((Sorry for the wait!))
The shining florescent lights above her hurt here eyes when they first opened. Her body was tired and rattled weakly when she took a deep breath in her lungs. The smell of medicine filled her nose. Where was she? She turned her head and groaned quietly and she heard a rustling as if someone was right next to her. She opened her eyes again looking and seeing one nurse who was surprised she was awake. So she was in a hospital? She cleared her throat and spoke softly, "Morphine, please. My body hurts so bad," Nirvana choked out.
"Of course, I'll ask the doctor," the nurse spoke quickly and moved out of the room in a flash. She braced her arms to lift herself up, grimacing the entire time till her back rested against the pillows. Her eyes fell on another person in the room. A man she didn't know who was looking at her as if she was a bomb about to go off. He was older, greyed. A police officer? She wasn't sure.
"Can you... can you turn the lights off? I don't want people to see me like this," she whispered as she rested her head against the back wall. The man nodded silently and moved to the wall and flipped off the light switch so the light coming from the window and the hallway still illuminated everything but not as harshly as the white light above them. Nirvana thanked the man and looked around the room, getting a grasp of reality.
"How long have I been out?" She asked curiously, looking back at the man.
"3 hours, maybe 4," he stated honestly as he moved to a chair and pulled it up next to her hospital bed.
"4... 4 hours?" She stated in disbelief. "That much... he put so much... I should be dead," she stated, closing her eyes as she tried to remember all the events leading up that day.
"Well there were a couple close calls, but... here you are," he explained quietly as he looked at her. Nirvana looked at him and then back out at the room. Hallucinations merely clung to the corners of her vision. She bit her bottom lip as she tried to take it all in. She looked down at her wrists. Blood still black in the veins but the orange had disappeared.
"I want to see myself, help me to the mirror," she asked firmly, already moving to get up from the bed.
"Dr. Nelson I don't think that's a good id-"
"I haven't really seen myself in a year, sir. I'll go by myself," she stated as she continued out of bed till she felt a pain shoot up her arm. She looked down at her arm and saw IV needles snuggly inside. She shook her head and quickly pulled them out, grimacing at the pain but she wouldn't. She wouldn't have anymore needles inside her. Not that day. The man stared at her in shock as she pulled each one out and set them on the bed. She scrambled out of the bed, using the man as a brace at first but he grabbed her arm and shared her weight as she was lead to the bathroom. He stood her in front of the mirror and she breathed deeply, scared, terrified of what she was going to see in herself. He flipped the light switch on and she saw herself. Really saw herself for the first time in months. Her breath caught in her throat as a hand raised to her face. Her once green eyes shone orange in the light. Her skin was no longer olive just pale as a sheet. Her body was thin. Sickly thin, with little muscle definition. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she gripped the sink, looking away from her reflection.
"Let's get you back in bed, Dr. Nelson," the man stated gently, placing a soft hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off, keeping her eyes on the sink.
"I knew I looked like a monster," she stated simply, her running a tongue over her lips as she felt rage bubble in her chest. "Crane must be here too. He took almost as much as I did," she questioned darkly.
"No, he's not here. He's at Arkham, coming down. He wasn't as bad shape as you. We thought we'd keep that monster away for good," he explained dryly.
"I wasn't the first you know. He's experimented on patients before. Apparently a lot of them died," she spoke bitterly, pulling out Crane's words in her head from the first night she was there, "A lot of maximum security inmates knew about him. He works with Joker too. Riddler. All of them," she explained.
"We'll get him to tell us everything," the man stated firmly and Nirvana answered with a dark chuckle.
"No you won't. He won't say a word."
...
Gordon watched the young woman go through so many emotions at once. Her energy was dark, scary almost. She had a rage in her that he couldn't even hold against her. After some more talking, she asked to be taken down to the cafe and he had a nurse take her down, stating he'd pay for whatever she ate. Those startling orange eyes looked at him as she was wheeled away, something unsettling sat there. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on edge as she was pushed out of view.
He called the precinct and ordered watches on Dr. Nelson at all times, never leaving her side. He also ordered clothing for her. Her clothes would be in an evidence bag in the police station. With that, he followed the nurses trail down to the cafe, planning on asking Nirvana a few questions before he left her. He heard whispers of the woman with raven hair and glowing eyes and he prayed that they would learn to keep their mouths shut while she was around.
For their sakes.
...
