Chapter 6: St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Disclaimer: read chapter 1
Ever since the incident, Kathy gained popularity and more patients, except she had to refer Zeus back to Doctor Whistler. Cassidy was so thankful for her life, she gave Kathy a gift card to Starbucks as a token of her appreciation.
Kathy used the card, but not just for her. She shared it with a friend, who wasn't Lacey Donaldson.
Jonathan and Kathryn became close friends. The automatic doctor didn't admit it, but his silence showed that he tolerated her presence. They remained professional about their work, no arguments. Dr. Arkham was so impressed about their progress, he decided to let Jonathan continue supervising Kathy, even when Dr. Whistler returned for work.
The holidays passed by - Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and Kathy's 24th birthday.
Much to her dismay, she had to work on her birthday, but afterward, she and Lacey celebrated at the bar, drinking margeritas till Kathy felt tipsy. The next day, her head was pounding wildly as she counted out 200 dollars sent by her family through mail. Enough for gas, but not for rent. Her check won't come through till the end of week.
Lacey invited Kathy to her family's place for Thanksgiving dinner. Kathy admitted that Mrs. Donaldson made the best mac and cheese and ham, way better than her own mother's cooking.
Kathy flew back to Florida to spend Christmas and New Year with her family. Although, there was an early Christmas party at Arkham's house. His wife was the best at cooking beef tenderloin. Unforunately, Jonathan wasn't around at the party. He did warn her that he wasn't going to attend for he was too busy with other work. It seemed like holidays were not his specialty. Though, it didn't mean Kathy needed permission to drop off his gift by his office door. The Stephan King book series with a note, daring him to read it if he wasn't afraid. Jonathan's voice lacked emotion when he said the two most polite words, but at least he said it.
It was Valentine's Day. Kathy didn't care much for the holiday because she didn't have a boyfriend. She knew her best friend's plans for the special occasion - find a man at a club, get drunk, then have a one night stand at his place.
This morning, Kathy entered her office, taken back by a set of heart-shaped balloons tied to her chair, a bouquet of white roses and a box of chocolates on her desk. This was every girlfriend's dream come true.
Young walked by with a folder in hand, only to take a couple steps back to see the balloons and flowers inside Kathy's office
"Well. Well," she teased, walking inside.
Kathy giggled, knowing fully well who it was without looking up. Her gaze locked on the bottom of the chocolate box to see what kind it was inside.
"It seems like our favorite Doctor Knightly got herself a secret admirer," Young cooed, approaching the desk.
"Stop," Kathy giggled.
"Who is it from?"
"I don't know. I don't see a card."
Young perked at the sight of a piece of paper poking outside the flowers. "Oh, here's the card." Kathy gazed up at Young, determined to find out who was her new admirer.
Young read -
"Somewhere there is someone who dreams of your smile,
And finds in your presence that life is worthwhile."
Kathy smiled, loving the note already. Who would give her the flowers and chocolates? Who wanted to be her valentine?
"So when you are lonely, remember it's true.
Somewhere a STALKER is thinking of you."
Kathy's face fell at the last part. "Stalker?!"
"Well, that's a little creepy," Young spoke with unease, dangled the card between her thumb and index finger as if it contained a deadly germ.
"Who is it from?"
Young flipped the card over. "It only has one letter. J."
Kathy furrowed her brows. One name came to mind that started with the letter J.
Jonathan.
She didn't expect him to go bold and beyond with the flowers and chocolates, but the card wasn't too much a suprise. His passion was fear, and the card was designed to rile her up. It worked. He got her spooked.
"Do you know who it is?" Young asked, caught off guard by the girl's giggle.
Kathy shook her head. "It is fine, Young. I got an idea who." She sat down and opened the box of chocolates. They looked delicious, chewy, and chocolatey. She picked one with white chocolate laced around it. She plucked it in between her lips and ate it.
"It's good?" Young asked.
Kathy nodded, gave her co-worker the thumbs up.
"Want one?" she asked while chewing.
Young shook her head. "No thanks. I am on a diet."
Kathy scoffed. "You say that, but then you would eat Doritos when no one is looking."
"It's a work in progress, smart ass!" Young said defensively, while smiling.
"Uh-huh. So do you have a patient coming up?"
