THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS
xii. NO ESCAPE FROM REALITY
❝SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?❞

STOP FIGHTING, ANASTASIA.

Her eyes snapped open, facing a sterile white for a moment before the world flickered into darkness. She couldn't see, but she knew she needed to escape. The walls shook often, caused by the monsters that wandered the halls. Anastasia pushed herself out of bed, stumbling before she found her balance. A hiss left her lips as she pulled on multiple dark-colored vines. She fell to the ground, being held back. They tightened around her as she tugged, keeping her strapped in place. She ripped everything out that was in her arms, not noticing the steady stream of blood that began to ooze from her arm.

She picked herself off the ground, hearing the monstrous screeches as they rang in her ears. The monsters were close, too close. She tried to walk forward, but she was pulled back by another vine that was connected somewhere into the upper half of her side. It felt as if the vine had made its way into her side, underneath her skin, in between her ribs, and deep within her lungs. It was difficult to breathe, causing her lungs to burn as she tried to calm herself down. Her hand curled around the vine, gritting her teeth as she ripped it out.

Her vision went back as she did, falling to her knees as they collided with the ground. Heavy sobs left her cracked lips as she swayed, knocking over what looked like flower pots. She laid there on the ground for a few moments, hoping the pain would subside as the walls trembled again. The creatures were close, making her scramble. Anastasia winced, feeling the shards of the broken flower pots dig into the underside of her feet as she stumbled forward. She leaned against the wall, feeling it shake. Her eyes failed to focus as she clutched her side, knowing she would see red if she looked at her hand. She tried to breathe. But, she couldn't. Her chest felt heavier and heavier as she gasped. She felt as if she was dying. She was dying.

You can't run from me, Anastasia.

She kept moving, ignoring how her body screamed at her to stop. Pushing herself off the wall, she tried to make sense of where she was. The room was shrouded in darkness, but her eyes were starting to adjust. Black tendrils lined the walls and sprouted from the cracks in the tiles underneath her feet. She was careful not to step on them, but her blurred vision made it difficult to see. There was a door that led into what Anastasia assumed could be a hallway, but it was difficult to tell what awaited her on the other side. Red light seeped into her room from the small square window and the space between the door and the floor. She peeked outside, unable to see anyone or anything. Her hand circled the handle, twisting it open to look out.

Anastasia, stop.

She pushed the door open, stumbling into the hallway. The voice continued to speak, coming from all directions around her. It wasn't long till it was replaced with screeches. She couldn't see the monsters yet, but their movements vibrated the world around her. She faced a long hall with dull red fluorescent lights. They flickered nonstop as the screeches became louder and louder. Her eyes widened, watching as humanoid monsters began to approach from the shadows. They snarled, facing her contorted features and sharp teeth. It hurt her ears as they screamed, causing the ground to shake again. She clutched her ears, crying as she began to run down the hall. The lights went pitch black as she tripped over something, falling to the ground. But, she moved fast as she backed herself into a wall to look down the hall.

She could hear footsteps coming from down the hall, seeing the outline of the man that approached. He had his hands extended, but she couldn't make out his features. They remained blurred as he tilted his head, holding something in his hands. "Anastasia, stop running," he said softly, clicking his tongue in disappointment. He was hesitant, but took another step. "I won't hurt you. I promise."

It was a lie. She couldn't bring herself to believe him as she scrambled to her feet, starting to walk the other way as she tried to get away from him. She couldn't breathe, feeling no air enter her lungs as her balance began to falter. She placed a hand against her chest, trying to provide whatever comfort she could.

But, she knew that stopping would mean her death. She could hear the growls of the creatures coming from behind her, rushing after her before she could escape. She couldn't do anything as she was tackled down, squeezing her eyes shut as the creature screamed into her ear. A scream of her own left her lips as she tried to fight back, but she was easily overpowered as more of the monsters came to pin her down. She felt the first creature tear into her neck, ripping at her skin. Anastasia tried her best to keep her eyes open as numbness began to spread throughout her body, but the world spun until she closed her eyes.

