Author's note: Hello everyone, I just wanted to pop in to say sorry for the delayed uploads of these past two chapters. I try to get one up each week, but I'm currently starting a new job as a Marketing Manager and I'm working a lot later these days, so my writing time is being sacrificed unfortunately.

But don't worry, I'm still in love with this story and eager to get it finished. I know everything that is going to happen and I'm so excited to share it with you. Thank you for your continued support, you brighten my day with every view and comment. I'll let you get back to the story now. Enjoy!

Chapter 16

Isolation

"Boss, come back!" Ana's voice echoed into the distance as she watched the hunched figure turn and exit her room, leaving behind distorted giggles.

"Please! Joker! Come back!" she screamed again but hardly anything came out. She reached out her hand convinced that if she could touch the door, then the Joker would come back. The room warped and expanded, creating more distance between her and the exit. Her throat felt dry and coarse as if she had just shovelled down gravel. She could feel it ripping through her oesophagus and spewing out of her mouth as she tried to call for help.

"Don't leave me," Ana's voice whispered, instantly overshadowed by an absent Joker's hysteria as his laugh sliced through her words. A high-pitched ringing started to chime into focus, overtaking the clown's voice and getting closer and closer to the broken girl.

Ana jolted herself awake, immediately squinting her eyes as she felt a harsh light from the windows shine too brightly into her hospital room. She groaned as she started to wake up properly, painfully moving her head as she tried to shift her position. Her heartbeat monitor was still bleeping away in the background.

Realising that she couldn't move, she glanced down at her body to see herself still wrapped up in heavy-duty casts and bandages. Hoping that it had all been a dream, she irritatedly looked at the metal handcuff confining her to the bed. She exhaled through her nose as she felt the annoyance bubble up, and angrily yanked her hand against the plastic side rails, trying to test the cuff's strength.

"That won't work you know," an unfamiliar voice spoke from the chair in the corner of the room. Despite not recognising the sound, Ana had a flash of hope that the Joker had returned. Her eyes snapped to the figure in the hospital chair.

A man was sitting there, patiently leaning forwards resting his elbows on his knees, with his hands clasped together. He was sporting a brown suit with a camel-coloured shirt, dark green tie and an almost chocolate colour blazer and trouser set. His face revealed wisdom beyond his years, and an aura of tiredness, as his heavy eyes were shielded behind his thick-framed glasses. His brunette hair and full moustache were styled just right, framing his older face.

Ana had seen this person before on the news. The Joker had mentioned him in passing, usually as the punchline to one of his jokes. She never thought that she would ever be face-to-face with Commissioner Gordon.

What's he doing here?

Ana glared at him, refusing to respond to him while trying to calculate his motives. Her eyes flickered down to his side hip, revealing a hint of his firearm. There was also a new brown envelope on the portable table beside him. Ana watched him closely.

"How are you feeling?" Gordon asked as he opened his hands, gesturing tactical sincerity towards Ana. She remained silent as she held her glare. Gordon closed his hands again and nodded as he determined a different angle to work with this perp.

"You know, the doctor said that you've been out cold for 2 days now. They had to sedate you after going hysterical. Apparently, you were calling out for the Joker," Gordon cocked his head to the side as he waited for Ana to react. She was motionless, purposely hiding any fear or sadness from the enemy.

"Was the Joker here?" he probed again but still no response or reaction.

Gordon let out a small scoff as he pushed his hands against his knees to help himself stand up. He glanced down as he straighten up his blazer and tie.

"Are you romantically involved with the Joker?" he casually asked. Ana let out a chuckle, causing Gordon to look back up at her.

"Why? Just because I'm a woman, I must be infatuated with him. Would you ask his men that?" Ana patronised. Gordon swayed his head from left to right as if he was considering it.

"Perhaps," he shrugged. "If they gave us reason to," Gordon calmly suggested.

"And I give you a reason?" Ana flatly asked.

