Jason Todd x OC
Word Count: 1,747
Summary: A fateful night in Gotham City sends a young girl spiraling as she discovers a part of herself that could spell disaster for those around her.
A/N: So not as uplifting as I may have promised, but the pieces are slowly coming together!
/
Cold. Everything felt cold. The stiff cushion she seemed to be laying made her whole body ache, it was crying out for her to stop moving, but no matter how hard she tried, she had no control over her own limbs. Her ears filled with a loud screaming sound, a deep vibration and sharp movements that would jolt her around. Managing to open her heavy eyelids, Ayida took in what she could of the world around her. It was dark although there were some lights coming from some place ahead of her however faint, and there was an occasional bright yellow light that would temporarily blind her vision cluing her in to being in some sort of vehicle. Where was she? What was going on?
Trying to remember what had happened, the first thing that came to her mind was the stinging of a needle in her neck and that slimy whisper "No running away this time." Panic began to bubble in the bottom of her stomach, her chest tightening in fear. The man, the drugs he continued to subdue her with, the knife he dragged across her thigh in a fit of rage, the man crawling in through the broken window, the gun. Everything came back in quick flashes, tears beginning to well at the corners of her eyes. She shot him. She picked up the gun and shot him. She was a murderer.
Another jolting turn sent pain spiking through her leg, overwhelming all of her thoughts. Her jaw clenched in response, but her mind faded, everything began to feel farther away, like she was being pulled away, drifting farther and farther. She wanted to scream, cry, hoping this wasn't going to be the end, thinking of all the plans she had made for that week, how she had been wrongfully attacked and wouldn't get to see Mr. Grumby or his cafe again. Her eyes drooping shut, bright white lights were the last thing Ayida saw before it all went black.
"Ayida. Come on darling, let's grab lunch and take it to Daddy."
"Okay Mommy I'm coming!"
Her mother smiled warmly, her callused hand outstretched as she knelt down towards her. She wore a beautiful pink dress that matched Ayida's, her hair done in soft curls that rested at her neck. It was her birthday, and she had been promised that they got to do whatever she wanted, so when she asked if the two of them could visit her dad, her mother simply smiled and told her to pick out pretty dresses for them to wear. She had chosen the same dress from the past two years, but this time she picked out the pink dress her mother wore when her father got his job. It was missing a button in the back but her mom still put it on.
They settled into the car, although Ayida had to fidget around in the carseat for a bit to get comfortable. It was a hard blue plastic that would scrape against her legs despite the towel that had been laid down to protect her from it. The seatbelt was scratchy against her chest and she always ended up with a red mark from it, but today she could put up with it. She was going to finally see her dad before dinner time!
"Come on mommy lets go!"
Her mother laughed, shaking her head and put the key in, turning it over. Only it wasn't the usual sound the car would make, it was making a weird clicking noise. This noise kept happening more and more whenever her parents had tried to start it, and it usually ended with her father saying a few bad words, or her mother in tears, a sad look on her face. Ayida looked down at her feet trying not to cry, she didn't want to miss out on her birthday wish, but she didn't know what she could do to help.
"How about we walk? You can even say hi to Mr. Grumby when we pass his shop."
Ayida perked up at her mothers words, hope sparking in her eyes once again. Her mother undid the seatbelt, and helped her out of the carseat, returning to their old brick apartment to grab their coats. The building had green vines climbing up the sides of it, the base of the building cracked by the dirt of their driveway. The porch was white but was missing a lot of paint, something she liked to pick at when she sat outside. There were some dandelions growing by the bottom steps, giving her an idea. She ran over to the flowers and plucked them with a wide grin, putting one in her hair.
"And what are you up to my little princess?"
"Flowers for Daddy! And this ones for you Mommy!"
"Aw thank you precious, do you want to put it in my hair for me?"