She was unsure how much time had passed when she opened her eyes again, slowly looking around the hospital room she was in. The constant beeping of the heart monitor echoed in the otherwise silent room, causing her to steal a glance at it behind her. There were a few monitors set up, each displaying different information her brain was too tired to figure out. Eventually, her eyes landed on her husband, Bruce. His head was laid down on the bed with his hand wrapped around her right calf. His breaths were steady, making her believe that he was asleep. She didn't move, nor make any attempts to wake him.

Slowly, she raised a hand to place against her neck. A frown replaced her features as confusion spread through her mind. She could feel a small bandage against her skin, but it wasn't big enough to cover the injury that the creature could have caused. Was she ever even bitten? Or had she been unconscious for so long that she had healed? She didn't want to believe the latter, considering how much pain she still was in. The bandage was too small, something a doctor would use to cover up an injection site. After all, she was in a hospital. But, there wasn't much she remembered after the debate.

Even the debate remained a blur in her mind, seeing only a few moments repeat over and over again. Strangely, the thing she remembered the most was how bright the spotlights had been and how hot it was on stage. She could still feel her skin burning, itching as she remembered more and more details. It was hard to forget Penguin's laughter as he fired two bullets into her. It was difficult to forget Harvey's screams. A sharp breath left her lips as she closed her eyes, trying to push the memories away. But, each deep breath she took caused an ache to grow within her chest until it became unbearable. A whimper left her lips as her hand brushed against the tube inserted into her side. A part of her wanted to rip it out again, but another part of her warned her that she would not be able to handle the pain it would bring.

"Ana?" Bruce said softly, lifting his head to look in her direction. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, standing to his feet as he moved closer to confirm that she was truly awake. Then, he noticed what she was doing. His hand immediately gripped hers, keeping it away from the chest tube. He shook his head. "Don't you dare do that again."

Anastasia relaxed her hand, staring up at him. "B-Bruce?"

"It's me..." He whispered, letting out a heavy breath as his grip on her hand softened. He leaned down, placing a gentle kiss against her forehead. He gave her a warm smile, taking a seat in his chair again. She watched him, wondering what was going on or if what she was seeing was real. "You've been in and out for days, barely lucid."

"What?"

"You... You don't remember?" Bruce asked. His smile disappeared. He took her arm, turning it around to make her notice scars that weren't there before. "You woke up, ripped everything out. The IVs, the chest tube, and the oxygen machine. You almost killed yourself with that stunt."

"I... I don't remember that," Anastasia mumbled, clutching her head when it had begun to pound. She could feel aches she couldn't feel before. Her throat was dry. Her feet were too cold. Her lungs felt heavy and tired, each breath causing an unbearable pain. She sniffled, feeling the breathing tube bother her nose. She wanted to take it out. But, it was already so difficult to breathe that she didn't dare touch it.

"Why would you do something like that?" Bruce asked. His voice was soft, wanting to understand the situation more as he kept his eyes on her. It almost felt like an interrogation from the way his eyes watched her every move, waiting for her to speak.

She avoided his sharp gaze. Instead, she focused on her overgrown nails as it became a daunting reminder how long she had been out. Her memory came back in flashes ━━ the darkness, the vines, the creatures, seeing her father. She chewed the inside of her cheek, wondering if she should tell Bruce. It sounded crazy to think about it, but she knew it had happened. It had felt too real for it to have been conjured up by her imagination. She hesitated, but she met Bruce's calm eyes. He waited patiently, keeping a gentle hand on her thigh. "Bruce..." Anastasia began slowly, taking his hand into her own. "I saw him."

He frowned, giving her hand a small squeeze. "Saw who?"

