Carnations for Emily

Chapter 7: Cole has a daughter?!

This girl standing in front of Jack didn't seem like it but he had to ask:
"Is you dads name Cole?"
The green eyed girl looked surprised. "Yes, how'd you know?" Belle asked.
"Well I've been going to his coffee shop later in the night." Jack said.
"Ah!
You're the one he's been talking about!
He said that he's been talking to a young man about my age with black hair and tired ocean blue eyes.
That this guy has been talking to him about his life and how he got to the city.
I've kinda been wanting to meet him myself personally.
Go figure said guy just saved me."
Belle leaped for joy at the end of her sentence.
"Thank you so much!" She clasped her hands together.
The pain from the wound in Jack shoulder came back.
"Gah! That doesn't feel good." He said smiling through the pain.
"Whoa, here come back to the shop, I have a key and dad always keeps medical supplies under the counter." Belle said as she took Jack's hand in hers and lead him back to Cole's place.
Belle holding Jacks hand made him kinda nervous.
The only other girl that ever held his hand was Emily.
Not that Belles hand wasn't warm or comforting.
He's just not used to it.
Especially these days.

In the last few years that he spent away from all his loved ones back home, Jack grew into a cold man.
While he still tries to help anyway he can to any citizen he encounters, he has a strong sense of justice. Though he tries to avoid dangerous situations such as a few moments ago, he won't stand for the weak getting preyed upon.
While those in need see the kindness in his heart the bad guys see the evil in it.
He became cold to any kind of affection though, from people grateful for his kindness to girls that wanted him.
The group he got caught up with when he came to the city broke down most of what feeling he had.
Joker being in control for the most part during that time didn't help.
After all it was Joker that took down that gang and beat their boss to death with his own torture tool, the thumper Jack had just used...

"Sit here." Belle said.
When she led Jack back into the shop she sat him at the counter.
"They're here somewhere." Belle was looking for the medical supplies underneath the counter.
"Ah! Here we are." She came back around with a kit in her hands.
Inside were gauze, disinfectant and a few other items.
"Here that shirts a little torn up now. Take it off and let's get you cleaned up." Belle spoke.
"Wha- no I don't think that's a good idea." Jack stammered.
"Don't be a baby, just take it off." Belle told Jack.
"Nope." Jack brushed her off.
Belle was getting annoyed, she only wanted to help and Jack fighting her wasn't what she was willing to deal with.
"Shirt. Off. Now." Belle demanded this time.
The tone in her voice was enough to make Jack shiver.
"Tch, Fine." Jack removed his shirt exposing the hole in his shoulder.
As well as some previous scars...
He couldn't help but blush though he never liked the way he looked.
When Jack looked back up he noticed Belle kinda just staring, practically drooling.
"Uh, you okay?" Jack spoke.
"Wh-What? No I wasn't staring!" Bell stuttered.
"I didn't say you were." Jack said.
Clearing her throat Belle went on to patch Jack back up.
She diss infected the wound and cleaned up as much blood as she could.
Finally she placed a bandage and some gauze around his upper chest.
Try as she might though she couldn't really keep her thoughts pure.
"He may not look like much, but he's actually pretty hot under all those worn out clothes.
Pretty toned with just the right amount of muscle." She thought as she blushed a little more.
"There all done." Belle chimed.
"Thanks." Jack threw back on his now ragged shirt and threw his blazer back on over it.
"Now you may want to take it easy for a few days. Bullet wounds take time to heal." Belle said.
"I got it, don't worry." Jack expressed his gratitude.

"I guess I'll head home now." Jack said, scratching the back of his head.
"Oh, before you go!
If you don't mind me asking.
Where did you get those scars?" Belle asked.
"Damn..." Jack mumbled.
"Well if you must know...
Do you remember remember the "Broken Glass Gang"?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, for such a childish name they were actually pretty bad.
Drug smuggling, kidnapping, robbing, murder. All that shitty stuff." Belle shook her head.
"Well at one point in time I was apart of the group. For the first three years I was here."
While three years doesn't seem like a lot, Jack rose through the gangs ranks and quickly became the boss's right hand.
Since Jack was lost in his mind and Joker ran rampant, it's no wonder he was feared by many both innocent civilian and gang member.
You could see the evil in his eyes...
But soon enough, Joker grew sick of being told what to do.
Because of this Joker decided to over throw the guy running the show.
The boss Harvey.
Known for torturing new members himself in all sorts of ways.
But his favorite thing to do was to beat them in to submission with his concealable transforming bat.
Sometimes he'd break their limbs.
Other times he'd just flip the switch on his tool which would engage the electric components in the tool and shock them with what he'd call a form of "shock therapy" the guy was a lunatic.
And Joker wasn't too far from it either.

Eventually Joker took Harvey on.
Took his tool away and used it on him.
Joker flipped the switch activated the electricity and bashed Harvey's brains in all over the floor.
Afterwards he hit the button on the bats hilt and it collapsed back, then he put it away in his Jacket and walked out.
The police eventually arrived and nobody knew the wiser.
Or... at least that's what Jack remembers...
He just remembers finally going to therapy, like he originally planned to.
From then on Joker grew less and less prominent in Jack's psyche.

These days Jack uses the same tool to defend those that can't defend themselves, while making his own living through his music and hoping to return home to Emily one day when he's better...

Jack tells this story to Belle while leaving out a few crucial parts.
Trying to make it clear that he wasn't a killer, only did a few bad things to get by.

"Huh, that's quite the story Jack.
No wonder you're all scarred up." Belle looked shocked while looking more impressed at how Jack is.
"Take it with a grain of salt, I don't do that stuff anymore.
I just hope to make enough money go back home one day.
I left something there, and I've regretted it ever since." Jack said.
"Well I hope that, while you're here, you'll keep coming here and talking to my father ...or me.
While I haven't been present here at the shop, I do come by every now and then to help dad out." Belle exclaimed.
"I'll keep that in mind and try to come by more often then I guess." Jack shrugged then turned heel and left the shop, heading straight for home.
"Goodbye!" Belle called out to him.
Jack waved goodbye and left.

"Man what a night." -Jack

Chapter 7: End.