CHAPTER 11 - Lucky
Being married made everything easier, made life more bearable in Gotham and made their bond all the more stronger, especially after nearly six years of being married. In that time period, Rachel had become a D.A. in Gotham, Emmeline had moved up the status scale at work, and Jonathan had fully taken over at Arkham. He loved it.
He and Emmeline had married and six months later the director at Arkham had retired without reason. Jonathan had thought the man looked ill taken, but didn't say a word about it. He was too overcome with the joy of being the director of the asylum and at the young age of twenty-four. It couldn't be better, but it did get a little better after a mysterious letter arrived in the mail for him…from China.
There was no name, just initials, R.A.G, and a blue flower, the same one his friend had brought back with him years ago that he had wanted to experiment with, but never did. With that flower he spent a month using it in various forms, but found that powder to be the most useful on the lab rats. He had put it away after that, locking it in his cabinet in his home office and not thinking of it. It had no real use for him, interesting effects, but useless nonetheless.
Now, five years later, he sat on the couch, staring at the show on the TV but not paying much attention to it considering he had many other things boiling over in his mind. Mainly one concern that rested behind the closed bathroom door.
Emmy returned to the living room and Jonathan looked up at her. She still looked the exact same, still slender still green eyed, same dark wavy hair, still the girl he loved more than life. "I'm getting sick of work," she sighed, plopping down next to him.
"Why's that?"
"Falcone," was all she needed to say. He nodded. In five years time, Falcone practically owned the damn city and everyone in it. His thugs would get put on trial and get off in a weeks time. Nothing either of them, or Rachel, did mattered anymore. Falcone always won in the end and nothing would stop him because no one could, and Jonathan certainly wasn't able to.
"There's nothing we can do about that colossal problem," he told her and patted her thigh.
"I know. I just wonder how Russ does this, raising two kids in this God forsaken city. It's not the best place in the world. The streets are more dangerous and the Narrows are worse than before and it doesn't help that I'm still on Falcone's shit list."
"Don't say that," he told her. "He'd never do anything to hurt you."
"I wouldn't put it past him, Jonathan."
"He hasn't tried anything in the last five years, why would he start now?"
She met his blue eyes and he saw the concern. "Because we have so much more to lose now."
His jaw dropped a little as he processed her words. His hand tightened on her thigh. "Are you saying…the test said…you're…we're…"
"Pregnant," she said with a nod.
He let out a choked laugh and ran a hand through his hair. "We're pregnant."
"I'm pregnant," she corrected. "You just made me that way."
He smiled and laughed, tackling her with a hug that knocked them both sideways on the couch. Emmy giggled as they both fell off the couch, her landing on top of Jonathan. He held her there. "Are you serious?"
"Why would I lie about being pregnant? If I was going to lie I'd say my father was George Clooney, so why lie?"
"I don't know. To do it as some sick twisted joke."
"I'm serious."
"You're brother is going to murder me and make it look like an accident," he said but grinned. He didn't care if Russ killed him.
"Maybe," she shrugged. "But he'll be more thrilled to have another kid in the family."
He kissed her, too happy for words, and barely heard the door open behind her.
"Whoa," Rachel said when she saw Emmy on top of Jonathan since they hadn't moved from the floor. "I'll come back later."
"Get back here," Emmy called out. "We aren't doing anything."
Rachel moved back in the door. "Are you sure?"
"I just got done telling him I'm pregnant."
"And here I was wondering why that could be," she gestured at the position they were in.
Emmy laughed and stood to her feet and Jonathan sat up. "You know?" he asked Rachel.
"Yeah, she called me while she was in the bathroom. Apparently you took it well."
"I'd say better than well," Emmy teased. "He hasn't kissed me like that since we were younger."
"I'll kiss you like that more often if you'd like," he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.
"That'd be a nice change," she joked with him
"Speaking of change, with a baby on the way, someone's going to have to make a few changes at work," Rachel said, shifting her eyes to Emmeline.
She rolled her eyes. "Give me a break."
"She does have a point," Jonathan agreed.
"Now you two are ganging up on me," she shook her head.
Jonathan moved his arms and turned her around. "It's for the best. You work too many days and too many hours as it is and its not good for you, more so now."
"You need to start taking it is and put in for your maternity leave," Rachel advised her.