Young sighed dramatically, gazing at the folder in her hand. "Yes. The Riddle guy."
"That bad?"
"Let me put it this way. Being in his company is both irritating and exhausting. I might consider handing his case off to someone else."
Kathy perked at her words. Arkham did say that if any patient was available, she'll be the first one to take the case. There was still hope that Arkham might keep his word.
She looked over at her picture frame that was resting on her desk, only to see something missing. The picture of her family at the beach.
~000~000~000~
Kathryn was anxious to show Jonathan her gift for him that she bought at Walmart. Will he like it or hate it?
As she turned in the hallway to Crane's office, she stopped at sudden yelling and screaming. She knew where they were coming from. Inside Crane's office. Despite her instincts to run away, she carefully aproached the door, standing by his secretary who was typing her computer intently.
Kathy didn't have to press her ear against the door to know that Crane was inside yelling at a woman. Who was the woman? One of the doctors?
"I wouldn't go in there," Emma Thomas whispered.
"What's going on?" Kathy asked in a hushed whisper.
Emma sighed sadly. "Miss Dawes decided to pay Doctor Crane a visit, today of all days."
Kathy's frown deepened, squeezing her gift behind her back. "Miss Dawes?"
"Rachel Dawes, assistant district attorney for Carl Finch."
Kathy stared at the door, picturing the woman in her head. Was she pretty? What was her relation with Doctor Crane? Worst of all, why did Kathy care?
Before she could think of an answer, the door slammed open with a bang. Kathy swiftly stepped back, avoiding a collision with the enraged woman exiting the office.
"I will be sure to get a different perceptive of Garfield Lynns's psychiatric evaluation!" The woman yelled. "I'll have a warrant by the end of the day."
"By all means, Miss Dawes," Crane's voice echoed inside. It was strong, powerful, but showed no care or fear. "Attempt to get that warrant. I doubt that Judge Faden will approve for he already carried out his word. And would you please keep your voice down? Last time, doctors called and complained about a screaming banshee lurking in the Arkham walls."
Miss Dawes let out a screech, before she noticed the two women present - the secretary and petite doctor. Kathy took one look at Miss Dawes and saw that she wasn't unattractive. They even looked a bit similar - dark hair, olive skin, dressed to impress. Miss Dawes seemed to be the woman no one wants to mess with. Then again, no one should mess with Doctor Crane either.
Miss Dawes pointed a finger at blinking Kathy taken back by her attack for she didn't do a single thing. The lady might've noticed the gift behind Kathy's back and assumed to be the girlfriend. A crazy, love sick girlfriend.
"Watch out your back, Doctor. Watch your back."
"That will do, Miss Dawes." Jonathan stood by the door, threatening to slam the door in the women's faces. His eyes were cold and predatory like, ready to pounce at his prey. He was ready, until his eyes set on Kathy.
"Doctor Knightly," Jonathan greeted her.
"I'm sorry, is this a bad time-"
"No!" Miss Dawes snapped. "By all means, come to the doctor's rescue! I was just leaving." The woman stomped off, slamming hallway door shut, earning a jump from both Kathy and Emma.
"If this is a bad time," Kathy began with unease, "I can come back later."
"As Miss Dawes put it lightly, not at all." Jonathan ushered her inside, which she did with caution. The room was colder than last, even though Kathy was slightly sweating. She slowly settled herself on Crane's desk, hiding her gift from Crane as he shut the door with gentle care. The rage defused with the woman gone, but the tension was still there. Kathy believed to be a mistake coming here. She should've turned away.
"In case you are wondering, Kathryn, that was Rachel Dawes. A nosey assistant to Carl Finch, the district attorney of Gotham."
"She seemed... nice," Kathy spat sarcastically.
Jonathan scoffed, resting his body back on his chair, rubbing his temples. "Yes. She is light to everyone's sunshine."
He noticed where she was sitting. He cleared his throat, regaining the woman's attention.
"Huh? What?"
"Do you mind, Kathryn?" He motioned the woman to get off his desk so she was standing before him. A slave serving her master. He noticed her arm crept behind her back, gazing back at her with a raised brow.
"What do you have?"
Kathy furrowed, not knowing what he meant, until she followed his gaze, his surprise behind her back. "Oh. Well, today is Valentine's Day, and I want to give you something special."
