Chapter 27

A few weeks passed since the Joker kidnapping incident. For most people, things went back to normal. The Joker was sent back to Arkham (of course), and when the police busted into Selina Kyle's apartment, she wasn't there. Some of her things were gone along with her and her assistant Mildred had no clue where she was either. Everyone seemed to have moved on, everyone except the victim. Harley had been in a shocked state since she returned home. Bruce had run a quick test with her in the Batcave to see how far long she was and to tend to other injuries. About 5 weeks was the answer. But even though they found out this information, she still hadn't changed. She had been eating less and less, and spent the rest of the time in her bed. Alfred became worrisome of her new behavior, especially since she was with child.

"Master Bruce, I'm worried about Ms. Harley. She hasn't been eating a lot and she's pregnant. Her stress and sickness can be affecting the baby as well."

Bruce had just arrived home from work and dropped his briefcase.

"I know Alfred. Can you get some soup ready for her, I'll get her down here in a few minutes." Bruce replied heading up the staircase.

He made it to his bedroom and slowly opened the door. The room was pitch black except for the light shining in from the hall. He saw Harley move the blankets over her face to shield herself from the light. "Harley." Bruce said walking towards her and getting down on one knee. He removed the blanket from her face and was shocked at the sight of her. Her eyes were red, puffy, and swollen due to all the crying, and she had dark circles under her eyes which looked bloodshot. Her usual vibrant baby blue eyes seemed to have faded and lost some color, and her skin looked pale and a bit sickly.

"Harl, you can't keep doing this to yourself." He said putting his hand on her black hair. "If you do this to yourself, you're letting him win. You're letting him have power over you again. Don't let him do that Harley, don't let him win." Bruce said sternly. He saw her eyes meet his, and a tear run down her face. She stared at him for a moment and slowly opened her mouth.

"I don't want him to win." She choked out quietly. He put his hand on her cheek and wiped away the tear. "Then don't let him. Think about yourself Harley, think about the baby."

Harley's hand immediately shot down to her stomach and she rubbed it softly. "The baby." She repeated. She gave her husband a small smile and nodded. "Alfred is making some soup. How about we get some, you must be starving." Bruce said helping Harley sit up. "Famished." She agreed quietly.

"HURRY UP!" Ivy shouted as Lucinda ran out of the flower shop with a large bouquet of assorted flowers.

"I'm coming!" Lucinda shouted back stuffing the flowers into the backseat and jumping in the front seat. Before she could close the door, Ivy had already begun to speed off.

"Woah! Careful Pam!" Lucinda shouted. Ivy ignored her and gripped the steering wheel harder causing her knuckles to become white. "You need to calm down. You're going to crash." Lucinda said angrily.

They stopped at a red light and Ivy put her head on the steering wheel. Lucinda's expression changed when she heard Ivy sobbing. She was shocked to see the always in control Poison Ivy crying. She had never seen her like this at all and Pam wasn't really one to cry. "Oh Pamela." Lucinda said putting her hand on her friend's back.

"I can't handle this anymore. I just can't." Ivy said through tears. A car blew its horn from behind and Lucinda clicked the hazard button so the cars would go around them.

"Don't worry, Harley's alright now." Lucinda tried to reassure.

"Yeah, she's alright right now, but for how long?" Ivy responded. Lucinda was taken aback by her question. "What do you mean by that?" Lucinda asked.

Ivy sat up and wiped the tears from her face. "She's always in danger Lucinda. It's like she's marked. She's Bruce Wayne 's wife, she's Batwoman, the Joker's ex-girlfriend. It's like her past will always haunt her and there's nothing we can do about it." Lucinda looked down and thought about it. What Poison Ivy just said was...true. Harley did have a terrible past, one that would pop up in her future and might follow her all the days of her life. But, they wouldn't let that happen. They could do something about it.

"Pam, listen. You're right when you say that Harls is always in danger, and some things in her past might haunt her for a while, but not completely. When Harley gave up being Harley Quinn, that's when she began to change her life. That was the first step to recovery. She's still in that process Pam. She's not done yet, but she's going to get there with all of our help. There will be a day when the Joker won't be on her mind anymore. Where she won't have to worry about him showing up ever again. I can't tell you that the Joker will be forgotten, but I can tell you that soon he will be a thing of the past. She needs our help now. We have to be there for her and that's what we're going to do." Lucinda smiled at Ivy, who was staring at her. She then gave the tech-nerd a smile and nodded. "You're right, you're right. We have to be there for her. Thanks Lucy." Ivy said clicking off the hazard button.

"Lucy?" Lucinda laughed. "Giving me a nickname now?" Pam shrugged as she pressed down on the gas pedal.

"Well, you call me Pam. I just thought it would be sweet to call you something as well." Ivy said with fake sweetness. Lucinda out her hand over her heart. "Oh, I'm touched." She said laughing at the red head.

"The soup is delicious Alfred. Thanks for making it." Harley thanked as she slurped up another spoonful. Alfred smiled as he finished washing a dish.

"You're welcome Ms. Harley. I want you and especially that baby to be healthy." He responded.

Harley smiled at the mention of the baby. She was still in half shock that she was actually going to be a mother. What kind of mother would she be? Would she be like her own mother? She immediately frowned at that. No, never, she would never be like that woman. She could never imagine doing that to her own child. She felt someone put their arms around her and place their hand on her stomach. She looked up and smiled at her husband.

"You're going to be an amazing mother Harl." Bruce said smiling down at her. She put her hand over his and nodded. "And you're gonna be an awesome, hot, daddy." She giggled at the smirk Bruce gave her.

