Dr. Quinzel: And An Alternative Origin Story for a Miss Harley Quinn

Chapter 3: Caught at the Last Second

Appendicitis at twelve years

Wisdom teeth removal at eighteen

Fell in acid at twenty-four

Three notes. He had written three notes but for Harleen in felt like the world, she knew that the attraction she felt for him was immoral. She was aware of the danger he put her in, but for some reason she didn't care. Dr. Quinzel was terrified of him, but Harleen outside of her work was attracted to him.

'It was only three notes, get yourself together'. Harleen thought as she took his tray of food to him and the single sandwich and water she threw on there for herself. The binder was tucked safely under her arm, and the blonde guard opened the door for her. She thanked him and it swung shut behind her.

"You're back!" He exclaimed, setting the pencil and paper he had down.

Dr. Quinzel glanced down at it and realized he was sketching, and was actually good at it. She made a mental note to bring him a pad and another pencil later on.

"I have your lunch, and I am required to watch you since you are an Arkham patient." Dr. Quinzel stated, remembering the policy that Dr. Salverian told her when she requested one of the cooks to take him his food.

"They really think I'm going to choke on my own food. I may be crazy but I'm not stupid." He laughed as Dr. Quinzel pulled a chair over from the other side of the room and set the binder down on the table as well.

"It's just policy." She muttered, taking her sandwich and water and eating herself.

"Oh so you wanted to have lunch with me?" He jested, opening one of the Jell-O's she put on his tray.

"As if, Mr. Jay." Harleen stated, she slapped a hand over her mouth and her eyes went wide as he stared at her in amusement. "I'm sorry sir, that was unprofessional."

He chuckled and went back to his Jell-O cup, and she opened her sandwich as well taking a bite from it.

"How old are you?" Harleen blurted, she didn't mean to but she was so curious.

"Well how old are you?" Mr. Jay responded, glancing up from his tray of food.

"I asked you first." Harleen said taking a sip from her water. "But I am twenty-seven, you look about the same but maybe a little older is what I am assuming."

He looked at her and smirked, taking a bite of his food and looking back to the tray of food in front of him.

"I am thirty." He replied, "How come a twenty-seven-year-old is an attending at Gotham General Hospital? Aren't attendings usually in their forties?" He asked chucking, but his eyes showed annoyance and something a little darker. Like he could stab her right then and not blink an eye.

"I finished high school and medical school early." Dr. Quinzel muttered, taking another sip of her water to wash away her stomachache. She hated talking about the reason why she was so young and an attending.

"You don't like talking about it?" Mr. Jay asked tilting his head in confusion.

"No, it's not that." She trailed off, turning back to her sandwich. "You draw?"

"No." Mr. Jay replied. "I'm just bored, no crazed screaming inmates or guards to stab."

Harleen could tell that the conversation was going dry and his last comment struck her differently so quickly, she finished her sandwich and afterward stood up grabbing more gauze.

"I have to change your gauze again." Dr. Quinzel stated, he nodded and pushed his tray away since they were both done and lifted his shirt.

"You're just trying to get your hands on me." He snickered and she snorted.

"You wish." Harleen said as he laughed.

She grabbed the tray and her trash and began to head out calling over her shoulder that she would be back later to change the gauze and monitor his vitals again.

"Dr. Quinzel, you should act yourself more often, instead of a big shot doctor lady." Mr. Jay called as she placed her hand on the door handle, he sounded breathy almost as if her true self shocked him.

He sounded genuine and for a second she thought that maybe he was feeling similar emotions but after her senses came back she shook it off and turned to look at him.

"Thank you." She breathed.

Opening the door she headed out and back to the cafeteria to return the tray, the entire time she thought about how if she only continued to act like herself she may have been able to talk with him more. To understand his train of thought, to understand why he acts the way he does but seems so smart as well.

Dr. Quinzel headed to the OR to perform the appendectomy on Miss. Hurengale and afterwards decided that they would push Mrs. Lumea's surgery till tomorrow since both her and Dr. Everett both had availability.

Before making it to the scrub room, she heard two loud gunshots and nurses were running. Darren was rounding the corner and when he saw her he yelled for her to run, she watched as a tall man with Black hair, a scar across his cheek, and a huge gun shot him. Darren fell into Harleen and fear etched itself into her core. She stared at the man as his eyes went wide and he backed away from her, she pulled Darren into an empty hospital room and into the bathroom shutting the door behind them.

Darren screamed out in pain as Dr. Quinzel propped him against the wall, tears were streaming down his cheeks, his face had gone pale and blood was pouring from his head where he was grazed.

"You're gonna be okay, you're gonna be okay." Dr. Quinzel muttered to herself. "You'll be fine."

Tears were streaming from her eyes, she was terrified. What would happen to her? She was his doctor, she cared for him. Would he kill her too? Darren reached up and pushed her hair out of her face while she tried to bandage his calf and taped a pad of gauze to his temple.

"You have to get out of here." Darren mumbled; he was going into shock.

"I can't just leave you here." Dr. Quinzel said, she was still crying.

"He is going to find you and kill you, you're his doctor. You know too much about him, he will kill you." Darren stated, pushing her away. "I'll be fine, this is a graze and the one on my calf went straight through. It's not even bleeding as much anymore, now get out of here before he finds you."

"I can't," Dr. Quinzel cried, "I'm so scared."

Darren took her hand squeezing it, she looked up at him from the floor. He was determined to get her out of the hospital, even if she was refusing to leave.
"Dr. Quinzel we are all scared, there is a mad man walking around this hospital shooting all of us. But he is after you specifically, so put on your running shoes and get going before you get killed, now." Darren pushed her towards the door, she looked at him and nodded.

Standing she opens the bathroom door and closes it behind her, she ducks since the window looking out onto the main surgical floor is still open and crawls to the door. Looking out the window she sees Caroline face down with blood trickling from her head, she looked like someone had hit her over the head with something. The lights above were flickering and hanging below what it should have. Someone had shot out the lights.

Harleen hadn't seen anyone alive, quietly she opened the door and started to run down the hallway towards the closest exit she knew of. When she turns the corner she saw three men standing at the end with masks on, she slammed back against the wall trying to peek and see what they look like. The exit is right past them, if only something would distract them so she could slip by. Dr. Quinzel took off her necklace, it was golden with a long chain from her mother when she got into Medical School. She threw it down the other end of the hallway and almost cried when they ran after it thinking someone was down that way. She started running again, towards the green lit sign that said exit, when she felt a hand tug on her and was thrown to the ground.