My eyes hurt as I sat at my desk later than normal the next day. I usually got out a little before the rest, trying to get out before the rush and being ahead on my work. They apparently caught that and gave me more than normal.

I sigh as I glance at the clock. I would have to bring this to my second job with me. I sigh as I gather my laptop and load my briefcase quickly. I would have to run to catch the bus. I jogged for the elevator, trying to struggle the folder into my briefcase. I caught sight of the doors to the lift, open, but closing.

"Hold that elevator!" I call to the man in the lift while running full out now.

His hand shot out and pushed the doors lightly, they went back fast, waiting still. I stumbled into the lift, half panting from running from the other side of the building. My briefcase drops fast as I yank my blouse off, ignoring the man. My white fitted top was underneath. He looks down at me with a lifted brow as I struggle to get the white smock on before pulling on my jacket. I glance at him while grabbing my briefcase.

"Thanks," I say flashing one of my smiles, this one almost real.

The man was tall and obviously a looker. He had an expensive suit and screamed wealth. He was smiling as I pushed my blouse into my already crowded briefcase.

"In a hurry?"

I flash another smile while yanking my hair into a fast bun.

"Yeah. Boss found out I get done with work before my time and gave me more. So now I'm going to miss my bus and be late to my other job," I say quickly.

He looks a little confused at this. He looks over my clothes quickly taking them in. They didn't look cheep. They were meant to not look cheep. He wouldn't know that though.

"You have a second job? Are they not paying you enough?"

I let out a puff of air. "No. Their paying me pretty well. I just moved to town and I'm just living in a new house, higher bill than my last and other frivilous things. I doubt it's interesting."

The lift doors opened. I bolted out of them and ran for the bus that was pulling up.

"Hold the bus!!" I yell, waving my hand and rushing for the mother holding the bus, today I was getting lucky.

'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'

I was wrong. It started to rain on my way up through the gates and to the main building. I was half soaked as I got to the main building, ten minutes late. Alex was waiting for me. He frowned as I came in.

"You're late, Liz."

"Sorry, my other job held me up, and the bus had a change of route," I say while putting my things under the desk we would be at when not doing rounds.

"I clocked you in on time," he whispers as we go down the hall to our area.

I flash a smile at him and thank him while the guard opens the door for us to the R ward. Alex smiled once again as the officer on the other side of the door escorted me to the first room. It wasn't Dan this time. I glance at the name tag while pulling on my gloves and grabbing a tray. Olens.

"Good evening, Mr. Crane," I say in my usual tone, not overly happy. I had guessed that he didn't like the overly happy tone.

The brunette glanced up at me. Alex was in one of the lesser risk wards. I would be working this section alone today. The guard stayed at my door, relaxed and calm.

I set the tray down before him. "Today's meatloaf," I say while standing. He glances at my wet cloaths and hair as I turn and leave the room.

"The meatloaf is the worse," he says while I leave.

I glance back at him. "I guessed," I say while pausing in the door way. "I'll see if I can get something sweet from the snack machine later for you. The head won't mind if I remove the wrapper first and don't make it a daily habit."

The door closed as I went back to work. I saved the Joker for last. I slipped the small brownie from the plastic wrap as the guard watches me at the cart.

"What are you doing?" he asks, curious.

"Want half?" I ask while holding the browny out. "I didn't get dinner."

He chuckles as I bite into the brownie and hold it part way in my mouth, tray in my hands. He opens the door to the last room for me, steping in I focused on keeping the brownie where it was. The man was looking up at me as the guard stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. The locks clicked into place as I set the tray down.

"I, uh, never got your name," the man they called Joker says while looking me over.

His eyes stopped on my feet, my nice black high heels werer there. I hadn't had a chance to change shoes, I was waiting until done with this. His brow lifts as he looks up to see me trying to hurry up and eat my brownie. I flash a look that questioned what was wrong as I swallowed the brownie fast.

"You have, uh,...strange taste in shoes for an orderly."

All eyes went to my shoes. I hold my foot out a bit, looking at the shoe too.

"Didn't have time to change them. Shoes are shoes though." I shift gears while pulling my gloves off and stuffing them in my pocket. "Alright, so you get one arm to eat with us watching. Any odd moves and Olens stuns you."

I step forward as the man smiles widely. He leans forward quickly, into me. I stiffen for a moment, I had planned on going behind him and losening the strap.

"Back up, Joker," Olens warns.

I hold up my hand. "It's fine, Olens." I slowly reach around the man and loosen the strap to one arm. His left hand comes out fast as I pull away quickly. I hated touch like that. The man smirked at me as I put my back to the wall across from him.

He starts to eat, none the less, while his eyes rested on me. I sat down and stretched my legs out.

"Liz," I say suddenly, breaking the silence. "My name's Elizabeth."

"You're wet, Elizabeth," he says sounding out my name to enlongate it.

"It's raining."

He looks me in the eyes in a way that was almost disconcerting. I didn't look away though, both of our dark brown eyes locked. He wasn't a foul looking man. The greenish hair threw one for a loop but his features said he was once a man women would love to have been with.

"You were late."

I lift a brow. "Life happens."

I sigh as I look down and think over my work sitting at my station. My fingers twitched ever so slightly as I counted and calculated things.

"Is something wrong, Miss Gates?" Olens asks while flicking his eyes away from the Joker for only a moment.

I jump ever so slightly as I come out of my thoughts. I shake my head while looking up at him. Staring for a moment, trying to remember what he had asked.

"No. Fine. Just thinking, Olens," I say while standing up. My fingers moved again, giving away that I was counting, very fast at that.

"Miss Gates."

I frown softly as I look up at Olens. "What, Olens?" I almost snap at him.

"Are you sure you're fine?"
"I'm quite fine, Olens. I'm trying to calculate something."

He frowns at me. "What would you need to calculate?" he almost sneered.

"I'm an accountant, Olens," I snap, almost hissing. "I calculate for a living."

He shuts up at the dark tent to my normally blank voice. He looks slightly ashamed, he won't look at me now. Maybe I'm not so normal. I sigh again and rub my temple. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

"He's done."

I glance over my shoulder to look at the man. He was done. I didn't feel as broken when around him. I pause as a memory of father flashes in my mind.

"You don't smile enough, Aliza," he says while cupping her half bruised face with a busted lip.

"Why smile when I don't mean it?"

He back handed her. The girl looked back at her father. A cold hate danced in those eyes that had onced looked at him with adoration. He frowned as he took in the look and how pretty she looked still. Her head whipped to the side again as his hand struck again.

"Don't look at me like that," he growls darkly. "You make me think of my mother."

"Then your mother hated you as much as me."

Her brown eyes danced with malice as he struck her again. Her head didn't whip this time, her will kept it looking dead at him, hardly flinching.

"When you die, I shall laugh and smile once more," she sneers darkly.

A soft giggle came from my lips as I shook my head softly. I had too. Olens glanced at me as I crossed the room and pushed the tray away with my foot.

"What's so funny?" Olens asks, fully curious, like I had left him out of the greatest joke on Earth.

"Nothing, Olens. Just something I was thinking of," I mutter while the man before me went willingly back to the previous way I found him, strapped up.

"It didn't sound like nothing."

"It was just a thought, Olens."

"Ye-ah, Olenssss," the man half laughs. "It was only a, uh, thought."

I gather the tray and Olens opens the door quickly. I glance back at the man as he laughs harder.

"See you later, Lizzy," he says with a smirk through the laugh as the door shuts.