His lips pursed, intrigued as to what she meant. The dark half of him thought about her giving them a strip tease or let them have their way with her on the desk or the couch. He knew that Kathy was never that type a girl. She would never do something that crazy. Then again, she approached a loose lunatic unarmed. If that wasn't crazy, then Jonathan would lose his perception to the definition.
Kathy revealed her surprise. The box of chocolates from her office and a teddy bear dressed as Ghostface. It was holding a small knife with one hand, a heart-shaped card taped to the other -
Let me take a stab at being your Valentine.
She handed him the bear, offering him a hopeful smile. "I went to the store during break, and when I saw it - I thought of you."
'Thought of us? The bear isn't wearing our mask!'
Jonathan ignored his dark half, setting the bear down next to the chocolates, running his thumb over the tiny, plastic knife.
Kathy's heart skipped a beat when she spotted a curl in the corner of his lips. He was smiling. Not as much as she liked, but the spark was there.
"How thoughtful." He withdrew his hand from the knife, resting his back against the chair.
"I want to thank you," Kathy added. "For the gifts in my office."
Jonathan glared at her, a brief clench to his jaw.
"Gifts?" he asked.
"Yeah. The flowers. The balloons. The chocolates." She gestured the box on his desk. "I don't mind sharing with you." She stuffed a hand in her white coat pocket, laughing at the card in hand. "Though I must say the card spooked me a little." She handed it to Jonathan for him to read. "You got me."
His eyes narrowed in concentration, taking in each word. The room turned cold when he read the last part. He flipped the card over to see the letter J on the back. His grip tightened that could've easily wrinkled the card out of shape.
Kathy noticed, couldn't help but worry. "Uh... You okay?"
Finally, his eyes trained back at Kathy, offering her a reassuring smirk that sent shivers down her spine. "Never better."
"I was thinking, Jonathan. Maybe after work, we can go to Starbucks."
Jonathan raised himself from his seat.
"And split the chocolate, you know, together."
He placed a hand on the small of her back, escorting towards the door.
She was caught off guard by the action. "Jonathan, what are you-"
"My apologies, Kathryn, but I have a lot of work to do."
"Oh, okay. But about my offer-"
"Yes, we will go. We will have coffee, share chocolates - whatever you want." He opened the door about to kick her out.
"Are you okay, Jonathan?" Kathy asked, whipping her head towards him with a concern look in her eye. Worry about him wasn't what Jonathan was used to, but it was refreshing.
"I'm fine. I apologize for the rudeness, but I must get back to work."
"Okay," Kathy stepped outside. "But Jonathan, I have to ask."
"What?" Jonathan asked, suppressing the hiss that threatened to escape from him. What part of he was busy didn't she understand?
"When you were in my office, did you happen to see the picture of my family?"
Jonathan stopped himself, furrowed his brows in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"It's missing. The picture of me, my sister, and Dad at the beach. Have you seen it?"
Jonathan scoffed. "If you are accusing me of taking it-"
"I'm not," Kathy assured her. "I just find it very weird. It was there last night, and now it's gone. I didn't know if you have-"
"No, I have not. But rest assure, if I see it you will be the first to know."
Before Kathy could say another word, the door was slammed to her face. She stood there, dumbfounded.
"Jerk," she grumbled, turning her back from the door.
"Don't worry," Emma whispered to her quietly at her desk, while typing, refusing to meet her gaze. "Women suffered more rejection than just have a door slam to their face."
Kathy narrowed her eyes at Emma. "Girls asked Jonathan out?"
"In person, phone calls, emails - rejection by phone and texts is just as worse as in person."
"How worse?"
Emma cleared her throat, shaking the scenarios from her head. "Let's just say that they don't come back in Arkham."
Fear dreaded Kathy's insides. They don't come back? What did she mean? Surely, Jonathan would never... Kathy refused to think about it. He was opening up to her. He would never hurt her... physically. He tolerated her company. The rumors about him were false. She refused to believe that Jonathan would do horrible things. Maybe love was blinding her judgment, but was she in love? She had been thinking about him, quite a lot. The gifts in her office escalated the thoughts.
