Title: The End Starts Today
Author: Jen Kollic

Disclaimers: All characters are trademarks of DC Comics. Except for Dr Adam Burke who is mine, and appears here as a reference that only me and one other person will find amusing. He'll be gone after this chapter, I promise.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Notes: I'll give you three guesses why he's not affected...

Spoilers: Big spoilers for Return of the Joker. (the uncut version) Passing references to various other toonverse cartoon/comic episodes/issues as well.

Chapter 4

By the time Adam had finished his work, it was late afternoon. At least that's what he was guessing from the dwindling light tricking through the small window high above the bed. He was no longer nervous; a combination of professionalism and sheer adrenalin had taken over almost as soon as he'd begun his work on Harley. And despite Ivy's menacing presence at his back, pacing like a caged tiger, all he could think of was what a great E.R. episode this would have made. (of course, he would have been Dr Ross…)

Initially he'd been amazed to find that Harley's injuries were less extensive than he'd imagined. It seemed that she had both broken bones and sheer luck to thank for that. Although the fractured ribs and broken leg were serious injuries themselves, the bones had absorbed most of the impact of the fall instead of internal organs. If she had hit the girder on her midriff instead of her chest she'd most likely have died of a ruptured liver before Ivy had even got her back here. But while there had been internal bleeding, with injuries like this it was unavoidable, it had been minimal.

Once he was sure that the bleeding had stopped and that her lungs had escaped injury, (that was really where the sheer luck had come into it) he'd moved on to deal with her leg, which was now by far her worst injury. Especially since he didn't have an X-ray handy, and had to resort to simply opening up the wound to get a good look at the damage. Ivy hadn't seemed too happy at that point, but hadn't said anything. Just as well, or he'd have had to point out (again) that Harley needed to be in a hospital.

Thankfully it had been a relatively clean break of the tibia and a fractured fibula instead of the organic jigsaw he'd been dreading, and he had set it with relative ease. Of course, it should really have been pinned, but for a start he didn't have pins, and even if he had he wouldn't have known where to start since he wasn't an orthopaedic surgeon either. Patch people up so they don't die, then pass them on to the appropriate specialist; that was his job. Only there were no specialists here, just a homicidal supervillainess with a plant fetish. Oh, and a crossbow. That didn't bode well.

Acting like he hadn't seen it, Adam returned his attention to Harley and finished binding her leg tightly before setting it between two perfectly straight and cylindrical lengths of wood that Ivy had seemed to snap right off the wall when he'd said he'd need something to use as splints. At least the break was below the knee, the femur would have been much worse. Throughout the entire ordeal, Harley hadn't stirred in the slightest. When he'd expressed concern, Ivy had curtly informed him that she was asleep, and would remain that way for as long as was needed. She had approached the bed several times throughout the ordeal, (each time Adam had found himself subconsciously shrinking back) but had only laid one hand on Harley's forehead for a few moments; there had been no sign of a syringe.

He could have sworn there had been tears in her eyes last time she'd moved away again, but had pretended not to notice.

Once Adam had finished doing what he could with her leg, treating the rest of Harley's injuries was simple in comparison. Getting her shoulder back into place required a fair bit of brute force, but once it snapped back into its socket then torn ligaments were all he needed to worry about, not whether she'd be able to walk again afterwards. Then it was simply a matter of cleaning the cuts and abrasions she'd suffered during the fall and more bandaging. She still should have been in a hospital, but now at least she would survive.

Ivy had watched Adam in almost total silence from the moment he had begun his work until he eventually stepped back from the bed, only speaking to answer his questions about Harley's state when she'd found her. She hadn't left the room once, not even when he'd cut Harley's leg open to expose the rest of the bone. Once he'd started working, the doctor hadn't complained or protested at all, almost as if he'd forgotten she was there watching him. He had just treated Harley as calmly as he would have if she was an ordinary patient, in ordinary circumstances. Which, she'd reflected bitterly as one of the vines pressed the handle of her crossbow into her hand, only made things worse really.

She couldn't let him live. He knew too much, could have the police after them before they'd even got out of the state, could tell them Harley was alive, could tell Batman that Harley was alive. But he'd saved Harley's life. Had he been some nameless security guard or cop, Ivy could have killed him without a moment's hesitation. Momentarily she even hated him for not being a nameless security guard or cop. But then he couldn't have helped Harley, could he? And she couldn't just pretend he was one either, since he had that helpful ID tag around his neck. Maybe she could get him to take it off, that might help…

Adam was the first to break the uncomfortable silence, nerves and anxieties slowly filtering back now that his work was done. "That's all I can do for her here, but she should still be in a hospital." As he turned to face Ivy, he saw that she was attempting to conceal the crossbow behind her back. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

"I already told you; that's impossible." Ivy replied shortly, hoping he'd turn back to Harley again so she could get a clear shot at him. (without him seeing her)

"Well that break in her leg could easily develop an infection since it was an open fracture, so you'd better have antibiotics in those bags. And she's lost a lot of blood; she could really do with a transfusion." Adam continued. "Don't get any ideas!" he added hastily as Ivy's eyes narrowed slightly. "I have no idea what her blood type is, so mine might not match!"

