Life Under the Hood

Chapter 9

Weeks Later

I cough violently as I expel another mouthful of last night's dinner into the toilet bowl below. My hands grip at the sides of the porcelain object as I try to stabilize my shaking body. I sit back on my knees, bringing a hand up to wipe my mouth. My head spins, and I lean against the wall to stop the dizziness.

I sit for a moment, catching my breath. I press my fingers to my temple, forcing the sick feeling to go away.

"Lucy?" Jason's voice forces me to my feet.

I jump up, shutting the toilet lid and flushing away my dinner. I run towards the sink and quickly grab my toothbrush. I squirt some minty toothpaste onto the head then stick it in my mouth before unlocking the bathroom door. Jason instantly makes his way inside, his face confused and concerned.

"What's with the door? You never lock it." He asks.

"Oh, uh, I didn't realize it was locked." I respond, not wanting to tell him that I'd just spent the last half hour throwing up everything in my stomach.

Jason raises a skeptical eyebrow, but his expression quickly dissolves into one of concern. He takes a step towards me, and I nearly back away.

"Are you alright? You look paler than usual. Are you sick?" He reaches for me, using his fingers to raise my face to his.

I allow him to look me over for a few seconds before I pull back and continue brushing my teeth.

"I'm fine." I lie. "I got my period this morning. I'm feeling a little off, that's all."

Jason nods sympathetically, then presses a kiss to my forehead.

"I wish I could stay with you, spoil you all day, but I have something to do down at the Pier." He says, and it's then that I notice Jason is fully dressed and his hair is gelled up.

"The Pier?" I question, referring to the iconic criminal zone located on the harbor of Gotham City. Everything illegal takes place at the Pier. Gang leaders, petty criminals, and even rogues as big as my mother and father conducted business at the Pier. It's the one place in Gotham GCPD refuses to go. "Do you need me to come with you?"

Despite the Pier's brutal reputation, Jason and I had been warmly welcomed. As the the daughter of Harley Quinn and the Joker, I'm expected to take over the Gotham underground sooner or later. I am treated as royalty at the Pier, no one dares to defy me. Jason stumbled upon the place years ago when he was young, spending a lot of his street rat days there. Once he returned to Gotham, after spending time with the League of Assassins and then the Outlaws, Jason centered himself at the Pier and grew to be one of the largest crime bosses in Gotham, second only to Black Mask. Over the past couple of months, Jason had expressed interest in trying to regain that position, and attempt to heal Gotham by slowly dissolving its crime from the inside. Since I'm expected to take over the underground eventually, I found the idea good. Together, Jason and I could control all crime within Gotham and work to end it. Whenever Jason has a meeting down at the the Pier, I usually accompany him.

"No, no, not today. Besides, you don't feel well. You stay here and get some rest, and I'll brief you on the information later." Jason begins to back out of the bathroom, and I can't help but feel as though he is hiding something from me. I follow him into our bedroom.

"It's no problem. I don't feel that bad. I'll be ok." I say, trying to convince my husband to let me come along.

Jason chuckles slightly and walks back to me. He brings his hands up to frame my face and plants a loving kiss in my lips.

"Rest. I promise I won't make any rash decisions without consulting you first." He smiles.

I sigh in defeat and nod, causing Jason to chuckle slightly. He gives me one more peck on the forehead before he heads for his nightstand. I watch as he grabs his phone, stuffing it in his back pocket along with a small pistol. He then reaches for a cigarette, lighting it before he makes his way to the door. The smoke from the lit bud only makes me more nauseous, yet I force a weak smile onto my face as I watch my husband disappear out our bedroom door. As soon as he's gone, I throw open the balcony doors to avoid being sick again.