They had been hanging out after work, growing close. Kathy admitted to herself that she did have a slight crush on him, but she would never tell Lacey or anybody that. Otherwise, Lacey would give her an I-told-you-so-speech and lectures from doctors about how wrong it was to have a personal relationship. Kathy knew that it would be wrong to date Jonathan. She and Jonathan were coworkers, and they had to keep things professional. So what if they hang out after work? They weren't doing anything wrong. They kept reminding themselves that they're friends and coworkers, and nothing more.
~000~000~000~
Jonathan exited the elevator with a briefcase in his hand. He followed the guards to the isolated door guarded by two more armed men.
"How is the patient?" he asked the dark skinned guard.
The man cleared his throat, shaking his head, suppressing the urge to massage his temples. "A pain in the ass that's how he is. He seemed eager about seeing you. Too eager for my liking. Last chance on supervision."
"I am not a child, Officer Cash. I handled his antics over a year, though I appreciate the concern."
Cash blinked, taken back by Jonathan's appreciation. The doctor never appreciated anything. Whatever happened in the last few months seemed to soften him up a bit, though Cash refused to object the politeness. He ordered the guards to let the doctor in.
One of the guards pulled out the ring of keys, opening each lock on the door. Five locks. They motioned the doctor inside, who bowed his head to the guards before he entered the room.
The room was bright and white, but untouched. The floors were dirty. The paint on the brick walls chipped. The only furniture in the room was a folded white table, the patient strapped to a chair on the other side.
Jonathan sat down across from him, setting his briefcase down. His eyes trained on the patient, showing no fear but determination.
"Hello, Doctor Crane-ah."
"John Doe," Jonathan grumbled, flicking the locks of the briefcase open.
The patient growled, turning his head side to side. "You know... You know fully well that I don't like to be called that."
"And you know fully well that I cannot refer to you by that other name of yours. For it is not really your name, is it?"
The patient froze his mid-shake, allowing half of his scarred smile to curl upwards. "We all called you by your other name. Do you like it?"
Jonathan's face stayed neutral, refusing to utter a word.
The patient's smile deepened. "Yes. Of course you do. You are a man that craves - uh - power after all." He licked his lips.
Jonathan rolled his eyes, pulling out his recorder, pressing the record button. The awkward silence between earned a raising brow from the patient.
"Aren't you gonna say it?"
"What, Mr. Doe?"
The patient sighed, imitating Jonathan's persona. "Doctor Jonathan Crane-ah overseeing patient #4479. It is Monday, February 14. Time check is..." He paused, gazing down at his invisible watch.
"5:07PM," Jonathan offered.
"Yes! Ha! 5:07pm."
Silence overcame both of them once again. The patient seemed taking back by the silence from the other side.
"Aren't you going to ask how I am doing? How did I - uh - sleep? How did I - uh - dream-ah?" The patient asked, licking his lips.
"I believe those questions to be irrelevant, Mr. Doe." Jonathan pulled out another item from his case. "For now I have new set of questions."
"Oh?" The patient raised a brow, intrigued. "New questions? Tell me, Doc? What sort of questions do you have for me?"
Jonathan answered him by tossing a box of chocolates across the table. The patient furrowed his brows confused.
"Could you tell me what this is?" Jonathan asked.
The patient tilted his head slightly, analyzing the box as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
"Uh... A box..." He sniffed it like a bloodhound, before he exhaled with satisfaction. "Ah... Chocolate-ah. The gift to make a man's taste buds magical." He quickly gazed back at the doctor, leaned his body back with unease. "Are you trying to - uh - tell me something, Doc? You are a handsome in a Ichabod nerd kind of way, but I never go down that road..." He wiggled his brows suggestively. "But I am always a man that like to try something new-ah!" He licked his lips.
"Flattered. But the question I have in mind is... why was the box in Doctor Knightly's office?"
The patient analyzed the box, before looking up at Jonathan.
"I am pretty sure it was a gift for Valentine's Day. She is a pretty girl. Her office should be showered with gifts. Flowers. Rainbows. Balloons. Chocolates. You know what they say. The way to go inside a woman's heart is through the stomach. Personally, going through the chest with a knife goes a whole lot quicker." Patient furrowed his brows in confusion. "Why do you have it? You can't just steal woman's chocolates. It's just not done."
