I kept up by writing notes on my notepad. The Joker did nothing but stare at the man next to me. Dr Arkham.
Since it had been several sessions, it was mandatory when it came to extreme patients, for the head doctor, in this case Dr Arkham, to have an inspection session with the doctor. Then he would see whether me treating him was a waste, and if it wasn't I'd be able to continue my sessions in peace. If not, well then what happened would be out of my control.
We were back at the metal tables and clod metal chairs, opposed to the spread out therapy couches.
Snow was falling heavier this week; it was closer to Christmas. And yet again it was freezing. Outside was completely white, and hardly any of the patients dared to go outside to the exercise yard whilst it was so icy and snowy. Mr Joker just stayed in his cell and talked to himself.
Today he'd slicked back his hair, and the equivalent to making yourself look your best for someone, and that somebody was Dr Arkham. Red, lipstick? Was spread at the edge of his lips in a smile, and he tried extra hard to look tall. God, was it interesting. Like two male wild cats puffing themselves out to look bigger and look more impressive to the female.
I watched the aggressive eye contact between them both, and I could have smirked. Joker was looking Dr Arkham up and down, glaring and gesturing as if he was daring the other to make a move. Arkham was smiling, as if daring the other to try anything, because it would get him put in solitary.
"Why is he here?" Joker finally said, breaking the silence.
"I'm here to view over your session, to check everything's in order. Just pretend I'm not here." Arkham replied. The other man turned to him in disgust, and blared his grill.
"Did I ask you, shit face?" The patient spat back, staring back with no positive emotions or thoughts at all.
"Careful with what you say there, mouthy." Arkham laughed back. He was smug, as if he thought the other man couldn't touch him.
I sighed. "Stop it you two." Joker huffed like a small child, and crossed his arms, tucking his legs up to his face. They both had their faces tilted slightly away, yet still looked snidely over at each other.
Dr Arkham gestured an arm. "Just think of it as an ordinary session and go ahead."
I nodded, and looked down at my clipboard. There were specific questions I had to ask him, and they were on there, though I was nervous to start, because any one of them could set him off.
"Mr Joker, how would you describe your childhood?" I repeated to him.
He grinned. "Typical. Well quite welcoming, my mother was anyway, my father worked a lot and was hardly ever in. My mom cried a lot, drank too. Brother beat me when I was young, my sister humiliated me. The only happy memory I have, was when my dad took me to the circus when I was ten-"
"Stop playing with me, J." I sighed, crossing out the notes I had written down.
He put his hands up in defeat. "You got me," he said, then leaned across the desk trying to look at the clipboard. "Now what."
Arkham glared at the patient. "Sit down before I get the guards in here."
Joker glared back at him, like a teenager and slumped back into his chair.
I paused. "Mr Joker, what kind of imagery were you exposed to as a child? Violent? Sexual?"
He paused second. "Violent? Nothing wrong with a few cowboy movies to lift a boys spirit. Sexual? Gah I hope not!"
I tilted my head towards the floor. "Please stop joking around." I groaned.
He smirked. "You're telling the wrong guy, I'm the Joker. It's my gag."
"I'm boutta gag you and slap you stupid if you don't act serious for a moment." I snapped, to this he lifted an eyebrow.
He must have wanted to push me further, as he said: "Dr Quinzel, I have to say you're looking quite a babe today. Just had to get it out there."
My cheeks puffed up, as I had my mouth firmly shut, and I was trying to keep in the shit I could have yelled. Yet those same cheeks blushed red. "Shut up." I murmured, like a defeated child.
I was at the same time breathless, my heart pounding a million times an hour. I felt cute and sweet and pretty, in my oversized dusty pink sweater I'd only put on because I was cold. I knew I looked a mess but he made me feel like a pretty mess.
"As a child or teen were you pressured to do things such as drugs or drink?" I inquired.
"Not pressured really. I chose to smoke and drink when I was young, though I couldn't afford to keep buying smokes after I moved out of my parents house."
"And who got you these cigarettes and drinks?" I wrote down his words quickly, smiling that I was actually getting somewhere.