Anastasia bit her lip, knowing how ridiculous she was about to sound. But, if she couldn't trust Bruce, then who could see trust? "I saw... I saw my father," she mumbled, watching as Bruce's expression dropped as he let out a heavy sigh. She scrambled to gather her thoughts, desperate to get him to believe her. "Well, I'm not sure about that part. But, I... I know I saw these creatures, Bruce! They were trying to kill me!"

"Ana, I think you must have been dreaming," Bruce suggested, stroking his thumb on the top of her hand. She stared at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking behind his rehearsed response. It was something she had heard many times before from him. He forced a smile, giving her a nod. "You've been under a lot of stress. It's making your mind come up━━"

"No, not a dream!" Anastasia snapped, ripping her hand out of his grasp. She shook her head, staring at him with unshed tears. Her hand shot to her neck again, trying to find proof that something had happened. "Bruce, please, you have to believe me! It felt too real. I felt it tear into my neck. I'm not lying to you!"

"I know you're not lying," He reassured, keeping his calm composure. He spoke in a soft tone, trying to make her understand. But, she didn't miss the sternness that lingered in his tone. "But, it was the doctor who sedated you. It's what you felt. You were so out of it, Ana. Your mind must have conjured up some monster to make sense of what was going on. No doubt, the heavy medication caused this."

"But, Bruce━━"

"Shh," Bruce said softly. Clearly, he had heard enough. She should have known better than to tell him, making her frown as he helped her lie back down. She winced, trying to catch her breath but she kept feeling a sharp pain in her chest. It seemed that Bruce had noticed her face twist in pain, causing his expression to drop. "Don't move. I'm going to go get the doctor."

Bruce was only gone for about two minutes before he returned with a doctor and a nurse, making Anastasia stare at them. He closed the door behind them, making a sigh leave her lips. Hospitals weren't fun. All she wanted was to go home as soon as they could. Her eyes flickered to the doctor dressed in all white, except for her black shoes. The doctor approached while the nurse stayed a step behind, giving a warm smile. Looking at her badge, Anastasia noticed her name was Julia Miller.

"Morning, Mrs. Wayne," Doctor Miller greeted, nodding her head. The first thing she did was look over the IVs in Anastasia's arms. Next, she opened a small flap in the side of her hospital gown, looking over the thin tube sticking out of her side. It made Anastasia feel sick. Though she wished she could see what damage the bullets had done, but she was wrapped in bandages. Doctor Miller smiled, catching her gaze. "Have to be more careful. Ripping out the chest tube did a lot of damage to your right lung. I'm surprised you didn't pass out the second it had happened."

Anastasia couldn't find the courage to say a word, realizing that this was reality. Bruce had been right, as always. She watched the nurse come around and began to note down what the monitors said. It had been a long time since she had been at the doctor's. The last time she had been admitted in the hospital was when her father had died. But, she could barely remember that event.

"How are you feeling?" Doctor Miller asked, tilting her head so she was in Anastasia's line of sight. She wore a kind smile, holding her clipboard close to her chest. "A few days ago, you had a lot of energy for someone right out of surgery. But, what about now?"

"I... I feel fine," Anastasia mumbled, biting the inside of her cheek as her eyes drifted to Bruce. He was quiet, leaning against the wall with his hands hidden deep within the pockets of his coat. She looked back at the doctor, confused. "Surgery?"

"Normally with gunshot victims, we tend to leave the bullets in if they aren't causing harm," Doctor Miller explained, making Anastasia frown.

Gunshot victim. It wasn't how Anastasia wanted to label herself, but supposed it was an accurate portrayal of herself. It seemed as if the universe had wanted to brand her that way, considering she had seen more guns in the last week than she ever had in her whole life. It was a miracle she hadn't been killed at Falcone's club or at the debate. It seemed that both times, Batman had been there to save her. More flashes of the debate began to come back, causing her ears to ring as she remembered how loud the gunshots had been. But, as quickly as the scene had appeared, it vanished before Anastasia's eyes. It became a blur, too much static to make out what had happened.