"Your DNA does," Gordon pushed up his glasses and swiftly wheeled across the portable table so that it was perfectly positioned over Ana's lap. Ana's eyes flickered between Gordon and the table as it rolled over. Her eyes then landed on the brown envelope, it appeared thicker now that it was closer up. Ana figured he was about to show her some pictures of the Joker's recent work.

"We found strands of your hair at a triple homicide committed last year," Gordon explained as he eagerly opened the brown envelope and pulled out a pile of A4 glossy photos. Ana silently stared at the Commissioner, wondering how they got permission to take her DNA assumingly while she was unconscious.

"Triple homicide with Marshall Bradley, Steven Reilly and Giovanni Rossi," Gordon paced out the victim's names as he arranged each of their posthumous photos in front of Ana. Ana sternly watched as he dropped each one in front of her. She recognised Marshall and Steven for the job she and Allie had to do to retrieve a key cutting from them. They weren't supposed to die, but Allie freaked out and ruined the entire plan.

Such a waste, Steven seemed like good fun.

Ana's eyes swept over the men and landed on the one called Giovanni. She didn't know his name, but he was the one who interrupted them as they searched their apartment. She stared at the obvious bullet hole in his head, remembering when she had rushed him and fired.

Her eyes flickered up towards Gordon in an intense glare.

"If I could shrug I would. I've never seen these guys before," Ana brushed off.

"Right, and how did your hair get in the back of their car?" Gordon raised his bushy eyebrows. Ana looked up to the ceiling tiles, as if in deep thought.

"I don't know, maybe we screwed one night. I was so strung out back then, I didn't even know what the time of day was," she smirked, only partially lying.

"Mmhmm," Gordon grumbled as he stared at her, obviously not believing a word she said. "We've also found your DNA at a residence on Bergen Street," Gordon continued as he pulled out a picture of her old apartment after the Joker blew it up. Ana stared at the photo as it fell to the table, she wanted to swallow a sudden lump in her throat but stopped herself, at the risk of appearing suspicious.

"This apartment was ransacked and blown up, injuring the surrounding residences," Gordon placed down aftermath pictures of her neighbours partially injured or covered in soot. "It ultimately killed the next-door neighbour, Vera Bowman," Gordon dropped a photo of Mrs Bowman, posthumous. Ana's eyes flickered to the image briefly before looking up at Gordon.

She felt her stomach twist but tried to contain her emotions. She had liked Mrs Bowman, a kind sweet old lady that always said 'Good Morning' to her. Ana suddenly realised that her heartbeat had risen as the heart rate monitor sped up. She had hoped Gordon hadn't noticed but when her eyes locked onto his, his eyes flickered to the screen.

"You know, apparently an Elizabeth Barnes lived there, but she went missing after the explosion and her body was never found," Gordon calmly paced to the end of Ana's bed, "Funnily enough though, she matches your description from the neighbours," he smiled at Ana as if he was welcoming Elizabeth to the conversation.

"That is funny, isn't it?" Ana rolled her eyes, looking away.

"And now we have pictures of you and a few others climbing up the power lines," he strolled back to Ana's side and placed down some blurred photos that showed two blobs resembling her and Charles trying to climb down from the pylon.

"That's so far away, you can't tell who that is," Ana scoffed as she criticised his evidence. Ignoring the fact that finding her broken self near the pylons was probably enough evidence to prove it.

"Your DNA places you at countless other crimes. This all falls on you, you know? We're coming for you, everything the Joker has done, burglary, racketeering, arson, aggravated assault, homicide. You are his accomplice, you will take the hit for it," Gordon leaned against her bed frame as he emphasised his threat.

Ana let out a scoff as she avoided eye contact just in case a sliver of fear escaped.

"And you won't be going to Arkham Asylum. You'd be going to prison. Where there are a lot of people the Joker has pissed off. How long do you think it will take them to realise who you are?" he scorned, drawing Ana's attention back onto him. Ana locked eyes with him again, retaining a serious face.

"I'm not the only one here you know, there are others just down the corridor," Ana hissed.

