i thought you were dead | joker x harley

still alive but i'm barely breathing

Doctors in crisp, white lab coats swarm the miniscule grey room; the buzzing of machines fills the room, while one particular doctor walks in. Dr. Grey. How ironic. She gracefully walks over to the patient lying before her, moving her steel grey eyes to the monitors; she adjusts them back to the body in front of her, suddenly her eyes begin to pool and she feels her blood run cold; snatching the file from the nurse beside her, her voice shakily reads, "Harleen Quinzel..." Her hands rush to her mouth, holding in the silent cries. "Doctor, is something wrong? Do you know the patient?" Dr. Grey struggles to find her voice but manages to nod, "She was my best friend."

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Harley laid in her cold, sterilized medical bed lost in her dreams as Dr. Grey walked in quietly to check on her. She walked closer to Harley and grabbed her delicate, bruised hand; Harley began to shake frantically, her face twisted in agony and suddenly she awoke from her slumber, only to be put in more pain as she felt the breathing tube that was shoved down her throat. She shook frantically, trying to remove the tube from her throat but her attempts were quickly stopped. "Harleen, it's okay...you're safe." Her vision was blurry and her eyes couldn't focus on anything, but at the sound of the familiar voice, Harley's eyes met with Dr. Grey's and after a few seconds her vision cleared to see the doctor standing in her room. She recognized the young doctor as her best friend in high school but the thought brought back memories of her past life and Harley quickly pushed those memories to the back of her mind. All she wanted in that moment was to be dead, she thought the pills would have been enough to get the job done but her plan had failed and here she was. Her body was very fragile and weakened, causing her to become greatly fatigued and in desperate need of rest.

Harley pulled the covers close to her body, shielding herself from the doctor's look of pity. A wave of shame washed over her and sadness filled her broken heart; After a few minutes Dr. Grey began walking towards the door. Harley turned her face slightly, to gaze out the small window of the room. Dr. Grey continued on her way out of the room and down the hallway, making her way to her office. She pulled out the keys from the pocket of her lab coat and unlocked the door; exhausted and worn out from the events that had taken place, Dr. Grey slumped into her chair and closed her eyes, attempting to rest. After about an hour, she was awoken by a harsh knock at her door. She fixed her hair and spoke, "Come in!" A tall, bald middle aged man walked in and took a seat across from Dr. Grey. "I've gotten word that we have Harley Quinn as our newest patient. Is that true?"

"Yes, Dr. Arkham..."

"This place has enough psychopathic freaks without adding Harley Quinn here as well; we are not equipped to handle her, she will be transferred else where as soon as she is removed from suicide watch." Dr. Arkham said as he rose from his seat and walked towards the door. Dr. Grey pleaded with him, "She is of no danger to us! She was one of us Jeremiah!" Dr. Arkham turned abruptly to face the young doctor, "Was being the operative word. She made her choice Alyssa, end of discussion." After a few days, Harley began to speak and the doctors decided Harley was no longer a harm to herself and removed her from suicide watch. The news quickly made their way to Dr. Arkham who immediately ordered her transfer from Arkham Asylum.

The next day Harley was woken up by Dr. Grey, notifying her of her transfer. A security guard walked in and walked over to Harley, turning her over; he placed his silver cuffs on Harley's wrists as she shivered, feeling the cold metal make contact with her skin. Memories of Joker placing his handcuffs on Harley after his horrific beatings flashed in her mind, making her feel uneasy. "Let's go, the people at Belle Reve eagerly await your arrival," the security guard sarcastically says. Dr. Grey knew that Harley needed help but hated the thought of her once best friend all alone in a high security detention center. She knew that at Belle Reve she would simply be treated as a high risk criminal and not given the proper care she was in desperate need of. In that moment, Dr. Grey made the decision to help Harley, even if it would be at the expense of her career. "It's okay officer, I'll take her to you as soon as all the transfer papers are in order." The young, naïve officer looked at Dr. Grey with slight suspicion but simply nodded in agreement. The guard removed the cuffs from Harley and walked out of the room, stopping only to say, "Have her ready in 10, no funny business lady." The doctor rushed Harley to her office and handed her clothes and a pair of sunglasses from the locker in her office and says, "Put these on, we have to get out of here." Harley stood there utterly confused by Dr. Grey's words but did as she was told, seeing the opportunity to escape and possibly return to her Joker. They managed to make their way out of Arkham with great ease and got into Dr. Grey's small black car. Not a word was spoken as the car roared to life and Dr. Grey began driving them to her house; All the while, all Harley could think of was how mad Joker must be that she was gone and how she would pay for that later. She loved him unconditionally and blamed herself for his anger. Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she realized they were in the driveway of a secluded white house.

Harley and Dr. Grey walked inside the small darkly lit house and stood in the doorway. "Harleen, you'll be safe here...He won't hurt you anymore." Harley walked past her, not bothering to reply to the doctor's words. She scanned the room before turning to face Dr. Grey and asked, "What am I doing here? I have to get back to Joker!" Harley ran towards the door but was quickly stopped by the doctor. She grabbed her arms and shook her, "Harleen, you really are insane....he nearly beat you to death and you still want to go back to him? You tried to end your life!" Harley turned away from the doctor, not wanting to show the sadness in her eyes. "He's a monster and he doesn't care about you, he never did." The words spoken by the doctor had no effect on Harley; she tried to fight but due to the weakened state her body was in, she was overpowered by Dr. Grey.

Harley laid on the living room floor of the doctor's home and whispered, "I deserved it....I just make him so angry...he can't control himself but he loves me, I know he does. He saved me from my old, meaningless life.....he saved me.." The doctor sat on the floor, listening to the words spoken by Harley. She felt genuine sadness as she listened to what Harley had to say; she really loved him, in her own twisted way, Harley really loved Joker. She realized Harley had been quiet for a while and when she checked, discovered that she was fast asleep. The doctor picked Harley up with little effort, due to her tiny frame and weak body, and carried her to the spare bedroom in the house. She laid her down on the bed and placed a blanket over her body. As she did so, the doctor noticed how significant Harley's collarbone protruded from beneath her bleached skin. "It's all going to be okay Harleen, I'll keep you safe.."

I'll keep you safe.....