Chapter Five:

Sudden Interest

I've had three weeks of building a fundamental trust between my patients and me. So far, I'd say that they have begun to think of me as their friend, rather than their psychiatrist. This is good. This is going to make treating them a faster and smoother process; which is exactly the course I need to be taking right now. I need to work my way up to the Joker A.S.A.P. My only encounter with him wasn't even a real encounter. We didn't greet each other, exchange pleasantries, or even speak to each other. I will admit though that I'm grateful that I haven't run into him again. I need to build up my level of confidence a little more before I see him again. I don't want to crack under that piercing glare again.

On a lighter note, Guy and I have been hanging out almost every day for the past couple of weeks. We just started apartment hunting online and I'm really excited to start checking these places out in person. Living in the uptown district is going to be so refreshing. They've got nicer buildings, cleaner streets, and friendlier neighbors. Not to mention that once Guy and I live together, I'll have a guaranteed ride to work every day. I can't wait!

So far, this Tuesday morning has gone by rather quickly. I finished my morning session with my jitterbug patient and my mouth has run dry with all of the excessive reassurances and promises that I had to make. My little jitterbug is my favorite patient; but boy does he love to hear me talk. I would like to carry a bottle of water with me during my sessions with him, but he's afraid and disgusted by the idea that I might suddenly spew water on him. I've assured him that that scenario is extremely unlikely to ever happen because honestly, that's something that people do on purpose and I would never do that to him. But of course, I agreed to his request because I don't want him to perceive me as a possible threat to his comfort.

As soon as I leave the therapy room I head straight to the water cooler in the staff room. I tuck my patient's files in my underarm and serve myself as many cups of water as I need to quench my thirst. These water coolers always carry the tiniest cups; I'm probably on my twelfth refill right now. When my chugging has finally calmed into casual sips, I notice Lyle Bolton lurking my way. He's a pretty built guy who styles a purposefully bald head that makes him look tougher than he really is. I've been chatting with Lyle every now and then because I heard that he's one of the orderlies in charge of keeping the Joker in line. I figure it's a good idea to have this connection so that I can know how the Joker is doing during this time where I can't see him.

Lyle walks up to the water cooler and leans in to serve himself a small cup of water. "Morning Harleen. How're you doing?"

"I'm good Lyle. You?"

He lets out a long sigh. "I can't wait to get this day over with."

"Oh? You have plans later or what?"

"Nah. The clown got a new shrink today and it's always a pain trying to get him to get with the program, you know?"

My eyes widen and my voice comes out a higher pitch than I meant it to. "What?" When Lyle sees my distress I immediately compose myself and try to act like that news didn't affect me as much as it did. "Who's treating him?"

"Dunno. Some bigshot who flew in from L.A., I think." Ugh, seriously? If this doctor is any good, then he/she might screw up my chances of meeting the Joker. Without meaning to I voice my thoughts to myself. "Ugh, they really have to stop sending doctors to see him."

"I know right." Lyle butts in. "I mean the guy's untreatable. Doesn't anybody get that?" That is not what I meant, but I ignore it because I'm not going to explain what I really meant.

I squeeze my empty paper cup in my grip and toss it in the recycling bin. "Well I'll see you around Lyle, I have another patient to see."

"See ya."

I walk away and head to my office to grab my second patient's files. I'm not going to think too much about what Lyle told me. I mean, it's just like Dr. Leland said, the Joker has gone through countless doctors and none of them have accomplished anything. Why should this one be any different?

Ugh… I still can't help feeling these faint nervous pangs in my chest. What if this doctor is really good…?

Nope! I said I wasn't going to think about this, so I'm not. I grab my files and leave to go find my other patient. I need to keep myself busy so that my mind doesn't go in circles.

By one o'clock I am done for the day. I return to my office and plop myself in my comfy office chair. I kick up my feet on my desk and close my eyes for a while. I'm not exactly tired but I've got nothing better to do. I have half an hour to kill while Guy finishes his last session. He said that he would take me home today if I waited for him; so that's what I'm going to do.

I sort of feel a little guilty always depending on Guy for a ride because he does go a little out of his way for me. I'm comforted by the thought that things will be easier once we live together because then, getting a ride would be a matter of convenience, since we're both coming and going to the same places.