"Not anymore," Gordon simply replied, halting Ana in the conversation. Gordon noticed her confused face, realising that she hasn't been told the news.

"You don't know. All your people that were brought in either died from their injuries or died later on without any explanation," Gordon clarified as he stepped back.

Ana's face visibly scrunched up in confusion as she tried to decipher what he meant.

Without explanation? How do the doctors not know? Was it something else? Did the Joker do it? Did he kill everyone when he visited?

"It's just me?" Ana mumbled suddenly feeling very small and claustrophobic as the hospital equipment loomed around her broken body. Ana lowered her eyes as she focused on her white hospital bed sheets. She listened to her heartbeat racing to an unsteady rhythm. Not wanting to look up in this moment of weakness, she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"We think the Joker got rid of the rest of them. Except for you," Ana heard Gordon speak, but still looked down, allowing herself to dwell in her fear and sadness. "So that begs the question, why you? Either you're still working for him, or he's abandoned you," he spoke firmly but with a touch of empathy.

Abandoned me? How could he abandon me, after almost 6 years of service?

Ana felt a heavy weight bubble in her chest, a great sadness that risked showing her true fear in front of the Commissioner. She cleared her throat and gently raised her head to face him again.

"I think this is the part where I say that I'd like to talk to my lawyer now," Ana hissed. Gordon scoffed as he flicked through his crime photos.

"Do you want to see them? Your crew?" he ignored her and continued as he pulled out a selection of photos.

Gordon listed several crew members as he dropped each of their autopsy photos onto the table. Ana stared at the faces as they floated down in front of her.

The Joker wasn't kidding when he said that the ambush took out half his men.

Ana didn't recognise a lot of the names, but the faces were of crazies that worked for the Joker, so she never really took the time to get to know them, since they were really only known as target practice.

Gordon rattled off more names of crazies and other henchmen, his eyes flickered to the next picture and back to Ana as he devised his next move.

"Charles Kellerman?" he announced as he dropped his photo. Ana stared at the corpse of the Joker's right-hand man. "He was found near you," Gordon instructed.

Ana felt a chill run down her spine as she remembered her and Charles high up the pylons.

They must have been roughly six stories high.

"Ana!" Charles call echoed. A loud popping noise rang out as the power box above them burst into titanic sparks and erupted into flames. The whole metal power line vibrated underneath the pair.

Ana remembered an electrical lightning blast discharged up the tower. Ana's distressed gasp echoed in her mind as her body felt an intense jolt of electricity, followed by a wave of pure heat before they both were thrown off the ladder.

Ana lowered her eyes again as she realised that she would never see him again. He wasn't much of a talker, but you knew you could trust him. This was a rarity in her line of work.

"How does it feel knowing that most of your team died, either from following through with obscene orders, or at the hands of the Joker himself just a few doors down?" Gordon pointed at the door leading to the corridor as his anger started to show.

Ana refused to look at him.

"No?" he tried to lower his head to meet her eye, before standing up straight again. "And what about Allison Jackson?" he asked with darkness in his voice. Ana glanced back up at him, clearly enraged by his question. She heard her heart monitor beep faster.

Gordon placed down a picture of Allie, an image of her smiling as if she had taken a selfie. Ana stared at the picture, feeling uneasy as if the photo was about to move and talk to Ana and ask her questions.

"Allison went missing just over 2 weeks ago now. We believe that she was involved with the Joker and that you knew her," Gordon pushed.

"I've never seen her before," Ana grumbled, clearly lying.

"Really? Well, how did her DNA wind up at the same triple homicide where we found yours?" he interrogated.

"You tell me. I'm not the detective," Ana snapped.

"I think she worked for the Joker, maybe even loved him. I think she did a few jobs here and there but one day something went wrong, and she found herself on the wrong side of the clown," Gordon leaned against Ana's bed frame.

"Her family are worried sick about her, and only you know where she is. Can you at least tell me whether she's still alive?" Gordon locked eyes with Ana, showing anger in his voice with a hint of sadness, knowing full well she knew more than what she was letting on.

