Welcome Back to the Asylum
Ch. 2
Celebrate
"Like I said, you need to take a defensive driver's class girl. I swear one of these days you're going to kill me," Gabe said as he carried the large cake into the house while Amelia held the door open for him. "Couldn't we have ordered a bigger cake?" He asked sarcastically.
"Daddy, we're gonna have like, a million people here tonight!"
"Oh I hope not...I didn't buy enough meat for that many."
"It's gonna be fun! I can't wait till Krysta arrives. She's bringing her violin so maybe we can play together for a bit before the party starts."
"Unplanned rehearsal?" Gabe asked as he set the enormous navy and silver cake on the counter.
"Kinda. We wanna make sure we're ready for the audition. Getting into the label means so much to us. Two weeks!" She then helped her father push the cake back gently and centered it.
Gabe sighed, "I really wish you'd consider college first. I'm not keen on you going into the entertainment business."
"Daddy, why are you so against my getting into the spot light?"
"It's so...exposed. You won't have any privacy and there's the potential of stalkers."
As father and daughter spoke, Willow entered the kitchen with Ryder in tow and they were carrying presents and decorations. She didn't interrupt the conversation, but heard every word that Gabe just said. "Put the decorations on the table sweet pea," she said to Ryder.
"Okay. Mom my friends will be here soon. Can I make pizza rolls?"
"Ryder, dad's going to be barbecuing soon. You'll spoil your dinner."
Ryder moped but instantly forgot about the rolls when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" he cried and ran for the door to answer it. On the other side of the door stood the Angleton family. "Hi!" Ryder greeted them and opened the door wide to let them all in. "Mom! Michael's here! And Jason and their mom and dad!"
"Okay, let them settle in Ryder!" Willow called and then told her daughter to go greet her guests. Once she and Gabe were alone in the kitchen, Willow approached him and placed her arms around his shoulders, "You know, we can't keep her sheltered forever. She needs to go out and find her own career."
"I was hoping the career didn't revolve around show biz. I don't want her name getting out there," Gabe admitted.
"The chances of her getting to that level is slim. As much as I hate to admit that, I want her to be successful." She looked at her husband's worried face. "You're worried that your father might try to interfere in her life aren't you?"
Gabe didn't say a word, but he couldn't deny the thought crossed his mind several times in the last year.
"Honey, he's in Arkham. He's not going anywhere. It's a high security prison and we haven't heard a peep out of him since you turned him over to the police."
"That's what frightens me. I know my father well enough to realize that he won't sit still for very long and he will wait for an opportune moment to escape. Maximum security or not, he always figured a way out under the radar."
"It's been almost eighteen years and he doesn't know where we are. We're safe from him my love." She kissed his lips gently and embraced him, "Now try to enjoy your daughter's party tonight. She's been looking forward to it for weeks. Put on a smile..."
Gabe humored his wife and gave her a small smile before separating from her, "I'll get started on the meat. Guests will be arriving soon." Willow smiled at him and then went out in the foyer to greet Jackie and her family.
One hour later...
The house was bustling with people and the backyard filled with guests. Luckily Gabe owned a large tudor home with an enormous backyard. They had a lot of space to work with and set up tables on one half of the yard for people to sit and eat and the other half of the yard was cleared out and made available for dancing. Willow insisted they hire a disc jockey for the party for the kids. He wasn't keen on the idea because it felt like they were organizing a wedding, but eventually he caved and hired one.
Currently Gabe was throwing on the last of the chicken and hot dogs on the grill with assistance from Dominic. They were chatting it up and having a beer. They were watching all the kids having a blast out on the dance floor. The dj mixed up the music and played a lot of familiar songs from the last sixty years; Madonna, Aerosmith, Lady Gaga, Queen, Christina Aguilera, a lot of current pop music, and then a little for the older audience. There was also the traditional party music of the electric slide, macarena, cupid shuffle, and other cheesy music. A couple of the adults actually jumped onto the floor to show the kids how to dance to some of these older songs.
Willow was busy carrying around trays of cheese platters and gossiping with her colleagues who managed to make it tonight. Jackie helped with cleaning up any messes, saving Willow back pain.
Amelia was having a blast and dancing out with her friends, especially her best friend Krysta and her close male friend Jason, Dominic's son. They were doing the steps to the old pop hit Gangnam Style and laughing as they danced. Jason was a particularly good dancer and he was really showing off to the ladies.
Gabe rolled his eyes, "To be young again...your boy is quite the ladies man Dom."
