The nursing home Natalie had put Constance Simmons in upon the onset of her Alzheimer's, was one of the Gotham's nicest and most prestigious. Located outside the city limits like Arkham and Wayne Manor, Willow Forest was a welcoming white brick building with acres and acres of green lawns complete with a golf course, swimming complex and beautiful nature trails. The facilities were clean and well-monitored, with the doctors and nursing staff being some of the best in their fields. It was a tad on the expensive side that occasionally had Natalie struggling to make ends meet before she had moved in with Blake (even with the insurance company footing a majority of the bill) however, she nevertheless wanted only the best for the kind, compassionate woman who had raised her and her brother upon the deaths of their parents.
"Hello, Nat, how are you today?"
Natalie smiled at the young woman working the front desk as she approached, slinging her bag across her shoulder as she did so. "I'm doing fine, Katie, you?" She asked, and Katie smiled and nodded as she handed her clipboard of sign-in sheets.
"Same here. And how's John?" She asked, and Natalie continued to smile at the mention of Blake. He didn't come with her often because of his work schedule, but when he did, he made sure to charm the pants and the socks off of everyone. It was something that she noted (with a hint of jealously) came quite naturally to him. Gam Gam adored him and every time he was around, she seemed to be a little better. It was at least proof to Natalie that a good attitude had the potential to have amazing healing properties. In fact, she wouldn't have been surprised to learn that Katie – the sweet young high school girl working the front desk as a part time job - didn't have something of a schoolyard crush on her boyfriend.
Something that no doubt Blake would be tickled pink to learn.
"He's doing fine, too. We both are." She quickly added before Katie nodded.
"Doctor Scarborough wants to see you before you leave. He has an update on your grandmother's condition, as well as something else to discuss with you." She told her, and Natalie nodded as she finished signing her name and the date before handing the clipboard back to her.
"That's fine. Should I meet him in his office when I get ready to leave, or . . .?" She trailed off and Katie shook her head.
"No, he'll just come find you. I assume you'll be with Constance?" Natalie nodded and Katie smiled. "That's what I figured. I'll let him know. She's out on the veranda now. On beautiful days like today, she likes being out in the sun." Natalie nodded.
"Thanks. I'll see you later, Katie." She told her and Katie echoed the sentiment as Natalie hitched her purse higher on her shoulder before moving off down the hallway. Heel clicking on the polished linoleum, she made her languorous way towards the glass double doors that led to the veranda that she was pretty sure her Gam Gam was sitting out on.
She had been right, and couldn't help but give a broad grin when she caught sight of the little old lady that sat in a wheelchair on the white stoned veranda. Sunlight fell on her and illuminated just how small she was in her dressing gown and how thin her wispy white hair was truly getting. When she opened the doors and stepped outside, Constance looked up and immediately mimicked Natalie's grin.
"Oh, Nat! It's so good to see you!" She spoke and Natalie couldn't help but feel giddy and relieved as she moved over to her Gam Gam, where she stooped down beside her. She was happy she was actually recognizing her for once, and took up her hand after pressing a loving kiss to her withered cheek.
"Gam Gam, you look so good since the last time I was here!" She spoke before quickly and rather glumly adding in her mind: God only knows when that's been, to you. Constance shook her head and waved a dismissive hand through the air.
"Oh, well, it was only a week ago, so I'm not sure how much I have changed. And I'm sure they would disagree with you," She spoke, gesturing with an irritated elbow back towards the way from which she had come. Natalie smiled again as Constance continued on: "They absolutely insist on me eating these . . . well, I don't know what they are, but they are absolutely disgusting and I refuse to eat them, but . . ." She sighed and trailed off, and Natalie couldn't help but allow her smile to grow upwards into something resembling a grin again.
"Please, Gam Gam, tell me you're eating your brussel sprouts!" She spoke and when Constance shot her a reprimanding look, Natalie broke off into a laugh that had Constance impatiently nodding her head.
"Yes, yes, I know – I shouldn't be talking after how badly I worked to get you and Billy to eat yours when you were kids, but, oh, I don't know . . ." She trailed off then as her hand appeared at the simple gold cross necklace hanging around her neck. "It's hard for me to eat them and the taste is horrible, but the nurses, they insist . . .!"
