Soon enough, the doctors decided Julia was well enough to get off of the drugs and do some interviews. But it hurt a lot more than she had anticipated; when they let her walk around, her torso still hurt a little from being kicked repeatedly and then being thrown to the ground, but worst of all was all of the different emotions she felt from just nights ago. Relief, anger, fear that he or someone else might try to kill her again, and even depression. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpJ37usZNl
"You should feel lucky," the nurse told her one day. "Not many have survived these new fear toxins. You're just one of many who have come in here lately." 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHE4hMGOIxO
"Well we certainly do feel lucky," Julia's father commented. It had been four days and yet they still stayed with her, even though the toxins had long left her system. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAAcjaCd2N
Julia remembered how she had promised her ex-boss that she would never look in his office when he wasn't there again, and the way he'd smiled and said, I know you won't. He said he wouldn't fire her, but that hadn't at all meant he wouldn't kill her. She felt like an idiot for having not known it. "I just don't get what the point of coffee was if all he wanted to ultimately do was kill me," she muttered to herself out loud. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiT4Vc1v1z0
"Batman told us it was likely he was using you for a new experiment of his to see how well his toxins and caffeine reacted together if both were in the system simultaneously," the nurse told her. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwU1aMyE29
"Along with the fact you did know something was up," Julia's father added. "Now about you living here in Gotham..."736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxUNOAmfs7
"Look, we'll compromise, okay?" Julia interrupted. She'd been going over the conversation in her mind for a while after she'd become a little more sober. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6wUvhLAwZ
Her parents raised their eyebrows. "Which would be...?" 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmXlxlbRMl
"If you let me stay in Gotham, I'll quit my job at Arkham. Simple as that." 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIGurpnusy
"Then what will you do for a living?" her mother asked. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfwfs0dkeN
Julia sighed, not having thought that far. "I guess I could work in an office or something. It's probably a lot safer than working at Arkham." Anything was better than moving back to the empty, dreary country where her parents lived. A place like that was just so lifeless to her. She was desperate to be able to stay here, no matter how close she had been to dying. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfT9N3OzjZs
Her parents protested at first, but eventually they agreed.
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Somehow Julia managed to get through the interviews. Now that the warm and carefree feeling of the relaxants were no longer present, reality had come crashing back down, and crashing down hard. Re-telling the story for the reporters got harder and harder every time she did it. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAVVnK8Ow7
She thought things would get better after Velonda offered to let her move in as a temporary roommate until she was comfortable with living alone and found a new job, but Velonda's just-face-your-fear mentality didn't necessarily help. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruDeVA4tc5
"I'm still shaken up about what happened to Dave too, but we can't let that hold us back," Velonda said about three days after Julia had moved some of her stuff in. "You know what I think you should do? You should face him."736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFi2faszRab
"Face who?" Julia asked, deciding to play dumb. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHOvsWVIIX
"Crane, who else?" Velonda said almost too casually. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXbmQWZdIG
"If you had been there that night, I highly doubt you would be giving me that kind of advice." 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrz3sw0Iyt4
"Just go over there one day--maybe some time next week." 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOC9y8Hyh4
"I don't think he's accepting visitors," Julia said quickly, walking towards the hall closet to grab the vacuum and pretend to use it. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmv9bzELmm
"I just vacuumed yesterday," Velonda said, almost laughing at her friend but stopping herself. "Now, I want you to go there--alone, without me. He'll be in a cell and maybe a straightjacket. You're perfectly safe." 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMpDdd1B9l
"I won't do it," Julia said firmly, looking Velonda straight in the eye. "Even thinking about him or anything relating to him almost gives me a panic attack." 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEiGS9OtUy
"That's why you should face him--to desensitize yourself. And if you don't, you can pretty much start packing up and going back to your apartment."736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1u1NO4xkIZ
Julia's mouth hung open, and then she glared, saying nothing. Just because Velonda was 11 years older than her didn't make her her mother.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsCsMl3R4a
"Don't think I haven't noticed you when you first come in here in the mornings. You look like you cry yourself to sleep every night! Don't you see? I'm doing this to help you."736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwl8DkFYN7
"I feel bad for any patient that ever had you taking care of them," Julia mumbled defeatedly, not wanting to argue with her. Though she did kind of wonder whether she really preferred her friend kicking her out over safely facing an enemy for just a few minutes. "...Fine, I'll do it," she said weakly, although she knew full well how much easier that statement was said than done. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIO9AZeXKMN
"But...what would I even say to him anyway?"736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkPFEguSny
"You can say anything you want--as long as it isn't too politically incorrect and you don't raise your voice."
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Julia went to Arkham the next day, eager to get it over with before she lost her courage all-together. This time she wore a blouse and jeans rather than her doctor's coat and business-like clothing. She had hoped the doctors wouldn't let her see him after she gave her reasons, which were really Velonda's reasons. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTsT3kJEqx
"Are you sure, Ms. Madison?" a male doctor with soft brown eyes said. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCp5PvhpfX
"Yes," Julia said, not looking at him directly. "I'm not here for revenge or anything. I just think it's about time I stop being afraid like this and face him now."736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Mz0sY0CNr
"Right this way, then." 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoev5HqHhlg
Julia had the brief, wild thought of wishing she had brought a weapon in here. The screams and threats that had once been "just another day at the office," as the expression went, were now ringing in her ears. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCke6nVZwD
They went up the elevator to level 3, then she was led down a hallway where a row of cells were. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXXHneM6iD
"He's right in this one," the doctor said, walking a few yards away so he was just close enough to keep an eye on Julia and the patient. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ019IYhbYT3
Jonathan wasn't in a straightjacket like Velonda had suspected, but had his arms free and was sitting serenely on his bed reading what looked like the same books she had seen in his office that fateful day. Fortunately the panic attack she had been dreading never came, but she still kept her distance having seen doctors who weren't careful enough get choked by patients who had reached their arms through the bars. Eventually, he looked up, and Julia made herself look him in the eye. 736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8a11RhtlZy
"Hello, Scarecrow."
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