Ana glanced down at the happy girl. She had to admit that she missed her irritating laugh and naive questions. She felt solace in knowing that Allie was hopefully still alive somewhere but knew that the only way she could remain alive was to stay dead.

Ana let out a long sigh and closed her eyes.

"She's gone," Ana breathed as she looked at her picture one last time.

Gordon's eyes flickered from the perp to her heart monitor, to see if she was lying. Realising that she wasn't, Gordon let out a deflated sigh as he lowered his head and almost dropped his arms that were leaning on the side rails. He still had a glimmer of hope that the girl was still alive. Feeling that optimism get squashed felt like a stab at his own heart.

The Commissioner straightened himself up and stood over Ana.

"Ana, you are under arrest. But since you can't move yet, your doctors are insisting that you stay here and go through physiotherapy and rehabilitation until you can walk again," Gordon instructed. Ana glanced up at him surprised that she is in fact not paralyzed, and will be able to move again one day.

Why have no doctors been in to tell me this?

"When you're able, you will be taken to prison where you will await trial. You will be going away for life," Gordon spoke through gritted teeth as he leaned in for emphasis.

They glared each other down, waiting for the other to blink. Ana let her mind wander back to the joy of knowing that she'll be walking again and will be able to return to the Joker's crew.

"If you are willing to cooperate, however, then the judge might be lenient on you," Gordon interrupted her thoughts. "Help us find the Joker and we will help you," Gordon offered up his deal, but in response, Ana showed an obvious expression of confusion and disgust. She never even once considered going against her team.

Gordon clocked this and let out a scoff.

"Well, you'll get a feel for what prison is like whilst you're here. Stuck in that bed. Unable to move. For perhaps 3 or 4 months? You'll be in your own personal hell," he finished as he scooped up his photos. He watched his words penetrate Ana's mind, as her eyes flickered down for a moment, and her heart rate started to beep faster again. He straightened his tie and turned to the exit.

Ana stared him down as he stood by the door, exactly where the Joker stood a few nights prior. But this time, the clown turned back around to face Ana.

"You'll have plenty of time to consider my offer," he nodded before opening the door to the busy corridors and leaving the room, closing the exit behind him.

Ana's hospital room felt empty as machinery murmurs filled the space, but her sudden solitude was deafening. Ana took in a long breath and defeatedly rested her head back. Her mind began to race with thoughts of excitement, anger, guilt and fear. She looked at her cuffed hand and saw the button resting below it that presumingly allowed her to up her dosage of morphine.

Without hesitation, Ana reached for the button and pressed it with her thumb. She instantly started to feel a cool substance travel into her veins through the cannula on the back of her hand. She closed her eyes and allowed the drugs and solitude to sink in.

Month One

Ana was still stuck in her head. These days she was growing sick of the heavy bedsheets that constrained her to the bed, it was suffocating. She was finally able to regain some movement in her neck, allowing her to turn her head properly without any resistance from her upper back.

The restrained girl glanced around the room, observing every tiny detail of each piece of furniture. She let her eyes follow the swirl patterns that formed on her portable table that faked a wood design on its fibreboard material.

Her eyes flashed to the screens sitting next to her. She examined all the different numbers on the monitor, watching them flash and change with every heartbeat. By now, she had the noise sequence memorised to the point that she knew which beat was next, and then sometimes she was able to guess correctly what the random numbers on the screen would change to. A little game between herself and the equipment.

Ana let out a heavy sigh as she dropped her head back and stared up at the ceiling. She was bored out of her mind, her room had nothing to do in it, no TV, no books, nothing. All she could do every day is lay there, sleep and think. Ana locked onto the light grey ceiling tiles. She counted them to make sure she got the number correct, after counting them for the umpteenth time.

40 ceiling tiles. 5 across and 8 down. 40 tiles. Well, 39.98 tiles.