The long pause made his mouth go dry as Ivy's cold green eyes bored into his. She had obviously already realised this, and was thinking it over.

"Is it essential that she gets one?" Ivy asked eventually, her finger tightening on the crossbow's trigger. After all, a mismatched blood transfusion couldn't be that harmful, right?

"It would be preferable, but she'll survive without one." Adam replied, truthfully. He wasn't sure what he'd have said if Harley really had needed a transfusion, since he had little doubt that he would have wound up being the donor.

"Good. Can she be moved?" Although the answer to that question would make no difference to Ivy's plans, she felt that she had to ask anyway. They had to get out of Gotham; the answer would dictate how fast Ivy would be able to drive.

"Moved?" Adam had to stop himself from adding 'are you crazy?' since that was more or less rhetorical. "She needs to be kept as still as possible with that leg, otherwise the bones could shift. If she was in a hospital…"

"Well she's not, so drop it!" Ivy snapped. "If she's laid out in the back seat of a car and secured there so she doesn't get jolted, will she be okay?"

For the first time, Adam began to wonder just what the two crazy women had done that required such an urgent getaway. Oh god, had they just killed someone? Killed several people? And he'd helped them? (well, helped Harley) Though when he thought about it more, he realised that if they'd done anything that terrible, it would have been on the news and he'd have known before he left work. And since when did mass-murder involve 100-foot drops? (for the murderer anyway…)

"…as long as you drive carefully, then yes, she should be fine." Adam replied finally, not without a trace of reluctance. "Well, as fine as she can be anyway… but you'll need to make sure she's kept still."

"That can be…" Ivy's voice trailed off as a slight movement caught her eye. Harley's eyelids were flickering as the herbal drugs Ivy had been using to keep her under began to wear off, and with a start Ivy realised that while talking to Adam she'd forgotten to give her another dose. Pushing the doctor aside roughly, (this was his fault after all) Ivy dashed to the bed, dropping her crossbow and laying one hand gently on Harley's forehead. The blonde's skin was no longer cold, now it was alarmingly warm.

As Ivy touched her skin, Harley whimpered softly, unfocused eyes fluttering open for a fraction of a second in reaction to the contact. They closed again as Ivy slowly stroked her face, the same natural drugs which had kept her unconscious earlier perfusing through Ivy's fingertips and into Harley's skin. People (including Batman) had gotten far too used to the idea of "Poison" Ivy to realise that toxins weren't the only things she could secrete.

"Shush." Ivy whispered softly as Harley stilled again, sinking back into insensibility. "It's going to be okay, just sleep for now Harl. You're safe, I promise…"

Adam watched Ivy silently; she seemed to have forgotten all about him. Which would have made now a great time for an escape bid… if he hadn't known that every way out would already be blocked by murderous vegetation. Instead, he stood quietly to the side, hoping that if he didn't cause any fuss then he just might make it out of this alive. His eyes widened slightly as he saw Ivy bend down to kiss Harley's forehead lightly.

Oh. So that was how things stood then.

Once she was sure Harley wasn't going to be waking up again any time soon, Ivy drew the blanket up to the blonde's shoulders, then retrieved her crossbow and turned back to the doctor. She'd been expecting (and half-hoping) he'd try to run while her back was turned, but he was still standing there, watching her with an odd look in his eyes. Ivy realised with a start that it was sympathy, and that he must have come to his own conclusions from what he'd just seen. Right or not, she resented him for it anyway.

It would have been much easier to shoot him if he'd been trying to escape, so she resented him for failing to do that as well. And even more for just standing there and watching her calmly, only flinching slightly as she raised the crossbow and aimed it at his head.

Well, Adam had known that the 'make no fuss' plan had a pretty low chance of success anyway, especially when he was dealing with a ruthless supervillainess. And that made begging for mercy fairly pointless too, so at least he was spared that humiliation. The worst part was knowing that Grant would have no idea what had happened to him.

He didn't even scream or anything. Despite her resolve, Ivy could feel her hand shaking, even as she braced it with her other arm. She had to kill him. She had to get Harley away from here without anyone following them. And leaving the doctor alive would compromise that, no matter how much…

"…I don't want to do this…" The words slipped out before Ivy could stop herself. She bit her tongue in annoyance, but kept the crossbow trained on Adam.

