Chapter 13: Edward's childhood
Back at Gotham General, Chase arrived a minute late, spending the night with Bruce Wayne made her a little giddy, thankfully her boss at the hospital didn't know.
Chase walks in her office and to her surprise she has a patient already.
"Please, I'm sorry for the late arrival." Chase said.
"Oh no, worries Doctor." a voice came.
This patient surprisingly turns out to be Edward himself.
Seems he had ways of getting in the hospital than just a Riddle Trophy.
"Gotham is a city for Night Owls." Edward said.
"I have never been one Edward." Chase said.
Chase sits at her desk with Edward sitting back gripping his own hands together.
"Now Edward, last time we were talking about your childhood. And when we left things you were telling me about your relationship with your father." Chase said.
"I wouldn't call it a relationship really Dr. Meridian. My father was...an alcoholic drug edic. We never had much money but he claimed he made better than my mother did, always working nights at the diner." Edward said.
"Was he abusive?" Chase asked.
"Occasionally. He always thought I wasn't smart enough to even solve tick tack toe. But one night I proved him wrong by always beating him! See he always went on three rows and so did I and always won and then my father...well he lost his temper and that's when he first hit me calling me a moron." Edward said.
"That's awful. I'm so sorry." Chase said.
"Don't be. It actually opened my eyes. I didn't see his colors till he actually slapped the sense into me. I was a naive child till I was six. And poor Mother, each time she defended me she got a fair share of hits from Father too." Edward said.
"We all have complicated parts of our childhood Edward. I think the route of the relationship you had with your father was trauma issues." Chase said.
"That's one way of putting it. My father actually had an affair with our maid. Poor Mother was horrified it drove her to drugs... sadly it was her own undoing. Left me to suffer more under my father's abuse." Edward said.
"But when he was arrested for illegal gambling you were already starting college. Did you ever hear from him then?" Chase asked.
"All I heard was he was killed in a prison riot. Didn't mourn not like I had any real relationship with him. But yes... I paid for my own college funds with the intelligent inturns I made at Gothcorp." Edward said.
"I understand it wasn't your best intentions after the psychological history with him but how have you adapted?" Chase asked.
"Lucky for you Doctor I have an answer for everything. See my trauma wasn't as highten as most people in Gotham. I had more brains than mentally. See I get my smarts from my grandfather he was from my mother's prospective the second Albert Instine. Made inspired me enough that I became a boy genius at the age of 6 which drove my father to jealousy." Edward said.
"I see." Chase said.
"See from what Mother told me he never passed anything in High School he was a drop out. But that's what started his interest in gambling. He gambled with politics and mobsters. That was in Vegas where he met mother. She was a stripper back then. But my father had a thing for them more than common men." Edward said.
"You seem to have a lot of detailed knowledge of your parents." Chase said.
"Well that's what happens when you build up a lot of smarts. See many use more brawns than brains. That's why Gotham is full of crime and corruption. They don't build up brilliant intelligence so they do the first thing that comes to mind. The easy way. And my father learned that the hard way." Edward said.
"I'm sure there are plenty of people who think the same thing Edward." Chase said.
"Care to introduce me to one?" Edward asked.
"You work at Wayne Enterprises right?" Chase asked.
"Yes. I work under their researches and development Mr. Fox provides." Edward said.
"Then can I assume you know Bruce Wayne?" Chase asked.
"Oh most definitely. His name was on my hiring slip." Edward said.
"Bruce definitely has intelligence himself. He may not have had it as bad as you but he had a traumatized childhood." Chase said.
"Yes, Thomas and Martha Wayne's tragedy was a terrible loss. To have it happen in front of him...could make him into anything." Edward said.
That's what gave Edward his own suspicion on Bruce Wayne making him pause in thought till Chase speaks to snap him out of it.
"Bruce has brilliant intelligence and he provides a lot under his science like as he describes like his father." Chase said.
"Bruce...? I didn't know you were on a first name basis with him." Edward said.
Chase wasn't careful on that given she slept with Bruce last night and wasn't sure yet if they were going steady yet given Bruce was a playboy.
But if only she knew about Vicki Vale and Selina Kyle.
But either way Chase didn't think it was safe to go public with Bruce yet.
"I have appointments with him. The DA was his friend so he talked it over with me." Chase said.
Edward could tell Chase wasn't fully truthful; she left out enough details.
Edward leans forward placing an elbow on the desk with a grin.
"Dr. Meridian...may I call you Chase? That is your full name isn't it?" Edward asked.
"Yes and you may?" Chase asked.
Chase was getting a chilling feeling from Edward now.
"You seem like a very beautiful woman. In fact you remind me of my mother in a way... before she got addicted to drugs. She was kind and understanding like you. Brave when she protected me from my father." Edward said.
Chase was starting to get uncomfortable with him trying to keep her smile on.
"Thank you. That's sweet." Chase said.
"And Chase... I have a friend who is into luck he always says fate has plans for all of us. If he's right perhaps...you took my case for a reason." Edward said.
"I'm sure..." Chase said.
Chase was getting more uncomfortable with him but to her relief their time was up.
"I think that's it for the day Edward." Chase said.
"Well then I hope to pick this up next week." Edward said.
Chase gives a slightly nod as Edward stood up leaving for the door shouting:
"I'LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU NEXT WEEK DOCTOR! I PROMISE!" Edward called.
Chase shouts back.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO!" Chase called.
But Edward had already left the room leaving the door open.
Chase didn't have a good feeling where Edward was going earlier when she brought up Bruce; it's like he was trying to win her over.
Chase started thinking if she should let someone else handle Edward's case.
To Be Continued…