He sat back, still writing, and looked up with a frown. "Why the hostility, Nadine? What have I done to deserve this? If I recall correctly, you were the one who attacked me."
"You tried to kill me," she said, looking over at him, body tense. "You cornered me. I-- I won't let the Scarecrow-- let you--" She had to remember that. As painful as it was, as sick as it made her feel to know that Harvey had always been right... he was the Scarecrow, "hurt Duela."
He managed to compose his expression into one of pained confusion. "Me, hurt Duela? I don't understand, Nadine. Why would you think I would hurt her? I'm not sure I could hurt her any more than you and Harvey already have, abandoning her as you did, but I'm certainly not planning to do that."
"Harvey didn't do anything to her!" She flinched at hearing her own raised voice and looked at the door. No one came. She hadn't been loud enough to be noticed by anyone at the nurse's station. She repeated, this time at a whisper, "Harvey didn't do anything."
She looked at him, frowning. If she started shouting, the nurses would come. She had to-- had to try and keep from screaming. She wouldn't give the Scarecrow what it wanted. "I don't trust you."
Nadine looked at him, at that smile. She couldn't support this. Allow it, yes. After all, the woman knew she couldn't stop it. But support it...? Would Jonathan stay with Duela? Or would he eventually find someone else as she got older? After all, Nadine could remember when she was Duela's age... What would Duela's fate be in ten years? Fifteen? She tried not to think about that.
"As long as she's happy," she finally said, "I can't say anything against it. As long as you make her happy, it's... fine."
"I hope you'll do better than that, Nadine. Our daughter deserves more, don't you think?" It wouldn't do for her to get too comfortable. No, he needed to keep her a bit off-balance.
She looked over at him. He kept saying that. 'Our daughter.' It wasn't the first time. Last time... he'd said it several times. But he'd... so she couldn't be... Besides, she was Harvey's. There wasn't any doubt about that. That smile, that laugh, that cockiness... No. Duela was Harvey's through and through. So why...?
She did her best to smile, but the thoughts running through her head kept her from managing it completely, her eyes not hiding that she was sorting through her thoughts, trying to process them. "You can't expect me to be happy. I'll... get used to the idea... but..." She gave another half-hearted smile. "I am going to worry about her. After all, when I was her age, you were with me."
"And I didn't leave you. Not until you made it clear that you wished to be left. I gave you everything. I stood back, let you do as you wanted." He was so eager, so sincere. "Perhaps that was my mistake, letting you do what you wanted, instead of what I thought was best."
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She looked at him, frowning. If she started shouting, the nurses would come. She had to-- had to try and keep from screaming. She wouldn't give the Scarecrow what it wanted. "I don't trust you."
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"As long as she's happy," she finally said, "I can't say anything against it. As long as you make her happy, it's... fine."
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She did her best to smile, but the thoughts running through her head kept her from managing it completely, her eyes not hiding that she was sorting through her thoughts, trying to process them. "You can't expect me to be happy. I'll... get used to the idea... but..." She gave another half-hearted smile. "I am going to worry about her. After all, when I was her age, you were with me."
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