/-^1^-\ Following Day. /-^1^-\
The doctor came into her room and sat on the end of her bed, half smiling but half frowning.
"Hello?"
"Alison, I have some news but I'm not sure if its good or bad."
"Well, how are you not sure?"
"It depends on your outlook," he grimaced, "you're pregnant, about 2 months pregnant."
"2 months?" she whispered, choking on those two tiny little words. "Oh no! Oh no!" she began to cry, "what have I done!"
"What do you mean?"
"The alcohol, the drugs?" she whispered, clutching her head.
"Things can be done!" he insisted quickly, "But... did you take drugs?"
"Shrooms," she whispered, blinking rapidly, "What have I done?"
"We don't know that it's done anything yet. If you want to keep the-"
"Of course I do," she hissed.
"Well, a lot of women do drink in the first month when they don't know, especially if they weren't trying to get pregnant. Were you trying?"
"No. We were going to wait a bit."
"Alison. I know that it's his baby but it isn't healthy you loving him still. He's dangerous."
"You don't turn off affection for someone like that. Don't think I'll listen properly in therapy, to the idea that it's bad for me. I know it is. It's terrible. But I'm not letting it rule my life. I didn't go away and did what I did because of him, I started about a week before things happened and I didn't know they would happen."
"Oh? Why didn't you tell us this?"
"I thought that the chances of you believing that were very slim."
"I believe you Alison," he nodded, "I'll give you some time to think. Your friend is here?"
"Thomas?"
"Mr. Wayne."
Alison stood up and paced about her little room. It was actually quite comfortable. She'd begged not to go to a busy clinic, because she worried that, like Arkham, she wouldn't get out. And she needed to.
Bruce came in and clutched her in his arms tightly.
"You knew," she whispered.
"It's hard to burst someone's bubble that way. If I could have predicted this would have been the outcome then I swear I'd have told you."
"Well, there's no point in getting caught up over it now. It's happened anyway, whether you knew or not."
"I feel guilty."
"Not as guilty as I do. He spent so long trying to soak up my problems... and I don't think I really asked about his."
"Problems?"
"Don't tell me you can't see that he has them. He's three different men trapped in one body and they can't find peace."
"What?"
"There's the one you see, standoffish and a bit callous at times, but privately just shy. There's the man I see, loving and playful and happy, though a bit desperate sometimes. Then there's the one that nobody sees unless they look closely enough - the guy who doesn't change until you take his mask off. He's dark, foreboding and caught up in turmoil. And I knew that. So why didn't I ever help him?" she whispered, "There's never any harmony in his head... never any balance."
"You're not blaming yourself, are you?"
"No. I'm blaming many things. I play my part, but I'm not suggested I caused this."
"Good. Alison, do you have any idea where he is?"
Alison considered telling Bruce. He could go find them. But then on the other hand, she needed to be certain she could get Jonathan out of Arkham. She sighed and shook her head.
"I wish I did," she replied. "I have sort of good news."
"Hmm?"
"I'm pregnant?" she shrugged.
"Are you happy about that?"
"I'm thrilled. I am. Others won't be," she laughed, "Johnny would be."
"Others?"
"Oh, you know... people who see him as a callous and wicked fiend?"
"We have some working out to do, don't we?"
"Yeah..." she nodded, drifting off into a bit of a daydream. Get me some pens, paper and some spoons and I'll work everything out, to the most flawless extent I can.
For me, this is a fairly short chapter but more to come soon :)
