Bruce disregarded several calls from Dr. Kapoor. His last interaction with him had been unpleasant and Bruce felt bad enough. He would apologize to the doctor when this was all over. He didn't need more concerned phone calls; he needed his wife. Once he had texted Dr. Kapoor to verify that he didn't know where she had gone, he disregarded his calls. But the calls gave him an idea.
Bruce needed air. The police questioned him over and over. Her car was gone. There were no pictures of it on traffic cameras since she had not made any violations. There was no indication of where she was headed. His home felt like a public arena. He excused himself and went into the hall and over to the elevator. He just needed a few moments to himself.
The medical facility was quiet and empty. In a way, he was hoping that she was here. Maybe she had been hiding away there the whole time, completely unaware of the fiasco she had created.
No one was there.
Bruce went into Dr. Kapoor's office and looked at the disarray. The entire facility had been turned upside down when Bruce found out the Joker had been there. Other than the paintings, Bruce found no evidence of his stay.
Papers were everywhere in Dr. Kapoor's office from when Bruce had torn the place apart looking for information about the Joker. But Bruce could see an envelope that he had somehow missed sitting on a table with a small vase of flowers. It must have been sitting there all along, since Dr. Kapoor had not been back.
He opened the envelope. He felt a thud in his chest.
He sat the sheet down and looked at the paper. Blood work. A large number jumped out to him and would have even if it wasn't highlighted.
hCG level: 25,001
She was pregnant.
.
.
.
Alfred's job was difficult. He needed to keep the television off, make sure there was no mention from the hotel housekeeping staff of the news, and keep Arsenio distracted and entertained. He asked for Adriana and Bruce several times, but Alfred had to assure him they would be coming soon.
.
.
.
The Joker slammed the door when he and Lucius returned to his apartment. They had no leads but had been searching for hours. The sun was down, and the night setting in cast a shadow of hopelessness over the city.
"What are we missing?" the Joker said and then slammed his fist down onto the dining room table.
"Jack..." Lucius said, trying his best to keep him calm. "We will find her."
"What are we missing, what are we missing, what are we missing..." the Joker said over and over, his words speeding up as he spoke to himself.
Lucius sat down and watched the Joker pace. Lucius was just as panicked as the Joker was, but he knew that at least one of them needed to remain calm and level-headed.
"We've wasted so many hours....nothing," the Joker said to himself. "Not even the hint of half a clue."
Lucius couldn't argue with him.
"She wouldn't have been abducted by just anyone," the Joker said. "She...is well known. It's too big of a risk."
Lucius watched the Joker, thinking out loud. He wanted to mention the fact that they had no proof that she had been abducted. But he kept quiet.
"It's them, I know it," the Joker said. "Whoever attacked Brake. This is them. They have her...and they will not hesitate to kill her."
Lucius maintained his silence. He knew all about what had happened to Brake and how Bruce had moved him up on the hospital's transplant list. Brake had told whoever had attacked him in prison about Adriana. Someone looking for the Joker.
