Lisbeth sat quietly in the middle of the mountain of pillows on Harley's bed. Her gaze wandered off into nowhere. She really didn't know how to feel at this point. She was happy to be with Harley but she missed her patients at Belle Reve; they really were her whole life. She needed a purpose in life to make it through the day. Her work at the hospital was her penance; her reason for getting out of bed each morning instead of continuing her wine drinking binge.
She started thinking about how much she could use a few shots, when a loud knock on the door echoed through the room.
"Come in," she said turning around and hanging her legs off the side of the large bed.
Brandon poked his smiling face in the room, "Are you decent, my lady?"
Lisbeth couldn't help but smile back at the energetic boy. "Yep, come on in."
With that Brandon came in followed by a few more costumed thugs; all of them carrying boxes.
"What is all this?" Lisbeth asked as they piled the boxes in a corner of the room.
"All your stuff, my lady. Boss asked us to empty out your apartment and bring everything to you."
Lisbeth sat frozen; up until now she could pretend she was just a guest and could leave at any time. This made it permanent though; she was now a part of this crazy family.
As they were finishing up stacking the boxes, Jonny walked in.
"We have your apartment all taken care of, my lady. Now you need to let me know, is there going to be anyone looking for you, any family harassing the police to find you?"
Lisbeth just shook her head no, gazing to her side, out the window.
Brandon popped his head around Jonny's shoulder "Really? No family at all? That's sad!"
Jonny snapped his head towards Hatter, a glare imprinted on his face. "I think it is time you go."
"But bro..."
"You only refer to me as sir, here!" Jonny bellowed in a rage that Lisbeth had not seen in this perpetually calm man. "Now, get out!!!!"
Brandon gulped and rushed out the door, followed quickly by the rest of the thugs. Jonny stepped back and closed the door, before returning to Lisbeth.
"The Hatter-he's your brother?"
Jonny cleared his throat, "Half-brother; a product of my father's second family." He said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"He seems like a really nice kid," Lisbeth said quietly.
"He is an arrogant child who needs to learn his place." Jonny replied quickly. He glared down at Lisbeth but noticing her pained expression, he tried to soften his face and calm his voice.
He smirked, "Joker likes some things nice and sweet-like you," Lisbeth visibly reddened at this. "But he definitely does not like his men nice."
Lisbeth nodded slowly, understanding what Jonny was saying.
"May I sit by you, my lady?" Jonny asked politely. Lisbeth just nodded and pointed to the bed next to her.
Jonny sat down and turned to face her. "You said you had no one in your life, so who are these people to you?" He pulled out the only two photographs Lisbeth kept in her apartment , out of his jacket.
Lisbeth slowly took the one on top, a slight smile on her face.
"My baby brother and sister...twins...the two most free-spirited people I know. Didn't listen to my parents and go to college. They are working on opening their own tattoo parlor."
"I respect them more than anyone."
"They won't be looking for you?"
"No. They live on the other side of the country and they learned long ago to stop trying to call me."
"And your parents?"
"They hate me. I did the worst thing possible to them....."
Lisbeth took the other photo out of Jonny's hands; tears starting to well in her eyes.
"I lost them their only grandchild."
Jonny gently laid his hand on the crying girl's shoulder.
"Your son?"
Lisbeth just nodded, quickly wiping her tears off the photo of the smiling boy.
"Where is he?"
"With his Dad...in Japan."
What happened?" He said gently.
"After high school, I was studying fashion design. I loved Japanese fashion, so I went there to study abroad. I met a guy, we started dating, I ended up pregnant." She said shrugging her shoulders, as if it didn't matter.
"I had a hard pregnancy, and after he was born...I loved him so much, more than life itself but....I got very depressed, postpartum depression. I started drinking too much, then I did this."
She raised the sleeve of Harley's flannel shirt revealing sharp white scars on her wrist.
"I thought my little man would be better without me. Needless to say, his dad fought for full custody and won. I am not allowed to see him again."
Jonny gently patted her back. "So you moved to Gotham?"
"Yep, I moved to the city farthest away from my hometown and I studied nursing so I could do something useful with my life."
She turned away from Jonny, silently indicating that she was done talking about her past.
Jonny stood up, a sympathetic look on his face.
"Anything I can get you before I go?"
"Have a bottle of Jager handy?" She laughed. She meant to make it sound like she was joking
but Jonny could tell she was partly serious.
"We will get one for you." He whistled loudly, "Hatter!!"
Brandon came hurrying in a second later, "Yes, sir?"
"A bottle of Jager and a shot glass for the lady."
"Right away, sir!"
Brandon rushed out with Jonny right behind him, leaving the crying girl to be alone with her thoughts.
Jonny went right to Joker's office. He would be happy to report to the boss that he delved into Lisbeth's past like he wanted.
Jonny knocked on the door to his boss' office and entered to find Joker and Harley in deep conversation. They both looked over at him when he cleared his throat.
"Don't worry; no one will be looking for her."
Joker laughed while Harley gave Jonny a confused look, which turned to a look close to sadness while Jonny relayed the story Lisbeth had just told him. When he finished, Joker licked his lips and threw his head back laughing.
"It really is a perfect tragedy! Give her Heathcliff and the Moors and she would be Emily Bronte's wet dream."
Harley gave him a look of pain. "Come on Puddin'! You shouldn't be laughing at my Nursey....it is all so....sad..."
Joker looked back at Harley with a disgusted growl, "Since when did you become so sensitive? What did that fucking prison do to you?"
Harley clenched her teeth. "That woman saved me more than once while you sure took your mother fucking time to come break me out." With that Harley stood up and stamped out of the room.
Joker swung his fists onto his desk.
"She better watch her lip-no one talks to me like that..."