Chapter 4
He had asked to meet him at the pier. As Jim walked down to the end of it, Oswald stood there waiting for him, leaning elegantly on his cane as the breeze caught his jacket and ruffled his jet black hair. His gaze was fixed on Jim as he hurried down to meet him, and all Jim could think was how he wanted to wrap him in his arms and take him away from the water's edge. He had not forgotten that cold day right at this spot when he had been forced to fake shooting him and then push him in the water.
"Why here?" Jim asked as he joined him, he couldn't help giving in to the urge to look down at that cold, deep water, then back to his lover as he felt a flicker of regret that he had ever allowed that situation to escalate to Oswald almost drowning.
"Why not here?" he replied, "The day you didn't shoot me, you saved my life, it was here on this very spot. Kiss me!"
Jim stood behind him, wrapping his arms about him tightly as Oswald turned his head and they shared a kiss. Then they stayed together, Jim holding him protectively, as they looked out across the river.
"I've never been so happy before," Oswald said, "I thought what I had with Ed was wonderful – it was, once. But being with you is so different, I've never really been loved before, not like you love me."
"You deserve love," Jim whispered as he held him, "You deserve to be loved every day of your life. When I'm not with you, I still have you in my heart and I'm still loving you."
"And I think I feel that every day," Oswald said as he started to smile, "It's like you never leave me, Jim."
He looked up at him as love shone in his gaze. Jim smiled down at him, looking into the eyes of his lover as it felt like the most perfect day on earth simply because of their togetherness. They stood there for a while just watching the water.
"It was time to make a good memory on this pier," Oswald said as they turned back and started to walk away, further on, a parked car was waiting and Victor was standing beside it. Oswald had some business to attend to and today, their meeting had been brief. Their hands were linked as they walked up to the car. Victor Zsasz looked away, minding his own business. Then Oswald's phone rang. He looked at the number and gave a sigh, letting go of Jim's hand.
"Underworld matters," he told him, "I need to take this call in private, sorry."
Jim nodded, then he stood beside the car as Oswald walked off a short distance to speak to the caller.
Victor turned his head and looked at him.
"I know you and Penguin are on opposite sides of the law, but I think you're good for him."
Jim smiled, taken by surprise at the usually silent hit man's remark.
"Thanks, Victor. I do care very deeply for him."
Victor paused for thought.
"But you know he's never gonna leave Ed?"
Jim turned towards him, again surprised by another remark, this one had been something of a shock. Victor knew Oswald very well and had no reason at all to try and warn him off unless he had genuine doubts...
"You think so?"
Victor shrugged.
"I guess he just can't let go of the guy. Those two have had some terrible fights – it's got really bad lately. But they won't break up. It's Penguin, he can't let go of him. And I don't think Ed could walk away if he tried. They're bad for each other, there's something wrong with Ed, he's just too crazy these days. But Penguin won't leave him."
"I think eventually he will."
Victor smiled as he shook his head.
"Keep dreaming, Jim. Don't get me wrong – you're a nice guy, actually, I like you a lot... but you need to open your eyes. Penguin won't ever break away from Ed Nygma. Maybe I should mind my own business, but you don't deserve to get your heart broken."
As he looked into his eyes, he saw sincerity there. It was the first time he had shared a real conversation with Victor that wasn't about crime or trouble, and he was mildly surprised. He saw warmth in his eyes and returned his smile.
"Thanks for the warning," Jim told him, "But I'll take my chances. He's worth it."
Just then, Oswald ended his call and rejoined them.
"I have business to attend to," he said to Jim, "I'm sorry we had to keep it brief today. I'll see you soon."
He stepped closer and they shared a kiss, then Oswald got into the car and Victor drove him away. Jim stood there alone for a while, looking back at the end of the pier and beyond it as the waters of the Gotham river sparkled under sunlight. He was sure he would always love Oswald, even if he never left Ed, and that was something he had just realised he needed to get used to – it was likely he would never have Oswald all to himself, but maybe what they had was enough, if love could be enough...
That was the last time he had seen Oswald before life had turned into a nightmare. He didn't know it as he stood there watching the water, but later on that evening, the world was about to turn dark as hell, into the worst kind of nightmare Jim could imagine...
Ed had been quiet ever since Oswald had returned home from his meeting. That evening they skipped dinner and got ready and went out together for once, to the Iceberg Lounge. They had very little conversation on the way over to the club, when they went inside, Oswald had greeted familiar faces with a smile and poured himself a drink, then fixed a drink for Ed, and he had called him over to sit with him at his favourite table. Ed had left the other side of the bar where he stood alone and taken a seat, looking intently at Oswald.
