Chapter two
'Witness the birth'
I really dislike driving through the Narrows, unfortunately there is no alternative route to Arkham.
People are sprawled along the side of the Narrowborough bridge mostly drug addicts and drunks, this is about the time I lock my doors their staring eyes made me feel uneasy, somehow guilty. Ironically I'm more afraid of driving through the narrows than I am sat across from notorious crime lords.
Harleen passed me as I was walking toward my office, I'd made a plan to avoid seeing her as soon as I saw her Blue Volvo parked in the car park. The first thing I noticed was the big black costume bag hanging over her arm, I have no doubt as to what's in it. Hopefully the dress won't fit me and I won't have to go on Friday, in a dream world that would happen, actually if its Harleen's dress it definitely won't fit me, she's rather small at 5'1 compared to my 5'5 so I might not have to go.
"Your dress Mer, it'll fit don't worry" she smiled at me as though reading my thoughts, although the smile was one of them 'ha ha I win' kinda-smiles, she handed me the dress,
"How long have you been planning this?" I pouted at her and faked a smile. God, I don't want to go.
"Who? Moi? Plan? Never…" oh great now she was joking with me, she giggled, oddly Harleen had a high pitched giggle you'd never expect if from such a small hard working person, I rolled my eyes at her and gave a feeble laugh, she intimidated me a little bit.
"There's a few things you need to remember Mer, when you get there a table will be situated in the centre of the reception area, they'll be name badges on it. Just remember to pick yours up."
"Right, name badges, reception, need it. Got it. Anything else?" I rolled the to do list around in my head for a while, letting it sink in so I didn't forget the last thing that I needed was to draw attention to myself.
"Actually there is one thing, Jack Napier, I was thinking I'll take over Tomorrow, if you don't mind doing his session today?" she looked at me hopefully, I wonder what she'll ask me to do next, clean her bathroom? Give her my first born?
"That's fine, I only have him on the schedule today then, I guess I should hang this up, heaven forbid it'll crease" I motioned to the bag now resting over my arm and Harleen gave a small smile before waving me goodbye and walking toward her office the way I'd just come.
"What's up doc?…your looking tasty today" Jack Napier, supreme sleaze bag. He sees women as objects, he has no feelings for anything but himself, it would probably have been more wise to give him a male psychiatrist, but Harleen figured if he was going to learn he'd have to learn from a woman. Well she hasn't met him yet.
"Jack, we've talked about this why aren't you supposed to say things like that?"
"Because…its demeaning to women" after a few moments of frowning at me with his raised eyebrows he began to laugh a low rumble laugh that shook his chest up and own.
"Or so you tell me"
I hate it when he's in one of these moods, it was likely this session would only last an hour and we'll have to sedate him to transport him back to his cell. I sighed.
"How are you today?" I usually asked him this to determine how he was feeling, whether he'd be inclined to talk to me it also distracted him from watching me unpack my daily assessment sheet the one time I forgot to distract him he pushed my papers on the floor that was when I first started, I've learnt a lot since then.
"Oh you know, the usual. But you'll just tell me I'm being 'distasteful' again and lock me away in the loony bin with all the nut jobs… well, the other nut jobs" I hated it when he mimicked my voice, I hated it even more when he stared at me with his stupid smirk.
"Jack, do you remember last week when were talking about Batman? why don't you tell me a bit more about him?"
I ruffled my sheets a bit diverting his attention for a while before looking him in the eye, his expression which I had feared, changed completely his eyes becoming hard and cold staring back at me but within a blink of the eye he was back to his smiling self and I found myself wondering if I'd imagined it. I'm a bit wary of broaching the subject of Batman, a couple of weeks ago he'd become very enraged and reached over to grab me, thankfully the guards situated at the doors rushed in so I was quite alright just a bit shocked, of course now Jack has to be strapped to his chair as a precaution, for good behaviour though he'll be allowed to sit without restraint, he knows this he just chooses to ignore it.
"Yes."
"Do you remember the drawings that you drew of him?"
"The batty bat…bat! Flies, high in the sky but soon enough he'll fall' his wide eyes grew wider than I thought possible and his hands were clamped against the table digging in hard leaning forward toward me, the guards started toward him but I raised my hand to stop them we're getting somewhere now,
"He's pathetic dressed up in his costume, fighting something he can't stop he's a rodent, a menace. He should be stopped, he should be looked up in here not me!" he began hysterically thrashing his head around wriggling against his restraints trying to scratch me with his filed fingernails.
"Jack I want you to calm down before I have to sedate you"
"I'm just trying to make you laugh doc, that's all I ever wanted don't you want to laugh doc? it's the best medicine" he began reaching out toward me making me flinch back in my seat, the chain on his restraints jingling against his chair menacingly. That noise made me cringe. The guards were about to step in but I held my hand up again. Jack began to hold in his laughter spluttering every now and again letting it out,
"Your right your right. I shouldn't laugh at that its wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong…" he began to laugh again loud rumbles of it echoing around the white washed room.
"I know something ol' bat-breath doesn't…but it's a secret.."
"Jack…?"
"Do…do you think…" he was gasping for breathe between his fits of giggles "do you think…ol' Batty could…could take me on? Just let me out doc, I'll kill him!" he became deadly serious toward the end of the sentence staring me down again with that wide wild smile looming in on me. I stumbled backwards out of my chair almost falling over, only catching myself against the wall, his intense gaze causing me to shake uncontrollably.
As the guards began to sedate him he became even more rattled shouting things and struggling against their hold,
"I think I'll become a clown…a joker…I have the charming good looks! Wouldn't you agree doc?" he flashed his teeth at me again, "and my tagline hmm…how about, he's a scream, You'll love him" his voice was so deep I felt it through the table.
"weeelll, maybe not eh?!"
His cackles were still heard as he was taken to his padded cell, when they finally subsided I was alone in the corner of the room shaking like a leaf.
"I don't know what happened Harleen. One minute he was as good as he gets the next minute…" I trailed off pulling the sleeves of my cardigan over my hands something I'd done since I was younger its like a comfort for me.
Fifteen minutes after Jacks incident the guards had come back and I'd been taken to Harleens office interrupting her work.
She set a cup of coffee in front of me the steam rolling upwards like mist,
"Drink this." she walked round to her own leather chair and sat down, worry written across her stunning face,
"I can assure you Meredith this won't be the last time something like this happens, its scary I know, I've had thousands of patients like that" she was leaning forward her hands crossed in front of her as she looked sternly at me almost motherly, I guess in a way that's what she is a surrogate mother,
"Yeah.." I began to rack my brain over what had occurred, it had happened so quick that my mind hasn't had enough time to process it all,
"He did mention something"
"Yeh?"
"Yeh, he told me to he was becoming a clown or a joker' I can't remember exactly but I know he said joker.. He said he'd make us scream or something" I looked at Harleen concerned,
"I shouldn't worry about it Mer, we have cameras in there we'll replay it back, anyway after today he's not your patient" I smiled at her and nodded, sipping at my coffee, urgh! It was far to strong, with no sugar, in fact I'm sure there isn't any milk in this- there was a light knock on the door interrupting my thoughts, Lyles lean muscular self was leaning around the door smiling sympathetically towards me then shifting his gaze on to Harleen,
"Ms Quinn, we could use your help down in the south wing, Jacks cooking up quite the storm"
Harleen sighed "Excuse me Mer, I'll be back in a minute" Harleen left me with a pat on the shoulder, the door slamming behind her as the room became deathly silent. I'd never experienced anything quite like that, Jack scared me half to death, well, he scared me enough to make me rethink my career path.