A sigh left the doctor's lips, pulling Anastasia back to reality. "But, the first bullet had hit the lower half of your right lung. We needed to do surgery to extract all the bullet fragments and then, there were the bone fragments from your ribs. So, expect that whole area to stay sore for a good couple of months as they heal. As for the second bullet, it missed all your major organs and we were able to extract it without a problem. All in all, I would consider you very lucky."

Anastasia couldn't find the energy to say anything, feeling each breath difficult as she tried to comprehend what the doctor had said. It was still strange to think all that had happened to her. It felt foreign, as if it had happened to someone else. As if she had been one of the viewers watching the scene unfold on the television from the comfort of their own homes.

"The surgery was a few days ago," Doctor Miller continued, oblivious to how Anastasia's attention had begun to drift. "Five, to be exact. Other than that mishap, you're healing nicely. You've been drifting in and out of consciousness, but I think those memories will be fuzzy since you were on strong medication."

"I don't remember anything," Anastasia said, confirming the doctor's suspicions. Her fingers traced the bruises that lined her arms, realizing the nurses must have tried multiple times to find a vein.

"Which is perfectly okay," Doctor Miller reassured, nodding her head. The warm smile on her face never left, making Anastasia feel at ease. "As long as you're completely lucid now, you should be fine."

Bruce cleared his throat, earning their attention. "When can she be released?"

"If things go well, you two should be able to go home tomorrow evening. Most stay in the hospital for about a week after a surgery like this one," Doctor Miller answered, facing Bruce. She gave him a smile, considering she had seen what the man had gone through over the course of the past week. Doctor Miller looked back at Anastasia, nodding her head. "But, you're healing very nicely. The chest tube can be taken out tomorrow and you will need to use an oxygen tank for two to three months while your lungs heal. Though, you probably won't need it after a month, but it's there to help you. We don't want to overwork your lungs."

"Sounds good." Her voice was quiet, keeping her gaze on her hands. She didn't like the IV in her arms, wanting them both to be taken out. And, she could feel exhaustion start to seep into her bones and the need to sleep was making itself known.

Doctor Miller nodded, beaming at her as she tapped her nails on the clipboard. "Perfect then, I'll be back to check on you in a few hours. But, the nurses will keep coming in to make sure everything is going smoothly." Another nod as Doctor Miller signaled the nurse to finish up what she was doing, both women began to head toward the door. "Glad to see you awake, Mrs. Wayne."

The doctor and nurse left, leaving Bruce and Anastasia alone once again.

Bruce approached slowly, taking a seat in his chair again. He avoided eye contact, watching the monitor that kept track of her oxygen levels. He felt... off. More distant than usual, but Anastasia decided it must all be in her head. After all, it wasn't as if she had been awake for long. Bruce must be tired, considering she had interrupted his sleep. Her eyes looked around the room, noticing all the flowers and cards. There were plenty of balloons in the corner too, one from every color of the rainbow. She, especially, liked the one shaped like an elephant that held a bouquet of flowers with its trunk. Though, most of the real flowers in the room were wilting.

She couldn't help but look at Bruce. His elbows on the bed, head in his hand. His expression was lost as he stared off at something, deep in thought. Bruce always had dark circles, considering his horrid sleeping schedule. But they were worse now, appearing a dark purple against his blue eyes. She could see a faint outline of a bruise around his left eye. Anastasia frowned, running a gentle hand through his hair. "Have you been sleeping?"

A smile spread across his lips. "You're worried about me when you're the one in a hospital bed?"

"I'm your wife. It's my job to always worry about you," Anastasia chuckled, taking his hand into her own. She tried to ignore how frail her hand looked with the IV still sticking out of it. But, Bruce's warm hand was a pleasant feeling against her cold ones. Bruce avoided her gaze, staring at their interlocked hands. His smile had dropped, disappeared completely.