"It's about time we had a night out together," Oswald said, sipping his cocktail, "And you'll be pleased to know, the iceberg is going. I'm having this place refurbished. I thought I might rename it the Nygma Lounge, what do you think about that?" he smiled as he looked across the table.
Ed remained expressionless as he gently slid his drink aside, then he leaned on the table and looked hard at his lover.
"Seen much of Jim Gordon lately?"
Oswald looked back at him calmly, thanks to his years of practise in dangerous situations with dangerous people, lying and hiding his true reaction to a shock was easy.
"Jim? I don't think so, not for a while. Why do you ask?"
"Because I followed you this morning. Your meeting business meeting was in The Narrows at mid day. You left at nine thirty and went to the pier for almost two hours. I saw you with him, Oswald."
His face paled as his jaw dropped and he looked wide eyed at Ed.
"I...I just bumped into him..."
Ed was tense but holding back on his rage. His eyes reflected coldness, it was close to the kind of insane cold rage that he had not seen since Ed had learned he had killed Isabella, and even that was a weak comparison to the icy look that now reflected in his eyes.
"I saw him holding you! I saw you walk back to the car holding hands!"
"You're mistaken," he said, glaring at him as he realised he feared his rage as much as he feared losing him, "I wasn't at the pier today, Ed. I may have bumped into Jim at the pier a few weeks or months ago, I can't recall the exact date - but it would have been police business and I can assure you, I would have been avoiding him where possible, he's a cop – I certainly wouldn't be holding his hand!"
Ed looked at him for a moment, then he paused for thought.
"Have it your way Oswald. Keep lying."
He stood up, and his face became a mask of rage.
"I know you're fucking him!" he yelled, and he grabbed his drink and threw the contents in Oswald's face.
Oswald whipped a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his eyes, then wiped his face and looked at the bewildered crowd who were all staring at the owner of the lounge as alcohol dripped from his hair and stained his suit. Ed had just left. Victor hurried over to the table.
"Want me to go after him?"
"No," Oswald said, rising from his seat and dabbing at the stains to his jacket, "Just follow him, make sure he gets home safely. He's not himself right now, I don't know what's wrong with him but I think I've just made it worse. He knows about me and Jim!"
"Oh no..." Victor said.
"Just follow him, make sure he gets home safely," Oswald said again, "I'm staying here at the club tonight, I'll be fine. Now hurry, keep an eye on him for me."
Victor left quickly, keen to catch up with Ed. As he made his way out of the club, Oswald had never felt so self conscious as he felt stares from everyone in the place. Ed had just publicly humiliated him. Maybe he deserved it, maybe not. He knew nothing justified his affair, but Ed had pushed him too far. It felt like they had come to the end of the line.
Oswald leaned heavily on his cane and went up the stairs, then he sat in his office, thought about calling Jim, but decided it was best to wait until morning, after he had gone home to Ed and tried to smooth things over. He sat up there with a drink in his hand, in the semi darkness, reflecting on his life. For once he was glad to be alone. Then his heart ached and he took his phone from his pocket. Jim didn't need to know about this until morning, but he just wanted to hear his voice. He called his cell phone, then as he heard his recorded reply saying to leave a message at the tone, he recalled Jim was working late tonight.
"Hi Jim," he said, I just wanted to call you, no reason really – so I'll just say I love you and I'll call you tomorrow. Stay safe out there, speak soon."
Then he ended the call, put the phone back in his pocket and sat in silence at his desk, lost in thoughts of Ed and the mess he had made, but still his heart warmed through with hope as he thought again of Jim Gordon.
Those thoughts kept him company, warming away the cold sense of loneliness and the chill of uncertainty as he sat alone, wondering how the hell this mess with Ed could be cleared up. Right now, it seemed like there was no solution to the situation...
Jim had been working non stop that day, he had been out on the streets with Harvey tailing suspects and then later taking down two armed bank robbers, they had taken them alive, now they were locked up and reports had to be filed. Jim glanced at the clock. It was dark outside and almost ten thirty. He gave a weary sigh and looked at the paperwork again.
"It's been a long day."
"It certainly has," Harvey agreed.
As Jim began to finish up the last of the paperwork, Harvey's desk phone rang. He answered it, then he listened, then he spoke again at length, and Jim wasn't paying any attention, because it wasn't his call and he was tired and he wanted to clear up all that needed doing today and then go home to his bed.
Harvey got up and put on his coat.
"Jim," he said, "We're leaving, it's urgent."
Jim gave a sigh and left his desk, threw on his coat and turned to Harvey.
"That's all I need, out on another job tonight!"