"I try," Dominic replied and they both focused on his son while the boy was break dancing to Pitbull's 'Pause'. Amelia, Krysta and the other teenage girls were busy cheering from the sidelines and whistling.
After the song had ended, all the girls surrounded Jason begging him for a dance as the next song was a slow number.
"Ladies, ladies!" Jason said, "I can only dance with one at a time, heh! But since it's Amelia's party, I should probably dance with her first."
All the girls moaned their disappointment, but they were good sports about it and let Amelia have him while they all claimed other boys. Gabriel watched as Jason took Amelia's hand and started an old fashioned waltz to Whitney Houston's 'I will always love you'.
The adults were slowly starting to join in on the number, including Gabe and Willow. Dom took over grill duties for the time being. Poor Willow had to turn her body slightly in order to dance, otherwise her belly was in the way.
"Aren't they cute together?" Willow asked.
"Hm? Er, what?" Gabe replied, his mind was wandering a bit.
"Your daughter and Jason, I was saying how much of a cute couple they'd make." Willow laughed, "Are you feeling okay? Did you drink too many beers?"
"No, sorry...just mind overloading. There's a lot going on and I'm a little preoccupied tonight," he replied. He peered over at his daughter, who now was embracing Jason as the two danced, her head on his chest. "Yeah, they are cute together. I could see Jason as a potential son-in-law."
"We've known him since he was two. He's such a good kid," Willow commented.
Gabe smiled and hugged his wife while they continued to dance. During the later hours, the smaller children including Ryder were growing tired so the parents agreed to let their teens stay at the house with Gabe's permission to crash for the night and to continue partying while they brought the little ones home. Willow and Jackie sent Ryder and Michael upstairs to go to bed, as it was nearing midnight. The dj would be packing up at one, so the kids had time to dance for a while longer and eat leftovers lying about. There was cake everywhere and some of the kids were smashing it in each other's faces, much to Willow's dismay as it would be a pain to clean, but the kids insisted they would do it.
As Willow began picking up paper plates, Amelia came up to her and asked if it would be okay if she tried some wine coolers.
"The other parents may not like that sweetheart. You may have one. But please don't tell your father, he'll kill me," Willow whispered.
Amelia giggled and quickly shot over to the cooler and fetched a raspberry blitz and popped it open. Willow shook her head, but remembered that she was a teen once too and that she occasionally swiped liquor from her old lady's cabinet.
By the time two a.m came, the teens were danced out and all piled inside the house. All parents had gone home for the night and would pick up their kids the next day. They were all camped out in the family room, sitting in the dark while watching a movie. A couple of them had fallen asleep and some made it to the end of the film before Gabe finally shut it off and glanced over the kids scattered all over the chairs and couches, asleep. Amelia was curled up next to Jason, his arm around her shoulders. It didn't bother Gabe much since they were in a room full of kids. He trusted Jason to behave with his daughter. He then stepped over several pairs of arms and legs to go upstairs and join Willow in bed. She was probably out cold after doing so much walking and cooking today.
As he suspected, she was in bed and sleeping. He was too tired to do anything himself besides brush his teeth and he piled into bed and curled up next to Willow, draping his arm around her and he closed his eyes. Sleep found him quickly, but it wouldn't last...
Around two hours later, Gabe found himself being violently shaken awake. He groggily sat up and suddenly a lot of light flashed into his eyes from the desk lamp.
"Gabe! Gabe! Wake up!" Willow was screaming at him and shaking him again.
He sat up abruptly and quickly rubbed his tired eyes so he could see clearly, "What is it? What's wrong?" He watched as Willow kicked down the comforter and revealed her legs. Her pajamas were soaked with blood stemming from her inner thighs down to her calves and a huge stain was present under her rear. "Oh fuck!" Gabe shouted and he rolled off the mattress to run around to the other side of the bed and he attempted to move her.
"No! Don't move me...please! It hurts..." she cried, tears trickling down her face. Her hands were now holding the underside of her belly and rubbing vigorously, "Something's wrong..."
"Okay, okay. Just sit tight, I'm gonna call an ambulance." He didn't say another word as he ran out of the bedroom and rushed down the stairs to find his cell phone on the kitchen counter. While he was dialing for help, he rushed out into the family room to wake Amelia. She slowly came to and saw her father standing over her in a panic.
"Daddy?" She rubbed her eyes and accidentally awoke Jason in the process.
"Amelia, I need you to get up. It's an emergency."
