i'm holding on for dear life- harleyxjoker

one two three, one two three...

Hi everyone! Just wanted to say thankyou so much for reading/rating my story and leaving some wonderful comments on here and my Instagram! I love you all so much! xx Also, there are some medical terms/treatments in here that I'm not entirely familiar with, but I did some research and tried to make the procedure as accurate as possible. If any of you know better, feel free to let me know and I will fix it up! Anyway, please enjoy the new chapter! xx

The team of nurses swarmed around the room, like sharks in a frenzy trying to gather any equipment Doctor Leeland called out for.

She placed two fingers on Harley's wrist, trying to find some sort of pulse. Nothing. She moved her fingers quickly up to her neck and exhaled slightly to feel the weak pulse there. She was still with them. But only just

"Tom!" she called, looking over at the nurse towards the door, "We are going to need to intubate her! We need to pump her stomach immediately!" The nurse nodded and rushed out of the room to gather the necessary equipment. Leland quickly stripped the towel away from Harley's body, leaving her naked on the table. This was no time for modesty. She had to be revived.

As if on cue, Tom reentered the room holding the long tube and Laryngoscope out in front of him. Doctor Leeland took them quickly, motioning for Heather to come and hold Harley's head still as she guided the tube down her throat, listening carefully to any indication of it going into her lungs rather than her stomach.

Satisfied with the tube's placement, Doctor Leeland looked over to Heather, who had moved to grab a large vile of saline. Doctor Leeland nodded at her initiative and took it from her, measuring out a decent amount before proceeding to pour it down the tube. Thankfully, Harley began to gag slightly as the liquid began to fill up her stomach, her body shuddering as she tried to fight against it. She poured another cup down before turning to Tom once more, who knowingly passed her the nasogastric tube. She took it without a word and connected it to the one already down Harley's throat, and started the suction.

The reaction was almost instantaneous. Harley convulsed on the table, her head lolling around heavily. Heather held it tightly, forcing her to remain still as the contents of her stomach were pulled up through the tube. Doctor Leeland felt herself holding Harley's hand somewhere amongst it all. Somewhere deep down, she was still Harleen Quinzel, the girl she had taken on as an intern all those years ago. She had hoped that one day she might be helping these patients recover, not becoming one of them herself. She looked over at the tube, watching an assortment of pills and stomach fluid shoot upwards. The lack of food in her stomach was alarming and it was only then that she realised how bony Harley's hand was within hers.

Doctor Leeland pulled back. She had to make she was okay first before she started delving into this.She had to make sure she was alive. The stomach matter had stopped coming up the tube and Leeland disconnected the suction, looking tiredly over at Heather and Tom.

"Tom, disconnect the pump. Leave her intubated though, I still want to assist her breathing." Tom nodded and did as he was asked. Leeland then turned to Heather, "Please go an alert Frank that she will need a room. Preferably one downstairs so we can access her easier" Heather nodded and bounded out of the room.

Without the towel, Leeland could get a clear view of the injuries Harley had sustained over the last couple of days. Her body was adorned with blue and purple patches, standing out in stark contrast to her pale skin. Two of her ribs protruded unnaturally from her sides and Leeland sighed. She was in pretty bad shape. Again.

She silently walked over to the table and got some medical table and plaster bandage. she pushed the ribs back into place, earning her a muted cry of pain from Harley as she quickly taped and bandaged them up so that they would set correctly. She noticed that Harley's left arm dangled loosely off the table and she lifted it gingerly so that it could rest on her chest. The bruises on her wrist clearly indicated a sprained wrist at best. She would have to do an x-ray in a few days. She wasn't going to make Harley undergo any more procedures tonight. So she bandaged that up too, working carefully as to not hurt her.

Stepping back, she looked over the body in front of her, clicking her teeth. Silly girl. She never should have assigned someone so impressionable to such a monster. It was a terrible error. Quite possibly a fatal mistake.

Tiredly, she looked up to see Tom staring at her intently. She mustered up a small smile and nodded at him. "Thanks for your help Tom. You did wonderfully. Lets get some clothes on her and move her downstairs."

~~~

Fuzzy. Everything was fuzzy. She could make out shapes around her, but they would never stay long enough for her to focus on. She though the pills would make the pain go away, but the feeling of hands touching her body all over prevented her from experiencing any sort of peace. She felt her last layer of warmth being pulled off of her skin, and she mewled in protest although she knew no one could hear her.

Her body felt like lead. She couldn't move it. She wasn't in control of herself. Thats all she had wanted. To be in charge of herself for once! She wanted to decide what happened to her, how much longer she would say for.

She thought that your life was supposed to flash before your eyes before you died. An array of memories, a photo album of your life to lull you into an empty sleep of nothingness. But as she remained cold and heavy in the white haze, she wondered if this was hell. She would have preferred the burning, the seething pain of the fire over her skin, causing her to scream for all eternity. She would prefer that to this cold. The ice which surrounded her skin and permitted her bones. She didn't want to feel anything! She wasn't supposed to feel anything anymore! Stupid, stupid stupid! It was't working. She wanted to reach for that orange bottle and finish the job. It was her right! But she couldn't move. She could only lie there in the cold. Looking up at the shadows that danced behind the white haze. For gods sake, let her die!

~~~

The wheels of the bed rolled down the hallway noisily as Harley was taken to her room. They never called it a cell with patients in states like this. They were too unstable. Tom's hands gripped the metal handles of the stretcher tightly, reminding himself to stay focused on the task at hand and not the psychotic clown who he was wheeling to her room.

The glass door opened for him with a swipe of his identification card and he manoeuvred the stretcher in easily, reaching his hands under Harley's waist to place her on the newly made bed and pulling the thin blanked over her now shivering form. He sighed, looking down at how small she looked and took the blanket from the stretcher and draped that over her too, not caring if it was against protocol. He moved the bed out and closed the glass panel, turning around only to be face to face with another woman. He gulped.

Her red hair tumbled down her shoulders effortlessly, standing out in fiery contrast to her pale skin. Her green eyes piercing into Toms as she looked at him intently.

"Pamela" he breathed out quietly.

She flashed him a smile, a sort of 'cat that ate the canary' grin which made him feel more than a little uncomfortable. Although she was classed as a 'low risk' inmate and was allowed to roam the halls, she had a way of making herself seem rather, well, threatening.

"Doctor Tom" she drawled slowly, "What have you got in that room?"

Tom tried to stop the blush from creeping up onto his cheeks and he looked down at his shoes. "Miss Isley, I'm not a doctor. I..I need to run some other errands and you know I am not permitted to disclose other patients details with you." He looked up to see her nodding at him sincerely.

"Of course Tom" she replied "I'm sorry. Run along now, I'd hate to keep you."

Tom didn't need to be told twice. He hurried away down the hallway and around the corner.

Ivy chuckled. Silly fool. She played with the ID card she had so easily snatched from his keys in her hands. She walked forward to look at the blonde mass under the covers behind the glass. Shit. What had Harley gotten herself into now?