Chapter 2: Another Collision
Disclaimer: read chapter 1
Throughout the day, Kathy had to wear Gretchen's white coat to cover the coke stain all day, until she had to go home.
Whistler was right about one thing. The patient was unlike anything she had ever seen before. He was a monster - a crocodile — a mutant. His home took place underground in Arkham. He was heavily guarded with an electric collar around his neck. He looked like a monster, treated like a monster, and acted like a monster.
The second Kathy entered the prison with the coke stain on her shirt, he noticed. She couldn't shake off the words he said to her, the only words he told her.
"I got your scent."
Once the day was over, finally, she went home and attempted to clean off the stain with Oxi Clean, but it didn't work. She tried the Shout detergent; the stain still didn't come off. Since her blouse was ruined, she had to throw it away. She could never forgive the man for what he did to her twenty dollar shirt.
~000~000~000~
She hadn't seen him since the incident. The whole time she trained with Doctor Whistler who turned out to be a cool doctor to hang out. For an older woman, she enjoyed the popular music from the radio and had good taste in clothing.
Kathy contacted Lacey on the phone, and the two started hanging out. Lacey was like Kathy in some ways. They were the same age, have the same taste in clothing, music, and movies. Although Lacey was a B student in school, unlike Kathy, the waitress dropped out of college and still lived at her parents' place without any plan whatsoever. Lacey had quite a reputation, and it wasn't from her job at Gotham Café. She was the party girl, a man-eater. Every cute guy Lacey met, he made his acquaintance and got her phone number. The bartender from Spotlight seemed decent, but then again, this was Gotham. Anything could happen.
Kathy also contacted her parents. They were just as worried and naggy before she left Florida. Her mother was the worst. She kept reminding her daughter not to spend money on food and make sure to pay the bills early before the due date. Gas was another critical issue. There were two ways to get to the Arkham - bridge or by water. Kathy was driving her beetle through the bridge to Arkham and back. She considered buying the ferry pass. It was fifty dollars a month, but it was better than spending twenty on gas every week.
It was Kathy's sixth day in Arkham. Instead of meeting Whistler at her office, as usual, she was called into Arkham's office
"What exactly happened to Gretchen, Dr. Arkham?" Kathy asked curiously as she sat down across from Jeremiah Arkham.
"Unfortunately, Dr. Knightly, she called in sick today, so she can't be here to supervise you."
"Dr. Arkham, do I really need supervision? I have the experience, and I know what to do-"
"Dr. Knightly, it is necessary to have someone supervise you. This is not like Florida. Alright? This is a dangerous asylum. I can't risk my new doctor going in the security wing and be near the patients by herself." Kathy rolled her eyes and leaned back against her chair. "Fortunately, I'd found someone who can take over Dr. Whistler while she is resting."
Kathy smiled, hopefully. "Did you get Dr. Young? I met her yesterday, and she is the nicest and most helpful doctor I met here... besides you, of course."
He smiled. "Yes, Dr. Young does know how to do her job here in Arkham and always be the light of the party. However, she has a lot of patients in her hands, adding you would be way too much for her. No, I have someone else, and you're going to like him."
Kathy raised her brows. "Him?"
The door opened, stole Jeremiah's eyes from Kathy. "Oh, that's him." Kathy turned around and widened her eyes in disbelief. There he was. The raven-hair man with glasses she thought never to see again.
"Doctor Crane, meet Doctor Knightly. Doctor Knightly, meet Doctor Jonathan Crane, the lead psychiatrist of Arkham Asylum."
Crane? Was he the head of Arkham? Not Doctor Whistler? Why? Kathy stared at Jonathan, who stared back at her with an aggravated sigh. He too wasn't thrilled to see her.
Kathy glared back at Jeremiah, a shake from her head. A silent plea for Arkham not to make this arrangement.
Jeremiah looked at Kathy with confusion, then turned to Jonathan, who wasn't thrilled with this situation. "Why do I get the feeling you two are not happy to see each other?" Jeremiah asked them awkwardly.
Jonathan walked closer behind Kathy and glared at her with a fake smile. "We'd met."
"That must've been pleasant."
This was an awkward situation.
"Yeah," Kathy said sarcastically. "It was nice to throw away a shirt that cost me gas money."