"I should have been there," Bruce mumbled, pressing his lips together as he tightened his grip on her hand. A heavy sigh left his lips as he closed his eyes. "I should have been the one to protect you. Something like this should have never happened."

Anastasia shook her head, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm glad you weren't there, Bruce," she said softly, using her other hand to place it gently against his cheek. She made him look at her, leaning forward to place a kiss against his forehead. "Don't feel guilty, my love. It's better you were somewhere far away, safe. The debate... It was... It was a masserace."

"I... I saw it on the news," Bruce mumbled. His gaze was hesitant, but he kept eye contact.

"They killed so many people... The moderator, Mayor Hill, and some of the people in the audience," Anastasia closed her eyes, looking away from Bruce as the gunshots echoed in her ears. Until she heard Harvey's screams, causing a wave of sadness to wash over her. "And, Harvey... Is he... Is he okay?"

At the mention of Harvey's name, Bruce's features twisted.

She could feel her heart drop, making her assume the worst. "Bruce?" She whispered, waiting for him to continue as prepared herself to hear that Harvey was dead. "Is he...?"

Bruce squeezed her hands, forcing a smile to his lips. Yet, he avoided her gaze as he stared at her pink nails instead. The acrylics were starting to lift at the bottom, showing how neglected they were. "Harvey is fine," he said after a few moments of silence, looking at Anastasia. "He was discharged yesterday, actually."

It was a relief to hear that Harvey was alright. She nodded slowly. "I saw what Penguin did to him..." Anastasia mumbled bitterly, having even more of a reason to loathe Oswald Cobblepot. She never wished death on anyone before, but she wouldn't mind if he was run over by a car ━━ preferably her own car. "How horrible."

"Yeah, it's not... pretty..." Bruce muttered, trying to keep the details hidden from his wife. He didn't want her to relive the moments of the debate again. But, there wasn't much he could do to protect her anymore. It was already something she had lived through and she would have to learn how to cope on her own.

Bruce was quiet. The mention of Harvey had spoiled his mood completely. Anastasia could see the furrow of his brows, his downturned lips, and how dark his gaze had grown. She could tell something was bothering him, something he was struggling to say. His leg bounced, a telltale sign that he was nervous. Bruce was rarely nervous.

"Is something wrong?"

"Ana, I..." Bruce trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose as a heavy sigh left his lips. It made her nervous, wondering exactly what was bothering him. It seemed as if he had flipped a switch; all emotion had faded from his expression. He met her eyes, sharp as if he was searching for something. He held her hand close, stroking his thumb over her vein. "I need to ask you something."

"Of course, anything," Anastasia said numbly. Her eyes flickered to the corner of the room, watching something move in the peripheral of her vision. However, nothing was there when she faced the blank wall. She assumed it must have been the balloons floating that caught her eye. Or, it had to be her imagination. She was tired. She faced Bruce, giving him a smile. "What's bothering you, my love?"

"Harvey..." Bruce mentioned. It made a sigh leave Anastasia's lips, knowing where the conversation was going. It wasn't something she wanted to talk about, but she knew it was unavoidable after Harvey had said his truth to all of Gotham. "He confessed to being in love with you on that stage..."

"Bruce, please," Anastasia sighed again, dismissing his words as she shook her head. "I... It's just... It was just Harvey being... stupid."

Bruce hesitated for a moment. "So, nothing has happened between the two of you?"

His question caused her to pause. Was he asking if she had been sleeping with Harvey? It hurt to know that Bruce didn't trust her, but she supposed that Harvey must have put that idea in his head at the debate. And, after all, she had her own suspicions of Bruce whenever he disappeared unexpectedly. But, at the end of the day, she trusted Bruce. And, she hoped he would trust her too. She shook her head. "Where is this coming from?"

"Ana," he said sternly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. She couldn't help but notice the reds of his eyes, making her wonder if he had been crying. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen Bruce cry. "Please, just answer the question."