Ana's eyes scanned one ceiling tile that was missing its corner as if the foamboard had snapped when maintenance was checking the pipes in the space above. It's funny how the mind always tries to find something to do.

The door quickly creaked open as a nurse strolled into the room. Her face looked like she was on a mission as her eyes were locked onto Ana's heart monitor. Not once did she glance at her patient. Ana eagerly watched her as the nurse moved closer to her, craving a conversation in this claustrophobic space.

"Hi," Ana smiled sweetly as she rested her head back and engaged with the woman. There was no response, the nurse blanked her. Ana's face dropped instantly, her boredom created a short fuse these days.

"Hello?!" Ana snapped. The medical professional momentarily glanced over at Ana and then went back to pressing different buttons on the monitor, making the computer respond with new beeping sounds. Ana fiercely glared at the woman, trying to get her attention and witness something more exciting than the mystery of the missing tile corner.

"It's rude to ignore your patient," Ana hissed, glaring at the medical professional. Her eyes wandered over the nurse's face, she seemed young and inexperienced. Ana had not seen her before. Ana's eyes flickered to a blue pen that was sitting in her visitors' breast pocket and then wandered down her blue lanyard hanging recklessly around her neck.

"Nurse Taylor, is it? You're not doing a good job if you pretend that the patients don't exist," Ana cocked her head to the side as she criticized the nurse.

"We've been told not to speak to you," the Nurse mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

Just like the rest of them. Gordon really does want me to be isolated here.

"There's no one else here, I won't tell," Ana falsely smiled as tried to lean closer to the girl. The nurse glanced at Ana and held a long stare as if considering it to help her patient in their time of need. She then shook her head hastily and pulled out her pen to begin writing down some notes.

Ana let out a sigh and watched the nurse's pen dance on the clipboard as she wrote.

"I'm not going to bite you know. I can't even move. I'm handcuffed, see?" Ana yanked her hand to prove her point. Nurse Taylor's eyes anxiously flashed to Ana's handcuff and then back to her clipboard as if checking to see that the criminal hadn't broken free.

"How are you feeling?" The Nurse asked, not looking up from her notes. Ana raised her eyebrows in excitement over a normal question.

"Bored, lonely and bored," Ana groaned, not being able to decide if she was trying to make a joke by repeating herself or if she was just doubly bored.

"No. I mean are you in pain, feeling stiff or ill?" Nurse Taylor corrected as she waved her pen in line with her words.

"Urgh, can't we talk about something else? I'm so bored. You lot only ask me medical shit," Ana loudly complained.

"Your energy seems up," the Nurse commented as she jotted down this note. She then swiftly dropped the board into the compartment at the end of the bed and promptly spun around to leave the room. Ana shook her head in bewilderment about the nurse's speed to leave her with no announcement or goodbye.

"Wait! Come on!" Ana called after her, desperate for her to come back, even willing to listen to more medical jargon.

The silence was the only response Ana received.

Once Ana had determined that the nurse wasn't coming back, she let out a frustrated groan as she jerked her restrained hand. Causing a clanging noise to echo out.

Month Three

Ana's eyes were filled with fiery determination, glaring at her right-hand clutching onto a stress ball. She watched the ball slowly squish into a flatter shape, observing each crease wrinkle and crack the foam surface.

Her jaw was clenched, and her neck was tense as she pressed all her strength into her hand, which was violently trembling under the new workout. An aggravated and tired grunt escaped her lips as her eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Come on, come on," she whispered to herself, feeling the weakness running across the back of her hand and down her wrist, as if it was pulling her hand back the other way and fighting against her own willpower.

Her palm started to encase the ball more as it squashed into an easier shape. Her chest pounded as she watched her strength build and her hand finally close into a fist.

"Yes!" Ana let out a heavy exhale as she felt her body relax at her victory. She rested her head back against her pillow and stared at her hand.

This was a step in the right direction. It felt strange that she celebrated being able to do these simple tasks, despite always having done them in the past without a second thought. She looked around the room as if searching for applause, but there was no one there.

