Chapter 7
Valhalla was a disco club in the seventies, boiling over in illicit drugs and sensuality. Over the years, its clientele mellowed into Yuppies during the eighties and New Age martini drinkers during the nineties. Today, Valhalla is a quiet tavern-like atmosphere where the lonely and downtrodden go to do their drinking in solitude. Nine out of ten barstools are the regulars, alcoholics who no longer have to tell the bartenders what their drink of choice is.
The tenth barstool holds a patron well on her way to inebriation. Her blonde hair let out, it flows over her shoulders, with just a hint of tangling from being bound for hours on end while at work. Catherine Henner sits in silence with her glass, the defeat of the day's events worn heavily on her face and in her eyes.
Like most professions, women doctors must work harder to earn their positions and respect from colleagues. To become a Senior Virology Researcher at a prestigious institution like GUH at the age of 29, the woman must not only be extraordinary, but willing to sacrifice much of the frivolity of early adulthood.
Catherine spent her early twenties doubling course loads in undergraduate and graduate schools, and interning at Hub City General Hospital's ER to experience the worst of what urban living can produce. At 25 she earned a spot on the Gotham University Research team traveling to Africa to study infectious diseases. Upon her return, she was offered a full time position with the University Hospital. In the course of one day, it seems all her work and determination was stripped away by one misogynistic egoist.
Lost in her thoughts, she doesn't notice another customer take the stool next to her.
"I'll have what she's having." Bruce Wayne motions to the bartender, who picks up a bottle of bourbon and pours it straight for the billionaire. "Wild Turkey, straight up. And here I thought you might be uptight."
Catherine least expected to see Bruce in a place like this. "Well, Thanksgiving is in two weeks, I thought I'd get into the holiday spirit."
"I heard you might be here after a bad day."
"It certainly wasn't one of my best."
Bruce consoles the doctor as best he can, knowing it was his call to bring in Snood. Catherine knows Bruce had Gotham's best interest at heart, though his good intentions have left a painful bruise on her own ego. The pair talks for hours, Catherine outpacing Bruce in drinks. Bruce asks about her past, trying to understand the passion that drives this woman to excel in her field. She talks of her past with the Africa expedition and horror stories from the Hub City ER, with gang warfare and drug addicts.
But, it is her revelation of a much more personal event in her life that really peaks Bruce's interest.
"At one point, while I was still an undergrad med student, I thought I was going to have to give up and change majors."
"Why? You don't strike me as the type that walks away from a challenge."
"No, it wasn't that. I became pregnant at 21. The guy freaked out and disappeared of course, even transferred colleges to get away from us. I thought about the options. I couldn't get an abortion; that would contradict my goal of saving lives. Adoption didn't seem fair to bring a child into the world only to abandon it. The third choice was to sacrifice my career aspirations, but I was too stubborn for that. So, I pushed on, determined to do it all. When my daughter was born, I learned that she had SCID, severe combined immunodeficiency. Do you know what that is, Bruce?"
"More commonly known as bubble boy disease. But it is treatable these days if caught early enough, right?"
"Some strains are; the more rare ones aren't. She was born with a mutated strain that isn't treatable yet. She's never left the hospital."
"Is that why you went into virology?"
"Just an irony. I'd already decided to pursue this specialty. The University allows me to work after hours on her case. I'm sure Snood won't allow that in his research facility."
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen, Catherine."
An awkward silence falls between the two. Certainly Bruce hadn't intended to learn this much about the doctor when he showed up here to smooth over the events of the day. Catherine suddenly became aware how much her guard was lowered from the alcohol, and now feels more vulnerable than she would like with someone whose intentions aren't exactly apparent.
"Well, I told you my secret, let's hear one of yours to make this uncomfortable for both of us."
"I'm afraid mine aren't nearly as interesting."
"Then I guess I need to go sleep this off and hope I drank enough to forget our conversation."
"Or we could try this conversation thing again tomorrow night, maybe over dinner and a little less bourbon?"
"Why wait until then? We could try breakfast instead."
The insinuation is not lost on Bruce; he pays the tab and the couple exits the bar together.