Ayida giggled as her mother knelt down for her, placing the yellow flower just behind her ear. After helping get her coat on, the two of them took off down the sidewalk, skipping towards the cafe that old Mr. Grumby owned. The entire way there, Ayida would stop and grab more flowers as they came across them, thinking that Mr. Grumby could have a few too. She had stopped before a crosswalk to grab more dandelions wanting more of their pretty yellow colors in her little bundle when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Ayida look, who is that?"
Quickly looking up, her gaze started at her mothers face before wildly glancing around. At first she didn't see anything, but as she followed where her mother was pointing, her father was standing in front of the door to the cafe, his smile growing wider as he waved. He started walking over towards his side of the crosswalk, suitcase in hand, making her want to run to him, jump in his arms and hug him. She glanced up at her mother who gave her a nod, before taking off across the street. He met her halfway there, dropping his case and scooping her up, spinning around as he did.
"There's my little princess! Did you think I was going to miss your birthday?"
"No Daddy! We were coming to get you lunch!"
"Really? I was coming to get you lunch!"
"You're silly Daddy! I love y-"
"EMMETT LOOK OUT!"
Her mothers scream scared her, looking away from her father to see a bright red car racing towards them. Her mother was running towards them as her father pressed a kiss to Ayida's check, shoving her away behind him. She landed on her butt, losing one of her sneakers as she tumbled backwards. Mr. Grumby grabbed her by the arm, yanking her up into his arms, backing away into his cafe and locking the door as she screamed and kicked, wanting to run back to her parents. What was happening? Where was her father, where did her mother go, who was in the red car?
"Cover your ears and close your eyes, little one. No one can hurt you here."
Ayida did as she was told, sobbing behind the counter of the cafe with a couple of other people who had been in the shop. Another lady sat with her, holding her in a hug saying that everything would be over soon and they'd be okay. Outside she could vaguely hear her mother's screams as well as another mans. Another voice joined them before a car door slammed and a loud bang sound echoed. Everything went really quiet as another bang echoed, then a high pitched squealing sound as the car drove off again.
The first thing she did after the room grew quiet was wiggle out of the women's grasp and run to the door. She wanted her fathers hug, her mothers warm smile, she needed them, any sort of reassurance that they were safe. Instead she saw their unmoving bodies in the middle of the street, a pool of red liquid spreading under them. She banged on the glass of the door screaming for them to get up but they wouldn't move, like they couldn't hear her. The flowers she had picked were strewn by the sidewalk, yellow blossoms trampled and flattened.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The steady rhythm of the heart monitor grew louder in her ears as she came to consciousness. There was a whooshing noise, like an old vent fan, as well as other machinery sounds. She felt numb, yet everything hurt. Like she had been hit by a freight train but didn't know it. Daring to open her eyes, she instantly regretted it, the bright white light of the room burning her eyes, tears threatening to pool. Her mouth was dry, her lips cracked as she tried to call out. The sound she did happen to make however was a low groan that cracked mid way out.
A pair of quick footsteps made their way into her room as she tried opening her eyes again, looking to her left instead of straight above her. A nurse was standing beside her, reaching for what was most likely a call button of sorts. Something to alert others that she was awake. A hand turned her head to the right, a male doctor holding a small light was talking to her, something about her pupils and moving her toes. He flashed the light in her eyes a few times then had her move her toes and fingers.
If she had been more awake in the moment she probably would have told him off, instead she pointed to her throat and let out another croak. He must have gotten the message, because he left and came back with a glass of water and another nurse as well as a police officer. The team helped move her into a sitting position, adjusting both the bed and her leg to a comfortable position so she could drink without spilling any down the front of her gown. The water was cold and tasted refreshing, easing the scratchy feeling at the back of her throat and the dryness of her mouth. The nurse that had been there when she first woke up, sat down beside her taking the empty cup when she had finished it.
"I know this must be confusing and terrifying for you, but you're in Gotham General Hospital. Can you tell me your name?"
"It's Ayida. Ayida Rhodes."