Natalie nodded, her expression softening. "I'll talk to them, how about that? Maybe I can get them to switch you to something else . . ." She spoke, and Constance smiled and nodded happily as Nat reached into her purse and took out Billy's folded letter. Constance's brows furrowed gently when she brought it into view. "I got a letter from Billy this morning, by the way -"
"Billy? Where is he?" She asked, interest filling her eyes, and Natalie continued to stoop there for a moment, at a temporary loss for words. Of course it had seemed too good to be true! Of course her Gam Gam had to forget something – it might-as-well be that her grandson was stuck behind bars at Blackgate again, this time for an insane number of years and all because the judge was tired of seeing him in there. "He hasn't come to see me in so long, I was afraid he had forgotten all about me . . ."
Natalie's face fell as her Gam Gam trailed off, at a sudden loss for words. She tried to brighten herself by telling herself that she could look at it as a Godsend that she had at least forgotten – even if it was for nothing more than a day – on how she would never see her grandson again in her lifetime. She knew how much that knowledge ate away at her whenever Natalie wasn't there.
Natalie took the time to get to her feet and pull one of the white whicker lawn chairs closer to Constance's wheelchair, to think of what to say. "He, uh . . . he's on a trip. He won't be back for a long time. He . . . needed to get out of Gotham." She told him and Constance nodded, her eyes suddenly growing a lot sadder than Natalie had ever meant to make them when she first made the decision to come visit her.
"You know, I keep telling people that Billy's not a bad boy. He just fell in with the wrong kids growing up, you know?" She spoke and Natalie nodded in agreement. Billy wasn't a bad guy. Quite the contrary, he was well known for making their parents and Gam Gam hit the roof with irritation at the sheer amount of stray animals he'd bring home, while all the while telling them that they could stay with them as long as they needed to, to get better. His heart was in the right place with a particular soft spot for animals, and before he was sentenced, he had come to visit Constance without fail every day. He always brought her flowers to brighten her room and flirted rather shamelessly with the nurses with their Gam Gam as his excited Wingwoman.
In fact, his constant visiting of her had been one of Natalie most frustrated topics. She could not begin to count the amount of times she had gotten into a fight with Billy over how he could bring himself on a good conscious, to go visit their Gam Gam every day, only to go home and do what he did. It blew her mind on how he could go brighten an old woman's day before going home and robbing a jewelry store with a bunch of his buddies while drunk and high. How could . . . how could he . . .
Natalie trailed off and stopped that stream of thought before she worked herself into a lather. Couldn't be helped anymore, could it? Billy was in Blackgate for his stupidity with a nice long prison sentence and now their Gam Gam was reaping the consequences. She hoped he was happy and then immediately felt guilty about the hope. Of course Billy wasn't happy about it. But then again, she had to grudgingly admit that it was probably more of him being unhappy that he had been caught, than him being unhappy about the two people he had left behind and who had supposedly mattered the most to him.
"Anyway, he says he's fine and that he . . . he's sorry he went away without telling you." She told her and Constance adopted a soft look on her face at her granddaughter's hesitant words. She sensed the underlying steel, though, and knew that there was something else Natalie wasn't telling her. But for a moment, she marveled at the strength of her granddaughter's words – in the shape of her pretty face and the way she held herself. It was a strength her brother shared and that had come from losing their parents much too early in their young lives, and it saddened her. She had done the best she could, raising her son's children, and she knew they were grateful for everything she had done, but that steel in their bones! That kind of steel was saddening! Having strength was one thing – an important one thing in this day and age – but oftentimes the ways one got that strength, was by combating the cruelties of what the world could throw at you. And that was what was sad.
So Constance took her granddaughter's words as what they were, and didn't gently prod her for additional information. Instead, she leaned forward and took a surprisingly strong hold of Natalie's hand. The surprise showed in her face as their eyes connected. "Enough of this! You didn't come here to be sad. Now, tell me, how's that boyfriend of yours, Nat? John, was his name, again?"
Natalie's expression softened, which made Constance's soften in turn. She had known from the moment they walked in together that first day, that her granddaughter was smitten senseless by the young police officer. And from the way he looked at her when she wasn't paying attention, the feeling was very much mutual. It warmed her heart knowing Natalie could move on and be happy.
