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

Chapter 12: Terror from a Lockout

Harleen was so scared that her voice had completely disappeared, she tried to speak the only thing coming out a small whisper. She hated that he caused her to lose her voice, never in her entire life had she lost her voice up until this man entered into her life.

"You would actually hurt me?" Harleen whispered, clawing at her throat; she couldn't breathe.

Jay waved the guards away and they headed up the stairs, he didn't say anything until he heard the door slam shut behind them.

"Just because I have some sort of infatuation with you does not exempt you from punishment if you cross me." He snarled slowly walking towards her.

Harleen was still subconsciously clawing at her throat, she stumbled over her feet while backing up and she could feel tears prick her eyes. Her breath was jagged and she couldn't get it under control, she was so terrified everything in her mind turned to a jumbled mess. Harleen looked at Jay, his eyes held excitement, he enjoys power.

"Stay- stay away from me." Harleen said stumbling over her words.

Jay laughed, it was stomach churning, ear piercing and Harleen could no longer hold her tears back. All she heard was the ringing of his laughter in her ears and the vibrations against the dirt walls. He reached for her wrists that were now crossed against her body, tugging at her arms he forced her to let go of her sides and pulled her up the stairs. When they reached the top the two guards disappeared back to the bottom and the pair headed to the car, Jay threw Harleen into her side and made his way to the driver's seat.

"Where are you taking me now?" She asked, pressing her body up against the door trying to get as far away from him as possible.

"Home." Jay snapped, he was squeezing the steering wheel as hard as he could and his knuckles were white, as if it were possible with his skin damage.

The rest of the car ride was silent, the only noise coming from Harleen who would slightly whimper but for the most part tried to keep it together, at least until she got home. Jay helped her up the emergency escape when they arrived and Harleen climbed through the window first slamming it behind her and locking it.

"Aww, is my poor little harlequin upset?" He mocked glaring at her through the window, he looked truly terrifying and she took a step back gasping.

Harleen jumped hearing a knock on her front door, the pizza man, she remembered and semi closed the curtain taking her wallet from the island and opening the front door. Jay began to bang on the window, and Harleen greeted the teenager who was delivering her pizza.

"Ma'am are you okay? We've sent a couple people to deliver the pizza and every time they said you weren't home." He asked, she knew she looked a mess.

"Yes." She smiled. "Just a long night is all. The grocery store was super busy."

Harleen tipped the boy a twenty and set her food on the island making her way back to the window, she didn't want him to break the window and just wished he would leave. When she stepped into sight, he was gone but she could hear laughter. Harleen went to every window in her apartment and double checked that they were locked, including the front door. Eventually the laughter subsided but she was still terrified; to try and distract herself Harleen changed into her pajamas and took her salad and pizza into the living room to watch a movie. 'I love Lucy' was still paused and she quickly clicked out of that settling on a classic rom-com.

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Three days passed before Jay had come back, Harleen was feeling awful. Her nightmares had come back, so her sleep was awful and while she hated to admit it she missed Jay. She still didn't have much to do at work so most of her days were half days even as a part time doctor for the time being.

Sitting at the table in her apartment, Harleen kicked her feet out and ate the dinner she had made that night. It was just a salad with a bit of olive oil and vinegar but she was happy that she was eating something; the first day after Jay taking her to the amusement park anything she tried to eat would come back up. Harleen stared at the whiskey sitting in front of her and took a sip, the taste was not preferred but she was trying to sleep like a rock and whiskey usually helped with that. Eventually nine o'clock came around and she slowly sauntered over to her room changing into her pajamas. Harleen had a slight buzz and when she was brushing her teeth a bubble of laughter came from her throat; she looked like a zombie. The bags under her eyes had gotten worse and she looked paler than normal.

Harleen pulled the comforter back on her bed and kicked off her socks, she stood there for a moment contemplating but finally making a decision. She walked to the window which had remained locked for the past three days and slightly cracked it, closing the curtains afterwards. I'll regret that in the morning but oh well, Harleen thought to herself. She got in bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

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Harleen woke from a thump in the living room, she turned and glanced at the clock sitting on her bedside table, which read 2:13am when she felt the bed dip, she knew who it was by the way he was moving and eventually felt his chest against her back.

"You smell like whiskey." Jay whispered into her ear.

"We need to talk." Harleen mumbled still feeling a bit of her buzz and being half asleep.

"Tomorrow, for now sleep."

Harleen felt his arm snake under her head and into the crook of her neck, the other was draped across her waist and he held her tightly. His head was above hers and she could feel his forehead pressed to the crown of her head. She tried to stay awake but eventually fell asleep to the feel of his pulse against her arm.

When Harleen woke, she was alone. Was I dreaming? She thought stepping into the shower to remove the layer of sweat that formed on her skin from the whiskey. She washed her hair and exited the shower the smell of lilies wafting behind her. Harleen got ready for her day of work, they had placed her in the clinic for now and she was grateful. Hopefully she will be able to spend more time with Darren. Driving to work was calming and when she arrived; headed to the clinic.

"Good morning!" Darren greeted her, handing Harleen a cup of tea from the cafeteria.

"Hi." She stated sipping the tea, the clinic wasn't opened yet. The two had ten minutes before their shift began. "He's gone." Harleen stated, she was trying to be discreet because of the other nurses around.

"For good?" Darren asked turning to her.

"I think so."

"What does that mean?"

"He got mad at mean and I locked him out, he hasn't been to my apartment in three days so I think he's gone." Harleen expanded setting the tea on the counter.

"Well, I for one am happy about that." Darren said. "Will was about to force me to bring you to the apartment, we were so worried."

The two began their day, splinting broken arms and taking care of common cold cases. Occasionally there would be a bigger case and someone would have to ask for a consult but besides that the day was easy for both of them. There was one man who was drunk and they restrained him, inserting an IV and pushing fluids to sober him up. Harleen's shift ended at lunch time but she decided to go over to the mall before heading home. Walking into the jewelers she bought a gold pair of earrings with a gift card she had and then bought a pretzel. Sitting at one of the small circle tables she finished her food and headed home, Harleen began to worry as she walked to her car. She felt as if she were being watched, but this time it was different. Harleen could feel eyes raking down her back, her stomach churned, and she was completely vulnerable. Quickly, Harleen got into her car and threw it in drive wanting to get as far from the mall's parking garage as possible.

Locking the door behind her, Harleen threw her purse on the floor near the door and set her keys on the island. She changed out of her work clothes and sat on the couch trying to calm herself down. What is wrong with me? Harleen thought to herself. Her heart was pacing and she was beyond nervous. She knew that the feeling of being watched always led to an issue involving Jay. Maybe he has someone following me since I locked him out? Shaking her head Harleen thought that idea was absurd and continued with her breathing to try and calm down.