Love Doctors {Harley Quinn x Poison Ivy}

Part 5: Bruise

I opened the door to see a small teenage boy holding a box of pizza. I took the pizza out of his hands and gave him $15, leaving him with a $5 tip.

"Thank you, miss lady." He said taking my cash.

My heart stopped and my body turned cold. I felt my hands start to shake with a mixture of rage and fear. I nodded and slammed the door in his face, making sure to lock both of the locks. I normally only locked one, but this was different. I felt....unsafe.

"Stupid kid." I mumbled rolling my eyes and bringing the pizza box to the table.

"What was that all about?" Lola asked giving me a concerned look.

"Ya jus wouldn't understand. Don't worry bout it." I shrugged my shoulders.

I saw Lola's eyebrow raise in confusion and surprise. She tilted her head dramatically, trying to get me to look at her. That's when it hit me. I slapped my hand against my forehead out of stupidity. I had been so wrapped up in my memories that I had let my accent slip out. I had tried for years to hide it in order to give me a more sophisticated tone, but every now and then I would let my guard down and it would just come out.

"Oh my god, Harleen. I didn't know u had an accent!" Lola pointed out quite surprised.

"Yea, yea, yea. I know. I hate it so I hide it." I admitted as I felt my face go red from embarsssment.

"Hey, it's not that bad." She said putting her hand on mine.

I jerked my hand away feeling vulnerable. I shrugged and took a bite of pizza, returning my gaze to the tv. After a few minutes, I looked back down at my plate when a dark spot on Lola's arm caught my eye. I turned my attention towards her as I studied the little skin showing underneath her long sleeves. Lola soon noticed what I was staring at and quickly pulled her sleeves farther down, trying to be casual.

"What was that?" I asked turning my body towards Lola.

"Nothing." Lola said staring at the tv, not making eye contact.

Did she think I was stupid? I had a PhD and was a recognized psychiatrist at the most dangerous place in all of Gotham. Nothing got past me. I had heard the inflection in her voice and took note of how she avoided eye contact. I knew she was lying.

"Look at me." I said while keeping my voice soft and understanding.

Lola looked up at the ceiling for a minute before turning her face to look me in the eyes. I could tell she was trying to be strong, but she couldn't hide it when a tear escaped her eye. In college, us psychiatrists were always taught to respect boundaries and to use words for comfort instead of touch. But Lola wasn't my patient, so those rules didn't apply here. I put my arms under her arms and pulled her close. In return, she wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder. I could tell that despite everything, she was trying to pretend like she was okay. Even with my hands around her back, I couldn't feel her breathing. I knew she was holding on to what little strength she had left and didn't want to let it go.

"You have to breathe, Lola. It's okay, I promise." I whispered.

I felt Lola take a breath before she completely melted. I felt her arms go limp around my neck and my heart sunk as she gave out a painful scream. I held her out in front of me. Her face was red and her mascara was smudged on her face, and most likely my shirt too.

"You're gonna have to tell me what happened." I said staring into her eyes.

She nodded, closing her eyes as she dropped her hands into her lap. I grabbed ahold of them and looked her in the eyes with a supporting look.

"My.....husband." She gasped between words. "He hits......me....but I know.....he loves.....me."

I didn't know what to say. Frankly, I was more shocked than anything. I slowly pushed her sleeve slightly farther up. I glanced up at her and she nodded in acceptance. I finished pushing her sleeve all the way up to the top of her shoulder. I felt my own eyes water up as I saw Lola's arms practically covered in bruises. I forced the tears to stay inside my eyes. I had to be strong for her. While studying her arm, I noticed small cuts on the insides of her wrists. I felt her hands start to shake and I looked back up to see tears rushing down her face as she closed her eyes.

"Hey, it's not your fault, okay? It was never, and will never be, your fault." I reassured her, wiping her tears as they fell.

She nodded and I pulled her sleeves back down. I turned her to where her back was facing me and I started to gently massage her shoudlers. At this point, she was verbally crying, but I didn't mind. I moved my legs apart and let her lay her back down in between my legs, her head resting on my chest. Eventually, we both fell asleep and that's where we were when we woke up the next morning.

I made sure that Lola was okay to go back to work, before watching her walk out the door. I had let her use my mascara and gave her the darkest foundation I owned. It still wasn't perfect, but with any luck, no one would question it. As far as anyone else knew, Lola and I were just eating pizza and watching tv all night. It was no one else's business what her husband was doing and I certainly wasn't going to be the reason that it got leaked. I waved goodbye as her car left my driveway.