"What's wrong?" Amelia asked and shook off Jason's arm.
"Your mother's in trouble. I'm calling an ambulance. I need you to stay here and watch your brother."
"What kind of trouble? What's happening?" Amelia cried, voice laced with panic.
Jason overheard Gabriel and quickly stood up, "Is there anything I can do sir?"
"Just the two of you look after the other kids and when I find out what's going on, I'll call you."
The ride in the ambulance was frightening for Gabe as he watched his wife suffer in pain. She was bleeding profusely and needed to be given a blood transfusion once she arrived at the hospital. The doctors took her into the emergency room and immediately began with an ultrasound.
Gabe stayed in the waiting room until a nurse arrived to bring him back to critical care. On the way she explained to him about his wife's complications. Apparently Willow was experiencing placental abruption, a separation of the placenta from the uterus and could cause serious damage or death to the infant and mother. The nurse provided him with a set of scrubs and a mask before taking him to surgery. Willow needed to have an emergency c-section to save both her and baby.
Once he entered the delivery room, he saw a frightened Willow laying across a table with sheets blocking her view of the doctors. Gabe rushed to her side, "I'm here. You're going to be fine."
"Gabe...the baby," Willow mumbled and sniffed.
"He's gonna be okay, I promise." Gabe took her hand and kissed it. He squeezed her fingers gently.
"Elijah," she whispered.
"Yes, baby Elijah. He's going to be a handsome boy."
"Just like his father..."
Gabe smiled and placed his other hand on her forehead to brush away a loose strand of hair. He continuously stared into her eyes, showing her his confidence and to keep her calm. She was sniffling. It was impossible for her to stop her tears even with Gabriel offering her comfort.
A few minutes later, there was the cry of an infant and the head surgeon told Gabe and Willow to look up. When they did, they saw the very small baby being held carefully in the arms of the surgeon.
Willow gasped and her tears streamed down her cheeks. Hearing the baby cry made her heart leap and she smiled up at Gabe, whom looked at the infant and back at her.
"He's all right..." Gabe said softly.
"He is..." she replied.
The surgeon handed the infant off to a nurse and they quickly wrapped an identification bracelet on the baby's foot before wrapping him in a blanket.
"The baby will need to be taken to the neonatal intensive care unit since he's still showing signs of distress," the surgeon said.
"Okay, what about Willow?" Gabe asked.
"We're removing the placenta now. It was a complete abruption so once we remove it, we'll put her on strong medications to stop the bleeding and control her pain. She won't need any additional surgery."
Gabe's eyes closed and he breathed a sigh of relief. His attention was pulled away from the surgeon when Willow stroked his cheek. "What is it my love?"
"Go to the NICU, see what they're doing with Elijah. I'm okay now..." Willow muttered.
Gabe nodded and left a kiss on her forehead before getting up and asking a nurse to escort him to the NICU. He would only be able to view from outside a window, but it was enough for now. Once down there, he watched as the nurses attached a series of tubes to Elijah so he could breathe easy and they put a small diaper on him. He was also put inside an incubator and a little blue hat covered his head.
The kids had been up all night, waiting for word on Willow and the baby. Amelia had been crying all night and needed to move about the house. She let Ryder and Michael sleep through it all. She would tell them when they woke up. To keep herself occupied, she started cleaning up the house, picking up paper plates and plastic silverware and throwing away left over scraps. Her friends who stayed the night weren't able to sleep after being abruptly awakened by Gabe and they too began helping Amelia clean the house. They finished the entire inside by five a.m and eventually went outside to start breaking down the tables and collect the chairs. Only the cake and grilled leftovers were kept on the counters, waiting to be refrigerated. The kids picked at the food after they cleaned, eating up a chunk of it for breakfast.
Amelia's eyes were red and puffy and she wouldn't eat anything no matter how much Jason tried to coax her into it. She was waiting to hear the ringing of her cell phone, which sat on the table nearby. She was so tired that she almost passed out in her chair.
But then the phone finally rang...
She grabbed that cell quickly and pounded her thumb on the touch screen to answer it, "Hello? Dad?"
Her friends gathered around her, hoping for good news. They listened intently to Amelia's conversation.
"Yeah dad...mom's okay? Oh thank god!" Amelia said, relieved. Her friends started cheering around her and she had to wave at them to quiet back down. "What's that? I have a brother? He's ok!"
It couldn't be helped, all her friends were in an excited frenzy with the news and Amelia had to plug her ear so she could hear.
