Hope was exhausted. She'd gotten little to no sleep, since the break out. That had been a week ago, and Oswald had shut down, clammed up, or whatever. It had taken so long to get him to open up, in the first place.
On top of her not sleeping, she was forgetting to eat, as well. Since the breakout, she'd gotten more patients, and had no time for much else. She knew that she'd collapse, if she didn't slow down soon, but she needed to help the patients.
For the past week, she had crashed at her office, or worked, instead of sleeping. She didn't go home. She was having difficulty figuring out how to deal with one of her new patients.
Hope exhaled loudly, and stretched her arms above her head. She put her hand on the back of her neck, and gently massaged it. She groaned as she shut Joker's file. He tended to throw her for a loop. Some of the comments that he would make, would make her blush. That had only made it worse. She kept it as professional as possible, but he didn't like that. He enjoyed unsettling her.
Hope rubbed her eyes. She looked at her coffee mug, and sighed. It was time for a coffee break. She grabbed the cup, and headed for the faculty break room.
The corridors were empty. She quietly walked to the room. She suddenly felt like someone was behind her. She stopped in her tracks, and turned. No one was there. She shook her head, and continued to the break room.
She yawned as she made her coffee. Maybe she'd take a nap for a couple hours. It sounded like a great idea, but she still had more to do.
Maybe she would take a vacation, after everything was back on track. When everything had settled down. It seemed so far away right now though. She ran a hand through her hair, and finished making her coffee. She headed back to her office, still feeling like she was being watched. She ignored the feeling, until she got to her office.
The french doors were open, and the lace curtains were billowing in the wind. Hope frowned, setting the cup of coffee on her desk. She went over to the doors, and looked out. Empty. How had they gotten open? She shut the doors, and turned around.
She gasped when she saw Batman standing in front of her. She put a hand over her heart.
"Do you always sneak up on people?" Hope asked.
He just looked at her. She raised her eyebrows as she tried to calm her racing heart.
"Is there something I can do for you?" Hope asked him.
"When was the last time you left Arkham?" He said, in his gravelly bvoice.
She frowned.
"I've been busy. I've got new patients, and some are more difficult than others." Hope said.
He just looked at her, barely blinking.
"When was the last time you slept?" He asked.
She sighed.
"It's been a while. Like I said, I've been busy." She said, exhaustion clear in her voice.
"You've been given the Joker, haven't you?" He asked.
She frowned, as she crossed her arms in front of her.
"I'm sorry, but I can neither confirm, nor deny, whether or not I have a patient by that name." She told him.
She saw his lip twitch.
"One of Joker's previous therapists was manipulated by him. Be careful around him Dr. Lake." He told her.
She walked over to her desk.
"I can take care of myself, and I'm more professional, than that. I've read the Joker's file. I know about Harley Quinn." Hope said.
"The Joker is a master manipulator." He said.
Hope took a sip of her coffee, and looked up at him.
"I might be new to Arkham, and Gotham, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing. I fully understand what he is capable of." Hope said.
His lip twitched again.
"You should get some sleep." He said.
She shook her head.
"I have too much to do still." She told him.
His lips tuned downwards slightly.
"You're going to collapse soon, if you don't rest soon." He told her.
She sighed, and a moment later, she began swaying on her feet. She put a hand on her temple.
"Maybe I should sit down for a moment. My head is starting to spin." She muttered.
She went to sit on the couch, but her legs buckled. She was surprised to find that she didn't fall to the floor. Batman was next to her in an instant. He had caught her before she fell. He walked her over to the leather couch.
"Thanks." She mumbled.
"You need to sleep." He told her.
She sighed.
"I just need some coffee, and I will be fine." She told him.
He shook his head.
"Either you go on your own, or I will make you." He told her.
She frowned.
"Why do you care so much about me? I mean, I'm sure that there are more important people out there, that need your help, more than me. Why are you wasting time on me, and my lack of sleep?" She asked, looking at him.
"I'm not wasting time with you, you are a very important part of Gotham, and you health, and sanity, is in jeopardy, if you're not sleeping." He said.
She frowned, and exhaled loudly.
"Fine, I'll go home, and get some sleep." She grumbled.
His lips twitched again, more prominant this time.
"Good choice." He told her.
She rolled her eyes, and stood up. She went over to her desk, and drank some more coffee.
By the time she turned around again, Batman was gone. She sighed. She could just do more work, he would never know, if she tried. However, sleep sounded much better right now, especially in her own bed. She exhaled loudly, and gathereed her things togeher. She shut and locked the doors, and headed for her car.
She managed to make it to her car, and home, in record time. She locked her door, and headed for her bedroom. She dropped her things on the table, and started undressing as she went along.
She didn't bother getting into pajamas, she fell into bed with just her underwear on. Almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was sleeping. She'd never noticed her bedroom curtains billowing in the wind, and the open window. She never noticed the dark shadow in the corner of her room, seemingly watching her.