I wonder which apartment we'll end up choosing. I can't wait to go see them in person. Guy has put me in charge of decorating the communal rooms because he says that he doesn't have a decorative bone in his body. I already have some ideas of what I want certain spaces to look like but my creative skills have to be limited to what we both already have. We can't exactly go to Ikea and buy a whole new furniture set right now. We both have tons of student loans that we have to worry about paying off first. So I want to choose a place that works best with everything that we have. We both have a lot of stuff that we don't want to get rid of, so the apartment is going to have to be spacious. I initially thought that we would be looking at two room apartments, but Guy insists that we check out three room apartments instead. He says he wants the third room to be his man-cave. Even now I'm rolling my eyes just as I did when I first heard his idea. Guy can be such a guy sometimes; I softly laugh to myself.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHEEHEHEEHEEEHHEE!

Well, well, well, Mr. Joker, long time, no hear. I wonder what has set off his laugh of hysterics this time-

Wait a minute. I immediately sit upright in my chair. He's meeting that new doctor today; possibly right now. I wonder if the hotshot doctor has put him in a good mood.

Oh no. That better not be the case. If the Joker likes this doctor, then he'll start opening up to him; and where does that leave me? On the sidelines watching someone else doing the job that rightfully belongs to me. I am not going to sit by and be left twisted in the wind while someone else just waltz in and takes what I'm working so hard for.

But wait a minute… Now that I'm paying more attention to it, his laughter isn't exactly being produced through joy. It sounds malicious. I decide to focus on it harder. I want to know what's going on. I can sort of hear an undertone of distorted whispers. This isn't the first time I hear them. I can never make sense of them so I always give up listening to them. I'm not going to do that this time though. I really want to know what's going on. I let the whispers over power his laughter and try to find some coherence among the madness. The whispers grow louder and louder until their reverberations start to cause strong throbs of pain in my head. To my surprise, I can feel a liquid dripping slowly out of one of my nostrils; but I don't bother with it because I don't want to lose my focus. Still, I listen on, until one voice rises above the others. A loud, agitated, and desperate voice.

Who is she? Who is she? Who is she? Who is she? Who is she? Who is she?

My eyes slowly dilate at the sound of his voice. It's so rare for me to hear him actually say something. But what does he mean? Who is he talking about? Is he asking about that new doctor? Is that doctor a woman?

My concentration is broken when Guy opens my office door.

"Hey Harleen, you ready to g-" Guy freezes when his eyes finally rest on my face. He grabs a tissue and immediately pats at the liquid running down my nose. "Jesus Harleen, what happened?" I grab the tissue from him and finish cleaning myself up. I guess there are consequences to getting into the Joker's mind. I stare at the red stained tissue and wonder if this is the highest price to be paid for peeking into his thoughts.

"Harleen?" Guy brings my attention back to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry Guy. I was just thinking too hard I guess," I laugh half-heartedly.

"No one gets like that from thinking too hard."

"Guy, relax. You're looking too much into this; it was just a simple nose bleed."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am."

Guy looks at me for a good second before he gives up. "Okay. If you say so."

"Are you done for the day?" I ask.

"Yeah. You ready to go?"

"Yup." I hang up my lab coat and walk out of the door with Guy.

I stood up way too late last night. After visiting the apartments with Guy we decided to make a decision that same day. It took some great consideration, but we finally chose the best place for us. Unfortunately though, we had to pay the consequences for that decision this morning. We both woke up late. I tried to convince Guy to forget about picking me up this morning but he insisted because he said that he was already running late anyways. When we finally arrived at the Asylum, I went straight to the therapy room to see my first patient because I know that his severe case of anxiety would be tormenting his poor head with all kinds of terrible reasons as to why I wasn't there when I should be. After apologizing and giving him a brief explanation our session together continues without a hitch.

Afterwards, I decide to go down to the staff room and have myself a cup of coffee. I need caffeine to get me through the rest of the day. The staff room is fairly large and right now it's pretty full with nurses and orderlies sitting, eating, and chatting in several tables. I wait my turn to pour myself a cup from the coffee maker's pitcher. When I'm done, I find Dr. Leland waiting in line behind me. She smiles at me.

"Good morning Harleen."

"Good morning. How are you today?"