The nurse spoke to Nirvana in nice tones. Not overly sweet as if she were a kicked puppy but also not with dry tones. They made pleasant conversation as Nirvana ate more food then either thought she could pack in her. Nirvana was thankful for the woman's company. She felt eyes on her and she felt extremely exposed. But with one curt look from the older woman, eyes turned away from them. They didn't talk about anything having to do with what happened to her. The woman showed Nirvana pictures of her cildren and dogs. Let Nirvana watch videos on YouTube, innocence. Sweet intentions. Nirvana was so grateful soon that tears fell from her eyes and stained her cheeks. The nurse was concerned at first but realized these were tears of joy and didn't bring it up again.
Soon, the man from her room was sitting down with them and Nirvana looked up from her 4th bag of cheap and second turkey sandwich. The nurse exposed herself to get them cups of coffee and Nirvana put down the chips and looked at the man.
"My name is Detective Jim Gordon, I've been working on your case all these months. I want to ask you just a couple questions before I let you go for the day," he stated politely. Nirvana nodded but didn't say anything, waiting for the questions.
"I know it was a long time ago, but can you tell me what happened that night. Just whatever you remember," he asked.
"I remember everything, Jim. All of it," she answered with a cold tone to her voice. She explained the night in vivid detail, Jim taking every detail into his mind while he watched her speak. She explained the room and Crane's growing affection for his greatest experiment.
"Did he... you know, did he ever..."
"Oh god no. This isn't an obsession built on lust. But on fear," she stated coolly, waving off the accusation. Jim nodded, understanding her and she continued, stringing the detective along, having him hang on every word. He shook his head as he imagined all this woman went through. When she was done talking, she picked up a half of her sandwich and ate it quickly and took a sip of fountain soda and relished in the taste of the bubbles in her mouth. Soon the nurse sat down again, handing each of them a cup of coffee.
"So, do you know what his serum is made out of?" Gordon asked, taking a sip of his coffee. Nirvana had to think about that. She had never seen him make it, nor questioned his methods or ingedients.
"Its an upper. Jitters, heart beating really fast, jumpy. Those kind of things. And obviously a hallucinogen. You can literally feel... everything," she stated, voice getting more quiet as she talked, before looking back down at her chips and eating them silently.
"And Nirvana, how are you feeling? Is there anything I can do for you, that we can give you?"
"I want Crane's head on my mantle. I want him dead, not sitting cushy in Arkham. I want this year back... I want my life back. My looks back. I want..." she breathed out in a sigh before finishing, "I want a cheese burger, no pickles, grilled onions with a side of chili fries. I want to not look like a skeleton anymore." Orange eyes stared intently at her bag of chips while Gordon stood from the table.
"I can atleast do that last part for you," Detective Gordon stood from the table with his coffee in hand, "I'll be back in a little while with that burger for you," he moved away from the table and left the nurse and Nirvana by themselves.
"I didn't catch your name ma'am. I'm sorry," Nirvana stated, looking at the older woman with a smile.
"Oh. My name is Meldrid, but everyone just calls me Millie," the nurse stated politely.
"Okay Millie it is. Thank you for everything, I really appreciate it. Do you happen to know what my treatments are going to be?"
"I believe the doctor said something about a nutrition plan to get you back to a healthy weight as well as much needed sunlight. And then physical therapy 3 or 4 times a week because your muscles are extremely weak and we need to get you back to fighting shape," Millie answered with a small smile.
"Good, good, now can I ask... do you mind if I bum a cigarette from you?" Nirvana asked quietly, looking at Millie with big orange eyes, "Just one," she asked, or more so, pleaded the older woman who nodded in an understanding gesture. The two women cleared up all the trash and Millie threw it away before pushing Nirvana outside to the back of the hospital. Both women took a seat on a picnic bench. Nirvana insisted on getting up out of the wheelchair and sitting next to the woman while the watched the sunset. If Nirvana could say one thing about Gotham General, the view of the city was beautiful. Millie pulled out her pack of cigarettes and they shared one after another. Speaking quietly about other things. Things that didn't have to do with her situation. At some points there was silence and they just watched the city move and Nirvana would think to herself about how she had longed for this moment. To feel normal. For now the itching of need for the toxin was at bay. Her stomach felt full and warm. Freedom, is what she felt as the wind picked up and blew her long black hair around her face. Millie had taken to looking at Nirvana at some points but not say anything. However, towards the end of the last cigarette, the older woman turned to Nirvana and spoke carefully.
