Gotham

Secrets behind closed doors

"You took me to the hospital and then just left me there all alone?"

"I told them everything that happened," he said, wiping the tears from his face, his voice barely above a whisper.

"That doesn't change anything!" I snapped, my own tears now streaming. "It doesn't change the fact that you're responsible for all of this! This is your fault!"

Eagle's jaw clenched, and his eyes hardened. "You weren't listening to me, Rose. I told you to stay away from Jasper. I warned you! I begged you to stay home, locked up tight, until I called. But you didn't listen. You went behind my back, called that friend from New York to dig up information on him. And what did you find out, huh?" His words came sharp, cutting the air between us.

"I—I don't remember," I stammered, feeling helpless. My mind was a tangled mess, fragments of memories that refused to connect.

"He was caught at the airport," Eagle continued, his frustration boiling over, "trying to smuggle drugs out of the state. Arrested. What were you going to do with that information, Rose? Confront him? What the hell were you thinking?"

"I don't know! I don't remember, okay? I just don't know!" My voice cracked, betraying the fragile state of my resolve.

"Both of you need to calm down," Jason interjected, his voice steady, cutting through the tension like a knife. "Come on, Eagle, she just got back from the hospital. This isn't the time for shouting. If you want her to understand, then tell her everything. She deserves that much." His words carried a weight that stilled the room.

Eagle let out a long, heavy sigh, his anger deflating, leaving behind exhaustion. He ran a hand through his hair, staring at the floor, caught between regret and hesitation.

"What's the point, Jason?" he said quietly, almost to himself. "She doesn't even remember."

Jason simply blinked, slow and deliberate, his expression calm, though his eyes were sharp. "She will," he said, voice low and measured. "She will."

Eagle turned back to me, his gaze softer now, filled with something that almost resembled guilt. "There's a lot you don't know, Rose. And you're going to learn some things about me, about Jason, about this entire damn town, and..." He hesitated, his voice thickening. "And about Cecilia."

"My grandmother?" The name fell from my lips, laced with shock and disbelief. What could she have to do with this?

Eagle nodded. "But not tonight," he said firmly, his tone a mixture of concern and command. "You're not ready for all of it yet. For now, I need you to rest. For your own safety, you're coming with me. You'll stay at my place tonight, and when you're ready, we'll talk."

He reached for my hand, but let it drop before our fingers could meet, as though he was afraid to hold on to something so fragile.

"My head hurts," I muttered, feeling the weight of it all pressing down on me. "I need to lie down, take my meds... I'm not ready to go back to my house. But maybe if I see it... the crime scene..." I let out a small, bitter laugh. "Maybe I'll remember something."

"You don't need to go back there. Not tonight," Eagle said, his voice soft but firm. "You're coming with me. And Jason," he glanced over at him, "tomorrow night, my place. We talk then."

Jason nodded quietly, his expression unreadable.

"Thank you, Jason..." I murmured, grabbing my purse as I followed Eagle out into the cold night air, feeling the weight of the unknown pressing against me, knowing that whatever lay ahead was far more than I was ready for. But I had no choice now.

The storm wasn't over yet—it was only just beginning.

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