"Let's not forget, Doctor Knightly, that it was your soda that ruined my brand new suit and papers," Jonathan said in his annoyed tone of voice.
"I said I was sorry!" Kathy snapped. "Where's your apology? Huh?!"
"What for?" Jonathan asked in a bored tone of voice. "You're too incompetent to watch where you are going. Or you could not follow the rules of this place?"
Kathy pressed her lips together, tried to hold back the yelling. Was it too late to get Dr. Young?
"Alright. Enough," Jeremiah lifted a hand. "You two sound like a couple of five-year-olds. Now I would love to separate you two from bickering, but for now, you guys have to do one thing... get over it. We're all a team, and I'm the coach."
"If I may, Doctor Arkham-" Jonathan tried to rebut.
"And I want you, Dr. Crane, to show Dr. Knightly the ropes," Jeremiah stood up from his chair and led the two doctors out the door. "Make her feel welcome. Teach her. Mentor her. I did make you head of Arkham, after all."
"But-" Kathy didn't want this as much as Jonathan did.
"And Dr. Knightly, listen, follow instructions - follow his instructions. Don't do anything stupid," Jeremiah opened the door and gently pushed them out his office. The pairs' mouths began to protest.
"It won't be easy, but I'm sure you two will get along just fine. Best of luck to you both and try not to bicker too much. Now I need to go back to work. Goodbye." Jeremiah shut the office door in the doctors' faces.
They looked at each other with a not so pleasant look on their faces.
Jonathan was the first to make his move, sighed dramatically. "It would seem that I have a lot of work in my hands. I don't get paid enough for incompetence."
Kathy crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Jonathan angrily. She wished she could snap his neck, but restrained herself. He may be a jerk, but he was the head of Arkham. One wrong move and she shall fall onto her own sword and out on the streets.
Jonathan looked back at Kathy with the same expression. His eyes were boring into hers. She would be lying if she said that it didn't bother her. He was intimidating, intense, and a control freak. The stare he was giving her added the fact that he was a creep, up to the point that it was unbearably uncomfortable. It seemed like an eternity until Kathy decided to get the day over and done with, ending his stare.
"Dr. Crane?" Kathy snapped her fingers, making him blink.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Are you ready to get started?" she asked, wondered what was going inside his head at the moment.
Jonathan nodded. "Yes, right this way." He gestured to begin walking through the halls. His hands folded behind his back professionally. Kathy's posture slouched, speed walked to the elevator. A hurry to get started.
"So what exactly did Dr. Whistler tell you?" he asked. The way he asked it wasn't genuine. It was automatic - programmed to say the most tedious and obvious.
Kathy shrugged. "Just the rules, regulations. She introduced me to Killer Croc - I - I mean-"
"Waylon Jones. First off, Doctor Knightly, you must never refer to patients by their personas. We are rehabilitating them, not encouraging their madness. Second, I am not Doctor Whistler. I am in charge and believe me - working with me shall not be fun and games. Obey me without hesitation or argument."
Kathy blinked, completely taken back by the authoritative tone of voice. Was he from the military? Looking at the doctors passing by them, they seemed afraid of the head man — a headless horseman haunting a tiny village.
"Last but not least, do keep up the pace. We have so much to do with little time. If you are smart, as Doctor Arkham says, then you shall have no trouble." He pushed the button to the elevator, refused to make eye contact. "Am I clear?"
Kathy nodded, "Yes, Jonathan."
"Yes, Doctor Crane," he corrected her with a hiss.
Kathy furrowed her brows in disbelief. Was he serious? Was he going to make her say his name formerly each time? Might as well give her a dog collar around her neck with a leash in his hand. She suppressed the urge to groan, followed his command.
"Yes, Doctor Crane."
Jonathan had taken Kathy to maximum security level II to have a session with some clown who called himself the Joker. His identity was unknown, so everyone called him John Doe, much to the clown's annoyance. From what Kathy experienced, the Joker was trying to press Jonathan's buttons, though the doctor was calm and collected throughout the session. When the clown attempted to shake the girl's mind, the doctor sidetracked him back to the madness.
Afterward, Jonathan seemed irritated, therefore had taken his frustration out on her - the new girl - and that wasn't fair for her. Kathy wanted to fight back, but she knew better. She tried so hard not to lose her cool, waited until she was back in her cozy apartment.