"He's doing well. We both are. He . . . he's been trying to get a promotion into the detective rank, and once he does that, we're contemplating on maybe getting a bigger apartment," She gave a smile. "That way, maybe you could come visit us sometimes instead of being cooped up here all the time!" She spoke and Constance smiled damn near conspiratorially. Natalie couldn't help but grin at the look.
"As well as an apartment for other things, right?"
Natalie's grin fell down into a smile as she averted her eyes to her hands clasped in her lap. She knew her Gam Gam was referring to children and marriage and all that other important life-binding stuff, and the thought made her give an airy laugh. She nodded. "We've, uh . . . we've certainly talked about it; kids and marriage and everything. And we've decided that we're gonna wait until things are a little bit more stable in Gotham, before bringing a child into it." She told her and Constance nodded in understanding.
"I understand. It'd just be swell to meet my great-grandchild while I can still remember things." She told her, her tone a little on the bitter side, and Natalie's heart gave a twinge of pain as she nodded. She would have liked nothing more than the same thing, but . . . what with the catastrophe that had been Joker, as well as the crime rate still being what it was – although Batman certainly helped . . .!
And Blake had agreed – telling her that maybe they should allow themselves and Gotham time to become a little bit more stable before they cemented themselves and started putting down roots. But even then, she knew Blake was starting to get the itch to settle down, himself. Suggesting they maybe look for a bigger apartment if he got the promotion soon, she could only figure was the first stepping stone in that direction. Then there was him lingering on the fringes of jewelry stores whenever they would go to the mall, as well him avoiding the baby section of stores . . .
The thought warmed her and she perked up a little. "But . . . that doesn't mean he's not gonna propose soon . . ." She spoke and this news perked up even Constance. She gave a girlish squeal of delight that had Natalie laughing as she reached over and took up her granddaughter's hands again.
"Oh, I'm so happy for you, dearie! Now all we have to do is find Billy someone, and I can die in peace. You two deserve to be happy, you know?" She spoke and Natalie stubbornly shook her head.
"You're not going to die anytime soon, Gam Gam, so don't worry about it!" She told her before leaning down and pressing a loving kiss to her temple. "And I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer, but I have to leave if I want to be back in Gotham in time for work." She told her, and Constance's smile fell slightly. However, she gave a nod and a strong smile that made Natalie's heart go out to her.
"Oh that's fine, dear, I understand. I enjoyed catching up with you, though! Have a good day at work, won't you? And give John a kiss for me, as well as my best!" Natalie smiled and nodded as she gave her grandmother a hug before telling her goodbye with a promise that she'd be back sometime again by the end of the week.
She met Gam Gam's doctor midway down the hall to the lobby, and the aging, balding Dr. Scarborough smile and shook her hand. "Morning, Nat. How are you?" She nodded and told him she was well before quickly adding that Constance seemed to be in particularly good spirits that morning. Dr. Scarborough nodded as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pristine white lab coat.
"She is – we're quite pleased. The medication seems to working well and while she's still in the minor stages of the disease, I must warn you to expect to encounter some rough patches. These will, of course, increase as she progresses, but nevertheless, we remain fairly optimistic." Natalie smiled and nodded.
"You've told me this countless times before. Is this really what you needed to tell me?" She asked, and his face fell slightly. He heaved a sigh.
"Well . . . no, there is something else, as well. It's about your mother's insurance."
A stone of dread fell into Natalie's stomach at those words and she swallowed hard and nodded. This wasn't going to be good. "Okay . . .?"
He heaved another sigh and took a step closer to her. "Your mother's insurance company has filed for bankruptcy, I'm afraid, and has subsequently shut their doors. It was quite sudden and we only received the news this morning. Which means, of course, that they won't be able to pay the brunt of her bill anymore."
Natalie felt the sharp burn of tears in her eyes and suddenly felt very light-headed. Dr. Scarborough's brow furrowed gently in concern as he touched his fingers to her elbow. "Nat, are you okay?" He asked, and she swallowed hard and blinked back furious tears before nodding.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. What . . . what are my options?" There was no way her and Blake could afford the entirety of Gam Gam's bill – even if he got this promotion and pay raise! And even then, she wouldn't want to burden him with it. Constance was her grandmother, not his, and they weren't even married yet, so why should he be forced to help pay her bill?