I move to the side to let Dr. Leland fill her cup. "I'm good, thank you for asking. And you?"

"I'm hoping this cup 'o' Joe will get me through the rest of this day." I smile into my cup. Dr. Leland laughs.

"I know what you mean." For a moment, Dr. Leland and I focus on drinking our coffee. We stand near the sink and lean our bottoms against the counter. It feels like we're charging ourselves up with enough energy to get us through the day.

"So Harleen, I've been meaning to ask you about your thoughts on yesterday's incident."

"I'm sorry? Yesterday's incident?"

"Yes, regarding patient 4479." My look of confusions stays pinned on my face. I don't know what patient she's talking about.

"You know-" Dr. Leland lowers her voice. "The Joker."

"Oh! I'm sorry I wasn't familiar with his identification number until now. What about him? What happened?"

"Oh, so you haven't heard. Well, did you know that Dr. Arkham brought in a new doctor from L.A. yesterday?"

"Yes. To oversee the Joker's treatment correct?"

"Mhmm. Yesterday, Dr. Boris had his first session with patient 4479 and… well… let's just say that Dr. Boris will not be working here any longer."

"My goodness, what happened?"

"Oh Harleen, it was awful. The Joker turned the man into a vegetable. He beat him senselessly." Oh. My. Gosh. This is exactly what I wanted to prevent! I don't want him to hurt anyone anymore. I need to put a stop to this behavior. "I hope this serves as a lesson to you Harleen. You need to abandon the idea of treating him. Patient 4479 has no self-control. When he gets the chance, he will hurt you Harleen." I should have known that's where she was going with this.

"Dr. Leland I appreciate your concern but I believe that that patient needs me now more than ever. If I could just get the chance to have a single meeting with him, I know that I could get through to him somehow."

Dr. Leland exhales a deep, long sigh and gives me a very tired look. "Dr. Quinzel you are very stubborn. Don't you understand that that man could be the death of you? I care about you. You're young and fresh on the block; and you have a passion for this unlike anything I've ever seen. I just-" Dr. Leland pauses for a moment. "I've seen that man destroy some of my best colleagues. I would hate to see him do that to you."

I'm a bit taken aback by Dr. Leland's concern. I can't imagine everything that she has had to endure because of the Joker. And I suppose there is truth in the fact that I shouldn't be so naïve as to think that this connection that I have with him will guarantee my protection. I guess there is a lesson to be learned here. I'm sure as hell not going to give this up; but, I will practice as much caution as possible.

"I'm so sorry to hear that Joan. I really appreciate you looking out for me." I give her a reassuring smile and gently squeeze her shoulder before excusing myself to go see my next patient. My resolve to become the Joker's psychiatrist hasn't changed the least bit by what Dr. Leland said. Of course now I realize that I have to be really careful about how I do this. For now though, I have to focus on treating the patients that I have now so that I can get closer to him.

After completing another great session, it's time for the worst part of my week: Progress reports. I simply have to fill out a series of paperwork and log in this week's progress with my patients. It lets the higher-ups know that I'm doing my job and doing a good job of it. I pick up the report forms and head to my office for the first time today. I arrived so late this morning, that I never had time to settle into it today.

I stroll through the halls and my pony tail swings with every step I take. Without thinking about it, I start whistling that one tune from Kill Bill. I watched the movie the other day and I guess the tune just stuck. I jollily whistle my tune until I reach my office door where it slowly fades into silence when I see that the door is ajar. It should be locked; I haven't come in here today.

I open the door slowly and tentatively poke my head in to take a look around. No one is in here and everything looks the same… except for those flowers sitting on my desk. I step inside my office and shut the door behind me, my eyes never leaving the flowers. It's a small stunning bouquet of purple and red roses. I can't keep this smile from my face. No one's ever given me flowers before. I wonder who it's from. I grab the bouquet and bring it up to nose. The scent seems a bit off; shouldn't flowers have a sweeter aroma than this. This scent is sour on my nose, and it's kind of strong. When I put the bouquet back down, I find a small card hidden beneath the petals. It's an odd, red clowned joker's wild playing card. I freeze when I read the message written on the other side of it.

Hey doc, why don't you come down and see me sometime? –J

Oh. Crap.

Is this from who I think it's from?

J?