~000~000~000~
"I'm telling you, Lace," Kathy walked out of her office while on the phone with her new friend. "He is a complete jerk to me! He hates me!... No, I didn't do anything wrong. It was the psycho clown. If he hadn't tried to twist Jonathan's mind and try to annoy him so much, Crane would've been in a better mood..."
Kathy paused and furrowed her brows at Lacey's next question. "What?... Is he cute?! Why would you ask me that?..." She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I admit he is, but that's not the point! The guy is a jerk! I don't think he wants to help me at all... No, I think he is doing this so I could quit... I'm not overly dramatic; it's a fact! I know the signs! I'm a psychiatrist!... Okay, why are you defending him, don't you already have a boyfriend?..." Kathy's face turned from angry to pity. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that... How much did he take?..." Kathy widened her eyes. "Your car?! Will the insurance cover it? Did you report it?... He used a fake name... The police can't do anything?! What the... Okay. Okay, I will not ask any more questions."
Kathy sighed heavily. "Yes, I'm totally looking forward to tonight. What time do you want to have Chinese?... 6:30? Okay... I'll see you there... Okay. Bye." Kathy hung up her phone and put it in her pocket.
As Kathy was heading out of the asylum, a red-headed woman behind the front desk looked up and saw Kathy about to leave.
"Hey! New girl!"
Kathy stopped herself and turned around to see the woman waving her hand and summoning Kathy to come over. Kathy was a little skeptical at first but decided to see what the redhead wanted.
"Hi," the woman replied with a smile.
Kathy smiled nervously. "Hi."
"I never got the chance to introduce myself. My name is Susan Murphy. I'm the receptionist in Arkham," Susan reached her hand over the desk for a handshake.
Kathy grabbed Susan's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Susan. I'm-"
"Kathryn Knightly, the new girl. I know. I just want to say 'Welcome, and you must be pretty sane to work in this crazy joint.'"
Kathy chuckled. "Yeah. The reason I took this job is pretty much the same reason as every doctor... to help the patients overcome their mental obstacle."
"Well, good luck, Doctor. There is one tip I would like to give you: don't let them smell fear and don't be naïve. Most of these patients here are psychos; they eat little girls like you for breakfast!"
"Um... I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."
"Your welcome, and if you have any questions about any doctor here, let me know. Just like the janitors, I'm the eyes and ears of this place."
"Thanks. I'll take you up on that..." Kathy paused, laid her arms on the counter before she whispered. "Actually, there is one question I have about a certain doctor."
"Okay?"
"What's the story behind Jonathan Crane?"
Susan raised a brow at Kathy in amusement. "You want to know about Crane?"
"He's my new supervisor and-"
Susan held her hand up to silence her. "Girl, you don't have to explain anything. I told you, I'm the eyes and ears of this place. The truth is, I don't know much about him. He is..." she paused as if to find a proper word to describe the man, "a workaholic."
"Does he have a life? A hobby, friends, or a girlfriend?"
"That's the thing; I don't think he has a girlfriend nor is going out with one. Maybe he is gay."
"Is he really, or is that your opinion?"
"My opinion, because it seems like no girl here in Arkham or in the universe is good enough for him."
Kathy nodded in agreement. "Yeah... He seems... high maintenance."
"Well, all I could say is good luck, and don't try to kiss ass with the guy. He'll know. Trust me. He scared the last doctor into packing his things on the second day of work."
Kathy blinked, trying not to let the fear show.
"But I am sure you don't have anything to worry about. You have been here - for what? A week? So I'm sure you will be fine."
"Yeah, thanks..." Kathy glanced at his watch. "I... I should get going. I have a prior engagement.'
"Okie-dokie," Susan turned back to her computer, picking up the ringing phone. "If you need anything, want to hear the latest gossip, or even want to cut a break and hang out - I'll be here."
"Alright. Thank you again, Susan."
"I'm happy to help. See ya soon."
"Bye," Kathy smiled and waved as she left Arkham.
~000~000~000~
At Habatchi's, a Chinese restaurant in Gotham, Kathy remained seated, waited for her friend Lacey to show up. However, Lacey was twenty minutes late.