Jonathan breathed out, trying not to seem irritated than he already was. "I am not here to play your games. We both know that you are Doctor Knightly's admirer."
"Moi?" Patient gestured himself, looking offended. "What makes you think it was me? I was right here." He wiggled arms against the cuffs that jingled against the chair.
"I suppose it was the card that gave it away." Jonathan pulled it the card from his pocket, reading it out loud.
"Somewhere there is someone who dreams of your smile,
And finds in your presence that life is worthwhile."
Patient tilted his head side-to-side, giggling after Jonathan said the word 'smile'.
"So when you are lonely, remember it's true."
Eventually the patient read a long with Jonathan without looking at the card as if he heard it before.
"Somewhere a STALKER is thinking of you."
"Signed by J," Jonathan finished, tossing the card back into the briefcase. "I recognized the chicken scratch writing."
"Listen, Crane," the patient began. "We can agree that Kit-Kat is a pretty girl."
"Doctor Knightly," he corrected him in a hiss.
"Doctor Knightly," the patient continued, saying the name by using his Jonathan Crane impression. "Is a pretty girl. She is new. She is a - uh - what you call - a caterpillar. She is in a cocoon, ready to bloom her wings, and they will be lovely nonetheless."
"Why the extravagant gifts?"
"I admit the woman has expensive taste. I can see that clowns aren't her type for she ignored the little notes I gave her."
Jonathan narrowed his eyes. "Notes?"
"Did I say notes?" Patient widened his eyes, closing his jaw shut. "Whoops! That was supposed to be our secret."
Questions were running through Jonathan's head. How? When? Why? The how the was the easy part. No doubt the clown found a way to the office or paid someone else to break in. When? That was a mystery challenge. It corresponded with the why. When was Kathy receiving the notes, and why did she not tell him about it?
"Listen to me, clown," Jonathan leaned forward with a hiss. His predatory eyes stared down at the patient, whose dark eyes returned the intimidation, though his scarred face mocked innocence.
"Whatever you think is going to happen with Doctor Knightly, it will be cut short. You are not going to see her again."
The patient tilted his head as if something in his mind clicked.
"You can't keep breaking inside doctors' offices, let alone mine. We are trying to help you, you know."
"No. No. No. I don't need-ah any help," The patient licked his lip. "In fact, it is you who need help, isn't that right... Scarecrow-ah?"
Jonathan's lips twitched at mention of the name. He had an inner struggle with his dark half that craved some control.
"Why do you - uh - care about one little doctor's safety?" The patient gasped dramatically. "Could it be possible that the stern, scary Doctor Jonathan Crane - the Master of Fear could possibly be having..." he choked at the next word, "feelings?" He gasped again. "Oh my god-ah - breakthrough!"
Jonathan ignored the patient's questions and giggles. "You stole a picture of Doctor Knightly's family?"
"Hm?"
"I want it back."
"Yeah." The patient giggled. "I - uh - would, Johnny, but as you can see..." He wigged his restraints against the chair. "I am tied up at the moment."
Jonathan leaned forward. "We both know that is bullshit."
The patient's eyebrows raised as if he was a child that was learning a bad word from a parent for the first time.
"We all know what you are capable of. Now I am not going to ask you again. The picture. Now."
The patient pouted like a four-year-old child, hating to be scolded by this so-called parent. Then his lips curled into a wide smile.
"You wanna see a magic trick?" Patient leaned back against his chair with a dramatic huff. "Fine."
Swiftly he moved his arms up and down, breaking the restraints of his cuffs. "Tada!" He waved his free hands, twinkling his fingers. "And now... for the picture."
He reached his hand into his jumpsuit for the picture, until he quickly withdrew his hand to throw something at Crane. A pen with the lead open. It flew across the table only to have it stuck on Crane's open briefcase that Crane moved as a shield.
The patient's eyebrows raised, staring at the pen that was supposed to stick Crane's throat.
Crane knew better. He knew it would take more than demands to retrieve the photo. He knew that the patient might try something shady. How the patient managed to steal a pen? Same way he broke inside Kathy's office.
"Would you like me to alert security and have them get the picture by force?" Crane asked. "If you want to avoid another workout, clown, I suggest you play nice."