"Bruce, no!" Anastasia scoffed, pulling her hand out of his grasp. It shot an ache through her wrist when the IV hit against Bruce's hand, but she ignored the pain. The only thing that had happened between her and Harvey was a single kiss. Well, no. Harvey had kissed her without warning and she had immediately pushed him off. It was a case of mixed signals and miscommunication. She should have known that Harvey had a crush, but she had never noticed. She wanted to tell Bruce what had happened. But, he was already so upset over what had happened at the debate. She didn't want to upset him any further. She avoided his gaze, not wanting to see how sad he looked. "I swear, nothing happened between the two of us," Anastasia whispered. Finally, she found the courage to look at him. She took his hand. "I love you, Bruce. Only you. I would never do anything to hurt you like that."

It seemed that Bruce was satisfied with her answer. He nodded, bringing her hand to his lips as he placed a gentle kiss against it. "Of course," he said softly. "I'm sorry for asking such a question, Ana. I think... I think Harvey got into my head."

"Yeah..." Anastasia mumbled, sighing. She decided not to let it get to her, knowing it should be the last of her worries. Focus on recovering, not on trivial matters. It was what her brain told her to do. "Harvey has a habit of doing that, probably a useful skill when he's working or playing the politics game."

"He's never acted strange toward you, right?" Bruce asked. He continued to hold her hand, as if he was trying to comfort her. But, the only thing that Anastasia found strange was his question. When she stayed silent, Bruce continued. "You've always felt safe around him, right? He's never turned into this... other person?"

She chuckled, raising a brow at his odd questions. "What are you talking about, Bruce? This is Harvey we're talking about, he would never hurt anyone."

"He's been acting differently..." Bruce confessed, shrugging his shoulders. His eyes drifted to the television that hung on the wall, turned off since neither of them had bothered to watch anything. "Harvey delivered his mayoral speech yesterday, promising to make Gotham a better place and to take care of the Children of Arkham."

"As he should," Anastasia nodded, agreeing with the fact that Gotham needed a lot of work to be a better and safer place for everyone. And, the Children of Arkham needed to be caught and put behind bars before they could hurt anyone else.

"Then, he was attacked," Bruce said grimly.

She frowned. "Attacked?"

"Yeah, it was a couple Children of Arkham," Bruce mumbled, staring off as if he had been remembering the event. "They were following him, trying to run him and his assistant off the road. But, Harvey... He took care of it all on his own. He hurt them, almost killed them if Batman hadn't shown up when he did. I've never seen Harvey like that."

"You were there?"

"N-No," Bruce said, shaking his head. He cleared his throat. "I saw it on the news."

"Oh..." Anastasia hummed, thinking about what Harvey had done. If someone had been trying to kill her, she would attack back with the same force. It was life or death in that situation. "He was only defending himself. I'm sure we would have done the same thing if someone attacked us." She paused for a moment, a chuckle leaving her lips. "Well, in my case, I ended up getting shot and couldn't exactly fight back. But, next time, I will always keep my pepper spray out and ready."

Bruce chuckled, shaking his head. "I think it's too soon to be making jokes about what happened, Ana."

Anastasia gasped, placing her free hand against her chest. "It's never too soon."

There was a knock at the door, causing them both to look up. It opened to reveal, none other than, Harvey Dent as he walked inside with a bouquet of red carnations and a pink box of treats. "Ana, so good to see you awake!" he said, entering the room with a bright smile. He didn't acknowledge Bruce, setting the flowers and box down on the table beside Anastasia. From the plastic film on top of the box, she could see an array of cookies. Harvey leaned down, giving her an embrace. He pulled away after a few moments, giving her a soft smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Harvey, hello," Anastasia said, giving him a rehearsed smile that she usually reserved for business meetings with the Wayne Enterprises' board members. She didn't miss how Bruce's hand tightened around hers as his jaw clenched. He glared at Harvey from the other side of the bed, displeased to see him show up. She cleared her throat, answering Harvey's question. "I'm doing okay, all things considered. How are you?"

