Chapter Two
Harleen opened her eyes slowly, she felt disorientated and her head and neck were throbbing. "Where am I?" She stretched her arms wide and yawned loudly.
"Hellooooo beautiful"
Harleen came to her senses immediately, she was still in the chair in the deserted hospital ward, and there in the bed next to her was a very awake looking Joker.
She stood up and looked at him, "My name is Dr Quinzell, I'm going to be treating you while you're here." She moved closer to the bed "I need to check your dressings to make sure your wounds are clean and healing as they should be."
"Why so ssserious doc?" he smirked "We could have some fun here, you and I" He licked his lips and looked at her.
"The only thing I'm interested in is treating your injuries so that you are fit to stand trial. I'm not interested in anything you have to say."
The Joker chuckled "Don't you wanna know how I got these scars?" He licked his lips again.
"Not particularly, I'm more concerned with preventing you getting any new ones"
He looked surprised for a moment then tried to sit up. Wincing with pain he fell back again laughing "Okaaay doc do your thing"
Harleen gently moved his clothing out of the way as she examined his injuries. The bruises were vivid against his skin the lacerations looked even more brutal. Carefully she checked each of the places she'd stitched carefully swabbing and redressing them, they looked clean enough. The swelling over his ribs had gone down as she gently felt them to make sure nothing had been missed. His skin was warm and soft under her fingers; she could sense his surpresed energy and strength bubbling under the surface. Next she checked his shoulder, the joint appeared to be comfortably in place so she removed the sling.
"I need to check your eyes now you're awake" she said to him "you've suffered a concussion and I need to make sure there isn't any lasting damage."
She picked up the small torch and came towards him, he looked harmless enough but still she was wary.
"Don't worry doc, I wont bite" he grinned sensing her unease.
She shone the torch into his eyes "look straight ahead for me please" there didn't appear to be any damage just a little bruising on the retina but that was to be expected. His eyes were almost black; it was like looking into a bottomless pit. Small flashes of green and brown caught the light of the torch and she felt herself drawn in. His gaze was hypnotic and she couldn't tear herself away.
Suddenly the door flew open and a young male nurse walked in. He was carrying a scalpel and he looked furious.
"Step away from the clown" he hissed taking a step towards the bed.
"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Harleen faced him squarely "this is a restricted area this patient is off limits to all hospital staff"
She heard the Joker start to laugh as the nurse came forward.
"I've come to finish the job those cops started, he doesn't deserve treatment. My mother was at Gotham General when he blew it up, she didn't get out. I'm here to make sure neither does he."
He made to lunge at the bed but Harleen was waiting for him, grasping his forearms she caught him off balance and he staggered backwards. Bringing her knee up to his stomach she winded him and he fell to the floor groaning. He dropped the scalpel and she kicked it away under the bed. The door opened and the guard rushed in.
"I heard the commotion is it the Joker?" The guard looked confused as he saw the Joker cackling in the bed and the nurse groaning on the floor.
"This nurse attacked my patient, I thought the doors were being guarded, the only people allowed in this room are myself and Commissioner Gordon" She straightened her hair, "please remove this man"
The guard yanked the nurse to his feet and led him from the room. Harleen turned back towards the Joker who was grinning widely.
"You've got a little fight in you, I liiiike it" he licked his lips "you're beautiful when you're angry"
"Shut up" She walked over to the medicine cupboard on the wall and took out some painkillers. Filling a glass with water she came back towards the bed. "Here these will help with the pain"
"No thanks doc"
"But you must be in a lot of pain, I promise they will help"
"Pain is character building, I don't need it"
"Suit yourself" she placed them on the table next to him, "I'll leave them there in case you change your mind"
She sat down again on the chair wishing she had a book or something to do, this was going to be a long few days.
"So doc, wanna play a gaaame?" the Joker whispered, "it's real boring here and I'm not good with boredom"
"What sort of game?" Gordon had warned her not to speak to him but he was right it was boring and he seemed harmless if a little odd.
"20 questions, if we're going to be spending some time together we might as well get to know each other"
"Alright, that sounds harmless enough"
"I'll go first, why are you helping me when everyone else wants me dead?"
She thought for a moment "I believe you deserve treatment the same as everybody else does despite what you've done to this city. If I had let that nurse attack you I would have been no better than…." She stopped realising what she was about to say.
"Me?" He finished softly chuckling
She looked at him and nodded slowly, he seemed satisfied with her answer.
"Your turn"
"OK, do you have a name other than the Joker?"
"No, my turn"
"That's not fair, you must have a name, your parents can't possibly have called you Joker, what sort of a name is that!?"
