to make the bad jokes but yes I'm not my usual self" I say, as I run my fingers through my hair before I sit down, facing the pair of them.
"And why is that?" Riddler inquires.
I tell them about Alana and about Iris. I can't help it though when my face becomes hard once more as I re-tell the events that lead to Iris being in hospital.
"I can't even do anything" I say with a huff, crossing my arms like a child. "Young promised that I could go and see her once she gets out of surgery, provided that I'm on my best behaviour."
Freeze looks irritated, "An unwarranted attack on an innocent, not even Riddler would do that, and that is saying something" he says.
Riddler has gone quiet, a thoughtful expression on his face. Freeze and I ignore him, knowing that he will jump back into the conversation once he's finished with whatever he's doing inside that brain of his.
"So tell me about this Iris" Freeze inquires. "She must be something special for you to openly care so deeply for her."
I raise an eyebrow at him, "That's a bit harsh Freeze, I care and show that I care about a few people. I just happen to care more about nature."
He rolls his eyes at me, "Fine, but it's clear that you were close to her mother, for you to care about her so much in such a short space of time."
I let him have that one, "Yes that's true. Her mother and I were quite close, this was before" I say, referring to before I became Poison Ivy, back when I was Pamela Isly. "She shared my passion for nature but" I continue, "My professor" I spit, "Never allowed me the time to visit her sanctuary, no matter how many times she invited me."
"Was yesterday the first time you had met Iris?"
"Yes, I knew that Alana was pregnant" I tell him. "But by the time she had given birth, I was a supervillain and she wasn't allowed near me" I pause for a moment, remembering. "She called though" I continue, mainly to myself, although Freeze was leaning closer. "The day Iris was born, she called, let me know that she was okay and to tell me the name of her new baby, she even sent a picture of her and Iris before she left the hospital."
"And her father?" Freeze asks carefully, not wanting to break this sudden sharing spell that I seemed to be under.
"He died when Alana was four months pregnant, during a bank robbery. He was a bank teller" I answer. "That's why Iris doesn't have a last name, Alana didn't want the reminder."
Freeze hums thoughtfully, guessing that I've used up my personal chatty quota for the day. A guess that was very much correct, apart from the daily quota bit. I've used up my personal chatty quota for at least another six months.
A few moments of silence pass, when Freeze and I share a bemused look before looking at Riddler.
"Edward darling" I coo. "You're being far too quiet. Riddle got your brain?" I ask, my usual tone returning to my voice.
Riddler looks up at Freeze and I quite slowly, avoiding the gaze of the guards and with a mischievous glint in his eye.
He leans in slightly and speaks in a hushed tone, not an unusual thing for him and so it doesn't cause suspicion. "Oh no, it's just I have a new conundrum that I wish to try out and the guard that you described is currently on my list, has been since he very rudely stole my cane. I've been wanting to ask him this particular set of riddles for some time now" he explains.
I look at him with a 'don't you dare mess with me' look. "You aren't bringing me into this, no matter how much I want to see him in pain" I sate, unlike me I know but I really want to see Iris.
Riddler smiles a small smile, "That's the beauty of it. I can do what you currently cannot due to you your current predicament."
I'm still not convinced, "What's the catch?" I ask with a glare.
He looks quite proud of himself when he replies, "Just tell Young that you suspect that I'm up to something. He's not the only guard that I want to have some fun with. That and you keep your plants to yourself for at least a week."
I think it over, for a few moments. My babies and I could do that, lay low for a bit, it would put us in Young's good book as well. And inmates rat each other out all the time, it's all part of the fun in most cases. I look to Freeze for a second opinion.
He looks thoughtful as well before saying, "If Riddler makes one or more of them break, including the guard that's on the top of your hit list, then they'll end up in here with us. The doctors here know that if guards become inmates then it's not very likely that they'll be accepted. Whereas doctors, like Crane, sometimes are since we can acknowledge their particular crazy style."
That's good enough for me. "Deal" I say to Riddler.
He grins and we nod, the inmate version of a handshake, before Riddler is called away for a session, leaving Freeze and I on the couch. I notice out of the corner of my eye that Young is watching me.