Patient cleared his throat. "Well as much as I like to - uh - put on a show and drop my pants..." He reached inside his jumpsuit again. "I prefer playing - uh - cupid-ah."
Crane didn't falter at his words. He knew what the clown was referring to. He suppressed the urge to deny it for it would only lead the obvious.
"All the things we do for love."
Finally, the clown took out the picture, gazing at it with his head tilted in awe.
"It is a shame really. Kitty-Kat is a looker. Any man would be lucky to get inside her flower."
Jonathan snatched the picture from the patient, standing up his seat, packing his things back in the brief case.
"But you, Crane." The patient giggled. "You are a - uh - lucky man." Henodded, pursing his lips. "She - uh - fancies you. I can tell. I am not a man to step into someone else's territory... unless it's ne-cess-ary." He growled at the last word, licking his lips.
Jonathan closed the briefcase, checking his watch for the time.
The patient's eyes gazed at the box of chocolates, opening it up to see that five pieces of chocolates were missing. "She ate it." He giggled. "She - uh - ate the chocolate."
"Your point?" Crane asked.
The patient giggled more like a hyena. "Oh, would she be in for another surprise."
Crane's frown deepened. "What are you talking about?"
"Why nothing, Doc!" Patient snickered like a mischievous child. "But let's just say that she won't be coming back to work any time soon." Patient thought he was seeing things for he avoided his medication, but he could've sworn he saw his doctor's eyes widened a bit. His eyes trained back to the recorder that Crane left behind on the table.
"Say Johnny-boy, I think you - uh - forgot something."
"Not really."
The patient raised his head to meet Crane's, only to meet his burlap mask and a puff of gas instead.
Crane watched through hooded eyes as the patient fell back off his chair, who stared at the ceiling like he was watching a movie. Suddenly, the clown snickered, then let out a laugh, then cackled hysterically.
Crane was not surprised to see this, but clenched in frustration. One day that clown will be screaming for his life, not laughing. However, many people have many different defense mechanisms. Maybe the clown was scared, but decided to cover it up with laughter.
It would be a miracle if the Scarecrow figured out what Patient #4479 was afraid of.
"Subject is still refusing to fall into the process of fear," Scarecrow spoke in a demonic voice. "But he will. Someday."
He ended the recording and exited the room, leaving the security to deal with the laughing clown.
~000~000~000~
He returned upstairs to Doctor Knightly's office, regaining back control of himself, only to find the office empty. No Kathy. The folders were out along with the flowers and balloons. His stomach turned at the thought of what the patient said.
"Let's just say that she won't be coming back to work any time soon..."
He turned his head, when he noticed somebody's presence. Doctor Leland.
"Excuse me, Doctor Leland?"
The dark skinned woman flipped her head, swaying her short bobby hairstyle.
"Yes?" she asekd.
"Do you by any chance know if Doctor Knightly is on break or in a session?"
"Neither, Sir. She went home."
His frown deepened. "Why?"
"Arkham sent her home. She wasn't feeling well..." Before she could explain further, Jonathan already disappeared down the set of halls. She rolled her eyes, returning the attention back to her clipboard.
"Jackass."
~000~000~000~
Kathy couldn't leave the trash can alone. After her lunch break, she started to feel a little queasy. Her stomach was cramping up to the point she believed to be her time of the month. During her session with Julian Greggory Day, she felt nauseated, leaving her no choice but to throw up in the interview room.
The calendar obsessed man was grossed out, grumbling how Valentine's day can be a nuisance for singles.
She couldn't stop throwing up. The security team had to call in the janitor. The janitor called Arkham. The boss came into the room, insisting that Kathy should go home. As much as she wanted to argue, she couldn't. The vomit kept escaping her insides every two minutes. The exit from Arkham and the drive home was humiliating. When she reached a traffic light, drivers by her car couldn't help but stare.
She didn't bother to shut the door behind her. She rushed to the bathroom, finally abandoning the filled trash can.
As she was throwing up, strands of hair was dangling in her face. Chunks of vomit got caught in the locks. She definitely needed a shower, not because of her hair but by the weight of her panties.
She didn't hear anybody coming in, probably to rob the place. She didn't notice footsteps coming close to the bathroom. She noticed somebody pulling her hair out of the way.
