Bright lights danced above my head. They encouraged me on, though I was weak, and all I could do was watch as they teased me and hung just outside of my grasp. I tried to raise a hand to reach out to them, but I couldn't lift it more than an inch, and it flopped back down by my side.
"Marcie." a voice murmured my name, though my eyes couldn't focus on who. Everything outside of the lights was a blur, even myself, I noticed, as I looked down at my body.
I was laid out, my back supported so I was sat up just slightly, and all I could see was a white sheet. Was I dead? Was this the morgue and I was a dead body that had just been covered over? Dazedly I tried to wiggle my toes, and saw them moved from under the white sheet. Maybe I was a zombie, that would be killer!
"Marceline, can you hear me?" the voice repeated, and I flopped my head to the side lethargically. My eyes kept going in and out of focus, but when they finally honed on the person, I saw a familiar face looking back at me.
"Victor." I murmured, my speech loud and jumbled in my ears. He was sat beside me, in shabby yet smart clothes, and with shorter hair than when I'd seen him last, which showed off a hoop in his cartilage that I had never noticed before. His pale face was littered with bruises and cuts, most of which were stitched up. They were beginning to turn into white scars, which I was sure wouldn't go anytime soon.
"Oh Marcie, I'm so glad you're awake!" he simpered, smiling and resisting the urge to jump on me and give me one hell of a hug.
I could barely hold my eyes open, and so he fell out of focus again. "Am I in heaven? I thought it'd be better than this." I slurred, scrunching up my face.
He chuckled. "Nah, toots, you're just in Mercy Hospital, and I'm glad to say that you're not dead." he responded, his eyes a little wet.
My heart skipped a beat, and I looked down at my arms to observe the many tubes in my arms, one that lead to an IV drip full of blood. There was a beeping in the room which I'd assumed was just a pounding headache, but I now tied it to being a heart beat monitor. I watched the line go up and down, and I sighed.
"I thought he'd killed you, y'know. I was gonna have a funeral for you and everything." I added, gazing back at Victor.
He gave me a soft smile. "I don't really know the joke in it, but him and his men just kicked to hell out of me, and dumped me outside of my apartment barely alive. Fuck knows if they expected me to die, but one of my neighbours is a doctor and is probably the reason I'm still here today. But a month went by with no word from you, and Christ I was so worried, but I couldn't get the police to help because they all thought the Joker was still dead, and that I was on drugs or something." he explained. "But I've found you now, and I'm never gonna let you go."
I giggled weakly, and he grinned, putting a hand on my face.
"Speaking of drugs, how many have they got me on? I feel like crap." I murmured, resting my head on the pillow as he smoothed his thumb over my brow.
"You're on morphine for the pain, which will be causing your grogginess, along with a handful of other painkillers, though the main thing is probably wooziness from your lack of blood. You lost a lot of blood from the stab wound in your side, so that IV there is putting back into your system." he replied, not tearing his eyes away from me for even a second.
I grimaced, moving a lethargic hand to my side, which responded with a bound of screeching pain, and I felt my heartbeat hard through my fingertips. "Dumbass wound, I almost forgot about that."
He moved my hand back to where it was before and put me back in a comfortable position. "Best thing is not to touch it, you need your rest. It's all up from here, baby."
I gave him a smile, but I tilted my head away from him when I heard a vague noise. The person was in the dark, but stood up and moved so I could better see them; she was tall, blonde, and had a concerned look on her face.
"Emily Gordon, fancy you coming to see me." I chuckled, looking at her through my lashes. "I didn't think the Commissioner's little girl would want anything to do with the Joker's daughter."
Her face wasn't so happy. "I'm sorry about what happened to you, if you think I take any joy in it, then I don't." she replied, not wanting to meet my eyes. "I'm just glad to see you're alright."
I raised an eyebrow, a minor task that was surprisingly difficult. "Why should you be sorry? I'm the one that screwed you over and stole stuff from your dad."
She shrugged. "My other friends have done worse. And I'm sorry I put a tracking device on you."
My eyes widened. "You did what? Is that why-" I started, before something finally clicked with me. The whole accepting me onto the cheerleading squad had been a set up, to get me in a position where she could put a tracker on me inconspicuously. She knew I wasn't actually Daisy Simpson, but still played along. "You're working for the Bat."
She smirked. "I see myself as a rather independent member, but yes if you put it in layman's terms, I am working for Batman. Just please don't call me Batgirl again."
I scoffed, and a goofy grin lit up my face. "That's brilliant, the head cheerleader is the vigilante that's been stalking me!"
Her face grew serious. "Tell anyone and I'll make sure you and your friends have a very extensive criminal record that will put you away for at least one life sentence."
I gave a surprised spluttering laugh. "Jesus, calm down, where's the fun in telling people? It's not like you bullied me in school and I have a reason for threatening you."
She threw back a thin smile. "Thanks, I really appreciate it." A glance down at her watch and her face lightened up again. "I'm really glad you're okay, though I need to be getting back, my dad would freak if he knew I was out this late." With a wave she hastily dashed out of the door, and left Victor and I together again.
"How late is it?" I asked him, lolling my head over to his side again.
He checked his watch, the face of which had been smashed and was barely readable. "Around three am. Visiting hours are over but I insisted to be with you when you woke up."
I gave him a smile. "Thanks, I'm glad I didn't wake up alone or I'd be so much more confused." My beam faltered just a tad. "How is everyone? I hadn't seen anybody in what feels like forever."
He pushed my white hair back from my face. "Everybody is great and just missing you. Violet has set up another bed so you can stay at her house, and I shouldn't really spoil the surprise, but Ivy and her are planning something special for when you get out of hospital. I'm sure you'll love it."
My eyes lit up, but soon grew dark once again. "And... my father?"
He gave a long pause. Air was pushed from his nose as he exhaled deeply, and put his hand on mine. "He's unfortunately... still alive. At this point I don't think anything can kill him, he's like a cockroach, but that fall did some damage to him. Rumour is his spine is splintered, and he might not ever walk again."
I creased my brow - I really wasn't sure how to feel. Sure I was angry at him, angry in such imaginably large quantities that I was sure I might burst, but was scared than one day I might turn into him. Be so screwed up that I kill Victor, my friends, or even my own child. Maybe the only way I could actually be rid of him was by ending my own life.
I was cut off by a hand on my cheek. "It's okay, Marcie, I'm gonna protect you from everything that wants to harm you in this world. Especially him."
The warmth from his skin spread through me and collected in my eyes where tears began to rise and splatter on the bed sheets. I may not have my dear old ma anymore, and my father betrayed me, but I still had my people. After all this time I was looking for a family, I had found it in my friends: Luka, Violet, Emily even, and of course Victor. They were my net in the dark hole that was Gotham, and I was finally content with that.