Emmy bit her lip. She didn't think of that before. Being pregnant meant she had to rely more on Jonathan and less on herself to do things. And it meant she had to give-up time at work or risk putting her health and her child's in danger. In the end, it would be for the best.
"Fine. You win. I'll do it. I'll work less hours, but I'm not giving up my night hours if they need me to work three to ten. And I won't take leave until I'm at least seven months."
"Deal," they said simultaneously.
"Now, on to the important thing," Rachel said and pulled out a bunch of baby magazines from her bag. "We need to start thinking of the nursery and names and clothes."
"Oh Jesus," Jonathan mumbled and ran a hand over his face, having flashbacks to his wedding preparations when Rachel picked out his suit and took care of the ceremony design. It had been hell and he had seven more months of this to look forward to. But at least it would be a great seven months. He put an arm around Emmy as they listened to Rachel drabble on passionately about her ideas. He slid one hand to her stomach and felt the bump there. In that moment, nothing in the world could be wrong for him.
Emmeline sat at the station, dialing in Jonathan's number. It was ten o'clock already. She had worked late at the court house on a case for Gordon and Rachel. By the time she was done Gordon and Rachel were both already gone and she didn't have her car, so the monorail station it was. She knew for a fact Jonathan would be worried that his five-month pregnant wife was riding home this late at night. But she had no other choice.
"Hello?" Jonathan answered the phone at home.
"Hey honey," she smiled as she heard his voice.
"Where are you?"
"At the station. I'm on my way home."
"You're taking the monorail? Are you insane?"
Yup, she was right. "I'll be fine honey. I just wanted to check in with you. There's no one here anyway. Its completely empty."
"More the reason for me to panic."
"Don't panic. I'll be home in twenty minutes," she told Jonathan over the phone.
"Are you sure you don't want me t pick you up?" he asked, concerned for her safety.
"I'm already at the station, don't worry."
"Why didn't you get aride with Rachel?"
"She didn't offer, she was probably busy."
"She's never too busy to help you."
"Don't worry about it. What's done is done.I'll be home soon. I love you."
"Love you too, be careful."
"I will," she hung up the phone and slid it into her pocket, pulling her jacket tighter around her. She glanced around the empty station, except for the pieces of trash that flitted around; no one was there. She shivered, but not from the cold. Jonathan had been right about one thing; she was getting creeped out. She didn't like being her alone, especially being alone and being pregnant. She reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone and reconsider Jonathan's offer when she heard footsteps behind her.
She spun around only to meet a fist. The hand connected with the side of her face and she went sprawling to the floor, the phone sliding across the dirty tile too far for her to reach.
The burly man laughed and she glanced up despite the pain in her jaw. "I believe you owe me something," the burly guy said.
Emmy's face fell as she recognized him. It was the guy from seven years ago, the one who tried to rape her while she was helping Jonathan after he'd been attacked. "Oh my God."
"I'm not God, but you'll be wishing he was here."
She backed away on her hands, crawling across the tile. "Please don't do this."
He walked after her, casually in no hurry like a tiger watching a wounded zebra. He knew she was going nowhere. "Nothing's gonna stop me, doll."
"I'll scream," she warned him, inching to her phone. If she could get hold of Jonathan or Gordon or even her brother she could get out of this.
He laughed, deep and menacing. "To who? No one in this town will give a shit."
She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw the phone only two feet away from her. "Please don't do this…I'm pregnant."
He laughed. "Even better. It won't hurt much…I promise."
Emmeline made a dive for her phone. The guy was quicker for his bulky size. He kicked the phone away and lashed out at her with his foot, catching her stomach before she could move away. Emmeline let out a cry as a deep pain took over her from his heavy boot. She curled on her side, clutching her stomach and knew what was happening. That one blow was all it had taken. She was losing her baby, she could feel the tearing inside her, feel the pain that let her know the depressing truth. Her baby was going to die. She tried to get up, tried to get away, but he hit her again and she fell back down. Half conscious but only to the pain in her womb, the pain of losing a child.
Jonathan sat hunched over, lips resting against his folded hands, staring at the pale blue tile in the hospital. In the hour he spent staring nothing had changed. He had hoped that somehow he could transport himself back in time, that by some magic he could make this all a nightmare. But the reality was still the same despite how hard he stared. His wife was still in the hospital and his child was still dead.