"W-Wha..." She didn't finish as she was coughing out more puke.
"Someone's got the nasty case of food poisoning."
Kathy's eyes widened, recognizing the voice instantly. Hairs were rising up and down her arms and legs. The man she admitted to having a small crush on was standing by as she puked and shitted on herself.
"Jona... Jon - don't. Don't..." she coughed, resting her head against her hand. She wanted to tell him to leave that he shouldn't see her like this. She was a mess - a hot mess.
No doubt Valentine's Day 2005 was the worst Valentine's Day of her life.
~000~000~000~
Kathy opened her eyes to see that the moon was out. She attempted to sit up, but quickly rested her head back on the pillow. A thumping sensation radiated her skull, feeling hot and dizzy.
She groaned, feeling her stomach churned in somersaults, suppressing the urge to poop on her satin grey sheets. She snuggled herself against the wrapped blankets, turning away from the window, refusing to believe that she woke up in the middle of the night. Now it was going to take a while for her to go back to sleep.
Footsteps emerged in the bedroom. Her eyes perked at the doorway to see the lean, tall and handsome man by the door with a tray in his hand. He didn't notice her awake at first. He was too busy, setting the tray down by her nightstand.
She debated whether to wake up and notify her presence, but kept still. She wanted to know what he would do in her sleep. Her eyes closed, when his body turned back to her. Her heart was beating fast against her chest with anticipation. She was surprised that she didn't get caught, right away. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes felt like hours. What was he doing? How long did it take to set a tray down and leave? Was he staring at her? That's creepy.
She nearly jolted as his icy-cold fingers grazed across her sweaty forehead. She leaned into his touch, wanting to feel more. It slowly lowered down to her cheek, caressing it with his thumb in circles. This wasn't the Crane that she knew. Then again, there were a lot of things that she didn't think about Crane doing, like telling a joke while laughing. His thumb left her cheek, replacing it with his index and third finger. Both fingers lowered down to her neck, feeling for a pulse that beated wildly.
He exhaled, removing his fingers from her neck that wanted more of his cold touch.
"Rise, Kathryn," he commanded in a calm collected manner.
Kathy didn't move at first, thinking that the fear of getting caught overtook her imagination.
"I know you are awake, Kathryn. Get up, please."
She winced, knowing that her pulse gave herself away. She had been caught. A part of her wished that he believed her slumber so he could continue touching her face or even give her a kiss on the cheek. Why was she thinking like this? She didn't know.
Her body eventually turned to the other side, wrapping the blanket around her. Her gaze opened, seeing the moonlight shine half of Jonathan's face. His beautiful, sharp face.
"I don't want to get up," Kathy grumbled.
"You must when you drink this," Jonathan reached his arm out towards the nightstand, offering her a large glass of water that fizzed out a pill of some sorts. "Drink."
Kathy didn't move, staring at the glass. She wondered what he put it in the water. Poison? Drugs to make her shake?
"You are dehydrated. Drink it, please."
"W-What... What's in it?"
"Pepto. To help relieve your symptoms."
After a few moments of debating, Kathy eventually stuck her arm out from the blanket, slowly raised her body up to take the drink. She choked it down like her life depended on it.
He chuckled at the sight of her. He had never seen anyone drinking as fast as she. He took the glass from her; automatically, her body tumbled back on the bed with a groan.
Her head turned to the side to see that her old clothes disappeared by the door. She didn't have the time or urge to throw them away or in the washer.
"My clothes-"
"I took them to the dry cleaners. Took a lot of bribery for them to clean them."
She turned to him with furrowed brows. Jonathan took her clothes, even though it was covered in vomit and shit.
"You didn't have to do that-"
"Yes, I did. They smell."
Her cheeks heated up with embarrassment.
"But... I have a washer-"
"I am not a janitor, Kathryn. I refuse to touch your vomit."
Kathy let out a laugh. "You scared to touch vomit, Jonathan?"
"Kathryn, there is a difference between fear and disgust."
"Oh..." Kathy closed her eyes, hoping that when she wakes up it would all be just a bad dream. What happened in the bathroom and how Jonathan had taken her clothes to the dry cleaners was embarrassing. She would never live it down. God might as well take mercy and strike her with lightning.
