XVIII.

The little things that Grace remembered was how the cops drove Arthur away from her. The pain in her belly intensified and she begged the officers to help her. She was scared for her future baby. An ambulance and the coroners were slow in coming, Grace remained on the floor squeezing the policeman's arm and praying that nothing bad would happen. The paramedics arrived, approached her and listened as she repeated the fact of she was pregnant. From that moment, the redhead's mind was wrapped in a large cloud, losing consciousness of the rest of that fateful night.

Gotham City was marked. The anarchy that abounded all that night created a full stop in the political and social situation. People overcame their anger at being ignored to create justice by their own hand, lowered the ideals of that Joker, the true leader of this change.

Grace opened her eyes suddenly, the incandescent light created a pain in there and raised her hands to avoid that illumination. She blinked rapidly and her vision cleared, a white room began to form and she felt her body lying on a bed. She looked around and noticed her left arm connected to a serum bag, and more confused than she already was, she tried to get up from where she was, managing to be stopped by a nurse.

"Mrs., calm down."

"What...? Where...?" She snapped confused. "You're in the hospital. Your condition is delicate, please lie down and relax."

"Hospital?" She whispered. "Arthur? Where is Arthur?" She asked the nurse as she took her arm. "Is he your husband?" She asked confused. Grace blinked again and pondered what happened last night. "Mrs.?"

Suddenly she placed her hands on her belly and her breathing stirred.

"My baby ..." she whispered, however, the nurse understood her. "Calm down. You suffered a threat of abortion and if you continues to alter yourself, you will lose your baby." Grace looked surprised at the nurse, who was changing her serum bag and seemed not to understand the words mentioned by her. "I did not lost him?"

"No ma'am, as I told you, it was a threat of abortion. You saw herself back in a very crazy situation which altered your stress levels and created abdominal spasms; they can cause a true abortion, so, I repeat you, rest. Be relaxed so you can go home soon."

"Thank you," she said with a long, gratifying sigh. The young nurse smiled once she finished accommodating the serum, and while Grace was laying on the pillows, into her mind had just arrived at what had happened on that horrific night before. "Nurse!" She exclaimed and looked worried. "Last night, about last night ..."

"Don't worry," she replied with a daunting smile.

Grace looked terrified at the nurse. She finished checking everything and before leaving again, questioned the name she had mentioned. The redhead suddenly changed her countenance, denied slightly and leaned back on the pillows. The young nurse worried and analyzed the woman severely.

"Mrs., anyone to whom we can report your stay?"

She looked at a fixed point in the room, her blinking lightened up as her mind questioned who they could call. Moments later she remembered someone and looking calmly at the nurse gave her a phone number. The nurse noted and withdrew, leaving Grace wrapped in solitude.

The sound of her breaths echoed in the room, she felt weak but grateful that her pregnancy continued. And while her head tried to clear herself, the image of Arthur arrived. That unbalanced look, the make-up and blood spilling down his face and his laugh. That laugh. That one who once she let go and seemed to understand it, but no. She had never done it.

The redhead continued to remember Arthur and what he had done broke her heart. A few tears slid on her red cheeks, however, she agreed to control herself, she had to be calm or her pregnancy would not form. Between her breaths, she felt the need to go to the bathroom and when she got up with difficulty she went to the bathroom and did her necessities. When she finished and left, Grace watched the television and turned it on. The first image that appeared was that of the news and the tragic events of last night. The redhead turned up the volume and took a seat at the edge of the stretcher, to pay attention to the facts.

"And continuing with the unfortunate events of last night, the city reports damages in thousands of dollars; an estimated two thousand people injured, one hundred and eighty dead, in which the candidate for mayor of the city is counted; Thomas Wayne with his wife ..."

"It's impossible!" She exclaimed in horror.

"Is survives his son, Bruce Wayne, who witnessed the murder of his parents during the events perpetrated directly and indirectly by the murderer, Arthur Fleck, who is known under the alias of the Joker and committed homicide in the program, Live with Murray Franklin, killing the homonymous host."

The reporter's image was changed to show the images that occurred in Franklin's program. Arthur shone with his impeccable makeup and elegant, and very cheap, suit. It appeared when he had his notebook in hand and read his jokes, the images changed at the time of his revelation, when he confessed to be the murderer of the three man in the subway and as his heated argument with Murray increased to finally raise his gun and shoot him on his forehead. Grace bit her index finger while the moment was remembered. The crying returned with her and she lowered her gaze as Arthur's voice and confessions covered the room.

"Grace!" She listened and looked up. "Mr. Kersh!" She said relieved.

The old man came in and approached her, who tears came again.

"My god, child, what happened to you?!"

"Mr. Kersh ..." she released in anguish. He took her hands and tried to comfort her. "Grace, calm down." He held a hand over her reddish hair and comforted her like a little girl. The sobs calmed down, but it was hard for her to say a word. "Good. Everything is going to be ok." He took her head and laid it to his chest.

After a while, Grace managed to control herself, she separated from the comfort Mr. Kersh had granted her and looked at him, her eyes red and swollen.

"Mr. Kersh ..." She stopped and appreciated how the man wore a gauze on his gray hair, one of his eyes was purple, but covered in a good make-up. "What happened to you?!" She asked in amazement. "It was last night ... in my neighborhood everything got awful and I tried to defend what is mine ... this was the result."

"This became crazy ... everything and ..." She stopped, did not have the courage to mention the rest. Mr. Kersh patted his back and looked sadly at Grace, knowing what she meant.

He respected the redhead's anguish, made no mention of him. He had seen what happened on television, from the first moment he knew that clown was Grace's couple and noticed that something was not going well with him, until his true being appeared.

The atmosphere subsided. Grace received her food and Mr. Kersh stayed by his side.