But then he noticed the look in Harvey's eyes. It was sombre, he was looking at him intently. It was the kind of look he recognised after years as a cop – that look when someone was about to break bad news.
"Something serious has happened," he said, "And you need to stay calm and remember where you are right now."
Fear clutched at Jim's heart. He had just been warned to keep it together...
"What is it, Harvey?" he demanded.
"Tonight a man was found in the alley behind the Iceberg Lounge, he was the victim of a very serious assault, his injuries are so bad the city hospital had just had him transferred to Arkham hospital's specialist ICU. He may not make it. I'm so sorry, Jim. It's Oswald Cobblepot."
As the shock hit him, he was glad Harvey had placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. It was hard to breathe as his eyes filled with tears.
"It must have been Ed!"
"We don't know that. The club was open at the time of the attack, but he was up in his office with the inner door locked. The fire exit was open, he would have gone out the back way. Anyone could have jumped him in that alley in the dark."
Jim's heart was racing as he felt torn between his duty as a cop and the need to be with Oswald.
"Why wasn't Zsasz with him? He's supposed to protect him!"
"He sent Zsasz to check on Ed."
Jim was confused.
"He wasn't at the club?"
"Witnesses saw Ed Nygma have a quarrel with Oswald, Ed threw a drink in his face and walked out. Oswald told Zsasz to make sure Ed got home okay. Cops are down at the club taking statements and Zsasz has already been very helpful. I'm sure if anything comes up, we'll get a call. Right now, the only person who knows the identity of the attacker is Oswald – and he's not likely to be waking up any time soon."
Jim blinked away tears.
"It has to be Nygma!"
"He was informed of the assault as soon as the hospital found Oswald's ID – apparently Ed claimed to be at home at the time."
Jim felt cold with fear as he thought of Oswald, badly injured with Ed at his bedside...
"I'm telling you, Nygma did this! You can't leave him alone with Oswald -"
"Jim," Harvey said, trying to steady him with his calm, even tone, "Nygma isn't with him. He's been arrested and he's being brought in for questioning. He's the only suspect we currently have."
"I just need half an hour alone with that bastard!" Rage burned in Jim's eyes.
"No," Harvey said firmly, "You're going over to the hospital. You need to be with your loved one. Jim, he may not last the night. You are too close to this case to get involved. Go and be with Oswald."
Jim just stood there for a moment as the crazy thought ran through his head that he was a cop and he needed to be here to make sure Nygma was charged. He wanted to beat a confession out of him. But he knew he was too close to the case, Harvey was right. Then it suddenly hit him; Harvey had said that Oswald might not survive.
"I'm leaving right now," he said.
"That's a good idea," Harvey told him, "Take as much time as you need. Just stay with him, Jim."
He nodded and then blinked away tears.
"I want you to call me as soon as he's charged."
"I'll do that," Harvey promised, then Jim dashed off, running from the building then ripping his car keys from his pocket as he raced to his car to drive through the night at speed with the siren on, to be at the bedside of the man he loved.
When Jim arrived at the hospital, he looked back at the asylum close by and his thoughts briefly switched to Nygma: That was where he belonged. If he had a say in this, he would make sure Ed went back there and never got out again...
Once he had parked the car, he hurried to the hospital entrance and went inside. It was easy to be directed to Oswald's room once he had flashed his badge. As he headed towards the open door, he slowed his pace, feeling a sense of dread. The man he loved was in there, barely holding on to life and knowing that was breaking his heart. Then he saw Victor leaning against the wall outside his room. The usually tough and quiet man was looking tearful. But if he had cried, he had done it and got it over with, now he had a yearning for revenge, he could see it at a glance.
"What do you know?" Jim asked.
"Ed had a fight with Penguin at the club, he threw a drink in his face. Penguin was worried about Ed and he asked me to follow him and make sure he got home okay. I tailed him and saw him go home, he went in and turned the lights off, I sat there for half an hour, then I headed home. I'd been home for around twenty minutes when Ed called me to say Penguin was hurt. I got over to the hospital and they were about to transfer him here when the cops came along and arrested Ed."
"How did he react?" Jim asked.
"Screaming like a lunatic, saying he didn't want to leave Oswald... But I don't know for sure he stayed home after he went in and put the lights out. He drove the car around the back, he could have taken the back way out of the estate and gone back to the club. I was at the front of the house the whole time."
"What have the doctors said about Oswald?"
Victor paused, gathering his thoughts. He knew this would hit Jim hard.