"You know something, Dr. Nelson? I think you're still very beautiful," Millie stated kindly and Nirvana could tell she was speaking truthfully. Nirvana gave a small smile and nodded.
"Thank you, Millie. I think you're beautiful too," Nirvana said honestly and Millie only nodded and looked back out into the city.
...
They stayed out there for an hour, chit chatting as if they had been friends for years until they saw Detective Gordon turn the corner with a bag of food and a large drink in his hands. Both women greeted him warmly and for a moment, Jim saw a normal woman behind those glowing ember eyes. Millie rolled Nirvana back inside and bid farewell to Gordon as he departed and soon the sun was setting.
Back in her room, Nirvana saw a bag of Morphine sitting on the IV stand and she refused to put anymore needles in her arm. 'Keep that for someone else, I don't want any needles in me for a while,' she had told Millie as she climbed back into her bed, pulling the hot food onto her lap and began digging in. Millie left her then, having to go back to work, doing rounds but she was Nirvana's assigned nurse through the entire process, so she would see the lovely old woman again soon enough. She turned on the TV and flipped it to the news. She had a lot to catch up on.
...
Darkness had rolled across the hallway and Nirvana hadn't been able to fall asleep. She wished she had a book or something to write in. She decided to instead go to the bathroom and take a shower. She was lucky enough to get basically a hospital suite, which Millie had said was a gift from the Wayne family. Maybe Bruce Wayne felt bad that she was taken at his party. Or because she had been a friend of the estate since her high school years. But she didn't question it too much, she had a shower in her room.
Stood under the water for a long time, enjoying the heat and the steam. The fresh smelling soap and shampoo. The lights were turned off in the bathroom while she stood in the dark. And it seemed like the shadow figures she had come to know in behind her eyelids danced but only barely visible. Her skin itched at the thought of it. She'd need her next dose soon. And she wouldn't get it because Crane was stuck in Arkham and she was outside now. And withdrawls would be soon to come. After maybe two hours, she got out of the showet, dried off, and went back into her room. When she looked on the hospital bed, there was a bouquet of yellow roses and a small card.
'Dr. Nelson,
Get Well Soon,
Yours,
B. Wayne,'
She flipped the card over in her fingers and saw a scribble on the back, 'We'll catch up over coffee when you feel better'. She gave a faint smile and picked up the roses and sat down on the bed with the bouquet in her lap. She took one rose from the pile and began to touch the petals on it. It was strange how surreal it felt as she ran her fingers over them. She wondered if everything would feel like this? Soft and fragile. Things had been so hard and coarse in the room she had been in. She pulled off the petals with small tugs and wondered if it would be so easy to lose that fragility. She was a psychologist and she knew she'd be in for some mental torment when the shock of freedom wore off. She picked up on particularly bright petal and swept the rest to the side. She laid down, resting on her side as her fingers danced over the the soft texture as her eyes grew heavy. Could sleep really come this easily? She wondered as her body drifted in and out of conciousness.
...
"Nir... Nirvana... Ni..r...vana," quiet whispers came out of pale lips as dazed blue eyes searched through the darkness. He had screamed her name since she was ripped from his side. Even when he swam through his own nightmares, her face danced along the visions. "Nirvana, Nirvana, Nir... Nirvana," he whispered continuously. When he tried to move his arms, there would be resistance. When he tried to stand, his legs wobbled weakly and he'd fall back to his knees. His back was against the wall, facing the door. But a door to what?
He expected prison bars and loud noises. But even when his whispers died down, it was only cold, empty silence. His head would lull side to side as he tried to regain some sort of composure but he was still heavily drugged. He didn't expect to make it out of the situation alive. He was hoping both him and Nirvana would have died in that room.
"Nirvana, Nirvana, Nirvana," he stated again, a little louder than before, his head still moving side to side, "My little Nirvana. You're in so much trouble my little Nirvana," he finished as he looked up to see a familiar blue eyes look through the window into his room. He smirked to himself as the door was blown off its henges and Harley Quinn stood there with a pink bubble of bubble gum sticking out of her mouth and a detonater in her hands.
"Oh, Johnny, you look like you've had a rough day," she stated after she popped her gum loudly, "Come on, Mr. J is waiting for us," she cooed before walking in and pulling Scarecrow to his feet.
"I've got a stop to make first," he stated, his head still swimming and she pulled him away from the wall to undo the straps of what he assumed was a straight jacket.
That left him in Arkham. What a bunch of idiots.