"My father had it lying around." He crossed his legs on the chair. I still couldn't believe that he was giving out little things about his past, like it was nothing. No other doctor had got this far, I was special.
I felt the colour drain from my face as I saw the next question. "Did you have the urge to take advance of someone in your childhood or adolescence, violently or sexually?" My voice shook at the last word.
I could tell he was uncomfortable too. "Never. I wasn't that kind of kid, man. I was a good kid." He said this in a flat, monotone voice.
"Have you ever had the urge to take advantage of someone, sexually?" I continued.
He froze. "No."
"Good, very good." I replied, quietly, as I read through the questions. Many of them were sexual, ones I was quite uncomfortable with, and I'm sure he was too.
"Dr Arkham, I'm not sure I can read these, they're all very sexual." I mumbled, showing dismay on my face.
He took the clipboard from me, and I saw the small roll of his eyes. He thought I was silly, a child who 'couldn't deal with sexual things'. Nah, actually I was just trying not to get killed. I smiled, successfully.
"Joker, were you yourself taken advantage of, violently or sexually?" Arkham spewed out, savouring the look in the patients face. Oh god I would be happy to see this rat get beat into a pulp.
The patient stared back, coldly. His eyes were fixed on him, like a predator with his prey. His knuckles were white, clenching onto the iron chains, and his brow was firmly furrowed.
"Were you a promiscuous person before the accident?" Arkham said further, smirking at him. He knew he was playing with the Joker's feelings, winding him up. "Were you a player?" He drew the last word out, like a mockery.
As the patient ground his teeth, Arkham laughed and put his thin, bony hand on my thigh. My brain fell into a panic, but I didn't dare move. "Oh what am I kidding, you couldn't get a pretty woman like Harleen here even if you tried."
I felt like I was going to faint, so I closed my eyes, and wished for everything to all go away. There was a yell as the Joker swiftly slipped off his chains and leaped onto the head doctor. The hand was lifted from my leg; I could breathe again. Once I opened my eyes, I turned my head to see the patient beating the other man's face into the floor, beating his nose in, and crippling his arm as he stood on it. I swallowed my fear as I rushed over, though my legs gave under me as soon as I stood up. I staggered back to my feet and pulled the patient off him. It was tough, and he had a tough grip on him, like an animal.
It was then that I pulled the Joker to his feet and realised just how large he was. He actually had quite strong arms, with muscles that stuck out, and had probably punched their fair share of people in their lives. He was at least six foot two, which I hadn't quite realised until I stood next to him now. I knew he was tall, but not that tall. I felt pint-sized next to him. His skin was also a pale shade of cream, unlike the pure white that I'd thought before.
Not even thinking about how much danger I was putting myself in at that moment, I looked up at the patient and smiled, before bending down to help Dr Arkham off of the floor. He was badly hurt, and though I hated him, he was the one that dished out my salary, and he needed help. I stood up with the injured man's arm around my shoulders. He was unconscious, probably from the shock of getting his face beaten in.
The Joker's face as I stood up was speechless, his jaw agape and eyes emotionless. He didn't know how to feel, but I was so calm. I stood less than a few feet from him. "Beating the cunt in won't solve anything, Mr Joker." I mumbled, before I left.
I motioned for the guards to go in, as they saw what had happened to Dr Arkham. They were going to beat J's ass in now, I suspected. Another guard took Arkham out of my hands as I struggled to carry him.
I walked along the corridor and thought. Why had Arkham acted so stupidly? He knew this man was a killer, and wouldn't hesitate to maim? The Joker had a short temper, and if it didn't sound cruel to say, Arkham seemed to have had it coming to him. No.
I exhaled deeply, pausing, and dropped my face into my hands in despair. Now that I thought more into what had happened, this was exactly what Arkham would have wanted to happen. If something went wrong in the session then he could decide what he wanted to do with the patient. To take me away from him, get him on medication, fire me, do tests on him. Anything. He wanted to wind the patient up so he deal things on the patient that I had no control over stopping.
I'm sure if the man wasn't unconscious, he'd be pretty smug right now. The little rat.