"Child," he called, "why are you here? What happened to you?" She passed her food and looked seriously at the man. "I looked for him," she confessed. Grace noticed how the flames covered those old eyes. "I had to see him, Mr. Kersh, I wanted to know why ..."

"And he told you?" She denied. "Grace, you risked your life, for nothing?" He scolding. "I needed to talk to him, tell him that ..." She snapped and resumed her food. Mr. Kersh frowned. "Told him what?" The redhead kept eating and he got fed up. "Grace?" She put aside her fork, sighed bitterly and looked at Mr. Kersh. "I'm pregnant..."

A bitter silence reached the room, Mr. Kersh's skin paled suddenly and Grace avoided eye contact and kept eating. The redhead's chewing was what broke the silence and she expected some kind of claim, but nothing came. She watched old Mr. Kersh out of the corner of her eye and began to feel anxious, put aside her fork and stared at him.

"Say it," she said with voice broken. "Say it ... how I was able to get pregnant." Mr. Kersh blinked, let out a sad sigh and took the redhead's hand. He looked at her with a thin, fatherly smile, nodded slightly and patted his hand. "How long have you been pregnant?"

"I don't know ... I discovered it yesterday, maybe its three weeks but ... I'm at risk of losing it."

"He knows?"

"Yes..."

"And he said something?" She denied. "Did he cause your state?"

"According to the nurse, it was stress ... Seeing everything that happened in the city and what he did ..." She brought her hands to her face and try to control herself. "My God ... everything he did."

"Don't get upset, don't think about it anymore. You need to rest, think about the baby that is on its way."

Grace inhaled and exhaled, tried to control herself and pay attention to the words everyone was saying. In spite of all the hell lived, there was an opportunity for her baby to be able to continue and she would do everything possible because it was.

The prison stay was short for Arthur and everything that happened last night went through his mind like a movie. One which loved to repeat countless times. Seeing how the people exalted him, everything he had accomplished and seeing the chaos sown had moved his entire world. The taste of iron was impregnated in his mouth, it was delicious. The cries of the people were still loud in his head and sometimes he laughed until he get tired.

He was soon taken to the Arkham psychiatric hospital upon learning of his medical history. In prison, Fleck would be a danger to other inmates and the security of the place. They stripped him of his beloved red suit and bathed him with hoses, undoing everything that adorned his face. The green of his hair endured, as did his laughs when he felt the frozen of the water. The clothes of the place were given to him, it took time to get dressed and his skin had frozen. And once he saw himself presentable, he was handcuffed and dragged to the documentation area, where he was seated with a lost look and a terrifying smile, he heard the psychiatrist ask him questions.

"Fleck, Arthur. Thirty-five years. I see that social security used to cover your medication," he snorted. "How far did your studies go?" He didn't answer, and the doctor looked impatient. "How far?"

"Tenth grade."

"Family members?"

"My mother. She died, I killed her." The doctor looked up and saw him with repulsion. "Married?" He denied. "Any children?" Arthur froze for a few seconds and then let out a laugh and looked at the doctor. "Maybe..."

"What do you mean about maybe?" And he shrugged amusedly. "God ... you are the worst that has come to Arkham." He started laughing and boasted about the comment. "Thank you ... it's the best thing someone have been tell me this day."

"In a single day you forged a long criminal record, hopefully, and they will give you the death penalty."

"It will be interesting to see."

Arthur kept laughing while he saw the doctor. He swallowed hard and continued filling out the form, however, the laugh never stopped. There was no time for him to stop it.

A week and a half later, Grace left the hospital. Being out of the place and looking at the city, she noticed how it had changed radically; seeing everything in the news was one thing but living it on its own made everything different. The garbage, which at the time were bags, now ran through the desecrated streets and between walls discovered graffiti with the image that Arthur had used that night; he was the new symbol of this city. Arthur Fleck, the Joker, was the new ruler of Gotham City.

"My child," she heard behind her. Mr. Kersh took her by the waist and carried her suitcase. "Everything is fine?"

"Yeah ... yeah. I want to go home." And both continued walking towards the bus stop.

They arrived at the apartment, the bags were left in the armchair and Grace have a seat next to them. Mr. Kersh looked at the redhead, who with a lost look she watched the television.

"You need something?"

"No, I don't. I want to be alone, Mr. Kersh. Just for a while."

"All right. I will go home, I will bring you a little pantry and I will come at night. Repose, is mandatory." She nodded and took Mr. Kersh's hand. "Thank you," she said, with a teary look.

The man patted those hands and with a smile left the apartment. Once alone, Grace continued to stare at the switched off device, blinking slowly until she set her gaze on the VCR. She got up and went to her and checked if the VHS was still there. Surprised she felt it. She turned on the device and at the same time the TV and watched the interrupted signal. The VHS did not stop recording, the whole program was recorded. She reversed the tape and the inverted image of Arthur, shooting at Murray, passed quickly as if fixing the past was.

She stopped the tape as soon as Arthur began to spit his anger out of society, looked into his eyes, those gray eyes she had loved so much, shone in an insane glow. She kept backing away until she stopped at a point where Arthur saw his notebook. Grace looked at his face, there was something about him that made him create that full stop. She felt like a melancholy and madness sheltered him. Grace raised her hands and gathered them to the screen and the tears, which she had felt she no longer had, came up again. The redhead tried to press her screen and ducked her face. She wanted to understand him, she really wanted to do it. How many times had she told him that if he needed to speak, she would be for him? And he never did. He never spoke. He let his worst thoughts act. And the reality acted. At that moment on the screen, Arthur had died, just at that moment, ceased to exist and gave life to that new being, who was all idolized as Joker.

A/N:

Thanks so much for reading. I will be deeply grateful with any comments, constructive criticism, opinions and / or suggestions :3