Nygma

I had deemed myself capable of being at my apartment without constant care a couple of days after the shooting. I wouldn't return to work just yet, but I wanted to be in a place of comfort.

Word had gotten around the precinct of my heroic actions trying to protect Detective Gordon and I had been having surprise visits. The chief had come to see me, as well as the commissioner.

Gordon never came though, I wasn't sure how to feel about that. I didn't really want to think about it. I was taking care of my wound since I was home, Oswald impressed me with his stitching skills. I had half expected it to be as shoddy as his walk.

I sat on the couch staring at my empty fireplace, I normally left my television off. I didn't like the background noise. I figured I would go to work in a couple of days, I really needed to keep busy.

I got up off the couch a bit too quickly and grunted heavily. I made my way over to my bookshelf and started to vigorously dust the shelves.

I hadn't spent any time cleaning over the last few days and I had frustrations to work out.

The next morning, I was standing in front of the mirror in my bathroom staring at my face. I was running my finger along my cheekbones and decided I would return to work.

I dressed in a dark green plaid shirt, black slacks, a black tie which had a white question mark on the wide part by the bottom. I pulled on my grey labcoat and looked at myself in the mirror again.

My glasses had broken in the gunfight so I was wearing a pair of backups I had. They weren't as nice as my other ones, but they would do for now. I adjusted them slightly and grabbed my bag and headed out of the apartment once I made sure my bandage was secure.

It felt nice to be going back to work, even though I hated majority of the people who existed in that place. Lately I felt as though the few that I didn't hate were becoming hated.

I walked into the precinct and took in a breath smiling brightly as I surveyed the place. It felt different, obviously it wasn't, but it did to me. My eyes scanned everyone looking for someone in particular and he was not present.

I really wondered why Gordon had not come to see me. I feel in my heart that he would have before he had started acting funny around me. After all, even the commissioner came to see me.

I saw Ms. Kringle at the top of the stairs and she turned to look at me.

I felt my day was about to get really bad, really fast.

Oswald

Why hasn't he returned any of my calls?! That ungrateful son of a bitch! This is some thanks I get for saving his ass and not to mention his life!, I fumed.

It had been a full week since Nygma has checked himself out of "Cobblepot Clinic" and I've heard nothing from him since. I can only assume he's doing okay, but without any communication from him I start to worry.

I pick up my phone and dial his number. What am I doing? This is the fifth time I've called in an hour... I shook my head in disgust at myself, but continued to let the phone ring hoping he'd pick up the phone if only to hear his voice and know that he's still alive and okay.

"Hi this is Ed..." Dammit, voicemail again!

"Neg...it's me, Oswald...again. I haven't heard from you in a while and was just checking up to see how you are doing. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." I paused I knew what I was going to say next was cheesy, but I knew that it would make him smile.

"I'm tall when I'm young, but short when I'm old. What am I?"

Nygma

I was able to get to my office without incident and set my bag on my desk and sat down. Walking for a while short winded me, I couldn't overexert myself due to my injury.

I pulled out my phone and blinked seeing all of my missed phone calls. They were all from one number. I sighed inwardly, I put the phone to my ear to listen to the voicemails.

As I finished listening to the last one, it actually made me chuckle. I jotted down the riddle, I would solve this at some point today.

I was going to call Oswald back to let him know I was okay but I saw someone come up to my office door. I set my phone on my desk as Detective Bullock entered my office.

"Hey Ed. I just wanted to thank you for what you did for my partner. You failed miserably at it, but hey you attempted to help Gordon out. That's a good thing in my book."

I smiled faintly. "It was my instinct to protect a fellow cop Detective."

"You got some balls Ed. You should show that more often, maybe you wouldn't get bullied as much around here."

I digested his response, it made sense to me. "Detective, could you answer something for me?"

I read him the riddle and grinned over my notepad at him, and was greeted with a glare.

"Ed, seriously what the fuck?" he asked before backing out of my office and heading towards the main floor.

I frowned and put the notepad back on my desk. I tapped the desk with my fingers aimlessly, bullied huh?

A smirk flitted across my lips as I called Oswald to tell him I was fine, but I was also at work.

Someone else was also calling Oswald, Detective Gordon.

Oswald

After leaving the last voicemail, I placed my phone far away from me, so I wasn't tempted to call Nygma again. What am I kidding myself? He's never actually going to call back...

I sighed. I thought I had won. Gordon leaving Nygma behind with me would've had to make Nygma seethe with a little bit of rage.

I started walking away from the table leaving my phone there. I made it a few feet away from the table when my phone began to ring. I rushed back to the table fumbling for phone. When I finally checked the caller ID. My heart sank.

Gordon, He was the last person on earth I wanted to speak with right now.

"Detective Gordon to what do I owe the pleasure of this call." I said as warmly as I could. I even had the best fake smile I could muster. Which I know was stupid considering he couldn't see me through the telephone.

"I want to make a run at Fish. Do you know where I can find her, Cobblepot?"

I laughed as he was telling me this. "Detective Gordon, you must have some death wish to be going after Fish."

"Enough games, Cobblepot!" Jim interjected before I could say more. "Just tell me where she is!"

"Patience, dear friend. I'll send some of my best men out to try and find her current location, but I can't make any promises of you making it out alive."

"Don't mock me!" Jim growled back at me.

"I am not doing anything of the sort... I am just speaking from the experience of the last few times that you've gone after her. I saved your ass both of those times. Save you once shame on you, save you twice shame on me."

No answer on his end, but I could tell that he was still on the line, so I continued to berate him. I knew this was cruel of me, but I was rather pissed off that I hadn't heard anything from Nygma.

"The first time you took Fish on, I got a call from your sorry ass to come and pick you up because you were so hurt you couldn't drag yourself back to your own home. The second time you got an unarmed man involved in a gunfight, and that man took a bullet for you, Jim. And after all of that you still want to take another shot at her? Jesus, Jim you'd have to be crazy!"

Click! I heard as Jim finally had gotten tired of my verbal barrage and hung up on me.

I smiled at what I had just done. That feeling didn't last long however because I began wishing that Nygma would've been the one calling and not Gordon.

Only a few moments after I thought that my phone began ringing again. It was Nygma!

My heart skipped a beat as I flipped open my phone.

Nygma

"Oswald," I greeted when he answered.

"For the umpteenth time, I am okay. I am at work and it seems I have a ton of work to catch up on, so this call will be brief."

I explained to him that I was just fine, that I could care for my wound properly at work.

I was able to hear the relief in his voice, so when I was satisfied of reassuring him I moved on to the riddle.

"I will call you back once I have answered it. " I told him before ending the call.

I sighed inwardly as I looked at all the files sitting in my desk. They were a mess.

Oswald

I shut the phone after the phone call ended with a click. I put my phone back in my pocket.

I paused standing where I was. The last words still echoed in my head,"I will call you back once I have answered it." I was so happy at the prospect of hearing from Nygma, I actually jumped up in the air.

After a little self celebration, I needed to get on with my daily errands. As I walked outside, I looked to the horizon at my left and saw dark storm clouds off in the distance. It looks like a big storm is going to hit Gotham soon. I pulled my jacket closer to my body to keep out the wind that had started up. I shivered, this deep sense of foreboding started rising in my stomach. I tried to shake off that feeling, but it would go away.

Something big was about to happen and it would shake Gotham to it's core.