Emmeline was sleeping now the doctor had told him. She was lucky they had said. She only had a minor black eye but no concussion and no broken bones. Lucky? He could have laughed at that. His wife had been raped and their child was lost but they were lucky? What did they know? This entire city was full of the same people that considered themselves lucky, but no one was lucky.
Rachel was sitting a few seats away from him near Russ, he hadn't said a word to either of them. He couldn't figure out what to say without screaming at either of them. He remembered them coming in, nearly running towards him. He found it funny she cared all the sudden for Emmeline's safety.
Rachel had sat next to him then. "Oh my God, Jonathan, is she okay? I shouldn't have left her. I should have asked her if she needed a ride. Is she all right?"
"She's alive," he managed to say.
"Was she hurt?"
"Doctor says she'll live. No broken bones, no concussion…they say she was lucky," he said with hate. Russ had snorted and sat a few chairs away
"Thank God," Rachel nodded with a sigh. "She's lucky."
He met her with icy blue eyes behind his glasses, unable to believe her words. He felt a new hate towards his once friend. "She was raped and she lost the baby…tell me…Miss Dawes…would you consider yourself lucky?"
Rachel had stared at him with a frown and a hurt look on her face. Jonathan smiled coldly at her and turned his head away, satisfied with his probing, that was when his eyes had met the unmagical tile and his staring contest had begun.
All he wanted to do was kill the guy who did this and they knew exactly who it was. Gordon had been there earlier. Not ten minutes ago. He stood up, heading to Emmy's room without so much as a glance at his brother in law and Rachel. He went over what Gordon had said in his mind as he stared at his sleeping bride.
"I have good news and bad news," Gordon had said as he stood. A thin, pale version of the man. Jonathan had guessed he hadn't had much sleep in the last few days and he wouldn't be getting much more tonight.
"What's the good news?" Jonathan asked.
"We caught the guy who did it. He matches Emmy's description from boots to face."
"And the bad news?" Russ asked, Jonathan couldn't utter the words because he knew the joy he felt for them catching the sonofabitch would be short lived.
"He has an alibi. Even if we do arrest him, he'll get off."
Jonathan laughed bitterly, a sound that was nothing like him. He shook his head. "It's all the same. A man murders someone or rapes someone and they all get treated like petty thieves. There is no such thing as justice in a city like Gotham…not yet anyway."
He had said nothing more after that. He was vaguely aware of Gordon speaking but paid no attention. Now he stood looking at Emmy. He brushed the hair from her face and kissed her forehead before turning away and heading home, not bothering to say a word to Rachel or Russ.
In his home he sat in his office with a glass of scotch in his hand, completely leaned backing his leather office chair, staring at the picture of him and Emmy, next to it he had the sonogram of his daughter…a girl. They were going to have a girl, he was going to have a daughter…was. But she was taken away by a man who would never see the inside of prison, never feel the gold grip of justice.
Jonathan wiped at his cheek with one hand and came away with tears, He clenched his fist and let out an angry cry, throwing the glass against the wall and watching it shatter and rain crystal and scotch onto the carpet.
He buried his face in his hands and sat there, silently sobbing. After a few minutes he lifted his head up and his eyes fell on the letter, the old fashioned paper with the black ink writing where the words asked him for assistance. He had received that letter a month ago with another blue flower like the one that had been sent before.
He fished out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the bottom drawer. Opening it, he pulled out a glass container full of a white powder that he had yet to condense into the thinner powdery substance he had used on the lab rats. He knew what the letter asked of him. He knew what the man wanted assistance in. A month ago he had dismissed it, deciding against helping because he felt he could help Gotham on his own with Rachel and Emmy. But he saw how Gotham treated Emmy and how Rachel hadn't bothered to offer a ride to Emmy. He didn't care much anymore, he felt drained of emotion, drained of the energy to bother helping a town that was beyond any aid other than Falcone's.
Jonathan put the container down and picked up a pen and took out a sheet of paper, writing back to the initialed man, asking what he could do to help Gotham in a new way that involved his experimental powder. For the second time that night, he felt a little piece of him die, but with the dying came something new that was being born inside him and only needed the time to grow, the time to harvest into what fate had chosen him to be.
A/N: There you are. The reason why he helped Ras Al Ghul….Falcone's reason is coming a lot sooner and so is everything else we know from the movie…please R&R let me know how I'm doing.