Ana's eyes flickered downwards in a brief moment of isolation. She shook her head and turned back to her hand.

"Again," she breathed, as she squeezed the stress ball with another spate of fury.

Month Five

"You can do it. Almost there," encouraged the male physiotherapist in his light blue scrubs.

Ana let out a pained groan as she shakily walked, carefully placing each foot in front of the other as she clutched onto the metal bars that were on either side of her.

Her eyes flickered up at the man, seeing if he was watching. Ana let out another gasp of pain as her legs gave way beneath her, causing her to collapse while her hands remained clutching onto the bars.

"You were so close, don't worry you'll get there," the man smiled as he kneeled in front of her. He pressed against her shoulder for added reassurance, patiently waiting for Ana to catch her breath.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, it's only 10 feet," Ana grumbled shaking her head.

"Everyone recovers at different speeds," he stated with a hint of concern in his voice.

"You know Paul, it might help if I wasn't handcuffed to the bars," Ana looked at the man and shook her restrained left hand, causing a loud clang to ring out.

"I know," Paul sighed as he leaned back on his knees, "We're just following orders," he explained.

"Yeah, I know, at least you talk to me like a human being," Ana mumbled avoiding eye contact as she admitted to needing some company.

"Yes, well while I don't like what you've done, you're still going through an incredibly difficult journey right now, trying to build your strength and get back to normal," Paul responded as he signalled that he was about to pick her up off the ground. Ana gave a nod in response.

"I just don't know why it's taking so long," Ana whined as Paul wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted Ana to her feet.

"You'll get there," he softly smiled down at her. Ana lightly smiled back at him and lowered her head.

"Thanks," she breathed. "Let's go again," she instructed as she took another step.

Later that evening, when the ward had gone to sleep, the corridors had gone dark and the night staff were scarce, Ana lay awake in her small room. She waited as she stared at the windowed door, ignoring the sensation of the walls closing in on her.

She felt a shooting pain jolt from her lower back down her left leg, she rolled her eyes at this unwelcomed guest and glanced down at her button for upping her morphine. Without hesitation, she pressed it with her cuffed hand and allowed the drug to seep into her veins and wash away the pain.

Ana's eyes glazed over as she stared back at the door. She almost fell asleep until the head nurse dashed past her room.

Here we go.

After being locked up in her hospital room for months, Ana has got to know the staff's routines and movements. Once the head nurse goes left, she doesn't come back for about an hour.

Ana promptly whipped off her hospital sheets and carefully climbed over the left side rails to get out of bed. Her thick hospital socks landed on the cold ground, while her restrained hand tapped away against the bed frame.

Ana glanced back at the door one final time and then started to practise walking back and forth. Her steps were stronger than what was shown to the physiotherapist. Her true strength was only shown in private as she built up her stamina and muscle for a grand escape.

Ana let out controlled breaths as she cautiously worked two sets of swats and lunges. Her reps were getting better each night despite her arm being yanked behind her each time.

All she could do was prepare to get away. The fact that the staff had been told to avoid her as much as possible made it easier for her to practise when they weren't looking. No one guards a bedridden patient.

The sooner I get back to normal, the sooner I'll be able to reunite with the team.

Ana used this to spur her on. To muffle the looming feeling of isolation and abandonment. There was nothing that was going to get in her way to make it back to the Joker.

Month Six

"How are you feeling?" Nurse Taylor asked Ana as she jotted down the same notes that she wrote every day on the clipboard.

"Bored," Ana rested her head back again on the pillow and stared at the young nurse. Her eyes flashed down to the blue pen that taunted her.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ana smugly asked as she watch Nurse Taylor reluctantly look up at her.

"What is it?" she snapped.

"Now now, no need to bite my head off," Ana smirked causing Nurse Taylor to roll her eyes and promptly put down the clipboard and tuck her pen into her breast pocket. Not having the patience for her patient, the nurse swiftly turned to leave the room. Like she did every time.