He looked at her and she shrank back slightly. His face was calm but his eyes were murderous. "Now now doc, only one question at a time," he hissed. "Tell me what you know about the Batman"
"I don't know anything about him, all I know is that he brought you here last night but I didn't even see him. Commissioner Gordon was the one who asked me to look after you."
Joker laughed, "yessss they are quite a double act aren't they?"
"My turn, how old are you?"
The Joker rolled his eyes at her, "Come on doc, can't you think of anything interessssting you want to ask me?"
"Just answer the question"
"I'm older than you" he winked at her "My turn again"
Harleen sighed knowing that he was never going to give her a straight answer no matter what she asked him. Might as well stick to the stupid questions that way they matched the stupid answers.
"What's your favourite colour?"
She looked at him, surprised "purple"
He grinned "something we have in common doc" he looked down at his clothes.
"My turn" She paused should she risk a more serious question? "Do you have any family?"
"Not aliiive" he licked his lips "wanna know now how I got my scars?" Without waiting for her answer he continued, "When I was a child, my father was a drunk and a fiend. One night he came home drunker than usual. Mom took a kitchen knife to defend herself, but he didn't like that. Not. One. Bit. With me watching he takes the knife to her and when he finishes he turns to me. 'Why so serious' he asks me, 'you know you should learn to smile more. Lets put a smile on that face' he says and now I'm always smiling." He paused and licked his lips again "Shame he can't be here to see me, d'you think he'd be prooooud?"
She looked at him in horror, was that really what had happened to him as a child? It would certainly be enough to screw him up completely; he was humming to himself now seemingly uncaring about what he had just told her.
"My turn again doc" he said, "Are you scared of meeee?"
"No" she said resolutely looking him in the eye. As far as she could see there was nothing to be scared of, he was still handcuffed to the bed and in a fairly bad way, yes he was a little strange but she had seen more frightening patients on the psychiatric ward.
The Joker chuckled "maybe you should re-think that answer"
Without warning he leapt up from the bed and grabbed her round the throat, she realised he had a knife in his hand, where had that come from? She felt her breathing coming in short shallow gasps as adrenaline coursed through her body. Was this the end was he going to kill her? His cuffed hand held the knife as he held tight to her with his other arm. The one that had been dislocated she thought he must have incredible strength, the pain must have been unbearable.
"You should be afffraid of me, I've done some terrriiible things," he whispered. She could feel his hot breath tickling her cheek. He tightened his hold on her.
"But you've been sooo good to me and I wont forget it."
He ran his knife along her collarbones softly caressing the delicate skin with its tip.
"If I were you I would let me go" Harleen said shakily "you wont find anyone else in this hospital to treat you and if those wounds get infected you could die."
"And would that bother youuuu?" He purred, his voice husky.
"It would be a painful unpleasant death, I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
The Joker laughed softly "very noble of you Harley, I wonder if you will change your miiiind."
Suddenly the door to the room started to open and Harleen felt him retreat. One of Gordon's men came in carrying a suitcase.
"Commissioner Gordon asked us to bring you some clothes Doctor Quinzell, is everything alright?"
The guard eyed the Joker warily, he was now led back on the bed, he looked as if he were asleep.
She took a deep breath "Yes everything is fine thank you officer. Will you thank Commissioner Gordon for my clothes."
The guard nodded and left the room, Harleen turned back warily to the bed.
"Well doctor, you are not as pure as you pretend to be" the Joker said smiling lazily at her "you didn't tell the guard about our little dissscussion"
Harleen said nothing, why hadn't she told the guard that this madman had attacked her? She stole a glance at him, he appeared to be asleep, a smile on his lips as if he had just discovered a favourite new game. She gave a snort, he had, her! Warily she went over to the bed and looked down at him. His makeup was badly smeared across his face revealing his skin beneath. A few strands of greenish hair clung to his forehead where the skin was bare. His clothes were filthy, covered in dry blood and dirt; a footprint was visible on his waistcoat from where someone had stamped on him. How could they just beat him she wondered as she looked down at him. They were the ones who were supposed to protect people from violence not condone it or even join in. All of them against this one man, Harleen couldn't help but feel for him, it must have been frightening being set upon by members of Gotham's finest. He must have thought he was going to die. She looked at his expression, for once still and calm with none of the lip licking or scar twitching that usually animated his features. Did anyone care about what happens to this man? Had anyone ever cared? He probably doesn't deserve any sympathy she thought, the acts he had committed had reduced the city to ashes, but still……there was something so compelling about him, his voice was hypnotic his gaze impenetrable. What made this man tick she wondered.