"He's in the NICU. For how long? Oh. Well okay, as long as he's doing better. I'll tell Ryder. No he isn't up yet, I let the boys sleep. Ok, will do. Tell mom I love her! Bye..." and Amelia hung up her phone. Her friends immediately tackled her in hugs. She was piled under fifteen friends.
"So what'd your dad say?" Krysta asked.
"Baby Elijah is in intensive care for now. He had some distress from something called placental abruption. I think that's what he said. So the baby will be in the NICU until he is stable and gains some weight. Mom's out of surgery and they were able to control the bleeding. She'll be in the hospital for at least a week. But they're both going to be okay. The doctors said they're pleased with the turnout."
Jason smiled and took Amelia's hand. He placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles, "I knew she'd be all right."
Amelia blushed, "Thanks."
Gotham...
Joker had spent the last few days hiding out. It was odd though. Typically when he escaped in the past, Gotham police department warned the city to be cautious, but he never saw a thing on the news or in the papers. Gotham must not see Joker as much of a threat and it irked him. Still, he could take advantage of this and leave the city limits without a problem. The more he thought about it, the better the situation seemed. Everyone must have thought of him as an old man, besides the people who treated him at Arkham. To the outside world, he was near 70 years old, but only a tight knit group knew the truth about his slow rate of aging.
Another good perk was that the chryofreeze that ran through his system finally absorbed into his body and he was able to produce his spores and plant control abilities again, though, he would need to practice. He tested himself out on a few small robberies. He managed to steal right under the noses of clerks and managers in broad daylight. Vines were just as useful as they were before.
The number of places he robbed was not very large, but he accumulated well over twenty-thousand. Enough to last him a few months if need be. He also began hopping hotels so he couldn't be tracked by the Batman, if old Batsy still existed. He hasn't heard anything from the dark knight in years.
Still, there was the fact that his fortune was taken from him and he wanted to deal with it right away. His son, the little shit, managed to rip from his grasp and he wasn't about to let that slide. So in order for Joker to find a new lazarus pit, he was going to need some serious funding to travel the world and what better way to get it than to hunt down his offspring and return the favor...
First things first, he needed to locate his son, who likely would have moved his little girlfriend out of the city and far away. There had to be some information in the public records somewhere and he figured he would hit up a local library to do some searches.
That evening...
It was quite difficult to get inside the library and he had to laugh at how much easier it was for him to break into a bank. The building was empty save for a security guard, but Joker easily put the guy into a coma using spores and shut down the security system. Then he wandered throughout the building until he found the computer lab and seated himself before one. It took a while but Joker was able to trace back around sixteen to seventeen years ago and he found hundreds of articles about his son, but nothing on his little girlfriend. What was her name?
"Willow sounds right..." he said and typed in her name along side Gabriel's. Not a thing came up.
Why would Gabriel go to the lengths to keep Willow out of the news? Perhaps just to protect her identity. He did witness that night on the roof of the warehouse. Seven was holding Willow and threatening to slice her throat but then she struck Willow in the gut, likely killing the embryo he implanted in her. Unless...the embryo miraculously survived. That would be a good enough reason to sever any ties.
"Maybe I'm looking up the wrong name. If my righteous son did what any sap would do, he'd marry the girl and keep a close watch on her." He then typed 'Willow Johnston' in the search bar of google. Thousands of women with the last name Johnston appeared, but he needed to look for the girl's picture. It would take hours, but he was a patient man.
It was dawn by the time Joker narrowed down a bunch of locations and decided it was time to leave. He would be making lots of phone calls today. He began his work from the confines of his hotel and must have wasted hours calling random people with the last name Johnston. So far, none were matches. He had a few left on his list but decided he would have to call later as he was dead tired and falling asleep. He slammed the phone down and rolled over on the bed, closing his eyes.
Nine hours later, Joker awoke at dusk and decided he would get started making calls. The first number was a dud and some man shouted at him and hung up, annoyed about being bothered. The second one actually had something promising. Joker called a medical office and he spoke with a woman in the pediatrics department. She seemed to recognize the name Johnston and connected Joker to the triage department. He spoke with a nurse and apparently this woman worked directly with a Willow Johnston. It was a stroke of luck...
"May I have the address to the hospital?" Joker asked and he picked up a pen and began scribbling down the nurse's directions. "Let's see, Kennestone Hospital, 677 Church street, Marietta Georgia, 30060. May I also have the extension of Miss Johnston? Thank you ma'am!"
He hung up quickly and chuckled. It was the best lead he's gotten and it was a completely random state.