A Chinese waiter walked over to her table with a big smile on his face and asked. "Are you ready to order?"
Kathy shook her head. "No. I'm still waiting for my friend."
"Waiting for a friend?"
Kathy pouted. "Can I have a few more minutes?"
The waiter nodded. "Of course, any time you're ready." He turned away at Kathy's request.
"Thank you." Kathy sighed heavily and looked at her phone to check the time. What she didn't realize was that someone from the bar noticed her and decided to visit her.
"Doctor Knightly?"
Kathy looked up and saw Dr. Crane standing there. She didn't know if she should be happy or annoyed to see him. Mostly annoyed, but didn't want to be rude.
"Doctor Crane. Hi..." She forced a smile on her face. "Again. What are you doing here? In Habatchi's?"
"Grabbing a bite to eat, just like you."
"Well, actually, I'm not getting a bite to eat right now."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, my friend is supposed to meet me, but she's running late."
"When is she supposed to be here?"
Kathy's fake smile remained. "Twenty minutes ago."
"Oh, then it seems that you are not the only one who is incompetent."
Kathy pressed her lips in a fine line, tried not to make a smart aleck comment. "So... are you having Chinese with a friend, too? Girlfriend?"
Jonathan shook his head. "Ah, no. I'm here for takeout."
"Oh," suddenly, Kathy's phone started ringing. "Excuse me for a sec." Kathy turned her body with her purse next to her and pulled out her phone.
"Who is it from?" Jonathan asked. "Your friend?"
Kathy looked at her phone, seeing an unread text message from Lacey. "Yep." She read the text message -
Hey Kat, sorry, can't make it. There is a dinner rush at the café, and I'm needed. Is tomorrow night, okay?
Kathy sighed sadly. "And apparently she canceled on me."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's fine."
Then, the Chinese waiter appeared again. "Are you ready to take your order?"
"Um-"
"I'll let you go, Doctor Knightly," Jonathan turned away about to leave. Before he could take the first step...
"Doctor Crane, wait," Kathy's voice stopped him from walking, instantly regretted speaking out. Why did she call his name? No doubt that he heard her for he stopped and turned to her, silently asked what she wanted. It was too late to back out now. "W-Would you like to join me?"
"Oh, no, I don't want to intrude-"
"What exactly are you intruding, Crane - Doctor Crane?" Kathy asked. "My friend isn't coming. I'm by myself. You're by yourself. We're coworkers."
Doctor Crane was silent, refused to give away anything. She felt pressure to continue.
"I thought we should talk and get to know each other. Don't you agree?"
Jonathan stared ahead, thought about her logic. Kathy realized that he had been doing that a lot as if he was living his own little world. The guy was weird, but hopefully, he won't be too bad once she got to know him better. Jonathan looked at the smiling waiter before he glared at Kathy. He took a step toward the other side of the table and sat down across from Kathy.
"What will you have?" the waiter asked.
"Um, I'll take the Habatchi Steak," Kathy said as she handed him the menu.
"Very good. Soup and Salad?"
"Just soup."
The waiter turned to Jonathan. "And you, sir?"
"I'll have the same," Jonathan replied with a polite smile and handed the menu to him. "But add the salad. Ranch. Ice tea to drink, hold the lemon." Kathy glared at Jonathan in shock. He sounded so automatic, but his voice swayed her and the waiter. It was hypnotic. Jonathan noticed her look and explained. "Want to try something new. I hope you don't mind."
Kathy shook her head as she took a sip from her coke. "It's fine. I don't mind."
The waiter smiled as he took the menus from them. "Very good. I'll be back for your soup and salad." For that, he walked away.
"Thank you," Kathy and Jonathan said politely. They both looked at each other awkwardly, debated who should speak up first. "SO-" they both said at the same time. Kathy chuckled awkwardly but died down when she saw that Jonathan wasn't smiling one bit. Could this guy loosen up a bit?
"You first," Jonathan insisted.
"Um... Well..." Kathy tucked a curl behind her ear before she asked. "So, how long have you been working in Arkham?"
"Nearly two years. I started as a college professor, but decided to broaden my passion by earning a high rank in Arkham."
"How long have you been-"
"A year and a half. You?"
"I just started-"
"I mean as a licensed psychiatrist?"