"Do you think she knows?" I ask Freeze, knowing that he has seen her as well.
"No" he replies confidently. "I can see her face a bit better from where I'm sitting and she appears happy that you were mainly talking to me and not Edward so I think you're fine."
I nod, relieved. "Ah yes, because you're not that bad of an influence" I hum with a small smile.
He returns my expression, "Exactly, I'm just a man driven mad by the loss of my wife. Oh sure I know where she is, I know that she's essentially cryogenically frozen and that she could, in theory be thawed but of course the damage has been done. I'm not the same man I was when she fell ill and I froze her to buy me time to discover her cure. I'm now corrupt, not worthy. Who wouldn't sympathise" he murmurs casually, if a tiny bit sarcastically.
After using my eyes to make sure that no one was watching, I rest my hand on his arm. "I sympathise" I tell him, my voice no louder than a whisper.
He sends me a grateful look as we turn our attention to the TV to watch the latest news. That is how Doctor Young finds me a couple of hours later, still watching TV with Freeze and on my best behaviour.
"Afternoon" I greet politely, sucking up just a little.
She looks very impressed as she replies, "Good Afternoon."
I turn and give her my full attention, easily winning me another point, as I ask, "And how has your day been? Mr Freeze and I have had a lovely time catching up on all the latest events, gossip and such."
That piques her interest and Freeze subtly gives me a thumbs up. "My day has been well thank you. Gossip you say? Interesting, and am I allowed to hear any of it?"
This couldn't have been set up better if I tried, "Oh I don't see why not" I reply casually. Turning to Freeze I ask, "What do you think?"
He relaxes back into the couch, "I don't see the harm" he comments. "Might be a good thing actually, once Joker hears the latest gossip, he's bound to want to shake things up…again"
Well played Freeze, well played. Young is in, hook , line and sinker.
"Well" she begins, "You have kept your side of our agreement so I will keep mine. If you will come with me please, I will come with you to visit Iris. I just rang the hospital, she's out of surgery and will be awake by the time we arrive."
I smile and stand, bidding goodbye to Freeze who nods in return. Young takes me past the laundry on the way, asking that I change into a full Asylum jumpsuit. Finding her expression as she asked funny, I comply, the new outfit leaving nothing to the imagination regardless that more of me was now covered. A fact that's just fine with me. I stand still as a new guard puts on my wrist and ankle cuffs and chains. Since he's new, I couldn't help winking at him, causing him to panic a little.
Doctor Young almost laughs, "Relax" she says to the new guard. "She's not being sadistic."
Knowing that I'm going to get away with a few things makes me more incline to comply even more. Young notices and lets me get away with my usual saunter, quite a feat in leg chains, as well as the occasional saucy look.
Once the van is moving, Young speaks again, "So about that gossip…" she says, trailing off her sentence.
"Hmm?" I drawl as I turn to look at her. "Oh yes the gossip."
She waits patiently for me to continue, a slight hand gesture to encourage me.
"Well the latest gossip is that Riddler is getting bored" I say as I inspect my fingernails.
"Bored?" she prompts, making me look into her eyes.
"Uh Huh, bored. He's come up with a new conundrum or something, a set of riddles that you have to solve before something bad happens, I don't know. I never really pay attention when he rants about his 'genius'" I continue, feeling very much like a high schooler talking to the headmistress.
"Anything in particular?" she prompts again.
"About his riddles?" I ask back, tilting my head slightly.
She nods and I shake my head no, causing her expression to become slightly concerned.
"However" I say, catching her attention. "He did say that he's going to try out his new riddles or whatever he's come up with, on some guards. At least five I think, all of which have pissed him off in some way" I continue as I list the reasons, "Calling him stupid, insulting him with ridiculously easy riddles that a child could solve, taking his cane, taking his hat, not letting him draw his little question marks everywhere."
I watch as she absorbs the information and I go back to studying my nails.
"I see, and it is possible that he will do this soon?"
I shrug like a teenager, "All I have done is share a bit of gossip with you. But if you think about it, better hope that Joker doesn't hear or else he might try and work with Riddler and then you could be in the need for more than just one new guard. You know what these two are like when they decide to work together."
