"Jervis? You have a visitor," said Dr. Leland.
Tetch had been reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and now looked up in astonishment at Dr. Leland. "Visitor?" he repeated. "Who?"
"You'll have to see," she said, unlocking the cell.
He followed her down the hall to the visiting room in puzzlement. When he saw who his visitor was, his jaw dropped. "Alice!" he gasped.
She stood on the other side of the glass, smiling gently at him. Billy was there with her, supporting her with one arm, and gazing at her tenderly. She still had a few stray cuts and bandages, but otherwise she looked mostly recovered. Dr. Leland unlocked the door between the visiting room and the cells, and Alice rushed to embrace him. "Oh, Jervis," she whispered, holding him gently. "I'm so happy to see you again!"
"Alice," he whispered, still not quite believing this was real. And then the realization hit him, and he hugged her tightly. "Oh, Alice! You're not late after all!"
He burst into tears and she held him, not saying a word.
Dr. Leland left them, heading for her office. "I'm glad she doesn't appear to have any permanent damage from the attack," said Batman, who suddenly appeared from a corner of the room.
"So am I," agreed Dr. Leland. "It was a terrible thing to happen, but it's over now. I think everyone can move on with their lives."
Batman was silent. "Do you think Tetch can move on with his?" he asked quietly. "You were saying he appeared to have come to some sort of acceptance."
Dr. Leland smiled. "I told Alice, and I'm telling you, I can't completely diagnose him," she said. "I don't know if he can ever be cured. I don't know if this is some sort of first step toward recovery, or just a step further of losing himself in his madness. But I do know that where there's love, there's hope."
Batman looked at Alice and Tetch embracing each other gently, and nodded. "Yes," he murmured. "Yes, there is."
The End