"Oh, just graduated from a technical college. I used to intern at a practice building back in Florida, my home."
"Where in Florida?"
"Pensacola. Where were you from?"
"I've grown up here in Gotham. I studied psycho-pharmacology at Gotham University..." Jonathan noticed the girl raising her brows in interest "and became a professor there."
"At Gotham University?"
Jonathan nodded. "At Gotham University."
"Interesting. So... How come you don't work there anymore?"
Jonathan paused and stared ahead, thinking about how to answer that question. Kathy noticed his hesitation and his gaze; something happened at the university. Kathy tried to figure out what it was. Did he get fired, but was too proud to say it?
"It just didn't work out for me," he finally answered. "I decided to take my passion to another level."
Kathy raised a brow in confusion, "Passion?"
"Yes. Do you want to know why I do what I do?"
"To help patients get better," Kathy guessed.
"Yes, but that's not exactly why."
"Then, why?"
"Fear."
"Fear?" Kathy blinked at him in disbelief. "That's your passion?"
"Yes, I love to go inside the person's mind and find out people's greatest fears. Let me tell you what I learned about it..."
Kathy tried to act like she was interested, but really, she felt like she was back in school except Crane was her professor.
"Fear is the number one motivator. It's fear. There's fear of flying, fear of failure, fear of being alone, fear of trusting the wrong person."
"What's your fear, Jonathan?"
Jonathan raised a brow from the reference of his first name.
"Or are you just too proud to have one?" She paused to notice the disapproving look on his face. Looking back at what she said, she realized her mistake. "Doctor Crane," she said with a little more attitude than what she desired.
Jonathan cleared his throat, leaned forward slightly with folded hands on the table, a mirror image of Arkham. "What's your fear, Doctor-"
"Kathy," she corrected Jonathan. "We're not in Arkham anymore, Doctor Crane. You can at least call me by my first name."
"Is Kathy short for Kathryn?"
Kathy nodded, suppressing a shiver when he called by that name.
"If I am going to give you an informal greeting, then I must call you by your first full name?"
"Why? Something wrong with the nickname?"
"Because Kathryn is... it sounds more... elegant, rich-"
"And you're an elegant kind of man?"
"I am a formal man, Doctor. It's better than referring to you as Doctor Knightly, don't you think?"
Kathy sighed and shrugged. "I guess, though you're one of the rare people who calls me by that name."
"Who are the others?"
"My mother."
A few moments of silence had gone by. Kathy saw Jonathan staring ahead again. What was he thinking about?
"So what's your fear?" Kathy asked, returning to the man's favorite subject.
Jonathan blinked. "What's yours?"
"I asked you first," she teased, sipping her soda.
Jonathan paused for a moment, taken back by the question. Nobody had ever asked him that question before. It was refreshing, but would he confess his sins? No.
"I don't really know what I fear."
Kathy scoffed. "Surely, you're afraid of something."
"Perhaps, but since I studied so much about the subject, I don't know what to fear..."
"Were you afraid of something before? What drove you to become fascinated by the subject of fear?"
"It's a long story and complicated for you to understand, Kathryn."
Kathy raised her brows at his comment. "What's complicating about it?"
"A lot of things. You'll understand when you grow up."
"Grow up?" Kathy laughed in disbelief. "How old do you think I am?"
"It's not the age, Kathryn. It's maturity."
"And I'm not mature enough?"
Jonathan shook his head. "I'm saying that I will tell you when you're ready to understand. Like your work, for example."
Kathy was taken back by his comment. Anger boiled her blood pressure. "What is that suppose to mean?"
"I mean that you just started working at Arkham. You have a lot to learn. It isn't like the practice building you used to intern."
"So what exactly are you saying? That I can't handle a job as a doctor in Arkham?" Kathy's voice grew louder enough to reached the customers' ears.
"Are you saying that I need a doctor to hold my hand the entire time?!" she demanded. "Like a child?!"
"That is exactly what's happening right now, isn't it?"
"Do you think I can handle my job, Doctor Crane?"
"Well, for now-"
"I'm not talking about for now. I'm talking about my job as a doctor in Arkham!"
Jonathan looked around at the customers' stare at their table. He was never a man that liked to attract attention.
"Kathryn," he began. "I would very much appreciate it if you keep your voice down."
