Chapter 2: Reconnecting with an old friend
Hayley's POV
It had been two weeks since the incident at Gotham National Bank and I haven't spoken to the Red Hood since. I've obviously seen and heard him around the Narrows, but he probably doesn't even remember me. I wouldn't blame him, I'm not exactly memorable. And to be honest, I like it that way. I go to work and come home to take care of my mother. That's my life now. I don't have the time or the energy to be honest for anything else. Speaking of my mother. "Here's your medicine mama." I said as I sat down on her bed beside her. "Thank you, tesoro." She said with a smile. My mother, Aurora, was the most beautiful woman I know. Both in looks and in personality. Dad used to tell me that I look just like her but with his personality. "I'll be right back, alright? I'm just heading to the park." I told her as I handed her a cup of her favorite tea, jasmine. "I know, tesoro. You've told me multiple times in the last hour." She murmured.
"I know mama, I just don't want you to worry." I said as I stood up from her bed and grabbed my purse and sketchbook. "I should be back in a couple of hours. Are you sure there isn't anything you want while I'm out?" I asked her as I put my dark red hair up in a ponytail. "No amore. I'm positive. No go before it gets too dark." She waved me off. "I have my shows to keep me entertained. Go and come home with a good Italian boy to give me grandbabies before I die." She teased. "Mama!" I laughed "I'm not looking for anything like that right now. I have to take care of you." I said as she took my face in her hands. "My girl. My sweet beautiful girl." She murmured "I worry for you. You only go to a couple of places because of me. You're so young, mio amore. You have so much life to live. You don't have to worry about me so much." I teared up "Mama, you're the only family I have after dad died. I do have to worry about you." I protested.
Aurora shook her head "Sweetheart, I am dying. There's no changing it. One day soon I will no longer be here and I don't want you wasting your life away being cooped up in this house. Go make friends. Find a nice boy that will treat you as well as your father treated me. That's all I want for you." I sniffled and threw myself into her arms, minding to be careful of her oxygen line. "I love you, mama. Why do you have to leave me so soon?" I sobbed. "Oh sweetheart." She murmured as she rubbed the back of my head. "I'll never be far away. I'll always be in your heart." I pulled away and wiped my face. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try. For you, I'll try." I promised her earning me a smile. "That's all I ask of you, tesero."
I left the apartment and made my way to the park. It was the same park where I met my childhood best friend when we were 5. I was playing in the sandbox with a doll that my dad had made me for my birthday when my doll was snatched from my hands. "Hey! Give me back my doll!" I cried as I looked up to see who had taken it. Mark Jenkins. A 2nd grader that went to the same elementary school I did. "And why should I?" 8 year old sneered "Street rats like you don't deserve nice things." I started to cry when a small figure tackled the much larger boy to the ground. "She said to give her the doll back!" The boy snarled as he wrestled the doll from his hands. It didn't take long for Mark to run off. To this day I still have no idea what the look on his face was because when he turned around to give me my doll back he had a smile on his face. "Here you go." He said, holding my doll out for me to take back. "Thank you" I murmured "I'm Hayley." I said, remembering my mother's lessons on politeness. "Jason. Jason Todd." He said with a crooked grin.
And after that me and Jason were never seen without the other. He became a fixture in my life until we turned 10 and then he was adopted by Bruce Wayne and I never saw him again. At the time it hurt. Did I mean so little to him that he just forgot all about me to go live in a mansion in Bristol? But over the years that hurt turned to understanding. Bruce Wayne probably was protective over Jason and didn't want him coming down to Crime Alley just to see a friend. As I entered the park I went immediately to mine and Jason's favorite spot. It was a giant oak tree standing on the edge of the park, that was still in sight of my mother. I settled against the roots and began to continue my sketch of my mother and father. I didn't know how long I had been at the park but I had finished my drawing and started to sketch out the scene that was in front of me. Maybe I was really drawing some of the memories that I have in this park with Jason. Should I look him up? It's been a long time since I last spoke to him. Maybe he doesn't remember me. My thoughts were cut off as I saw my purse being snatched from me.
I immediately got up and ran after him, dropping my sketchbook in the process "Hey! Give me my purse back!" I yelled after him. Another figure, a much larger one, appeared almost out of nowhere and tackled the purse thief to the ground, punching him in the face "The lady said to give her the purse back!" He snarled as he wrestled my purse out of his grip. For a moment I saw the thief's face and saw it was Mark Jenkins. Once a thief, always a thief. The man stood up and Mark immediately ran off. The man turned around and I immediately recognized him. I would recognize my best friend anywhere. "Jason?" I asked, to be sure. The same crooked grin graced his face as he handed me my purse. "Still getting your stuff stolen I see." He teased "Still saving me from getting my stuff stolen, I see." I teased back. "It's so good to see you Jay!" I squealed as I hugged him. It took him less than a millisecond to hug me back. "It's good to see you too, Hales." He murmured.
I pulled back to take a better look at him and I noticed the scar on his face "Hey, what happened?" I asked, immediately concerned by how deep the scar went. "Skiing trip gone wrong. I was in a coma for a few years apparently." he shrugged. "So Mr Heir to the Wayne fortune, what brings you back to Crime Alley?" I asked as we walked back to our tree so I could pick my sketchbook up. "I am not the heir to the Wayne fortune, first of all." he snorted "Second I come out here to run to get away from my family for a little while." He shrugged. "How's Aurora? She still working at that group home on third?" He asked. I shook my head "No, she had to leave." I said as I settled back against the roots and Jason took his normal spot on my left. "What happened?" He asked, sounding shocked. "She has stage 4 lung cancer." I murmured as I tucked my legs up to my chest. "I moved back home after graduating college and started taking care of her." Jason sighed and ran his fingers through his short black hair. Why did he have a white streak in his hair? He always said he didn't like the smell of bleach.
"I'm so sorry, Hales." He murmured back "How's she doing? Is she doing chemo?" He asked and I shook my head "No. She said if it was her time to go and be with dad then doing chemo would only delay that. And she didn't want me to see her like that." Jason wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into his side and I laid my head on his shoulder. "That sounds like Aurora. If there's anything I can do, you just let me know." He told me as he placed a kiss on my head. I chuckled "Give me your phone. I am not losing contact with you again." I said as I held my hand out for his phone. Jason handed me his phone after unlocking it and I added him to his contacts under 'Hales' and sent myself a text so I could add him later. "C'mon, let's get you home and Aurora can chew me out for not coming to see her for so long." He said as he stood up, pulling me with him. "She's not going to chew you out. She's going to cry and call you a bambino and how much she's missed you." She teased. And just like that it was like they hadn't spent even a day apart.