"Why Georgia of all places?" he questioned and read over the address several times and hopefully the Willow Johnston they had on staff was the one he was looking for. He picked up the phone once again and dialed the hospital one more time. When the directory was available, he entered 53779 and waited for the phone to ring. He was grinning from ear to ear, hoping she would actually pick up, but as expected at a nurse's station, the call went through to voicemail.
"You have reached R.N. Willow Johnston. I am away from my desk right now, but if you can leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, I'll return your call at my earliest convenience. Have a good day."
He didn't leave a message but the voicemail confirmed it. It was definitely Gabe's Willow and Joker started laughing maniacally, "It's ridiculously easy to find anyone these days! Social networking, I could kiss you!"
Now he needed to steal himself a car and get a head start south to Georgia. If he left today he should be there by Saturday and he could start tailing Willow. He also began to develop a plan...one that would rip Gabe from his perfect life...
One week later...
Gabe had managed to take some time off of work so he could help Willow and her transition home. Amelia did what she could to help by keeping Ryder out of the way and fetching things for her mother.
Little Elijah remained in the hospital; still in the NICU. He was making incredible progress and the doctors specified he would be able to go home in a few days since he was only born four weeks premature.
By Willow's request, she sent Gabe out to fetch her some much wanted junk food and to purchase a medela pump. She would need it while her baby was absent to keep her breast milk from drying up. A very embarrassed Gabe dragged his daughter with to purchase that item.
It was nice to have three people to wait on her. Willow had to relax for at least a month and then she could extend her maternity leave if she wanted, which she likely would do to bond with her new son.
By the time Elijah was able to come home, a small welcoming party with close friends was thrown and the baby was presented in a blue basinet and wearing a little yellow jumper. He was tiny, but very healthy and Gabriel couldn't be prouder. He held the little boy throughout the entire afternoon and only passed him off to Willow when it was time for a feeding.
Jason and Amelia were spending time together in the backyard, away from the adults who cooed over the infant. The pair were looking over the fence and out over the suburb.
"It's a big change for you," Jason said, running his fingers through his black hair.
Amelia smiled, "Yeah, a new brother and my audition next weekend. Krysta is excited too. I really hope we make it. And you, college?"
"Yeah, I've been accepted into my degree program. Engineering. When I get out, I could be making almost as much as a doctor. That still won't compare to what you make when you're famous."
"I have to get a deal first," she replied.
"Is your dad still giving you a hard time about it?"
Amelia sighed, "Yeah. He's worried." She started rubbing her arm nervously.
"Why?"
"I'm not really sure. He always mentions privacy and how I'll never have it. Then there's the potential stalkers."
"It's rare to have a stalker. Maybe he's over thinking things?"
"Possibly, but my dad did live with some sort of fame surrounding his life. My grandmother was a classical singer and starred in Broadway. She died doing what she loved and my dad witnessed it. I think that may have something to do with it. He's just covering it up with the stalker excuse."
"That's sad. Do you know how she died?"
"No, my mom and dad won't tell me. They always ignore the topic." Amelia groaned, "But it's not going to stop me from pursuing my dream. I intend to go to the audition with Krysta and we'll do our act and hope for the best."
Jason smiled and he turned towards her, "I think you will be successful. I've heard you two play. You're brilliant."
"Flatterer," she chuckled.
"So what if I am?" Jason teased.
She couldn't answer right away, only stare at her childhood friend and her cheeks flushed a bit. "You really don't have to..."
"Have to what?" he asked, and patiently waited for her reply.
She really didn't know where she was taking this conversation but her eyes just wouldn't leave his. Her blue and his deep brown...
Jason cracked a very small smile, "Still, your dad is a cool guy."
"He is..." she said softly.
"So if I try to kiss you. Would he rush out here with a shot gun?"
She really wanted to laugh. The sight of her father chasing Jason, threatening him would be entertaining, but she didn't want to ruin the tender moment, "My dad likes you..." she whispered and saw that his face was slowly pressing closer to hers. She couldn't stop herself and found she was also leaning in.
Their lips brushed and finally, Jason enclosed his mouth over hers in a sweet and loving kiss.
Amelia's eyes closed as she accepted Jason's advance and she found herself wrapping her arms around his neck while his encircled her waist. When they finally broke apart, Amelia leaned her head against his chest and they stood there for several minutes embracing one another.
From inside the house, Gabriel peered through the back window and watched as Jason wrapped his arms around his daughter, and he smiled...