"Why?"
"Because you're acting like a complete fool. People are staring," Jonathan said in a low dangerous tone.
"You didn't answer my question, Crane!" Kathy snapped angrily. "Do you think I can handle Arkham? Tell me the truth. I'm a big girl. I can handle it."
Jonathan sighed as he leaned back against his seat. "Fine. You can't handle Arkham, Kathryn! You wouldn't last a month. You will walk out that door and never look back. You will return to Florida by the time I am done with you."
"Like you did to that man you supervised before."
Jonathan breathed out with amusement dancing in his eyes.
Kathy's mouth dropped in shock. "I can't believe you!"
"You asked for the truth, and I told you the truth. What else do you want from me?"
"An explanation!"
"Well, let's see... You're young. You don't have any experience. Clearly, I don't understand why Doctor Arkham decided to hire a young girl like you when you just graduated!"
"How dare you," Kathy hissed angrily, ready to slap that man in the face.
That's when the waiter arrived at their table, a tray in hand that held two bowls of soup and two bowls of salads with ranch dressing on it.
"Sorry it took so long," the waiter placed each bowl in front of them, still had an award-winning grin on his face, "and I'll be back for your food."
"Thank you," Kathy said politely. She took a spoon out of her napkin. "Wow, the soup smells great. I can't wait to try it." Kathy smiled as she filled the spoon with chicken broth before she slurped it.
Jonathan scrunched his brows at her, confused about her change of mood. Something wasn't right here. Had the woman gone mental?
She smiled again in satisfaction. "Mm. That is delicious. Hey, Doctor Crane, you should try some." Kathy extended her arm, sliding the bowl of soup towards Jonathan. Then, unexpectedly, she knocked the pot over, spilled the hot soup on Jonathan's front. Jonathan screamed out in pain. The hot liquid burned his legs and chest. Before he could utter a word, she poured another bowl of hot soup on top of his head, along with his salad bowl.
The taste of ranch hit his tongue. His head drenched in hot broth with noodles and the lettuce that rapidly slide down to his suit jacket. He gazed up at the girl who licked the ranch dress from her thumb, moaned in satisfaction.
"So good."
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Jonathan snapped angrily, still feeling the burning pain all over his body, mostly his head.
"You want to know? I'll tell ya! You are a jerk! You're a son of a bitch! You treat people like me crappy, and you have no right to tell me that I can't do my job, right! I'm twenty-three years old! I went to school! I received A honor rolls! I got accepted into five different colleges! Five! I took AP classes in high school! I worked my butt off to earn my degree! So don't tell me that I'm not mature or smart enough to understand!"
Before Jonathan could even reply, a suited man with ruffled blonde hair and trimmed beard approached their table.
"Excuse me?" the man turned out to be the manager of the restaurant.
Kathy glared at the manager in confusion. "Yes?"
The manager looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, but we have customers complaining about you two. So I must ask if you to leave."
Kathy grabbed her purse and stood up from her table, "Tell your customers, I'm leaving anyway." Kathy walked past the manager and left the restaurant, left Jonathan there soaked in ranch dressing and chicken broth and the bill to pay.
The manager looked at Jonathan in pity. "You alright, sir?"
"Can I have a towel or a napkin?" Jonathan asked.
The manager nodded. "Yes, of course." He turned around and saw the busboy cleaning out another table. "Zack!"
Zack, the busboy, turned his attention to his boss. "Yes, sir."
"Could you give this gentleman a towel, please?"
Zack glared at Jonathan with amusement, before he looked at his boss with a definite nod. "Yes, sir." He left his table to do just that.
"Anything else, sir?" the manager asked.
Jonathan shook his head. "No. Thank you."
The manager patted Jonathan's shoulder sympathetically. "I've been there. The one thing I learned from my ex is to think before I speak."
Jonathan glared at the manager with furrowed brows. Did this bafoon believe that Crane would stoop so low into dating a girl like Kathy? He was surrounded by more idiots every day.
"If you need anything, let me know," the manager said.
"Thank you," Jonathan removed his glasses to clean off the ranch dressing stain. "I can't believe she did this," he thought out loud. "Who does she think she is?"
'A bitch! That's who she is, Johnny.' His dark mental half answered in his head. 'So are you still refusing my idea of teaching the woman a lesson?'