"Better now," Harvey said. He pulled up another chair, placing it down on the left side of the bed. He took a seat, leaning forward the bed as he watched Anastasia. Not once had he looked at Bruce, making her realize that tensions were deeper than she had originally thought.

Bruce cleared his throat. "Aren't you needed down at City Hall?"

"I wanted to come see Ana," Harvey answered simply, not sparing Bruce a glance. Anastasia didn't know where to look, feeling awkward as she sat in the middle of the two.

"Well, you've seen her," Bruce said. His voice was sharp, uncaring as he regarded Harvey. It made her frown, not knowing why he was being so cold. "You can leave now, Harvey."

Anastasia's eyes widened, surprised at Bruce's tone. She mumbled his name, silently telling him to relax. It seemed as if the two men were on the verge of a fight and she didn't want to be caught in the middle of it.

Harvey chuckled, ignoring Bruce's response as he shrugged his shoulders. He kept his attention on Anastasia, giving her a warm smile when their eyes met. "I'm here for my friend," he said. "Right, Ana?"

She nodded slowly, narrowing her eyes at Harvey as she wondered if he had forgotten their argument at the debate. Though, everything from the debate had been washed away when it had been overtaken by Penguin and the Children of Arkham. "Yeah, sure," Anastasia mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. It was a painful feeling, considering the chest tube bothered her with every breath and movement. "You're always welcome, Harvey."

Bruce could only glare. His dark eyes never left Harvey, watching his every mood. Despite how well Harvey hid it, she could tell that he wasn't unaffected by how cold Bruce was. Still, pretending to be someone he wasn't was his strongest suit.

She decided to change the topic. She gestured to the half mask that he wore, covering the side of his face that had been burned by the spotlight. "How's the..."

Harvey shrugged, clicking his tongue. "It's fine."

"Does it hurt?" Anastasia asked quietly, being able to see peeks of it underneath the mask. It was still very red, making her wonder if something like that would ever heal. The left side of his face was covered by angry burns, making him look terrifying if Anastasia was being honest. She felt bad for Harvey, considering no one deserved such a fate ━━ especially not him. Despite everything that had happened, Harvey Dent was a good man.

Harvey shook his head. He looked appreciative of her concern. "I'm on enough painkillers, don't feel a single thing."

Anastasia smiled, nodding her head. At least, Harvey wasn't in pain. "Hopefully, you heal fast," she said, hoping her words would provide some reassurance. There wasn't much she could do or say to make things any better, knowing only time would be the healer now. She sighed, thinking back to what Bruce had said earlier. "I'm sorry to hear about the havoc the Children of Arkham are causing. Bruce said you were attacked?"

"Yeah, I had to save myself," Harvey muttered bitterly, huffing as he leaned back in his seat. His tone had changed from caring to destructive. "Don't know why we have vigilantes like Batman when they do nothing to protect this city. He's only bringing more chaos to Gotham. He wasn't able to help anyone at the debate and now, he does nothing about the Children of Arkham."

Anastasia frowned. She spared Bruce a glance, noticing how irritated he was becoming too. But, he was better at keeping his emotions in check than Harvey. "Well, he's one person, Harvey," she reminded, shaking her head. "He can't be everywhere at once. And, as for the debate, he saved my life. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here right now. He's... He's a hero."

"A hero?" Harvey scoffed, shaking his head. "Batman didn't stop Penguin from mutilating me. There was no justice. I intend to make things right. I intend to do what Batman couldn't."

His tone kept changing, becoming darker and angerier. His face had contorted into anger, fists clenched as he slammed it against the bed. It made Anastasia flinch, staring at him with wide eyes. Anastasia spared Bruce a glance, not knowing what to say. However, Bruce didn't seem surprised by Harvey's outburst. In fact, it seemed as if he had been expecting it as he watched Harvey with a narrowed gaze. So, this is what Bruce had been referring to earlier.

