Gotham's Detective

Chapter 2

When Heather awoke, it was dark in the room, and she was under the covers. She wondered how long she had slept. Heather glanced to her left and saw an alarm clock that read 3:00. That couldn't be right, could it? She could have sworn that she had slept longer than an hour, but she was still so tired, so she closed her eyes, falling asleep again.

When she awoke again, she heard voices above her. "She has been asleep for over 36 hours, Alfred; I think we should be worried."

"It will probably take some time to get all the poison out, sir."

"At least she lived, unlike the others."

Heather stirred then, to let them know she was finally awake. She opened her eyes and blinked at the bright light shining in the window.

"Welcome back," Bruce told her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, how long did I sleep?"

"For over a day and a half," he said. "I was getting worried."

"I must have had some poison in my system still. It must have made me extremely tired," she said.

"You must be hungry," Alfred said then.

"Starving actually," Heather admitted, and her stomach growled as if on cue.

Bruce hid a smile. "Alfred will bring you some food. I have work to do. There are clothes in the closet, help yourself," he told her, and then left the room, followed by Alfred.

Heather sighed and sat up. She was still weary, but she felt better. When Heather had been poisoned, she had felt like she wanted to sleep for days, and her limbs had felt almost paralyzed. She was glad that she was able to move now, and most importantly that she was alive. She had been a fool going to that party by herself. If her Chief in California found out what had happened, he would be furious.

Alfred walked back in a few minutes later with a tray of food and laid it on the bedside table. "There is a bathroom through that door," he told her, pointing to the right. Heather nodded gratefully. "Mr. Wayne also wanted me to give you a shot," Alfred told her, stepping forward with a needle he had pulled off the tray. "It should help you from getting an infection from the poison, and help with the headache."

Heather hadn't even realized she had a headache until he mentioned it. Her head now pounded as if it was reminding her. She rolled up the sleeve of the large pajama top, and Alfred inserted the needle into the side of her arm. He smiled at her. "If you need anything, just let me know."

"Thank you, Alfred."

"You are welcome, Sarah," he replied, using her fake name.

She smiled as he left the room. Alfred knew her real name, but Heather was grateful that he was using her alias. She couldn't have her secret exposed.

Heather ate the food, which was incredible, and then showered and dressed in a pantsuit that was in the closet. The wardrobe was full of women's clothes, and she wondered if Bruce entertained a lot. But if he did, why had he loaned her his pajamas? Hopefully Bruce hadn't bought all those clothes for her. It certainly made her curious.

Heather left the room after finding her purse on the floor by the bed, and her now clean dress hanging off a chair. She headed out the door, meeting Alfred in the hall.

"Miss Bingham, are you leaving?" he asked her.

"I must Alfred. I have to get back to work. Will you tell Mr. Wayne, thank you for everything?"

"Of course," he told her. "May I give you a ride to the precinct, so you don't have to call a taxi?" he asked her.

"Would you mind?" she asked him.