Dr. Scarborough heaved a sigh and gave a shrug. "We all love Constance – she is an absolute joy. But . . . we have policies, too, Nat. If you cannot find a way to pay the bill, then . . ." He gave another, sadder, shrug. "I'm afraid that we won't be able to keep her."
Natalie felt faint again. What would she do? Blake and her couldn't possibly afford to pay Willow Forest's expensive bill, even if he told her he would help! But without the home, Gam Gam would lose all the support and medication that was keeping her stable. She felt so much like crying, but refused to do so in front of this doctor who was simply doing his job.
She gave the strongest smile she could muster before nodding. "Can I . . . can I get back to you in a few days? I have . . . I have to discuss things with John." She told him and he gave an apologetic smile and a nod.
"Of course. You have 'til the end of the month to pay your next bill, so please, get back to us at any time!" He reached forward and planted a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I hope you get things sorted out, Nat, I really do. We'd all hate to see Constance go. She's been doing so well." Natalie nodded and quickly said her goodbyes before taking off towards the lobby and the double glass doors, taking leave of a Dr. Scarborough that had not the slightest inkling of what to say to make it all better.
Reaching into her purse, she quickly sought out her phone. Tears quickly filling her eyes, she was clear of the front doors and was seeking out Blake's number in her address book before they started streaming down her cheeks. The phone was ringing as she put it to her ear and he answered after a few rings. His voice, cheerful and so very fucking Blake, made her release a sob that immediately made his tone change. Concern filled his voice as it lowered slightly.
"Natalie, what's wrong?"
She shook her head as she yanked open her car door and slid inside. "It's Gam Gam, John. Needless to say, I'm not going into work today."
"I'll meet you at home." She answered almost immediately and she shook her head.
"No, John, stay at the station. You've got that promotion you've been trying to get. I'll tell you when you come home tonight -"
"Nat, no!" He interrupted her, his voice a damn near growl and she felt a bloom of love for him in her heart. "I'm coming home and there's nothing you can say to change my mind. If Gordon has a problem with me going home to support my girlfriend when a problem comes up, then Gordon can shove it!"
She gave a watery smile. "I love you." She murmured, and Blake's voice was soft when he spoke next:
"I love you too, Nat. I'll see you at home."
"Are you sure they can't do anything?"
Natalie gave a miserable shake of her head as they sat on the same barstools in front of the island countertop, that they had occupied that morning. Blake sat beside her, facing her and one hand planted on the small of her back. Eyebrows furrowed in gentle concern, he watched as she took a swig from her beer bottle before replacing it.
"The company filed for bankruptcy and subsequently shut their doors, so there's no one to pay her bills but us. Unless we find a way to pay those bills, she . . ." She shook her head. "She might have to move in with us."
Blake nodded and rubbed a soothing path up and down her back. "Then that's what we'll do, Nat, if it comes to that."
"But we don't have room, John!" She spoke, her voice finally breaking with the sheer amount of emotion that had been whirling through her body. "We have this room, our bathroom and our bedroom. What am I going to do – make my sick grandmother sleep on the fucking couch?" She then broke down in sobs, her face burying in her crossed arms on the countertop. Blake heaved a sigh as he moved closer to her, one arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her close to him. She went so reluctantly that it almost tore his heart in two.
"Look, Nat, we'll figure out what to do together. We'll either scrounge up the money every month to keep her in that place, or we'll bring her here and we'll . . . find some way to make her comfortable. You're not alone in this, Natalie, not anymore – you have me!"
Natalie gave a laugh as she brought her head up and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "I don't know why you've stuck around upon hearing this. Most guys wouldn't . . ."
Blake adopted a look of shock on his face at her blatantly putting herself down. Eventually – and slowly – he shook his head. "Nat, I love you! I want to get married to you, I want to have kids with you! And if you honestly think this is the worst that's gonna ever hit us, then you're wrong! We'll figure out what to do and we'll get through this, just like we'll get through everything else this cruel world sends our way!"
Natalie gave him a small, thankful and watery smile at his words. He returned her smile with one of his own as she looped a hand around his neck and brought him closer to her. "We'll get through this, Nat, I promise." He murmured and she sniffed and nodded before their lips connected in a loving, passionate kiss.
His words and his kiss were sweet – exactly as Blake himself was. However, Natalie couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had a feeling that theory of them having to make it through much harder things, was about to come true.