"I'm sorry, it's a real medical thing," Ana called after her, knowing that she would need to address her, the nurse gave a loud sigh and spun back around to look at Ana.

"It's just I have this pain in my right ear, can you check it out for me," Ana lied. Nurse Taylor gave a confused expression before walking back to the right side of Ana's bed. She pulled out a draw that sat underneath one of the monitors and grabbed the ear inspection otoscope.

As the nurse leaned forward to get a proper look into Ana's ear, Ana revealed a wicked grin. In one swift motion, Ana grabbed Nurse Taylor's scrub top and yanked the nurse towards her. The young woman let out a gasp as she frantically gawked down at Ana as if she was about to be mauled by an animal.

"You're not the only one who can bite," Ana grinned up at her, emphasising her t for added effect. The nurse let out a squeal as she shoved Ana back and got free of her grasp. She backed away from the girl, her wide eyes filled with disbelief.

"Oh relax, I'm just playing," Ana sweetly smiled, "I'm still handcuffed, see?" she tried to raise her other hand, but it clanged against the bed keeping her in place.

"You're sick," the nurse spat before exiting the room.

Ana let out a chuckle and relaxed back in her bed. She couldn't hold back her smile as she looked down at her right hand holding the nurse's blue pen.

Showtime.

An hour passed before Ana was escorted to her physiotherapy session by hospital security. She was sitting in her wheelchair as the guard wheeled her to the room. Her leg started to tap out of excitement and nerves, she spotted it immediately and tried to calm it down. Glancing behind her to see if the guard had noticed.

As she was wheeled into the room, Paul greeted her with a smile and wide-open arms.

"How are we feeling today?" he beamed. Ana looked up at him and gave a light smile.

"I'm feeling good, I think this will be the day," Ana smiled.

"Me too, I think we shall hit 20 feet unassisted," Paul nodded as he walked to the side rails and waited for the guard to transfer Ana from the chair to his position.

The guard moved her wheelchair across the room and stamped on the brake. He then swiftly transferred her handcuff from the wheelchair armrest to the support bar.

"Get up," the guard rudely ordered. Ana glared up unamused by his attitude. She gave out a sigh in annoyance, but it was interpreted that she was preparing herself to stand up. Ana shakily stood up and grabbed hold of the support bars. She mentally patted herself on the back for her fine performance as a recovering patient.

After a few leg workouts and stretches with Paul, Ana walked 10 feet, ensuring that she appear frailer than she truly was.

"You've got this Ana, I'm so proud of you," Paul smiled as he stood in front of her, taking a step back when she took one forward. Acting as her safety net.

Ana glanced up at his hazel eyes and briefly admired his kind face that looked down at her with no fear or disgust. Her eyes flickered across his features, from his short black hair to his stubbly beard hiding his subtle freckles.

"Are you alright?" he interrupted her thoughts. Ana snapped out of her trance and stood up straight.

"Yes," she quickly breathed, "But…" her eyes looked down in an act of embarrassment, "I need to use the restroom," she whispered as if ashamed.

"Oh, no problem," he nodded as he signalled the guard back over, "We'll continue this when you get back, Ana," he squeezed her upper arms to help encourage her. Ana could have melted into his touch; six months was a long time without any real human contact. A mix of loneliness and alienation made Ana feel more anxious than ever before these days, accentuating any act of kindness towards her.

The guard transferred the girl back to her wheelchair and took her to the bathroom down the corridor from Paul's room. As he pushed her chair into the lady's bathroom, Ana's eyes swept the room, noting three bathroom stalls to the left, two sinks and mirrors to the right, and no windows. The security guard halted her chair in front of the middle stall and disconnected her handcuff from the armrest.

"Can you take it from here?" he grunted.

"Yes," Ana nodded as she struggled to haul herself out of her chair. She let out a pained groan as she tried to stand up straight. She grabbed hold of the stall wall to steady herself, her handcuff dangled from her wrist. Just as she was about to enter the stall she looked back at the guard.