Jonathan mentally chuckled. 'Scarecrow... Not only isn't she going to learn, but she is going to PAY for what she has done!'
'Atta boy, Johnny-boy! So what are you going to do to her? How are you going to make her pay?!'
'Let's just say... she isn't going to survive the city of Gotham.'
'What does that mean?'
'It means that instead of her being the doctor in Arkham, she'll become the patient instead. Our patient.'
Jonathan heard evil laughter coming from Scarecrow.
'I love the sound of that! How are you going to do it?'
'I'll find out her greatest fear, then test the experiment on her. Our own little guinea pig.'
Jonathan paused as he felt something dripping on his forehead. He wiped it off with his napkin.
"Uh, sir?" Zack's voice interrupted Jonathan and Scarecrow's moment.
Jonathan looked up at Zack. "Yes?"
"Here's a towel for you, Sir," Zack handed a dark blue towel to Jonathan.
"Thank you," Jonathan wiped head and clothing with the towel.
Zack looked at Jonathan curiously. "Are you okay, sir?"
Jonathan looked at Zack and smirked. "Never better."
Jonathan and Scarecrow chuckled internally together.
~000~000~000~
Kathy parked her car in front of Lacey's house, actually her parents' house. She wanted to talk to her friend about her night with Crane. Kathy knew what she had done to Crane was inappropriate, but he deserved it. Didn't he? He insulted her, claimed that she couldn't handle the asylum. Well, guess what? She was going to prove him wrong. She'll show him. He'll be sorry for the day he decided to mess with her.
Kathy got out of her car and walked to the front door. She knocked on the door and waited ten seconds before a middle-aged man answered the door.
"Yes, may I help you?"
"Um, yes. Hi, is Lacey home?"
"Depends on who is asking?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Kathy."
"Kathy? I don't know a Kathy, but I don't anything about Lacey's friends either. Hold on a second," the man turned his body around, facing the stairs and crying out. "Lace?!"
"What now, Dad?!" Lacey cried out in annoyance.
"Some girl name Kathy is here to see ya!"
"Kathy?!"
Kathy heard a door slam and hurried footsteps until she saw Lacey standing by the front door.
"Kathy, hi!" Lacey greeted her as she closed the front door behind her.
"Hey, how are you?" Kathy asked.
"Despite the heartbreak from my ex-boyfriend and a long dinner rush at the café, you being here just made my day."
Kathy smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry."
Lacey shrugged. "It happens. You know, I should be sorry that I didn't show up tonight."
"It's fine... But..."
"But? But what?"
"You never believe who I ran into tonight."
"Who?"
"Crane," Kathy said his name in a disgusted tone.
Lacey widened her eyes in shock. "You saw him in the restaurant?"
Kathy nodded. "Yep."
"Did you talk to him?"
"Oh, we did more than just talking."
"What?"
"Um... Can we sit down? This is going to be a long story."
Lacey opened the door. "Do you want to come inside? It's a little chilly out here." Kathy nodded as she walked inside her house and followed Lacey upstairs to her room. Ten minutes inside her room, Kathy had told Lacey the whole story of Jonathan treating her like crap, his passion for fear, and pouring the appetizers on Jonathan's head.
"You did WHAT?!" Lacey demanded in a loud tone.
Kathy chuckled. "Yeah, I pour soup and salad on his head." She was expecting Lacey to be laughing with her, but it turned out to be just the opposite. Lacey had a terrified look on her face as if she was facing the Ghostface killer.
"Oh, my God! No! No! No!" Lacey cried as she stood up from her bed.
Kathy furrowed her brows and glared at her friend confusingly. "What is wrong with you?"
"You shouldn't have done that!"
"Why?! He deserved, didn't he?" Kathy's face quickly realized who she spilled the appetizer on. Doctor Crane. The head of Arkham. She was going to be in hot water big time. Her job was on the line, but he pushed her buttons. She had no choice.
"Of course, he did! Any jerk would, but not that guy!"
"Why not?" Kathy was officially confused by Lacey's reaction, dying to know the root of her problem.
"Because!" Lacey instantly ran toward her laptop and sat back down on her bed next to Kathy. "I found this online." She typed her password, and a webpage appeared on the screen. Not just any page, it had information about Jonathan.