The guards look relieved once we reach the hospital, having heard the whole conversation. My side of the deal is complete but before I'm let out of the van, Young puts slip on shoes onto my feet.
"Can't be barefoot in a hospital" she says and I allow her actions.
We get a LOT of looks as I'm escorted to Iris room but I ignore them. I find that I'm becoming anxious to see Iris and it doesn't go un-noticed.
"Are you alright?" Young questions, as I let out yet another impatient huff.
I look at her from the corner of my eye, "I…" I say not knowing if I should admit my feelings out loud.
She motions for the guards to stop and at my subtly panicked expression, the tone of her voice becomes incredibly kind. "What is it Poison Ivy?"
I take a deep breath as I search her face for anything false, you can never be too careful, before I say only for her to hear. "Iris's mother was a very dear friend and she named me Iris's godmother although she could never make it official. I cannot have children, you know that and I feel the strongest maternal instincts towards Iris. I would never try and replace Alana but it just feels like Iris is my own child, and I'm anxious to see for myself that she's okay" I explain to her before my face hardens just a little. "But if you tell anyone, you can know for certaint that I will never intrust you with such knowledge ever again."
She nods a few times, an almost proud look on her face. "You have my word, nothing you have said will go on record" she says, her expression becoming very matter of fact. "I do believe you'll find that I won't even notice such actions, nor inquire about them in our sessions until two weeks' time."
This is why I tolerate her. On occasion, she knows how to keep her big mouth shut. We nod at each other and continue on to Iris's room.
Young knocks and once she's granted access, opens the door and escorts me inside. Iris's face lights up brighter than a Christmas tree when she sees me, something that warms my heart.
"You came" she says, still a little sleepy.
"Yes darling, of course I did" I reply as they let me sit next to her. The undo my handcuffs but chain me to the chair, I don't care though. "Are you in pain?" I ask, stroking her hair softly.
She closes her eyes and leans into my caress, "A tiny bit but not like before."
"Good" I say firmly, "Everything went to plan then? They removed the bone chip?"
She nods at me, "Yeah they did, turns out that the risk was greater than they thought" she says before looking at Young. "I'm sorry but I really thing that someone said something to the press, one nurse is being really smug about it."
Young nods, "Then the Asylum will deal with that, you just need to concentrate on recovering. I need to make a phone call so we can give you two a moment alone" she says, very businesslike.
"Thanks" Iris answers.
Iris's point of view
I watch Doctor Young and the guards leave us alone and I still feel so happy that she came to see me. She's still stoking my hair and inspecting me with her eyes.
"How's things at Arkham?" I ask, just to break the silence.
She smiles, "Not good, I just told Young that The Riddler is going to abduct some guards and make them play his little game so things are not good at all" she replies smoothly.
"Wow, did you like, you know, rat him out?" I ask cautiously.
"No" she says. "My deal with Young was that if I behaved then I could see you. It was a little hard since I wanted to hurt the guard that hurt you. But when I was in the recreation room today, The Riddler and Mr Freeze asked me about my sour mood, I told them and it turns out that the guard that hurt you was also on Riddler hit list, for taking his cane. So he made a deal with me, he'd try out his new riddle, game, thing a little earlier than he originally planned, provided that I kept my plants to myself for a week as well as telling Young about the plan."
I stare at her, open-mouthed, "All this in a few hours?" I manage to get out.
She nods, "I can play nice on occasion" she says with a wink, making me giggle.
"So is the whole, tell Doctor Young about it, part of his plan?"
She nods, "That way, by the time she rings the Asylum" she pauses and motions to the door. "The guards will already be missing but they'll know who's responsible. That way there's no mistaking who gets the credit."
"Damn, and I though high school was bad" I say, making her laugh. I laugh with her but then say, "Do you think you could teach me a bit about botany?"
"Yes of course. I recommend that you read up on it first, after all, they're probably going to keep you in here for a bit" she replies before her voice goes quite soft, "And we can talk about your Mother too."
I smile at her, grateful, "I'd like that."