"You're not going to listen to me pee like some sort of weirdo, are you?" she glared at the guard. He shifted uncomfortably at the question, knowing that he couldn't give the right answer. His eyes checked the room for any obvious faults that Ana could use to her advantage to escape, he then noticed the girl tremble as she struggled to stand up. He gave a drawn-out exhale.

"I'll be outside. You have 5 minutes," he instructed before exiting the room, Ana watching him closely.

When the bathroom door shut, Ana revealed a smirk before standing up straight with ease and switching off her tremors. She reached underneath her hospital gown and grabbed the blue pen that was pressed against the elastic of her underwear and her hip.

She walked over to the mirrors and took a good look at her reflection. She hadn't truly seen herself these last 6 months. It was good to see a familiar face, despite it looking duller these days.

"Here we go," she whispered to her reflection which smirked back at her.

"You're ready," it said.

Ana turned to the door and cleared her throat.

The guard stood next to the door on the other side, facing outward along the corridor. He glanced to the physiotherapy room just as Paul leaned out of the area to check where they were.

The guard suddenly heard a pained yelp followed by a loud thud and metal rattling. He scrunched his face in confusion before entering the bathroom. Paul waited by the physiotherapy entrance, unaware of the noise.

As the guard entered the bathroom he immediately noticed the wheelchair on its side, the wheel still partially spinning. It was pressed up against the middle bathroom stall. Thinking that Ana had fallen over he stormed over to peer into the cubicle. He was met with nobody.

A rush of sudden realisation struck him as he abruptly spun around.

Ana leapt out of the stall closest to the door and yelled out as she swiftly stabbed the guard in the neck with the pen. The guard let out a breathless yelp as he reached for his throat and stepped backwards into the cubicle in surprise.

Ana grinned as she dove forwards and pushed the guard down against the toilet before stabbing him again and again, repeatedly in his jugular. Ana let out an enraged growl as she continued to stab the man. Blood splattered onto the walls and Ana's face. She stared as blood seeped out of his neck and he gurgled his last shaky breaths.

Ana panted heavily before letting out an excited giggle. She hadn't felt this alive since before her near-death experience. She glanced down at the guard's hip and saw his firearm.

"I'll take that," she smiled as she pulled it out of its holster and cocked it.

She ran out of the bathroom holding the gun, her thick hospital socks gripped to the shiny floors. She peered down the corridor to her right and then looked to her left.

Her eyes locked on Paul, who stared at her from the middle of the corridor as if he had been coming to check on her. He registered the blood on her face, and the gun in her hand. His feet were frozen on the spot, and his mouth was open ajar.

Ana had gotten to know the hospital layout by now and knew that the quickest way out was down the corridor, passed physiotherapy, and through the fire escape out into the car park.

Ana glared at the man and panted heavily.

She stormed towards him and raised her weapon, ready to clear her path. Ana watched his eyes widen as she charged towards him. Her nostrils flared as she got closer and closer, her feet getting even stronger with each step.

Paul winced and shut his eyes tightly as the mad woman approached him. He heard the hammering of her feet against the tile get louder, and then stop.

In confusion, he opened his eyes to see what was happening. She was no longer in front of him. Paul could feel his heart pounding as his eyes shifted to the right of him. He stared at the barrel of her gun almost pressing against his right temple.

"Ana," his breath quivered under her scorching glare.

Ana glared at him, wondering why nothing was happening. Her eyes flickered to her gun and noticed her hand was shaking. Flashing between the barrel to Paul's terrified face, Ana realised that his kindness was clouding her judgement.

Ana let out a frustrated sigh and lowered her weapon. Paul cautiously glanced at the girl.

"Thank you," she simply said and dashed off down the corridor.

Paul watched her with wide eyes as she bolted down the corridor and round the corner, out of sight.

He let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding in and glanced around him to see if anyone had seen what had happened.

Looking back at where she vanished, he realised that the Joker's henchwoman has escaped.