"You don't have to." Adam replied cautiously, though he didn't dare move. "I won't tell anyone what happened here, or what I saw, or anything, I promise."

Ivy decided that it was that insufferable refusal to panic that she now hated the most about him. If he'd just started freaking out, even a little, that would have made things so much easier. "And why should I believe that?" she asked with a bitter chuckle. "How do I know you can be trusted?"

"You trusted me enough to treat your friend's injuries." Adam wasn't sure which part of his subconscious prompted him to say that, he just hoped it was a sensible part. "Isn't her life more important than whether I'll run to the cops?"

Several minutes passed in utter silence, and although Ivy kept her crossbow aimed at Adam's head, her hands were visibly shaking. This wasn't really comforting from the doctor's perspective, since he was more than a little concerned that it might set the firing mechanism off…

Ivy's every instinct screamed against it, but she had made her decision. And slowly lowered the crossbow. Even if he did go straight to the cops, she could keep him here long enough to ensure that she and Harley would be long gone before anyone came after them. And he was right; she had trusted him to save Harley's life.

"If we're caught because of you…" she began threateningly, "…then you'll wish I'd killed you here and now. You can trust me on that."

"I understand." Still not entirely convinced that he wasn't about to get an impressive cranial piercing, Adam kept his voice in the same calm and neutral tones. After all, they seemed to have served him well so far. "Just make sure that you keep your friend completely still while you're driving, and be careful when you're moving her. You can kill me if I set the cops on you, but I won't be held responsible if her leg heals crooked, because…"

"I know, I know, she should really be in a hospital." Ivy finished for him irritably. She might have decided not to kill him, but she knew that knowledge was going to chafe at her until she and Harley were safely hidden away somewhere. "Once we're gone, you'll be able to leave." she added grudgingly. She might be letting him live, but Ivy still wasn't prepared to let him go while she and Harley were still in the vicinity. That was a completely unnecessary risk.

"And the plants…?" Adam asked nervously, watching in amazement as dozens of vines detached themselves from the wall and slid beneath Harley's body before lifting her from the bed, somehow managing to keep her body completely flat as they slithered across the floor and out into the hall.

"They like her." Ivy replied enigmatically. "They won't harm you. And…" As strange as she felt saying it, Ivy felt that she had to, "…thank you."

After a stunned pause, Adam managed to stutter a reply. "You… you're welcome… just doing my job…" Admittedly his job didn't usually involve being kidnapped and held at gunpoint, but it did basically boil down to saving a life, didn't it?

The plants blocking the fire escape door had already pulled back, Ivy unlocked and opened it before stepping aside to let the vines carrying Harley pass. Unlike a stretcher, the vines could adjust their height as they moved down the stairs, thus ensuring she was kept absolutely still. Even so, Ivy watched them anxiously for several moments before facing Adam again.

"The plants will block this door again after I leave, but it won't be locked. They'll stay there for an hour, then they'll let you go. So even if you do go to the cops, we'll be long gone, so it'll do you no good."

"I already promised you I wouldn't do that." Adam knew that pointing that out wouldn't help him leave any sooner, but it made him feel better about it.

"I know, but there's no way I can be sure that…" Ivy's voice tailed off as the sudden realisation struck her like a sledgehammer. How could she have been so stupid? There was an easy way to make sure the doctor wouldn't betray them, and it was so obvious that she couldn't believe she had forgotten it. Stress. Had to be the stress and worry about Harley. And it wasn't like it was too late…

The attack was sudden and unexpected; Adam didn't have a chance to react as Ivy darted forward, much less back away, before she grabbed hold of his lapel. What was even more unexpected was that Ivy didn't take the opportunity to stick a knife in his back. Instead, to his shock and horror, she kissed him.

Adam stumbled back as Ivy released him, apparently stunned. Finally he was reacting to her properly! "Remember not to tell anyone you saw us." she ordered, knowing he'd have to obey now. Feeling far more confident, she turned and headed out onto the fire escape; closing the door behind herself then quickly heading down the stairs to get Harley into the car.

Back in the apartment, Adam was still recovering from the surprise. Now that it was clear she hadn't been trying to poison him, (otherwise he'd be dead by now, wouldn't he?) he was starting to feel somewhat indignant, at both Ivy's actions and her order. He'd already promised not to go to the cops, hadn't he? And what the hell had she kissed him for? Was that supposed to be a bribe of some kind? Because it wasn't a very good one.

The fire escape door was already completely concealed by vines once more, but they seemed to have no interest in him now, which was good. Since he was going to be here for a while, Adam decided he'd better go check that there weren't any lipstick marks on his face. He'd certainly have had trouble explaining those to Grant…