Is this from the Joker? Did he actually send me these? My lips tug at the corners. I guess I must have left an impression on him the other week in the medical ward.

My smile quickly fades. How on Earth did he get this in here? My head whips around the room to find any indication of a break in or some clues as to how someone might have gotten in here. Is he leaving his cell or did he have someone else put this here? How the hell did he figure out who I am? I never introduced myself. I should probably report this. I should tell his orderlies about this and have them increase his security. If he can get out of his cell than who's to say that he won't be the one standing in here waiting for me next time. And who knows what he'll do to me? I mean, I do want to meet him but on my terms, not his. That man is capable of everything and after Dr. Leland's warning today, I believe him to be completely capable of gutting me like a fish. He doesn't even know that we're soulmates, so of course he would hurt me without a second thought. He probably thinks that I'm his new plaything and this is all just a joke to him. I mean, they don't call him the Joker for nothing right?

Ugh, what should I do?! A part of me doesn't want to report this. I sort of feel like I'm betraying him or something; which is absolutely ridiculous because I've never even spoken to the guy before! We have no bond of trust for me to break in the first place. But then again, this is probably his attempt to establish one with me and if I screw this up, I could wreck any chance I have on being on his good side. But how does he expect someone like me to react to something like this? Did he honestly believe that I would stay quiet about this? It's part of my job to report things like this. Is he testing me? Crap, I don't want to disappoint him. For some reason, the thought of failing him irritates me; but feeling this way irritates me even more. I've never met this man and he already has a way of making me feel weird emotions. I wonder if this is a typical soulmate thing.

I plop myself in my chair and fold my arms on my desk resting my head over them. My eyes remain fixated on the bouquet while I contemplate what actions need to be made. I stay this way for a while until I finally come up with a conclusion. I'm going to do, what I'm expected to do. I've decided that I'm going to report this to Dr. Arkham personally. I don't want to let my curiosity compromise my personal safety. I'm really interested in what would happen if I turned a blind eye to this, but I don't want to be naïve and expect not to get burned if I do. No, I'm definitely going to be smart about this. I'm a doctor. I'm a professional. I will not tolerate this behavior; my position here forbids it.

Outside of Dr. Arkham's office, it takes me another brief moment to decide once again, if this is what I should be doing or not. I tentatively knock on his door to announce myself. "Excuse me, Dr. Arkham. Do you have a moment?"

A black silhouette grows darker and larger until the door's bronze knob turns to reveal a weary Jeremiah Arkham. "Good afternoon Dr. Quinzel. Please, come in." He steps to the side and closes the door after me. I take my seat before I'm asked to. Dr. Arkham shuffles around his desk to take his seat opposite me. "So Dr. Quinzel, how can I help you today?"

"I have some concerns regarding patient 4479."

"Oh? Has something happened?"

"Yes, actually. I found a bouquet of flowers in my office today with this in it." I hand him the wild card with Joker's message on it. Dr. Arkham's eyes skate quickly across the message before his focus returns to me. "I think the Joker sent them."

Dr. Arkham releases a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, I don't doubt that he did." With eyebrows furrowed in frustration, Dr. Arkham leans back in his chair and runs his hands furiously through his hair. "I don't know what to do with him anymore."

"You must have your hands full with him. I heard what happened yesterday."

Dr. Arkham chuckles darkly. "Who hasn't heard? I am up to my neck in paperwork and I am out of solutions for patient 4479." He says the Joker's identification number with disdain. This man is clearly being pushed to his limit. Having the Joker in the asylum is obviously making his job much more difficult than it already is. The poor guy looks like he could use a long vacation; which he, unfortunately, can never take because who else would run the asylum?

I feel sorry for him. I really do. But, I can't ignore the opportunity that this situation is presenting me with. "Dr. Arkham, perhaps I could help lighten your work-load; let me handle the Joker." Dr. Arkham removes his glasses and listens attentively to my proposition. "If you give me the chance to treat him, I'm sure that I could get through to him. I know that I'm new to this profession but perhaps patient 4479 will find my methods to be refreshing and innovative. After all, he did reach out to me. Maybe this message is a sign for help. Maybe he wants me to treat him. If that's the case, then I think we should appease him. As you well know, some patients can be very picky about who treats them; maybe that's been the Joker's problem all along. He probably has never had a doctor that he really liked. If he's reaching out to me, then perhaps he believes that I am that doctor that he's been waiting for. I completely understand any reservations you may have about me handling this delicate case, so I think that if I could just be given a few trial sessions with patient 4479, I could prove to you that I can handle him as my permanent patient." Dr. Arkham crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. He takes a moment to think about everything I've just said. Unlike Dr. Leland, he actually looks like he's considering taking me up on my offer. I hope he does.

