Author's Note: This is more of a flashback chapter detailing more of Wally and Madison's relationship.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Justice League.
Truthfully, he was expecting to go to prison after that police officer caught him. They passed the prison. His next thought was some kind of asylum like the kind Bats had in Gotham. Where else would a police car be taking him at night?
He was surprised when the car pulled up to a local hospital. The police officer let him out of the back seat, uncuffed him, and walked him into the emergency room. The officer stopped to talk to the intake nurse, but Wally wasn't really listening. Then he was escorted to a room on the back of the floor. Wally noted that it was in plain view of the nurse's station. The officer left and a guard came and sat on a chair just outside Wally's room.
The guard stayed silent and Wally was starting to get nervous. What did they want from him?
"Am I in trouble?" Wally asked hesitantly.
The guard turned and smiled at him. Wally got the impression that he was trying to be friendly.
"Of course not. We just want to make sure you're okay, that's all," The guard answered in what Wally now realized was an attempt to reassure him.
In that moment, Wally realized that he wasn't going to be walking out of here very easily.
After what seemed like forever, a nurse came in to check his vitals. Afterwards, much to Wally's surprise, a social worker came in to talk to him. The social worker had short black hair and introduced himself as Alex.
"So, I hear you tried to commit suicide by running in front of a train. What caused you to do that?" Alex said.
Wally winced at the memory.
"It was nothing… I'm just having some girl troubles," He answered evasively.
"What kind of girl troubles?" Alex pressed.
Wally stared at the white floor and didn't answer.
"You don't have to tell me, but the sooner you do, the sooner we can get you admitted and start your treatment," Alex said gently while changing the topic.
"...You mean I can't go home?" Wally asked.
"Not for at least seventy-two hours. Don't worry, the psychiatric ward is not some barbaric asylum with padded walls and doors chained shut. This isn't the 1950s anymore. You'll have a room and there are groups every day. You can order your meals from the kitchen and have visitors."
Wally wasn't sure he wanted visitors while in a mental hospital, but it was still better than seeing Madison at home every day.
"If I tell you, will you keep it a secret from my friends?" Wally asked carefully.
"No one here will tell anyone anything if you don't want them to. We will even deny your presence here if you don't want anyone to know."
"It's my girlfriend..." Wally started, then stopped. "Or maybe it's me. She just wants all my attention all the time. She gets really mad when I don't do what she wants. Maybe I'm not good enough for her, I don't know."
"Are you sexually active with your girlfriend?"
"I guess."
"Is the sex consensual?
"It has to be. I mean, I'm always ready, you know? Even when I don't really feel like it, we do it anyway. She gets mad if I don't."
"When you say that she gets mad, what do you mean? Does she hit you? Threaten you?"
"No, none of that."
"Does she threaten herself if you don't do what she wants?"
Wally froze for a fraction of a second.
"Yeah."
"Are you happy in your relationships with her?"
"...No."
"Have you tried breaking up with her?"
"Yes."
"Did she threaten to harm herself when you did?
"...Yes."
"Did you know that threatening to self harm is emotionally abusive?"
Wally glanced up from the floor.
"She's not abusing me," He said simply.
"She will not be allowed to visit you while you're here. Now, there's a bed available upstairs. You can get some sleep there before breakfast..." Alex continued speaking about the rules of the hospital.
Breakfast at seven-thirty. Lunch at noon. Dinner at six. Lights out at ten. Groups were held three times a day and staff would come and get him before each group. No smoking. No alcohol. Visiting hours were between four and eight-thirty.
After everything was explained, Wally found himself standing in front of a door with his name in the nameslot below the name Marcus. The name of his roommate, apparently. It was five in the morning and Wally was now just getting to sleep in a bed he didn't know with a roommate he'd never met. He'd have to get up in two hours for breakfast.
Wally peeked in the room and snuck in as quietly as he could towards the empty bed. He tried to get comfortable, but this bed was hard and the pillow was a little too fluffy. He never thought he's miss the Watchtower monitors; at least those were comfy even if he wasn't supposed to be sleeping there in the first place.
He let his thoughts wander to his friends. He had n doubt that Bats already knew exactly where he was. He was pretty sure no else knew, but he wondered how they would react. J'onn and Diana might not understand. Hawkgirl might, but how would she react? Would Supes and GL think less of him for it?
Wally must have drifted off at some point because the next thing he knew, he was being woken up for breakfast by a nurse. After getting up, he glanced at the empty bed on the other side of the room and noticed a third door in the room. A bathroom. It even came with its own shower! Wally noted that he no longer had his speed, probably because he hadn't eaten in a while. It wouldn't come back until he ate a significant amount of food that this hospital was unlikely to supply, so that was good. With that on his mind, Wally headed out for breakfast.
Author's Note: Wally's speed originally disappeared in some of his early comics and I thought it would be useful here.