"Why did you look him up?"
"Because," Lacey smiled sheepishly. "I was curious to see how cute he was..."
"And?"
"And he's okay for a nerd-"
"No! No!" Kathy dismissed her explanation with a wave. "I'm talking about why I can't be a jerk back to Jonathan."
"Oh, well, I started looking at his pic, but then I read his biography."
"And? What did you find out?"
"A lot of things. He graduated from Gotham University, became a professor there-"
"I know all that. He told me."
"He did? Did he tell you why he left college?"
"Um..." Kathy paused to think what he said, "he... He said that it didn't work out for him."
"Worked out? Don't you mean kicked out?"
Kathy furrowed her brows, confused about what Lacey said. "What?"
"After I read this, I called the headmaster from the college, pretended to be an interviewer, so to speak."
"And?"
"And he told me that Jonathan got fired because of the accusations against Crane for experimenting students."
Kathy felt her jaw drop in shock. "W-What?"
"They never had any proof, but the kids in his class said he did. So they had no choice, but to fire him. After all, it's their word against Jonathan's."
"W-What kind of experiments was he accused of doing."
"I don't know. He didn't give much detail but mentioned creating a toxin to make the students see their greatest fear. At least that's what the kids said."
"Oh my gosh," Kathy said breathlessly. She was so shocked; she couldn't move. She couldn't believe that Jonathan took his fascination with fear to a whole new level. He used innocent kids. Now, Kathy instantly regretted disrespecting Jonathan.
"Oh my gosh. What did I do?"
"You humiliated him and yourself in a restaurant with costumers watching," Lacey answered.
"Oh, man! W-What if he's still experimenting?! What if he's planning to use his toxins on me?!"
"Okay," Lacey placed a hand on Kathy's shoulder for comfort. "Listen. Calm down! Remember, there were rumors."
"But those kids said he experimented them!"
"Okay, if he did, maybe he turned from his wicked ways. Maybe he changed, once he got a job in Arkham."
"We don't know that! We don't know he's changed! I don't want anything toxic near me!" Kathy was freaking out, and tears of fear were falling from her eyes. She lied her head on Lacey's shoulder.
Lacey tried her best to calm her down, "Okay, first... Take a deep breath and calm-"
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Kathy snapped angrily, causing Lacey to flinch.
"Then what do you want me to say?!"
"I don't know! Say something other than 'calm down'!"
"Okay... Kat, if you ever run into him-"
"Oh, my God!" Kathy cried. "I forgot! Jonathan is my temporary supervisor! I have no choice, but to see him tomorrow."
"Hey, you could always call in sick. That's what I do all the time when there's a sale at Macy's."
Kathy's breathing started to calm a little. She kept taking deep breaths and nodded, "Okay. Okay. That could work. Then what?"
"Then... if you ever see him again, you should... you know... say sorry-"
Kathy glared at Lacey in shock. "What?!"
"Listen! If you apologize, maybe Crane will be a little more forgiving."
"Yeah. Maybe!"
"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. You never know unless you try."
Kathy sighed sadly and laid her back against the mattress. "Why did I become so stupid?"
Lacey smiled sympathetically and patted Kathy's knee as she laid next to her. "If it makes you feel any better, I did something stupid today."
"Like what?"
"I accidentally knocked over a martini glass on a cute boy."
Kathy turned her head to the side to look at Lacey. "You did?"
Lacey nodded. "Uh-huh. And as I was cleaning up, I slipped on the wet floor and landed on top of him with my hand on his crotch." Kathy giggled loudly. "Then, a redhead woman returned to her table to see me on top of the cute boy, who turned out to be her boyfriend."
"Wow. That must've been really bad."
"Oh, yeah. It took about ten minutes for the cute boy to explain the situation to his girlfriend."
"Okay, are you telling me this to make me feel better?"
Lacey smirked saying, "If I did, is it working?"
Kathy smiled a little bit and shrugged. "A little bit."
"That's good. I know you can handle Crane. I have faith."
Kathy sat up and faced Lacey again. "Thank you for being a good friend to me."
Lacey sat up and wrapped her arms around Kathy comfortingly. "That's what friends are for."
Kathy smiled, feeling thankful that she had a great friend like Lacey.