Chapter 13

Hey guys. Sorry this took so long. College took over my life. And I've been nosy with a separate project, an actual novel. It's super different from this, obviously. But any fans of paranormal romance can touch base with me and read some of the excerpts here if they're interested: "a wistly wonderland . blogspot . com" (Without the spaces and quotation).

I'll try and update more often, especially now that I'm on winter break! Keep those reviews up! :)

Alfred kept my mind occupied, asking me about Brody's training and my father's health. Al really was being sweet, even though the only thing, the only person I wanted to talk about was the Joker. But I couldn't tell Alfred that. The information could go straight to Bruce.

I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep in front of the television until I woke from the ringer on my phone. Dad.

"Hello?" I wiped the sleep from my eyes and hobbled to the kitchen to pour some kibble for Brody. Alfred bought a little bag of dog chow for our spontaneous visits.

"Kid, you alright? You not come home last night."

"I'm fine. Bruce's penthouse."

Dad grunted on the other line. He was obviously worried, his accent was more prominent as he rushed through his words. "You hear news? Dent in hospital. Stay at penthouse, clown loose again."

"What?" I spilled Brody's kibble, which he hungrily gobbled up off the tile floor.

"Stay safe. Keep pup with you. All times."

"Sure, dad. I may not be home for a few days. Lock all the doors. Better yet, stay with Uncle Sal."

Dad laughed nervously on the other line. "I take care of self, kid. Good care."

"Yeah, okay," I rolled my eyes. "I'll talk to you later."

I grabbed my coat and ran for the door, almost tripping on the carpet and smacking into Alfred.

"Oh, sorry!"

"Master Wayne arrived home while you were sleeping. He's in the study."

"Tell him hi for me okay? I'll be back later, I have to go visit Harvey."

"Miss Laurel…"

I gave him a stern look.

"Laurel," he corrected himself without his familiar smile. "There is other news."

I furrowed my brows in confusion, wondering why Alfred looked so sad. "Did the Joker do something to Harvey?"

Alfred subtly dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief, stowing it away in his pocket. "To Miss Dawes as well."

I blanched, holding onto Brody for balance. "Is she in the hospital too?" I could feel the tears coming. I already knew the answer.

He shook his head, taking out the damp cloth from his pocket to dab at his eyes again.I leaned against the wall, sliding into a sitting position on the soft carpet. Rachel was so nice. She was nice to everyone. And he killed her. He just killed her. I wonder if it meant anything to him. Probably not.

"How did she…?"

"Explosion." Alfred looked towards the ceiling, stalling any leftover emotion. He stowed away the embroidered fabric once again. "If you'll excuse me, Miss Laurel. Master Wayne isn't in the best of conditions right this moment."

"Of course," I managed, wiping away the extra tears that kept blurring my vision. If Bruce was shaken up, Harvey must be devastated. And he was in the hospital. Hopefully, he found out already. I won't have the heart to bring it up during a visit.I took a few moments to gather myself and left the penthouse. A mobster didn't cry. I dealt with death all the time. I have to suck it up and keep my composure. Especially if I'm going to visit Harvey, the man Rachel was most likely going to spend the rest of her life with.

The hospital was in pandemonium. A copious amount of staff members were wheeling patients out in chairs, stretchers, anything they could get their hands on. The police were there too, helping out and loading patients into buses.

"Excuse me, but what's happening?" I tapped a police officer on the shoulder and asked loudly. The only answer I received was a gentle shove in the opposite direction, the officer pushing me out of the way.

"Great," I muttered. "Thanks."

I just walked into the hospital. Nobody stopped me. I looked at the number I wrote on my hand, the ink already smudged from my sweat and previous bout of leakage. I passed a room full of nurses and a police officer. Finally, someone paid me mind.

"Miss? You shouldn't be in here. The hospital is being cleared," the officer turned to me. One nurse was grabbing a handful of folders, most likely medical references. The other, who was wearing a surgical mask, wasn't doing much of anything. She watched me, extremely observant of every motion I made.

"No problem slick, I was just on my way out," I lied. Saluting him, I faked left until he resumed his paperwork, sneaking past the window once his back was turned. The third nurse watched me go. She must not be too worried about hospital protocol. She didn't alert anyone.

I lightly opened the door, sitting next to Harvey until he woke up. It took him about ten minutes or so to come around, slightly turning his head. His entire side was covered in serious burns, his face taking the most damage.

"Laurel?" He sounded just as awful as he looked. I took care to act like everything was normal.

"Hey buddy," I smiled. "How ya feeling?"

He ignored my attempts at being friendly. "You heard. Didn't you?"

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"You know how it feels to lose someone that you love, all because of contact with that sociopath. You nearly lost your father." He was speaking in low rasps. "Does it ever go away?"

"The hurt?" I thought for a moment. If I ever lost dad, I would always have a hole in my heart, an empty space where he used to be. "I don't think so. But I know the anger you're feeling. That will go away. Because you have to remember that you're so much better than him. Revenge isn't something that can avenge Rach, Harvey."

Whether he agreed or disagreed, he didn't say anything. He lay in his hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. We sat in silence for a bit. I didn't want to leave until they rolled him out of the room.

A gunshot caught my attention. Harvey turned to look at me. He looked genuinely frightened. I never thought I'd see him scared. Ever.

"I'll go take a look." He relaxed a little when he saw me pull out my handgun and unleash Brody. Just as I was about to yank open the door, I heard someone trying the doorknob. I jumped back when it flew open, landing in a rickety wheelchair. Before I could get up, my vision was going in and out. From a bump on the head? It took a few seconds, but once I could see clearly, I noticed a pair of handcuffs imprisoning me to the wheelchair spokes and my dog's jaw locked on a nurse's ankle.

The nurse shook him off, jabbing him a few times with the butt of a gun.

A nurse… carrying a gun? At this point, I was beyond confused.

She sat down, keeping her face away from me. A muscular arm reached up to scratch at her head. That was either a bodybuilder or clearly not a woman.

The nurse wasn't scratching at her head. What I thought to be a full head of red hair was actually a wig, now being pulled off to muss up short green-tinted waves. Harvey's eyes widened, any previous signs of fright quickly morphing to anger.

"Hi," the Joker uttered, biting the inside of his cheek and pressing the button that inclined Harvey's hospital bed.