"He's had bad blow to the head and he's also got internal bleeding. They're trying to treat it with medication. They can't operate on the head injury. They said if he makes it through the night, he stands a good chance of pulling through. That's why he's in here. The rest of it isn't life threatening, he's got some cracked ribs, they're worried about his leg, he's taken some more damage to it and the doctor said if he does survive it could be a while before he can walk again – if he walks again... I want Nygma to get out on bail so I can put a bullet in his skull!"
"Leave it to the cops," Jim said quietly, then he walked into Oswald's room. He had seen many victims of violence in his time as a cop but to see someone close to him suffering like this, was a heavy blow. As he stood at his bedside and gently touched his hand, he saw the bruises on his face, then he looked to the machines around his bed. Anger was rising inside him like a volcano. He wanted to go back to work and walk into the interrogation room and grab Nygma by the throat and force the truth out of him. But he wasn't leaving his bedside, one look at Oswald told him that he needed to be here.
"Who did this to you?" he asked quietly, "Was it Ed?"
But Oswald was deeply unconscious and showed no sign of hearing him, his eyes were closed and he was pale and still as death and seeing him like this scared Jim more than he wanted to think about. He thought instead about all the trouble and the rough times Oz had been through in the past – he could survive this, he could get through it. He had to survive...
"I'm staying," he said quietly as he hoped he could hear him, "I'm not leaving. I'll still be here when you wake up, Oswald."
Back at the GCPD, Edward Nygma was in an interrogation room with Harvey Bullock, who sat and looked at him across the table.
"Why did you have a fight at the club?" he asked.
Ed had been crying. He was shaking, trying to contain his anger at the arrest as much as he was trying to hold down his self control and not collapse into a sobbing wreck. He wiped his eyes and put his glasses back on.
"You have no right to keep me here! How many times do I have to tell you, I didn't do it! Yes, we fight, and it's not been great lately but I'd never hurt Oswald like that! I was dragged away from his side, he could die and your cops dragged me away from him!" he stifled a sob, "I just want to be with him. Please, I'll answer all your questions – just let me see Oswald."
As Harvey looked at him, he silently concluded that Nygma was very lucky Jim was not present, because if he was, he would have got a confession by now, and quite possibly Ed would be in almost as a bad a way as Oswald...
"We quarrelled at the club because I saw him with another man," Ed said quietly, he fixed his gaze on the table as he spoke, avoiding eye contact, "I saw him at the pier with some guy... it seemed romantic. I asked him about it and he denied it, but I know when he's lying."
Harvey said nothing for a moment as he put two and two together: Nygma had found out about Oswald seeing Jim? Shit, this was bad...But he was a cop with a job to do and he had given Jim enough warning about the affair. If it came out in court, his career would be over, but he believed in justice as much as Jim did and this needed to be done...
"You threw a drink over him?"
Ed nodded.
"And then you went home?"
"Yes."
"And then you waited a while and went back to the club and in through the back exit and you assaulted Oswald?"
"No!" Ed looked up sharply from the table "I never laid a hand on him!"
"Do you know the guy you believe he was seeing behind your back?"
Ed's eyes shone with cold rage.
"Yes, I do, Harvey. He's been fucking Jim Gordon."
Harvey paused, then concluded that he could still do his job without Jim losing his, there was more than one way to deal with that piece of evidence and still secure an arrest...
"I think you know how crazy that will sound. Jim is one of the most honest cops on the force. He wouldn't associate that closely with a man of Oswald's reputation. So, you saw him with a guy, just some random guy you didn't recognise and -"
"It was Jim!" Ed thumped his fist against the table, then quickly pulled back on his rising anger, it was a struggle to hold it back but he tried to focus on the other matter heavy on his mind instead of Harvey's questioning.
"Could you at least let me know if Oswald is doing okay? Please, I'm begging you, I just want to know he's still alive."
"Maybe you are worried, or maybe you're just scared he's going to wake up and say you tried to kill him. Jim Gordon had to step in between the two of you a few months back. You were assaulting Oswald, he was on the ground and Jim had to pull his gun to make you stop!"
"That was another matter, it was nothing to do with this! I'm nothing to do with this!"
"You can keep this up all night," Harvey told him, "But I will get the truth out of you, Nygma. Everyone knows you're a psychopath. The only reason you walked away from crimes you were accused of, is because Oswald owns half this city. But if you did try and kill him tonight, understand this..." he leaned closer, "If Cobblepot dies, you will be charged with murder. I'll make sure you're charged! I'll also make sure you go back to Arkham and stay there for the rest of your life!"
Ed blinked away tears.
"It wasn't me!"
"I think you're lying," Harvey replied, then he carried on with his questioning, hoping either Ed would crack and confess, or Oswald could wake up and tell Jim who had done this. It was going to be a long night...
