The Fault in our Scars (originally known as 'Maybe Baby' by Alex Snape)

Chapter 8

"Vell, it's a bit too late to back out now, my love," Dr. Stein chuckled as he checked her heartbeat. "Everything sounds okay; pulse is racing, but, hey, you're in labor, so vhatever."

Ivy raised a curious eyebrow at this peculiar fellow of a doctor, but she stayed silent as she moved to the wall on the other side of the bathroom.

"Now, most important, is the dilation..." he continued.

"The what?" The Joker interrupted.

"Of the vaginal canal..." the doctor said casually and continued to speak to Harley.

However, the words were drowned out by The Joker as he stared at the floor with wide eyes, but then with an inquisitive glance, he received a physical explanation of the doctor's prognosis. His head started to swim as he looked away suddenly.

"Papa?" came the doctor's voice. "Everything Kosher?"

The Joker quickly shook the dizziness from his head and sat with his right side against the tub as he watched Harley.

Another two hours passed and her breathing was getting deeper. The Joker had to drain the tub once again to put in more warm water, and the doctor had given her a gentle injection to help ease the pain that was throbbing in her back. Suddenly, in the still of the tense atmosphere of the bathroom, Harley exhaled a deep guttural moan that echoed off the tiles.

The Joker, who had been stripping the bed of the wet sheets and turning the mattress over, carefully crept to the bathroom door and peered around the corner. He met Harley's painful gaze and quipped, "Remind me to never do this to you again..."

Harley giggled weakly as Dr. Stein chuckled, but Ivy gave him a cold stare. "Lighten up, Plant," he said, not looking at her.

Before she could retort, Ivy was interrupted by Harley's loud cry. "Oh, God! I think...he's coming! Oh, God! I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared..."

The doctor went to examine her as The Joker rushed to her side where she gripped his hand. Dr. Stein clapped his hands together and announced, "I think you're right, mamele. You'll do fine, don't worry!"

He quickly shot up and went to his other bag, which was made of a thick dark plastic. He opened it and brought out a clear plastic bag that was even sturdier. "Papa," he said, gripping his surgical scissors that he grabbed from his medical bag. "Take these..."

The Joker creased a confused brow and asked, "Why?"

The doctor looked at him, amazed. "You wanna cut the umbilical cord, don't ya?"

"Um..."

"Course you do! The bag is for all the afterbirth; just hold it for me..."

The weariness returned to The Joker's head and he set both items beside him on the floor as he turned back to Harley who was now moaning deeply.

"Now," Dr. Stein began. "No pushing till I tell you. Many women think that in labor you do much pushing, but really it only takes about three or four, God willing."

The Joker felt the third wave of vertigo sweep over him, but he slowly lifted his eyes to Harley and came to a sudden realization.

"You've never looked more beautiful than you do now," he whispered to her.

Harley turned to him, surprised at his tone, and spouted new tears as she smiled at him and he leaned in and they shared a deep kiss before Harley suddenly pulled away with another painful moan.

"He's crowning, my sweet!" Dr. Stein announced, happily.

The Joker suddenly felt sick. His mind was going in different directions at once, but the death grip Harley had on his hand kept him upright.

"Give me one good push, dahling," the doctor instructed. "And...now!"

Harley groaned loudly as she pushed, gripping The Joker's hand tighter as she heard Ivy's encouraging voice. "Come on, girly. Hold tight!"

She stopped pushing and paused to catch her breath. "Good job, love!" Dr. Stein praised. "Another one...go!"

She felt like she pushed even harder and her head pounded through the pain as the pressure increased in her hips. Her groaning soon turned into a scream and she suddenly stopped. "I can't!" she cried.

The Joker leaned in and put his nose to her cheek. "You can, Harley," he urged her.

"No, no, no," she said, pitifully as she shook her head. "It hurts..."

"Harley," he whispered in her ear. "You've wanted this baby for a long time, right? I know you have..." She nodded and he grinned as he continued. "Right! You have! You've always bugged me about it, haven't you?"

She smiled as best as she could, but her tears got the better of her. She sniffed and whimpered, "Do you love me?" she whispered.

"Harley..."

"Puddin'...please..."

Dr. Stein quietly interrupted. "Okay, Miss Quinn. Just one more push...no backin' out now. He's almost here..."

She looked at The Joker and he smirked at her as he brushed a tendril of hair from her face. She turned back to the doctor and she nodded. Dr. Stein smiled. "Okay, dear. Ready? And...now!"

Harley struggled through her last, forceful push and she felt as if her head was going to explode from the pressure, until, suddenly she felt instant relief and stared straight ahead of her as she watched the doctor gently lift something from the water. She closed her eyes as she listened to the suction of a medical bulb and then the strong cry of her baby.

She let out a relieved sigh and sobbed joyfully as Dr. Stein lifted the baby to her view. "Say hello to your bouncing baby boy!"

"He's beautiful..." Harley said as she gazed at her still crying child.

The Joker stared at the sight in front of him. He tried to quickly determine the looks of the baby; did he have her eyes? His nose? Lips? They hadn't even decided on a name!

He was shaken out of his speechlessness by Dr. Stein's voice gently saying, "Go on, Papa. The kid can't be connected to Mama all his life."

The Joker realized what was happening and picked up the surgical scissors and the doctor marked the place on the umbilical cord. He carefully let the scissors' blades force themselves through the tough tissue of the cord, and, after a quick snicker, The Joker took another look at his newborn son...

...and fainted flat on his back on the bathroom floor.

"Puddin'!" Harley called, shocked. She had definitely never seen him do that before, and she looked from him to the doctor. "Oh my God!"

"Eh?" Dr. Stein asked, casually cleaning the baby and wrapping him in a thick towel, oblivious to what occurred. He then looked down at The Joker. "Oh, him? He'll be fine, sweetheart. All new Papas do that...I've seen it a million times."