"I hate stomach flu," Kathy grumbled.
"Rest assure, Kathryn, you don't have the stomach flu. You have food poisoning."
Kathy narrowed her eyes. "Food poisoning?"
"The chocolates. Apparently they expired back last year's Valentine's Day."
Her stomach clenched at the mention of the candy. They expired? Jonathan gave her expired candy?
"W-Why?"
"I lied before," Jonathan explained. "I wasn't your secret admirer."
Her frown deepened as Jonathan pulled out the missing picture from his pocket, before he set it back down on the nightstand.
"You... my picture... where... how-"
"John Doe sent you the gifts."
The room grew cold. Kathy snuggled back into her blanket and comforter, not by the temperature but the fear.
"J-John?" Kathy gasped, feeling her heart raced when she uttered his persona. "T-The clown did this to me?"
"For revenge," Jonathan stated. "Tell me, Kathryn. When were going to tell me about the notes?"
Kathy widened her eyes, knowing what he meant. The notes that she received every Saturday. It started off as anonymous admiration. Then it became creepy, obsessive, and demanding. Up to the point she figured out who was sending them.
"When were going to tell me?" Jonathan repeated.
"I don't..." Kathy exhaled shakily. "I thought he would take care of it."
"Who?"
"Arkham. I told him about it... he said he would take care of it."
"I'm sure John Doe got the message from Arkham, crystal clear," Jonathan spat sarcastically with a hint of anger to his tone. The tone that Kathy knew and hated so much.
"Why didn't you tell me? John Doe is my patient. Don't you think I have the right to know if he has been harassing you?"
"I don't know!" Kathy pleaded. "I don't know! I'm sorry. I was just scared. I didn't know what to do. I thought Arkham could help. I'm sorry."
Jonathan's face softened at the sight of her. Shaken, confused, sorrow, and most of all scared. A deadly combination that made the dark side of Jonathan go hungry. Jonathan could hear the whispers in his head to take what he wanted, right there. He could almost imagine it now. Pulling the blankets off her, pinning her body down to the bed, while listening to her pleas and screams. He would be lying if he said that wasn't an intoxicating sight to witness.
But his frozen heart skipped a beat at the horrifying dream. It would be malicious, cruel. It forced him to back away, getting up on his two feet.
He cleared his throat.
"I..." He adjusted his glasses, having an internal debate with himself.
Kathy's eyebrows furrowed. "Um... are you okay?"
Jonathan's gaze met hers. "I'm fine. You are not. I should leave you to rest."
"Are you mad at me?" Kathy asked.
He leaned forward, only making her lean back. What was he doing? What was he about to do? He froze, quickly straightened his posture, adjusting his tie, clearing his throat.
"Jonathan?"
"No," Jonathan shook his head. "I am not. You suffered enough that shouldn't have been earned."
"I have suffered worse," Kathy grumbled, earning a questionable glare from Jonathan. What did she mean by that? Was Joker not her biggest fear? Anybody from the Arkham claimed that theory. He couldn't ask her for he could tell that she was about to pass out at any moment.
"Just get some rest, Kathryn. I will check up on you in the morning."
"You're coming back? Why?"
Jonathan didn't answer as he departed her room. Her body stiffened when she heard the door slam shut. He was gone.
There was a lot of Kathy to take in. One: that it was only 9:01PM, not past midnight. Two: she was definitely going to stay in bed and lay off the food for a while. Three: Jonathan actually took her clothes away to have it cleaned, then returned to give her water, medication, and crackers for food. Four: was it just her or was he about to kiss her? Even though her breath smelled like vomit?
He cared. No man would go through the trouble of confronting a psychopathic clown, getting her picture back, tracking her down to her apartment (not sure how he knew where she lived), pulling her hair back as she was vomiting in the toilet. Most men would run away from puke. She would run away. Yet, he didn't. He might not be scared of anything, but he was not as hard core as what people believed. There might be a soft side of him that didn't exist, something that Kathy was more than happy to explore.
He was different. He wasn't a jock like Kathy have school crushes on. He didn't seem the type to be popular, a nerd outcast.
She knew from that moment she was in love with Jonathan Crane. Deep down, he cared for her the same way.