"Perhaps, we shouldn't dwell on what happened at the debate," Bruce suggested softly, meeting Anastasia's eyes.

"Easy for you to say," Harvey muttered, shaking his head. "You weren't there, Bruce."

"My family name was slandered at the debate and my wife was shot, Harvey," Bruce gritted out, beginning to lose his patience with the man. "It isn't easy for me to say, but we should be working to move past what happened."

"Bruce is right, Harvey," Anastasia pointed out, taking Bruce's hand to show her support. She looked at Harvey, offering him a smile. "It's not worth arguing about what happened. We should try to move on and eventually, the Children of Arkham will be brought to justice. Have faith in the GCPD and Batman."

"You're right," Harvey sighed, nodding his head. His shoulders had dropped, relaxing as he took a few deep breaths. "So, when can you be discharged?"

Anastasia smiled. "Tomorrow."

"Perfect," Harvey nodded. "Don't want to be in this stuffy hospital room any longer than you need to."

"Yeah."

It was quiet for a few moments. But, then Harvey stood as he dusted himself off. "Well, I should go," he said softly, squeezing Anastasia's shoulder. "Being Mayor of Gotham means I have a lot less time on my hands."

Anastasia nodded. "Congrats again, Mayor Dent."

Neither of them said a word as they watched Harvey leave. The room settled into a comfortable silence, something that Harvey had interrupted. She had never seen him behave so strangely before. He had moments when he was angry, but nothing like the complete change he had done. But, it must be the stress of the debate and being mayor. It was getting to Harvey, understandably. She turned her attention to Bruce, giving him a smile.

"You okay?" She asked, tilting her head. "I've never seen you be so mean to Harvey before. Did the two of you get into an argument?"

"No," Bruce said. It was a lie, Anastasia could tell. She wondered what he was hiding, but it was clear he wasn't going to reveal it just yet. "Everything's fine."

"If you say so."

Anastasia didn't push, deciding to let it go. Bruce seemed relieved that she didn't ask further questions, but she was sure whatever happened would come to light sooner or later. All she wanted now was to get out of the hospital and go home. And, perhaps, sleep for a few days straight.

♡

IT'S TAKING ME LONGER AND LONGER TO GET UPDATES OUT and I do apologize for the wait! These past few weeks, I have been out of it honestly. I've been just kind of stuck and work, feeling super burnt out. My emotions are all over the place and some days were just so sad and hard to get through. But, I've been doing better now! Slowly but surely! I have the next two days off, so I will try to destress (and maybe get a headstart on the next chapter). Originally, this chapter was much longer but I split it in half. So, I have at least 2000 words written for the next chapter already. It'll definitely take a lot of stress off!!

I hope you guys liked this chapter! I feel like it's a bit awkward since Ana doesn't truly know why Bruce is upset and he doesn't want to bring it up because he's afraid of upsetting her. I'll try to have more Bruce and Ana scenes too! The next chapter starts with Bruce and Ana! It'll be pretty fluffy! We'll also see more of Laura too! I am super excited for the next chapter. Also, I'm so sorry for leaving the last chapter on a cliffhanger! It originally wasn't because the beginning of this chapter was a part of the previous chapter. But, again, I split it up.

My goal is still to get Act One finished by the end of this year! I am not too sure if I will be able to since there's so much extra content that I added. But, we'll see! I know there's a lot of tension and sadness that will be coming up. So, prepare for heartbreak! But, happy endings are guaranteed!!

ALSO, IF YOU GUYS EVER SEE ANY TYPOS! Please let me know because I keep finding some embarrassing ones in my older chapters and wow, I need to do a better job at editing.

AMARA.
[ PUBLISH DATE ━━ 08.03.2022 ]