< just_1_word - Patient - Trapped - arkhams_dr >

[knowthenbreak]

Nadine Lewis
Batman (OC)
677 wordsA young woman held a baby in her arms, feeding it with practiced patience. Her olive skin and dark hair suggested Eastern European descent, and her eyes were a dark green. She seemed bored, at best, but too smart to complain about the taxing nature of her tasks

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[arkhams_dr]

Jonathan Crane knocked on his patient's door, but didn't wait for a response before entering the room - the knock was merely a warning, not a request.

He had a notepad in hand, ready to record their session, and smiled as he greeted her. "Hello, Nadine."

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Nadine let out a quiet breath at the knock. The doctor. She would much prefer to be left alone, but at least it was him. She didn't move from her chair when he came in, turning her head to see him rather than stare at the cradle.

She nodded, and it took her a moment to respond verbally. Her voice was quiet, uncertain. "Hello."

[arkhams_dr]

"And how are we today, Nadine?" He wondered exactly how much of her stupor was genuine and how much was feigned. The nanny was perpetually disgusted with her, but the girl didn't strike him as overly observant - and besides, she was paid to attend to the child, not to trouble herself about Nadine.

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Nadine simply shrugged. She didn't even know how she felt most of the time, only that she didn't feel terrified. At least not right now. She was nervous-- she was always nervous. Every little creak and groan of the house, every gust of wind-- it all made her nervous. With the doctor here, she was even more on edge, but she was not frightened. Not right now.

"You haven't been gone long." It was a small comfort to her to keep her calendar updated, to remind herself how long she'd been here. It was slightly maddening at times too, when she stopped to think that no one had ever come for her, that no one ever would come. No one cared. Not anymore.

[arkhams_dr]

"Well, of course I haven't. After all, I have obligations now." He grinned, enjoying the discomfort this line of conversation was sure to cause. "A wife who's unwell is one thing, but I can certainly be forgiven for wanting to see our child."

Replacing the smile with a look of concern, he asked, "Where is she?"

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She almost said something about that term. "Wife." She wasn't married to him. Was she? Nadine supposed she might be. Maybe she had signed something or the time passed had made it official... or something. She couldn't know for sure, and arguing with him made him leave, and if he left... She didn't want to think about what usually happened when he left after she'd argued with him.

"There." She lifted a hand, pointing at the crib, frowning.

[arkhams_dr]

"Now, Nadine," he said, with a small cluck of disapproval, "You know infants need physical contact. You don't want her to think you've rejected her, do you?"

Nodding towards the crib, he continued, "Go on. Pick her up. We can't have people thinking you're a bad mother, can we?"

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"The girl takes care of her," Nadine said quietly, curling up a bit more in her chair. "She feeds her and holds her and changes her." She wouldn't touch that child, not even when it woke her up at night, crying. She'd wait until that girl came in, took care of it.

She looked at him, more curious than defiant. She was always alone here, so hearing the opinions of others referenced caught her attention. "Who would think that? There's never company. Only the girl."

[arkhams_dr]

"I would certainly think it. The baby will think it." His tone was measured, cold and undeniably angry. "And yes, the girl will think it. Are you telling me you feel this behavior is acceptable?"

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She tensed at his tone, eyes widening. She knew she was on shaky ground now, but she couldn't hold that child. If she even got too close to the cradle, there was that temptation... What could the baby grow up to be but like that thing?

"She's sleeping." That was a good excuse, wasn't it? A good reason not to pick the child up, not to get too close.

[arkhams_dr]

"It shouldn't disturb her; babies like to be held while they sleep." If she thought she could disobey him, he was fully prepared to teach her a lesson. "Have you any idea how damaging it could be if the child forms an impression - a mistaken one, I'm sure - that you dislike her? I can't imagine that you want to cultivate a psychological defect. Pick. Her. Up."

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"I--" It was pointless to argue, Nadine realized. If she tried, he'd get angry at her and leave... and the Scarecrow would come. She knew it would come. Knew from the way he spoke to her.

Slowly, she got out of the chair and walked over to the crib, already trembling. She looked at the sleeping child. With its eyes closed, it looked... innocent, vulnerable. Nadine reached into the crib, every part of her body quaking as she forced herself to hold her daughter. She took a sharp breath in when the infant opened her eyes and stared straight up at her.

[arkhams_dr]

"That's right, Nadine. Pick her up. See? It's what she wants."

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Nadine quivered a little more, looking right down at the child. She shook her head slowly, silently begging the girl not to cry. She could barely stand this much. She didn't reply to Crane's words, though she might have given a sob she'd attempted to stifle.

[arkhams_dr]

"You're not smiling, Nadine. The baby expects you to smile at her. I expect you to smile at her." He tapped his pen against the notepad. "You don't want to give her the impression that you don't like her, do you?"

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"I don't smile anymore," Nadine replied, more to herself than to him, looking down at the child. "I can't remember the last time I did." She could almost remember it, but... the actual memory eluded her.