"Well, to be honest, your offer is very tempting Dr. Quinzel. As I've said before, I am completely at my wits end with patient 4479. However, there is something that greatly concerns me."

"What is it?"

"Well, yesterday, after the Joker had his incident with Dr. Boris, I decided to have a little talk with him so that I could figure out why he did what he did. Of course, it's no surprise that I couldn't get a word out of him about said incident; however, what I found very surprising was his interest in you."

"What? What did he say?"

"He would not stop asking questions about you. I was taken aback by his sudden interest. I don't often speak personally to patient 4479 when he's admitted in my hospital, however, I think that I can safely assume that he has never shown so much interest in someone as he showed me yesterday with you." It was my turn to take a moment to process everything that Dr. Arkham said. I was not expecting this. The impression that I left him back in the medical ward couldn't have been strong enough for him to have so much interest in me. Could it? Has he somehow figured out that I'm his soulmate? There's no way he could have. We've never spoken to each other before so there is no way that he recognized my voice. I suppose he could have overheard my conversation with Guy and recognized my voice then. But still, we were some distance away from his room and we weren't speaking loudly; there's no way he could have heard me.

"What did the Joker want to know about me?"

"First he wanted to know your name. I knew he was referring to you because you are the only blonde doctor currently employed in this facility. Afterward he asked about how long you've been employed here, how old you were, and if you were married. Of course I don't make it a habit of revealing the personal information of my employees so I didn't answer his questions. I only gave him your name."

"Wow… Thank you for protecting my privacy, I appreciate it." I really do. I don't need him picking up intel about me. The less he knows about me the better. I don't want him using the information against me during a session.

"Of course. Now, going back to my previous concerns; I don't think it would be best for me to allow you to treat patient 4479."

"What? Why not?"

"Honestly, I would like to have you treat him; I really do. I am exceedingly interested in what would result from your efforts. I honestly believe that you have a serious chance of changing him. But I also believe that you aren't ready for patient 4479. He's extremely manipulative and deceiving and I believe that if I were to send you to him now, he would destroy you. I don't want to lose any more employees. I promise that you will get your chance to treat him; when you're ready."

"When will that be?"

"I'd say in a couple of years. When you've gained enough experience."

I sigh heavily. "I understand. You're looking out for me, and I appreciate it. I just can't help feeling disappointed."

Dr. Arkham smiles. "I understand, Dr. Quinzel. Trust me, the minute I'm sure you can handle him is the very same minute where I will grant him as your patient."

I smile back at him. "Okay. I'm going to hold you to this." "Of course."

When I leave Dr. Arkham's office, I don't feel as disappointed as I should. I feel hopeful. Dr. Arkham is on my side. He wants me to treat the Joker. He just doesn't want me to get hurt; which is sweet of him but, I'm convinced that I can handle myself. Now that I know that the Joker has a deep interest in me, I'm sure that he wouldn't hurt me. At least not right off the bat. He'd be too busy trying to figure me out first.

I guess all I have to do is prove to Dr. Arkham that I'm ready for this. So, from here onward, I am going to work my ass off and pull extra weight around here until he realizes that I can handle the Joker. I swear, I will have him as my patient sooner than he thinks.

AN: Sorry for the long wait! I'm really trying to update as often as I can. Trust me, I hate waiting just as much as the next guy, so I'm going to try to update at least twice a week. I hope everyone liked this chapter. I know, I know, I know; why is the story moving so slow? Why won't you let them meet yet? We're getting there; I promise you. Have patience, it's going to happen soon. Thank you everyone for your reviews, I read every single one and I love them all. It's like I said before, those reviews really fuel me on and keep me going. So please, keep 'em coming. I love feedback and I really take your suggestions into consideration. Once again, thank you everyone and I'll see ya in the next chapter!