"I don't see an issue with that." He joked giving her a peck on the cheek.

Dad. He was going to be a father many months from now. Bruce was happy, but still not completely sure about how he felt. He remembers having a talk with Alfred about it when Harley was still in bed. He asked Alfred how he would be able to protect the child if someone were to find out his identity. Not only did Batman have enemies, but billionaire Bruce Wayne also had his fair share of rivals. Alfred gave Bruce a reassuring hand on the shoulder and just smiled. He told Bruce to not worry, because he knows that Harley and him would never allow that to happen. Yet, Bruce was still unsure. If anything were to happen to their child, if anyone were to harm their son or daughter, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. What kind of father would he be? Bruce recalls days when he was still small enough that his father would carry him on his shoulders and wrestle lightly with him. His father was a good man. A man who loved and supported his family. Would he be that kind of man? Would he be a good man like his father? He hoped so. He truly hoped so.

He jumped out of his thoughts as Harley gave his hand a soft squeeze. He smiled at her and gave her another kiss. Just then, the doorbell rang and Alfred went to answer it.

"Wonder who that could be." Harley asked Bruce as she got up and went to see.

"Watch it!" She heard a female cry as Alfred jumped out of the way of a large bouquet of flowers.

"Careful with those!" Ivy screamed as she walked into the house. Lucinda placed the flowers down on a nearby table. She gasped for air a couple of times before giving Ivy a dirty look.

"You're one to talk Pam. You're not the one who BOUGHT THEM." Lucinda yelled.

Harley's soft laughter brought the women's attention to her. "Harley!" Lucinda said lunging at her in a hug. Ivy ran over and joined in as Alfred shut the front door.

"How are you?" Ivy asked pulling away. Harley nodded.

"I'm...alright, I guess." Harley responded. Lucinda repeated Ivy's action and looked at Harley. "You guess?" She asked worriedly. "I'll be honest with you guys, I'm not one hundred percent there. The whole thing still has me...shaken up." Harley admitted. Even she knew going through something like she had endured would take a while to recover from. When? That, she didn't know.

"We understand Harl, but we want you to know we're there for you. Every step of the way." Lucinda reassured. "And for the baby." Ivy brought in with a large smile. Harley gave a small laugh. "I bet you're both excited about that, huh?"

Ivy nodded. "Of course, we're going to be AUNTS! Oh, the things I'm going to spoil that baby with." Ivy laughed.

The women found their way on the couches, talking about the baby. "How far long are you?" Lucinda asked as she sat across from her friend.

"About 5 weeks." Harley answered rubbing her flat stomach that would soon become swollen within a matter of months. "Do you know when you're going to show?" Lucinda asked. "I think around 3 or maybe 4 months last time I read." Harley answered.

"Wow, just to think, within 8 months you're going to be holding your baby boy or girl." Ivy commented with a warm smile. Harley gave her friend a smile at the thought.

"Yeah."

"And they'll be beautiful like their mother."

The women turned to see the man of the house walking towards them. Harley smiled as Bruce sat down next to her. "Or they'll be handsome like their father." Ivy flirted playfully with a wink.

The four got into conversation about the baby and other things, until Harley's mind began to wander back to the kidnapping. Scenes flashback in her head of being in that coffin. How she couldn't breathe, how she felt so suffocated and trapped in that rectangular box. How when she turned, she met the face of her father's skull. His decomposed lifeless eyes staring back at her as if those warm brown ones were still there. She remembered screaming until her throat and chest felt sore.

It was horrifying...

It was petrifying…

It was…

"Harley?"

She looked up and saw the three of them staring at her with worried looks on their faces.

"Um...," she said trying to slow her heart rate down. Bruce wiped the tears from her eyes.

What? When…?

When had she began crying? And not notice?

"I'm sorry, I'm just...I thought I was over it, but I guess...I guess not." Harley stammered as more tears fell down.

"You're shaking Harley." Lucinda said worry dripping in her voice.

'I'm shaking?' Harley thought to herself and looked down at her hand trembling in her lap. Bruce pulled her onto his chest in a hug and rubbed her back.

"It's alright Harl." He comforted. "Maybe you two should go." He suggested.

Lucinda nodded. "Definitely, she still needs time to heal and rest up. C'mon Red." She said getting up. Alfred came over and helped Harley back up to the bedroom.

As Ivy was about to follow Lucinda out the door, she faced Bruce. "Bruce, what Harley went through was traumatic. I can't even imagine what nightmares she must have. We can do everything we can by visiting her and buying her what she needs, but I think in this situation she, ugh." Ivy stopped rubbing her nose.

"She needs to see a specialist." Bruce finished.

"Yeah, I hate to say it, but she needs to see a shrink. Even though she's seen enough, with her past and all. And so have I," Ivy muttered the last part. "Someone who can help her get over this. I love her you know, and I can't stand to see my best friend like that. To see her in that kind of state." Ivy said trying to stay strong. Bruce put a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, I've got it handled." He reassured. Ivy nodded and have him a short hug. "Thank you." She said releasing him and leaving out the door. Bruce shut the large door and sighed.

He knew Harley needed professional help, and he knew exactly who to call.

A/N: I know it's been so long guys and gals, and I say sorry too much, but I've been super busy and life's just got in the way, and I came down with a bad case of writers block which I hate so much! But I'm so happy to have this chapter to give you all and I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for still reading this story you amazing people! Xoxoxoxo-SPSM