By dawn the next morning, Jim had woken up in the chair where he had fallen asleep at some point between three and four am. He sat up and blinked, then saw a doctor checking the monitors that surrounded the bed.
"How is he doing?" he asked.
"He seems to be showing signs of stabilising," she replied, "If he keeps going like this, he could be out of danger soon. But he's not completely stable yet."
"Do you know when he's likely to wake up?"
She shook her head.
"There's no way of telling right now. He's still very weak."
The doctor left the room, then Jim leaned over Oswald and placed a gentle kiss on his brow, just below a livid bruise. As he sat up straight in the chair, he felt a hand briefly touch his shoulder and he glanced around to see Victor standing there. He handed him a cup of coffee.
"Drink this, go home, get some rest and I'll wait with Penguin," he said, "You can't stay here all day and night, or you'll be no good to him when he wakes. You have to take care of yourself too, Jim."
He sipped the coffee.
"You're right," he agreed, then he drank some more of it and set it down on the table next to the bed. As he got up, his gaze lingered on Oswald.
"Call me if there's any change," he said.
"Of course I will."
"And thanks for being here," Jim added.
"I'm here for the boss," Victor replied, "And assuming it was Ed who did this, you're Penguin's guy now. I need to treat you like his guy. I'm trying to do what he would want me to do. So go home and rest."
"I won't be gone long," Jim replied, then he took a glance back at Oswald and reluctantly left the room. As soon as he was gone, Victor sat at his bedside, then spoke to him quietly.
"Penguin," he said in a low voice, "Can you hear me? Wake up, I need to know who did this. I need to know who to go and kill... Was it Ed?"
But Oswald gave no response, remaining deeply unconscious.
After returning home, Jim showered, changed his clothes and then called Harvey. Thankfully Ed was still in custody, but frustratingly had refused to admit any part in the assault. Harvey told him to focus on Oswald and to leave the case to him, then he reminded him that he had some leave coming up that was long overdue.
"It sounds like Penguin's fighting his way through this," Harvey added, "He's going to need you. I'll say you called in sick today, then we'll sort out some leave for you. By the way, Nygma told me he saw you and him together at the pier. But don't worry, I'll make sure that doesn't get out, your job isn't in danger yet. And we still have enough time to keep Ed in custody – if Oswald can name him as his attacker, we can send Ed straight to Arkham."
"That's where he belongs," Jim agreed, then he had ended the call and gone to his bedroom, where he laid down feeling drained and exhausted, and fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up again, he saw four hours had gone by. He called Victor, who said Oswald had not woken yet, but the doctors had said he was still in the process of stabilising. Jim had returned to the hospital, only feeling a mild sense of relief to be back at Oswald's bedside once more; he knew he was showing signs of pulling through, but until he opened his eyes, he felt like peace of mind was out of his reach. Victor looked tired, he had stayed with his boss ever since Jim had left and now he said he would be back tonight, and walked out of the room.
Jim sat down and took hold of Oswald's hand. It lay still and unresponsive in his grasp and at that moment, he felt useless. All he wanted was to see Oswald open his eyes, he knew he was far tougher than he looked and he believed he could pull through this. Then he stirred, turning his head, as he weakly grasped at Jim's hand.
"Oswald?"
His eyes slowly opened, and to Jim, it felt like a miracle. He had a brief moment of panic as he caught his breath and looked about the unfamiliar room, then as pain flickered through his bruised body it registered on his face. Tears filled his eyes as he gripped his hand harder.
"It's okay," Jim told him, "You're in the hospital, you're safe now. Someone tried to kill you, who did it?"
Oswald looked up at him and as he recalled hazy memories of the night before, a tear ran down his face.
"Just tell me, please give me a name," Jim said.
"It was Ed," he whispered.
As he sobbed again, Jim leaned over him, wiping away a tear as he kissed his cheek.
"And you never have to worry about Ed again," he had told him, before making an urgent call to Harvey.
That was the day Edward Nygma was charged with attempted murder. He was taken to Arkham within the hour...
Ten Years Later:
Jim was driving through the city, still thinking about the day Oswald had woken up and named Ed as his attacker. Even though the events he recalled had happened a decade ago, it still felt sharp and fresh, it was still painful. Then as he turned a corner he blinked, looking to the sidewalk as he wondered if he had just imagined seeing Ed Nygma walking towards a tattoo parlour. No, it was definitely Ed, he was wearing a dark green suit and looked tense as he entered the building.
Jim pulled over, parked the car and got out, then he crossed the street and watched through the window as Ed went out the back, and once the place was quiet, he slipped inside, wondering why the hell he was following Edward Nygma and spying on him like this...
